BEREA, Ky. (LEX 18)– Tuesday night was the first city council meeting since Berea Councilman Jerry Little received backlash after a political meme that was shared on his Facebook page.
The meme was in reference to the Brett Kavanaugh hearing.
Some people of Madison County attended the meeting with a mission to voice their opinion on the Facebook post that was made on Little’s Facebook page. Since the post last week, Little said his wife shared the meme on his Facebook. He then apologized.
The post was an image of a woman falling out of a vehicle, holding a bottle of whiskey. The post reads “Kavanaugh Accuser Arrives For Testimony.” The post was originally shared by the group “Red White Blue News” on Facebook and was implied as an attack on the credibility of the three women accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
During the meeting, many people expressed disappointment in the post, saying they want their elected officials to be held at a higher standard than what the post represents.
Some supported the councilman.
“I was not offended by it,” said Jacqueline Bowling, a Berea resident. “I really never associated it with sexual abuse. I’m sad to see that people felt that way.”
One woman says if she posted it, “I would have been fired.” She also suggests the city council attend Green Dot training @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/5LNfwYddMZ
— Jacqueline Nie (@JacquelineLEX18) October 2, 2018
At the end of the meeting, Councilman Jerry Little had a chance to speak.
“In no way, do I condone violence or any mistreatment towards women, or anyone for that matter,” he said.
A little after the meeting ended, a member of the Berea City of Human Rights Commission spoke with the councilman.
“We spoke together about the importance of bringing the community together and how deep the divisions are. I don’t think there’s any easy answers to that. But I told the councilman I would be happy to continue that conversation with him and I hope we will,” said Peter Hille with the Berea City Human Rights Commission.
One woman who has lived in Berea for decades wants people to know that this incident does not define their community.
“In general, we do get along very well. Yes, we do have issues that we overlook, we are still a good place,” said Eleanor Workman.
