If you’ve ever posted anything on social media that you wish you could take back, then you understand the plight of a Louisiana police detective. Former detective Raymond Mott stated that a picture taken of him at a KKK rally last summer should not have cost him his job. On Wednesday, the Lake Arthur, Louisiana City Council voted unanimously to terminate Mott.
Mott is seen in the photo giving a KKK salute, while standing next to other members who are in full KKK regalia. But Mott claims there was nothing about the image or his being at the KKK rally that was racial in nature. According to Mott, “The picture speaks for itself. I’m standing at a rally against illegal immigration. There’s not much to be said about the picture. I’ve never denied it was me.” Mott feels that the image is being taken out of context and the vote to fire him was illegal. He now plans to sue to get his job back.
Lake Arthur spokesperson Ace Beverly stated in response that terminating Mott was not just “For the concerns of the citizens, [and] for his safety concerns… Out here on the streets you never know what’s going to happen. Nowadays, all over the United States cops are getting killed and cops are killing others. Me, myself, personally, I don’t want that to happen right here in my own hometown.”
Mott states, “The process that it went through in order to terminate me was not within guidelines of Louisiana law. Some information was put out that puts my family’s safety at risk. And I will be taking legal action. I’ve contacted an attorney already.”
