Kalyn Chapman James is feeling the fallout over her recent comments about Dallas sniper Micah Johnson. In a Facebook video posted last week, James said she felt that Johnson was a "martyr."
“I’m dealing with a bit of guilt because I don’t feel sad for the officers that lost their lives, and I know that that’s not really my heart,” James said in the video.
“I value human life, and I want to feel sad for them, but I can’t help but [feel] like the shooter [Micah Johnson] was a martyr,” she continued. “And I know it’s not the right way to feel, because nobody deserves to lose their lives, and I know that those police officers had families and people who loved them and that they didn’t deserve to die.
“But I’m so torn up in my heart about seeing these men, these black men, being gunned down in our community that I can’t help,” she added. “I wasn’t surprised by what the shooter did to those cops, and I think a lot of us feel the same way.”
Now those comments have cost James, a former Miss Alabama and the first black woman to win the title, her job at a Florida TV station, according to the Miami New Times.
“We do not condone any suggestion that terrorism is acceptable or that it should be tolerated,” it said.
"WPBT2 South Florida PBS does not condone the personal statements made by one of its independent contractors regarding the events in Dallas," the station wrote.
“It placed the contractor on administrative leave while it actively and carefully looks further into the matter and will determine additional course of actions based on its thorough review of the matter,” the station announced.
Chapman has since posted an explanation about her comments on Facebook, and said she wanted people to know she is against violence.
I'm being threatened, harassed and called awful names. I have a few things to share on this issue that I want everyone to know and then I am done:
1. Micah Johnson is NOT a hero.
2. I do not condone violence against anyone - I am against violence. I would like to see an end to black on black crime, white on white crime, black on white crime, white on black crime, ALL killing needs to stop!
3. I want healing and peace for our nation and it will come when we can process our feelings, address the ones that don't align with our values (like I did) and reach out for help INSTEAD of causing more conflict or taking innocent lives.If anyone else wants to join together in peace, healing and love just let me know. Because a cry for help and understanding has turned into a hate fest and only we can stop that. #lovematters #spreadlove
James has been making television appearances and was seen on Dr. Drew on Call: