After a racist Facebook post was discovered, David Dietrich, the Hampton Electoral Board Chair, has resigned, and his name has also been removed from the Electoral Board web page.
A local news affiliate reported that, “‘In the post, Mr. Dietrich uses abhorrent and unacceptable racist language that has no place in our Party or our Commonwealth,’ stated a news release from the Republican Party of Hampton. The organization’s Facebook Page includes a screenshot of a Facebook post attributed to Dietrich.”
While the original post from February 2021 appears to have either been removed or made private, the screenshot that was captured, “included language criticizing Lloyd Austin, the nation’s first Black secretary of defense, and retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who was tapped by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to review the Capitol’s security after the Jan. 6 insurrection.”
The post said, “We are being forced into a corner by these enemies of the People…If it is civil war they want, they will get it in spades. Perhaps the best way to pull us back from the brink is a good public lynching.” Dietrich’s diatribe also used the N-word and was apparently “written shortly after Austin ordered a stand-down across the Defense Department to address extremism in the ranks, a decision made following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump. Dietrich’s post said that Austin’s decision was meant to ‘remove conservative, freedom-loving Americans’ from the military.”
Over the weekend, GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin called for Dietrich’s resignation via Twitter, “As a governor, I serve all Virginians. I won’t accept racism in our Commonwealth or our party. The abhorrent words of a Hampton Roads official are beyond unacceptable and have no place in Virginia.”
Rebecca Winn, also an Electoral Board member, released a statement, “Given the history of race-based voter suppression in eastern Virginia, I think it’s appropriate for Dietrich to resign. It is our duty to protect all voters and the people of Hampton should feel comfortable knowing their rights will be protected.”
The Hampton branch president of the NAACP Gaylene Kanoyton released the following statement: “Democracy–that is, power held by and for the people–is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There is a long and well known history of efforts to target and suppress the participation of Black voters. Our democracy at the ballot box should never be compromised by a long time known racist that promotes public lynchings. In this climate of fake news, the topic of deception is to usurp the integrity of elections by stating irregularities in the voting process. As the oldest civil rights organization in America, the NAACP will continue in our daring mission to ensure the full participation of Black voters in our democracy. Hampton Circuit Court has done the right thing by entering its Order to remove David Dietrich from his role in the oversight of our local elections. But, let the fact that he ever achieved such a position serve as a warning to all Virginians and to those across this country… white supremacy and nationalism is a persistent threat. Be alert. Be vigilant. Be unwavering.”