Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, a former SWAT cop whoâs big on gun rights, threatened to shoot protesters in a wildly deranged Facebook post that accompanied a picture of armed Black men.âLook, fair warning. If this shows up, weâll consider the armed presence a real threat. We being, We, the people of Louisiana,â Higginsâ post began. The Republican congressman, elected in 2016, went on to say, âI wouldnât even spill my beer. Iâd drop any 10 of you where you stand. Because some of we, like meâŠWe, are SWAT. Nothing personal. We just eliminate the threat.â The accompanying picture, taken during a rally in Louisville to protest Breonna Taylorâs killing earlier this year, shows three heavily armed Black men from the Not Fucking Around Coalition, an all-Black militia.Itâs unclear why Higgins even posted this, considering the NAFC is nowhere near Louisiana. On the other hand, dozens of heavily armed members of the far-right Louisiana Cajun Militia did show up to a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Lafayette on Tuesday night, the Advocate reported. Though interactions between the militia and protesters were peaceful, according to reports, one member told a reporter that his group wasnât âgonna let [Black Lives Matter] protesters go around burning flags and intimidating.â
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Facebook removed the post for violence and incitement, a company spokesperson told The Acadiana Advocate on Tuesday. In a follow-up post responding to the removal, Higgins posted a picture of an American eagle, whined that his liberty was under attack, and suggested weâre in a war.âWelcome to the front lines, Ladies and Gentlemen. I suggest you get your mind right,â Higgins wrote. âIâll advise when itâs time to gear up, mount up, and roll out.âHiggins, a right-wing former member of the Opelousas Police Departmentâs SWAT team, resigned from the department in 2007 rather than face a demotion and suspension for unnecessarily slapping a man in custody and lying about it, a 2017 investigation by IND Monthly found. Higgins later rose to prominence as a police spokesperson for the St. Landry Parish Sheriffâs Office, frequently appearing on a local television stationâs âCrime Stoppersâ segments. After Higgins was heavily criticized for a video he filmed saying alleged criminals would be âhuntedâ and âtrapped,â he resigned from the job, saying heâd ârather die than sacrifice my principles.â Since his election to Congress, Higgins has frequently touted his hard-line interpretation of the Second Amendment. âEvery American that can legally possess and own a weapon, and carry in whatever manner, should have that protection in every state across the nation,â Higgins said in a 2017 statement following a vote on a bill allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines.
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Higgins hasnât said yet whether those armed men constituted a âreal threat.âCover: In this June 2, 2016, file photo, Clay Higgins, a former captain for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office, and candidate for Congress, poses for a photograph in Lafayette, La. (AP Photo/Kevin McGill, File)