CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A city leader is wrapped up in controversy over a Twitter tirade.
Council Member LaWana Mayfield doubling down on a comment she made comparing cops to terrorists.
In her latest Tweet, Mayfield says “To all of you talking nonsense about my posts, forget you. A black man can't drink in his own garage, can't drive down the street, car can't break down, can't walk in a store without being killed by someone in a police uniform. So who is going work to remove the bad cops? #I will.”
It comes hours after dozens of police wives confronted Mayfield. Many wearing t-shirts saying “My husband is not a terrorist. My husband is a hero”.
NBC Charlotte was unable to reach Councilwoman Mayfield about her Twitter comments. However, we did show the Tweet to some of her constituents and there wasn’t much support for it.
According to her Twitter page, Councilwoman Mayfield still has more than 4,000 followers, but she may be losing some voters after the latest Tweet.
“For that reason, I don’t think I can vote for her again,” says George Auebler, who lives in Mayfield’s district. “She has the right to her opinion, but her opinion in my opinion is wrong.”
“I hope she realizes our families are real,” said one woman. “They’re not just something they can talk about behind a screen and a keyboard and I hope she’s accountable.”
“There are police officers that abuse their power, there is implicit bias, but this is not only the wrong way to bring that, it’s counterproductive,” says Councilman Tariq Bokhar.
Councilman Bokhari recently did a late night ride along with CMPD which he says was life changing. He says he wants to offer a counter message about police to Mayfield’s Tweets.
“You’re on the front lines risking your life, 99.9 percent of you are doing and trying to do the right thing, and we have your back,” says Councilman Bokhari.
Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt also fired back against Mayfield on Twitter. The Mayor Pro Tem tweeted “ I state emphatically, that I reject the comments of Councilwoman Mayfield.
While understandably, her emotions are heightened around incidents of police shootings, it is wrong to characterize all officers as complicit with racism and violence.”
The latest tweet from Mayfield comes after she made national headlines for a conspiracy theory about 9/11. She later apologized for that tweet.
NBC Charlotte asked constituents if the councilwoman is representing their community well.
“I don’t think I better comment on that, but I know I didn’t vote for her,” said one woman.
City staff told NBC Charlotte that Mayfield is on vacation and is not responding to calls or texts right now.