Illinois Democrat Who Called Waukesha Tragedy ‘Karma’ Fired Over ‘Callous and Reprehensible Posts’
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An Illinois county branch of the Democratic Party has fired its social media director over what it called “callous and reprehensible posts” on Twitter in which she called the tragedy in Waukesha, Wisconsin, “karma” over the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse.
On Sunday, five people were killed and more than 40 others were injured when a car drove through a holiday parade in Waukesha. On Friday, Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges stemming from when he was in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020, when he shot three people, killing two of them, in what he claimed was self-defense, during riots in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. The acquittal and parade were irrelated.
In response to what transpired in Waukesha, Mary Lemanski, the social media manager for the DuPage County Democratic Party, retweeted a Heavy.com post about the Waukesha incident and added, “It was probably just self-defense.”
In response to a reply on that tweet – which read, “Imagine posting this and thinking you’re on the right side of things” – Lemanski posted, “I’m sad. I’m sad anytime anyone dies. I just believe in Karma and this came around quick on the citizens of Wisconsin.”
Lemanski also posted, “The blood of Kyle Rittenhouse’s victims is on the hands of Wisconsin citizens, even the children.”
Additionally, Lemanski tweeted, “Someone who believes in reaping what you sow. Wisconsin put that bad energy out there. It came back real fast.”
As of Tuesday, Lemanski’s Twitter account is no longer active.
In a statement on Monday, DuPage County Democratic Party Chairman Ken Mejia-Beal said Lemanski is no longer with his organization.
“The Democratic Party of DuPage County immediately severed all ties with Mary Lemanski once we became aware of her callous and reprehensible posts,” he said. “She does not speak for us and we unequivocally reject her statements about the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Waukesha. We as a party denounce violence of any kind. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this heinous act, which shocked and saddened us all.”
