Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Mississippi Prosecutor Faces Backlash For Social Media Post Saying She Hopes Virus 'Spreads In Riots'

Mississippi Prosecutor Faces Backlash For Social Media Post Saying She Hopes Virus 'Spreads In Riots'
MississippiToday

As crowds of protestors gather en masse over the death of George Floyd, a Mississippi prosecutor expressed her hope on social media that the deadly viral pathogen responsible for the ongoing pandemic would spread among rioters.

Several videos circulating online depicting outraged demonstrators participating in non-violent protests across the country are seen wearing masks, but the sizable crowds make it almost impossible for participants to maintain a six-feet distance from each other.


Many of these peaceful protests have devolved into chaos allegedly due to anarchists and opportunists exploiting the cause for their own reckless amusement to destroy property and loot businesses.

In a comment that has now been deleted on Facebook, second-term prosecutor Pamela Hancock—who was first elected county prosecutor in 2015 and re-elected in 2019—wrote in response to a friend's post, titled:

"Does [the virus] spread during massive street riots or just in bars and restaurants? Asking for a friend."

Hancock's reply read:

"We can only hope the deadly strain spreads in riots!"

The backlash was swift on Twitter.



She defended her statement in a phone interview with Mississippi Today, saying:

"My job is to prosecute all crimes, including civil disobedience."
"I'm against any breach of peace or criminal activity, and I would prosecute it."
"I have nothing against people peacefully protesting, but breaking into businesses and stealing things is a crime."

But when Hancock was specifically asked about her comment hoping that the virus would kill protesters, she backpedaled and chalked it up to levity.

"I was really just making light of it."
"I was not serious about wanting anyone to die. That's not who I am."
"The post was kind of a joke, and I was attempting to joke back. Obviously, I did it very poorly."
"If you ask anybody that knows me, I don't hold any ill will towards anyone or any group. I only try to be fair."

But people were not swayed.





Madison County is the sixth most populated county in the state that includes at least 40,000 African American residents.

Brandon Jones—policy director at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Jackson—expressed his disappointment in the county prosecutor and said that her deleted post "sends all the wrong messages."

"It's been an incredibly difficult few days. You'd hope in moments like this that people throughout the law enforcement community and certainly prosecutors would be reflective about how we talk about these issues."
"Because she's an elected official, it's an office of public trust. Frankly, (her post) sends all the wrong messages."

Jones relayed the damaging consequences of comments such as the one Hancock claimed to have wrote in jest.

"We worry when people like Ms. Hancock say these things because of what message it might send to people who might have to face her in court."
"It erodes the public's trust that they're going to be treated fairly with comments like this, even if they were in jest."

Hancock spoke about being perceived as a racist.

"I never meant to offend anybody, and it was not directed toward anyone except for people that were rioting."
"What I saw on TV seemed to be people of all races. If you ask anybody that knows me, I don't hold any ill will towards anyone or any group."

Her statement failed to appease her critics.



Hancock's role as a prosecutor includes filing misdemeanor charges—such as disorderly conduct and driving under the influence—against identified suspects.

When filing charges against an individual, she emphasized she is not influenced by the color of their skin.

"When I prosecute, I don't look at someone's color. I look at the crime they committed, the facts of the case… I only try to be fair."

More from Trending

Jasmine Crockett; Donald Trump
MSNBC; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

​Jasmine Crockett Epically Rips GOP With Blunt Comparison Of Trump And Abrego Garcia

During a Sunday appearance on MSNBC, Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett spoke about the administration of Republican President Donald Trump refusing to follow a court order.

In a case that went to the United States Supreme Court, Trump was ordered to facilitate Kilmar Abrego Garcia's release from the CECOT prison in El Salvador and to return him to the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Democrats' X Account Epically Shades Hegseth After He Slams Liberal 'Agenda'—And People Are Shook

The official X account for the Democrats called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firing amid revelations that Hegseth shared details about U.S. military operations in Yemen using his personal phone in a 13-person Signal group chat that included his wife and brother—despite a prior warning from an aide advising him not to share sensitive information over an unsecure channel ahead of the operation.

That news comes just weeks after Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg reported that he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance, discussing military strategy surrounding war strikes in Yemen.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Slammed After Using Easter Message To Rage At 'Radical Left Lunatics'

President Donald Trump was criticized after he took to Truth Social to wish a "Happy Easter to all" before quickly switching gears to rage at the "radical leftists" that live in his head rent-free.

Trump's post accused leftists of "scheming" to allow dangerous people into the country, a criticism the White House has leveled against those who've condemned their refusal to bring wrongly-deported Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia—who they claim is a "terrorist"— back to the U.S. from a notorious El Salvadoran prison.

Keep ReadingShow less
college graduates in caps and gowns
MD Duran on Unsplash

People Who Got A 'Useless' Degree Explain How Things Turned Out

With most of the student loan program being nothing more than a profit machine for predatory lenders, the focus on attaining a college degree has waned in the United States.

For the Boomers, a secondary education was still something aspirational that most people would never have access to.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene; Pope Francis
Al Drago/Getty Images; Franco Origlia/Getty Images

MTG Just Shared A Cryptic Post After Pope Francis's Death—And Everyone Has The Same Thought

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was criticized after sharing a cryptic post about "evil" being defeated "by the hand of God" on Monday morning shortly after the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had died at 88.

The Vatican has confirmed that Francis died of a stroke that led to a coma and ultimately heart failure. Francis, who had a history of chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed in his youth, was previously hospitalized for 38 days earlier this year after a respiratory crisis escalated into double pneumonia.

Keep ReadingShow less