White Supremacist Who Harassed Vermont Lawmaker Crashes Her Press Conference
A self-described white supremacist, who harassed Vermont state lawmaker Ruqaiyah “Kiah” Morris with so many racist messages that she resigned her post last fall, showed up at a press conference on Monday where she was speaking about that harassment. She was joined at the press conference by her husband, James Lawton; law enforcement officials; and Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan.
Local news reporters identified the harasser, Max Misch, when he arrived near the end of the event. He was wearing a black T-shirt decorated with Pepe the Frog, a cartoon that has been co-opted as a symbol of racism.
Attorney General Donovan then took over the lectern. The state attorney general told the packed room that after a monthslong investigation ― and although the messages Morris received from Misch and others were “clearly racist and extremely offensive” ― his office would not prosecute the senders due to First Amendment protections.
On Monday, Morris expressed her disappointment with the investigation but said she was prepared for the possibility that no legal action would be taken.
“All of the accounts of what happened to me and my family over the years are enormous in scale and historically rooted in a legacy of white supremacy, misogyny and inequity,” Morris said before the disruption.
“We did everything that we were told to do, reported everything, held nothing back and trusted in a system that, in the end, was insufficient and inept at addressing and repairing the harm done,” she continued. “In the end, we were told there was nothing to be done.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-supremacist-harassment-kiah-morris-press-conference_us_5c3f44dae4b0922a21dade21
Ruqaiyah “Kiah” Morris
Max Misch
= new reply since forum marked as read
seriously.
