Petition Filed to Recall VA Dem State Sen. Louise Lucas for ‘Misuse of Office’

Thumbing through a stack of recall petitions, a southeast Virginia voter with a “Don’t tread on me” t-shirt showed off the culmination of an effort to recall Democratic State Sen. Louise Lucas, who is President Pro Tempore.

Reporter Ali Weatherton reported in a tweet, “A group of Portsmouth and Chesapeake citizens filed a recall petition against State Senator Louise Lucas.”

“They said this is all about what happened at the Portsmouth confederate monument in 2020. The recall petition is for misuse of office,” Weatherton added.

BREAKING: A group of Portsmouth and Chesapeake citizens filed a recall petition against State Senator Louise Lucas.

They said this is all about what happened at the Portsmouth confederate monument in 2020. The recall petition is for misuse of office. #13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/niShIMTnq5

— Ali Weatherton 13News Now (@13AliWeatherton) June 22, 2021

Lucas was charged with multiple felonies for her participation in the citizen led removal of a Confederate statue in Portsmouth which caused a serious injury to a participant.

The charges were later dismissed, however, and the police chief, Angela Greene, ended up being removed from her position for pressing the charges.

Portsmouth resident Stephanie Liverman, one of the people who filed the petition explained that it wasn’t politically motivated and that “If you’re wrong. You’re wrong. This is about the law,”

Liverman added, “No matter what happens with the court, the people have spoken. We the people.”

From 13NewsNow:

The claim of “misuse of office” revolves arounds Lucas’ presence at a Confederate monument protest on June 10, 2020, where a statue was pulled down on a man in the crowd – damaging the monument and seriously hurting Portsmouth resident, Chris Green.

“Senator Lucas, using the authority of her office and position in the public, directed the Portsmouth Police Department Officers to not arrest any protestors and that the protestors were within their rights as taxpayers to vandalize the statue if they chose to,” the petition says.

The group calling for her removal claims Lucas stopped police from making arrests at the protest, or disbursing the crowd, and contributed to the unruly behavior that led to the monument’s vandalism and Green’s injuries.

“The Vice Mayor of the City of Portsmouth came to the scene and pled with the protestors to allow the City Council to vote and properly remove the statute in accordance with the law,” the petition reads. “In the middle of this plea, Senator Lucas told the crowd ‘to hell with City Council and people have a right to be on their property’ – further inciting the mob to engage in lawless behavior.”

The group seeking her removal claims Lucas misused her senatorial office by telling police not to arrest protesters, telling protesters they wouldn’t be arrested, shortcutting the legal removal of the Confederate monument and “undermining” local officials who came to ask the protesters to leave.

“This is about our senator, our elected Senator that misused her office and caused a riot in my opinion,” Liverman explained. 

The petition depends on a Virginia law that says a senator can be recalled if 10% of the number of people who voted in the last election agree to ask for that elected official to step down.

That crucial number, in this case, is 4,652 signatures. The petitioning group said they had that many.

“It’s up to the officials now,” Liverman said.

She said court officials told her the petition heads to the board of elections and will eventually go in front of a judge.

13News Now reached out to Senator Lucas about the recall. She responded by saying, “Ask them to read the constitution.”

Her attorney, Verbena Askew said, “I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”