A North Carolina police chief was ousted Tuesday over a lengthy, expletive-laden rant against the Black Lives Matter movement that he posted earlier this month to his Facebook page.
Local TV station WECT reported that former Surf City Police Chief Mike Halstead wrote a rambling, 662-word post on Sept. 3 in which he called the Black Lives Matter movement a “terror group.” He wrote that the law enforcement community was fed up with a “murderous society” it believes is out to kill cops and added that he’d instructed his own officers to “shoot a thug” if threatened.
“I agree there is a race problem in this country,” Halstead wrote, as quoted by WECT. “It is not brought on by police officer doing their sworn duty, it is brought on by the government, the President and his cronies Al Sharpton, who is a criminal tax evader (but has the support of our so called President), Jessi Jackson [sic], Eric Holder and that ignorant S.O.B. Farrakhan who should be charged with solicitation for murder, lord knows a white man would be arrested for the same actions of idiot Farakhan [sic].”
WECT reported that Halstead retired following an emergency meeting called by town leaders in response to the Facebook post. Town leaders agreed to give him 60 days of severance pay, according to the news station.
Halstead wrote in a Tuesday night Facebook post that town leaders had given him the option to retire or else be terminated. While he added that he did not intend to offend anyone, that was the extent of his contrition.
“I have served proudly for 35 years without a blemish,” he wrote, as quoted by WECT. “I guess to some Surf City Leaders that has no meaning. I guess I will learn to eat beanie wienies for a few months. I love you all.”
