DETROIT – Wayne County assistant prosecutor Teana Walsh resigned Friday after she sparked controversy this week with a strongly worded Facebook post about the protestors in Baltimore.
"This afternoon Assistant Prosecutor Teana Walsh called Prosecutor Kym Worthy to announce that she is voluntarily resigning her position with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutor Worthy has accepted her resignation," said Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller.
The following message was posted on Walsh's account:
"So I am watching the news in Baltimore and see large swarms of people throwing bricks etc at police who are feeling from their assaults...15 in hospital already. Solution. Simple. Shoot em. Period. End of discussion. I don't care what causes the protestors to turn violent.. what the "they did it because" reason is.. no way is this acceptable. Flipping disgusting."
Walsh's post was online briefly before she took it down.
Cliff Woodards responded to the comments with his own post, saying:
"While I in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM agree with the "thugs" destroying their own neighborhoods, burning down their own retail outlets and assaulting police officers, the solution is NEVER simple. How could ANYONE recommend "just shoot 'em, period"?
When a member of law enforcement seeks, not to enforce the law, but to execute its judgment without due process, they have become part of the animal kingdom themselves.
When a PROSECUTOR, who is part of the law enforcement culture, possesses and publicly displays this type of mentality, AND she just happen to be white as well, is it any wonder why urban areas across this country have literally become powder kegs waiting to explode?"
"These words make up the chemistry of what riots are made of," Rev. Charles Williams said in a statement released Friday. "I applaud the Mayor of Baltimore for choosing to work to deescalate the matters in Baltimore and look forward to working with her in the coming weeks. I believe that Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy should definitely consider whether Ms. Walsh understands it's actually her job as an assistant prosecutor to convict in a court of law, not a street corner."
The Wayne County Prosecutor's office released a statement Friday morning:
"APA Teana Walsh is known for her great work ethic and her compassion for victims of crime and their families. Her post was up on line briefly and she immediately took it down. The post was completely out of character for her and certainly does not reflect the person that we know. Prosecutor Worthy is satisfied that the appropriate disciplinary action has been taken to address this matter."