South Carolina Town Latta In Arms Against Mayor Who Fired Lesbian Police Chief
The little town of Latta in South Carolina has become the center stage of a gay rights controversy after the local mayor fired a police chief, apparently because of her sexual orientation. Latta is a tiny town with just four traffic lights and a resident population of just 1400 people, according to Yahoo. People from Latta are questioning the real motive behind the firing of the police chief, a 20 year veteran. They are also challenging the mayor’s power to strip the chief of her badge.
The officer at the center stage of the controversy is 42-year-old Crystal Moore who has been serving as the police chief of Latta since the past two years – a position she earned after 20 years of service in the area. Moore, who has had a clean job record in Latta was abruptly fired on April 15 after Mayor Earl Bullard issued an astonishing 7 reprimands against her in one day! The reprimands against Moore included a number of frivolous ones that ranged from accusing her of running background checks without proper authorization and questioning the authority of a superior.
Mayor Bullard was not ready to discuss the reasons he wanted Latta police head Crustal Moore to, go but clarified that it was certainly not because she is a lesbian. “Absolutely not… and if you do investigating, you will find that that is not the case, I assure you,” Bullard told Yahoo News via phone. Not many people from Latta seem to be buying that stand of his.
Meanwhile, a recording that purportedly shows the Latta mayor talking about Crystal Moore having a “questionable lifestyle” has surfaced. In the recording, Mayor Bullard is heard saying;
“I’m not going to let two women stand up there and hold hands and let my child be aware. I don’t have to look at it, and I don’t want my child around it.”
The recording was posted on the website of local TV station WBTW-TV.
Days after the mayor’s decision to fire Moore, the Latta town council responded and blocked the mayor from hiring a new police chief for 60 days – in a unanimous vote of confidence in favor of Moore. People from across the small town set up a “Stand With Chief Moore” fund.
Meanwhile, the out-of-job police head has quipped that she was enthralled by the mounting support she received from residents and council members of Latta. She was also surprised about the Mayor’s stance because he was an attendee at Moore’s commitment ceremony with her partner, in 2011.The town council of Latta has the powers to reinstate her – but she might have to wait until June for that to happen.
Do you think it the Latta Police chief should be honorably reinstated on her job?
[Image via GoFundMe]
