One chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called for a Louisiana judge to resign after a video of people inside her home using racial slurs surfaced on the internet.
On Monday (Dec. 13), Michael Toussaint, who operates as the president of Lafayette’s NAACP chapter, demanded that Odinet resign from her post.
“Hate, in any form, cannot stand and must be condemned,” President Michael Toussaint told Lafayette news outlets. “I have never met Judge Odinet, only heard her voice in campaign ads. But because she has confirmed that the video was in fact taken inside her home, one would think that as a sitting judge, a mother, a community leader, a person in position of authority, that she would have stepped up and taken a stand against that type of language in her own home.”
As first reported by The Current on Monday, a video of what appears to be Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet’s family — and possibly Judge Odinet herself — saying the N-word as they comment on footage of a failed robbery attempt in their driveway hit the internet. Although you can’t see faces in the video, one person in the video refers to a “mom” when recapping what transpired during the burglary attempt this past Saturday.
“And mom’s yelling n*****, n*****,” a man can be heard saying in the video. From there, a female, possibly the mom that was mentioned, says: “We have a n *****, It’s a n*****, like a roach.”
Speaking to local outlets, Judge Odinet confirmed that a burglary attempt was foiled at her home. She also said the video in question was, indeed filmed in her home, though she notes that she doesn’t remember it being recorded. “I have zero recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it,” Odinet said.
The Current asked Judge Odinet about whether she felt that she was capable of being a judge for Black defendants in her courtroom. While she didn’t directly answer the question, she did offer a statement and an apology.
“My children and I were the victim [sic] of an armed burglary at our home,” reads one part of the statement. “The police were called and the assailant was arrested. The incident shook me to my core and my mental state was fragile. I was a wreck and am still unable to sleep. I was given a sedative at the time of the video. I have zero recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it. Anyone who knows me and my husband, knows this is contrary to the way we live our lives. I am deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and understanding as my family and I deal with the emotional aftermath of this armed burglary.”