/Prosecutor says she hopes coronavirus spreads in riots

Prosecutor says she hopes coronavirus spreads in riots

Hancock was elected as county prosecutor in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019. Hancock wrote the comment as a reply to another person’s post. “Does Covid spread in street riots?” Hancock asked for a friend. Hancock replied in a comment that has since been deleted: “We can only pray the deadly (coronavirus strain) spreads inriots!” Hancock also defended his comment in a Monday phone interview with Mississippi Today. Hancock stated that his job was to prosecute all criminal acts, including civil disobedience. Hancock stated that she was against any criminal activity or breach of peace and would pursue it. Hancock said that she had nothing to do with peaceful protests, but that breaking into businesses and taking things away is a crime. She said, “I was just making light of it.” “I wasn’t serious about wanting anyone die. This is not me. This was just a joke and I was trying to make fun of it. It was obvious that I didn’t do it well. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I have no ill will toward any person or group. I try to be fair.” Mississippi county prosecutors bring misdemeanor cases against individuals in justice court or county court. These charges include disorderly conduct and trespassing, as well as driving under the influence. Every four years, county prosecutors are elected. Black Americans were upset by inequalities in the criminal justice system and organized recent protests that gathered international media attention. Many protests have turned violent following the police shootings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in Minneapolis, Kentucky, and Ahmaud Abery in Brunswick. Georgia. These were all black victims. Madison County is the sixth most populated county in the state and home to approximately 40,000 African Americans. “It’s been an extremely difficult few days,” stated Brandon Jones, policy director of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “You would hope that in moments such as these, people within the law enforcement community and certainly the prosecutors would reflect on how we discuss these issues. It’s an office that is in the public trust because she is an elected official. Jones said that “her post sends all the wrong signals.” It undermines the public’s trust in them being treated fairly with comments such as this. Hancock spoke unprompted about how her Facebook post was perceived as racist. Hancock stated that she never intended to offend anyone and that the post was not meant for anyone other than those who were rioting. “What I saw on television seemed to be people from all races. Hancock said, “I don’t judge based on color. I look at the facts of the case, and I try to be fair.” “I look at the crime they committed and the facts of the case… I only strive to be fair.”