A former Miss Alabama has been placed on “administrative leave” from her television job after posting an emotional tirade on Facebook, in which she called Dallas cop-killer Micah Xavier Johnson “a martyr.”
Kayln Chapman James, who was crowned Miss Alabama in 1993, told followers of her Facebook account that she “values human life” but that “I am dealing with a bit of guilt because I don’t feel sad for the officers that lost their lives and I know that’s not really my heart
Chapman, who was a contract worker at a local public television station in Miami and the host of a public access program called Art Loft, was placed on leave yesterday from her hosting duties. The station, WPBT2 South Florida, put out a statement saying that it does not condone Chapman’s actions or her personal statements. They noted that Chapman will remain on leave until they complete a “thorough review of the matter.”
The Miss Alabama foundation also distanced itself from Chapman’s tirade, without mentioning the incident specifically.
For her part, Ms. James has not posted any follow-up social media commentary now that her initial Facebook post has gone viral, but did tell a local television station that her words were “taken out of context” — difficult to do when the whole video was available — and response to her comments have been mixed.
She’s received death threats, she says, but she also received a note from the wife of a one of the slain Dallas police officers. “She said that she watched my video and she wasn’t mad,” James told the Miami NBC affiliate. “She understood what I was saying and that she forgave me.”
James doesn’t regret making the statement, however, she told AL.com. “The fact that my opinion was considered newsworthy makes me feel like speaking up was exactly what I should do, because I can voice what so many people are feeling and dealing with and they should know they are not alone.”