A judge in Louisiana has taken an unpaid leave of absence after a home video surfaced that featured her using the N-word.
The video, which has since gone viral, featured Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle M. Odinet and others watching surveillance footage on television of a burglarly taking place in the driveway of her home. Though the people’s faces remained off-camera, the voice was later confirmed to be Odinet.
“And Mom’s yelling n***er, n***er,” one male voice says in the video. Amid the playful banter, a female voice then says the N-word and roach in the same sentence.
“We have a n ***er, It’s a n***er, like a roach,” the female voice says in the video.
Later in the video, the group commented on someone tripping in the surveillance footage, dropping their wallet.
“That’s my phone where it fell out,” a male voice says
“The dude had a phone on him,” a female voice responds. “You should have taken his phone and stolen from him, that f**king a**hole.”
“Go and get the gun,” says another male voice. “It’s important, very important.”
Exactly who recorded the conversation and how it became public remains unknown at this time. Odinet later told the Acadiana Advocate that she feels “humiliated, embarrassed, and sorry for what she has done and the harm she has caused to the community.”
Later, in a statment to CNN affiliate KATC, Odinet said that she had been “given a sedative” after having her home burglarized and that she had no “recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it.”
“My children and I were the victim of an armed burglary at our home. The police were called, and the assailant was arrested,” she said. “The incident shook me to my core and my mental state was fragile. I was a wreck and am still unable to sleep.”
“I was given a sedative at the time of the video. I have zero recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it,” she added. “Anyone who knows me and my husband, knows this is contrary to the way we live our lives.”
“I am deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and understanding as my family and I deal with the emotional aftermath of this armed burglary,” she concluded.
According to CNN, the Lafaytte Police Department confirmed that at “approximately 2 a.m. Saturday, two vehicles were burglarized in the driveway of a home, which records show is owned by Odinet and her husband.”
“The suspect attempted to flee on foot but was caught by the victim, who police said was returning home when they saw the suspect getting out of one of the vehicles at the home,” reported the outlet. “The victim held the suspect down until officers arrived, according to the statement from police.”
Odinet has since taken a leave of absence as she faces calls for her resignation from various corners of the state, including Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, the Lousiana Black Caucus, and the NAACP.
“We call now for her immediate and uncompromising resignation, failing same, we demand swift and immediate act by the Judiciary Committee of the Louisiana Supreme Court, removing her from office,” said Lafayette NAACP Chapter President Michael Toussaint.
City Marshal Reggie Thomas, the first black American elected to citywide office in Lafayette, told KATC said that black people will “find it impossible” to believe that Odinet will treat them fairly.
“I am certain that most people of color share my pain when the n-word is used to describe us. With that being said, I’m sure that people of color will find it impossible to trust that they will be treated fairly and equally when they have to stand for judgment before Judge Odinet,” she said.
“It is up to Judge Odinet to remember the oath she took,” he added.
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