Video: Councilwoman Addresses Controversial Comment On Social Media

VERNON, Al. (WCBI)-A Sulligent, Alabama councilwoman’ post on Facebook has been receiving some backlash.

Cynthia Summerville represents District One on the Sulligent City Council.

She recently posted what some consider a controversial opinion about the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“I’ve been a public official for eight years,” said councilwoman Summerville. “I feel like my views are important, I don’t express my views a lot because I’m a public official but I do feel that I have the right to express my own opinion.”

In her post Summerville said, “Those police need to be killed and I hope they burn hell.. That’s exactly how I Fell.”

“I actually watched that clip from Louisiana with my son, and I saw the tears in his eyes, and I was also devastated, so at that particular time, I made the post on FaceBook, and that was my opinion about that situation at that time,” she said.

Summerville later deleted the comment within minutes after posting it.

However in the spur of the moment, Summerville said she needed to vent, so she took to social media, which seems to be the common ground for people to express their opinions.

“People put their personal opinion on social media because it’s right there at your hands,” she said. “When you think it, you can put it out there.”

Summerville understands she’s a public official that’s in the limelight, and putting her opinions on social media sometimes comes with consequences.

“I think it’s unfair because normally, the ones that’s doing the judging or saying things have said 100 things worse, the councilwoman said. “They don’t look at themselves but they look at me being an official in the spotlight.”

However, she said while public officials are under more scrutiny, if put their titles aside, they’re still human, just like everyone else.

“People judge you based on the fact that you’re a public official, but in certain instances, you have to express your opinion and it shouldn’t be blown out of proportion, because at the end of the day, public officials are human, and we have the right to express our opinion,” she said.
Summerville said despite the post, she is a very positive person.

On Monday night she posted a public apology on her Facebook page saying she spoke out of anger and just wants justice to be served from the incident.