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Deerfield Select Board Calls For State Rep Who Posted Racist Statement To Resign

The Board of Selectmen in Deerfield is calling for a local state representative to resign after comments about the Black Lives Matter movement that prompted a state civil rights investigation.

In a recent Facebook post that’s since been deleted, Deerfield Republican James Spillane calls for homes displaying Black Lives Matter signs to be looted and burned.

Click here for our earlier story.

The Deerfield Select Board agreed Friday night to condemn the comments and call for Spillane to step down.

They say theirs is, “a welcoming community that abhors threats of violence and incivility.” The statement calls Spillane’s comments, “incongruous” with his role as a local lawmaker.

The state Department of Justice says it’s investigating after receiving multiple complaints about the comments. House Democratic leaders have also called for Spillane to resign.

Republican leaders have stopped short of that, calling the comments inexcusable but arguing that Spillane “meant no harm.”

Annie has covered the environment, energy, climate change and the Seacoast region for NHPR since 2017. She leads the newsroom's climate reporting project, By Degrees.
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