Arkansas Police Chief Lang Holland resigned from his position on Saturday after posting messages on social media that called for violence against “Marxist” Democrats.
What We Know:
- Holland’s posts were uploaded to the right-wing website Parler, which is popular among conservative users as an alternative to Twitter. The posts were seen by numerous people who quickly spread his messages across Twitter and Reddit, ultimately catching the attention of Kevin Elliott, the Mayor of Marshall, Arkansas.
- The former Police Chief’s Parler account was made private on Saturday, but an NBC affiliate recovered screenshots. The posts included calls for violence against Democrats following the election that left 70 million voters disappointed. One post urged people to “get in [Democrats’] face, do not give them any peace. Throw water on them at restaurants. Push them off sidewalks. Never let them forget they are traitors and have no right to live in this Republic after what they have done.”
- Several other posts called for “death to all Marxist Democrats,” a photo of notable Democrats in prison, and multiple messages sharing conspiracies and memes by QAnon that insinuate the election was fraudulent. In response to the posts, Mayor Elliott states, “The Marshall community does not in any way support or condone bullying or threats of violence to anyone of any political persuasion…the Marshall Police force is here to serve and protect EVERYONE.”
- The Mayor, who previously considered Holland a “hero” for his service overseas, states that after consulting with lawyers, he decided to meet with Holland, who resigned effective immediately.
“It’s not acceptable for the City of Marshall,” Elliott said. “We don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. You’re a voice and you have a right.”
Holland also made the news earlier this year for publicly refusing to enforce Arkansas’ mask mandate stating it was “unconstitutional overreach.”
