A district attorney for Harris County– which covers Houston, Texas– is catching heat for sexist and racist Twitter posts he made that insulted Black women.
If a cooking video he shared on Twitter earlier this month didn’t go viral, he may not have been exposed.
In a classic case of “this you?” Twitter users found the tweets from 2015 and 2016 after he posted a clip making oxtail pasta. According to an online petition, some comments include:
“Black B**** make good for punching bags.”
“real beauty vs. weave & lies.” (Real beauty shows a White – woman while weave and lies shows a Black woman)
“Shes too Black.” (captioned above a Black woman who was modeling.)
“See no difference.” (captioned above a photo of a Black woman near another photo showing a landfill of trash)
“smh the dark one messed up the photo.” (Captioned above a Black woman and a White woman modeling.)
“if black lives mattered to sandra bland she wouldn’t have taken her own life. i’m serious too.” (Tweet)
“To those I’ve hurt with my past tweets that have resurfaced, I am deeply sorry,” Wesley tweeted after his posts circulated on social media. “That was a moment in my life where I was sick in more ways than one. Cooking saved me. You have watched a flawed man heal. I will continue to heal and learn. Thanks for being along for the journey.”
Given Wesley’s position as a prosecutor who can decide the fate of Black women who go through the legal system, his words carry more weight.
As Rutgers professor Melissa M. Valle, Ph.D. tweeted, “His hate translates into actual structural violence within the justice system.”
Still, his colleague Kim Ogg indicated support for Wesley in a statement last Tuesday. “These posts were inappropriate and offensive and do not reflect my values or those of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office,” she shared.
The statement continues:
Mr. Wesley has explained that these posts came during a period in which he was struggling with serious personal issues, including alcohol addiction. Prior to joining our office, Mr. Wesley went through treatment and has worked with the State Bar of Texas to resolve his issues. His recovery is ongoing. I am a believer in second chances, and Mr. Wesley has conducted himself professionally since joining our staff. I am confident that will continue,
A change.org petition, which had over 5,500 signatures as of Wednesday, states that the comments went beyond posts, and included sending belittling direct messages to Black women. The petition notes that his apology “was lackluster, unspecific to the people he terrorized and harmed (Black women), and an insult to their intelligence.”
The petition organizer, who goes by ‘UnBiased UnBossed’ calls for Wesley to be fired from the DA’s office and for his brand deals to be removed.
