Governor Rick Snyder won't be asking the head of Michigan State Police to resign, but what about his replacement?
FOX 47 News asked two of the people running for governor if they think Colonel Kriste Kibbey Etue should step down.
It seems clear Etue will be looking for a new job if Dr. Abdul El Sayed is elected governor while Attorney General Bill Schuette also opposes the protests, he didn't come out with a strong show of support for her.
With just one click Sunday, Michigan State Police director Kriste Kibbey Etue shared a post online calling NFL players protesting this weekend "rich, entitled, arrogant, ungrateful anti-american degenerates".
“So many people fought and died to protect the freedoms of America and that’s why I stand up and put my right hand on my heart and salute the flag and honor the best nation on the face of this earth,” said Schuette.
At an event Wednesday, Scheutte was asked about the post.
“I’m going to leave that up to the director and the governor and his administration,” said Scheutte,
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El Sayed wrote a letter to the current governor asking the director be removed.
“When I first saw this on Facebook I was taken back, I was really quite sad about it,” said El Sayed.
El Sayed says Etue is just stoking the fire.
“When the presiding officer of the Michigan State Police calls people who are opposing this kind of brutality ‘degenerates’ and ‘ungrateful,’ it calls into question her competence,” said El Sayed. “I don't quite care if she’s racist or not, I care that as presiding officer of the Michigan State Police that she is able to competently and without any bias be able to service in that roll and I don't believe that she is fit to do that anymore.”
If there's anything to take away, that is be careful what you post online
“When we make comments like these on social media, it may seem like they’re just comments that you type out but actually they carry a lot of weight and they further polarize us,” said El Sayed.
The ACLU of Michigan is the latest group to call for the director to resign.
Progress Michigan and the Michigan Action Network did so as well Wednesday.
A state police spokeswoman says the post was not about race.
Colonel Etue issued a statement apologizing and admitting she made a mistake by sharing that Facebook post.
Governor Snyder's office says "she has served with distinction as an outstanding public servant for decades".
