Name: Indiana lawmaker accused of racism after posting meme of black kids celebrating free money
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Indiana lawmaker accused of racism after posting meme of black kids celebrating free money

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Get the newsShare This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutRep. Jim Lucas is defending himself against accusations of racism&nbsp;— againA link has been sent to your friend's email address.A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Join the ConversationTo find out more about Facebook commenting please read theWelcome to our new and improved comments.This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.You will need to register before adding a comment.Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.Please be polite.It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.If you see comments in violation of our , please report them.CLOSEThere are two main candidates for the Indiana governor's race in 2020: Republican incumbent Eric Holcomb and Democratic challenger Woody Myers. Here's what we know.Indiana state Rep. Jim Lucas is defending himself against accusations of racism&nbsp;— again&nbsp;— after he posted a photo on Facebook of black kids dancing with the words "We gon' get free money!"Jeannine Lee Lake, an African American woman who is running as a Democrat against U.S. Rep. Greg Pence in the heavily Republican 6th Congressional District, was among several people who commented on Lucas's latest Facebook post saying&nbsp;it was racist.&nbsp;"It makes me want to cry," she told IndyStar. "And that's the truth. I'm just amazed. He's a leader in our state. This is not Indiana. It's not the best of Indiana certainly. And it's sickening."&nbsp;Reached this morning on his cell phone, Lucas, R-Seymour, said he doesn't see color and doesn't believe his post was racist. He's said he created the meme Monday nito protest federal bailouts that have created more debt for future generations. He happened to find a picture of black kids dancing in the meme generator, he said, but could have just as easily chosen a photo with white kids.&nbsp;And, as for the language, he said that's how he and other people talk.&nbsp;"I don’t see&nbsp;anything wrong with it," he said. "People who want to find racism are going to find racism in anything."Lucas, who has a history of controversial social media posts, last August when he posted a photo of a hangman's gallows on a story about a black man who pleaded guilty to rape."This is just like that whole thing of when I used the picture of the gallows," Lucas said, "and everybody made an issue out of that because I used an image of a gallows on a post about a black professed rapist."Lake pointed out the image is not representative of Lucas's district roughly between Indianapolis and Louisville.&nbsp;Seymour is 84% .&nbsp;"He should&nbsp;know how that hearkens back to black face," she said, "that kind of heralding of mocking one's race. I'm sorry I don't think it's a mistake. I think he knew exactly what he was doing and I hope people express their outrage on his page."As of late Tuesday morning, the meme had 128 comments and 24 shares. Seventy-two people clicked on a button to "laugh" at the post. Another 28 simply liked it. Twenty-four clicked on a button to show they were "angry."&nbsp;Lucas pointed out he created several memes Monday night, including one&nbsp;saying people should think for themselves, one saying the Constitution does not allow for the stay-at-home order, and one expressing skepticism about the economy reopening when the coronavirus curve is flattened.&nbsp;"It's a vicious circle," he told IndyStar. "The government puts people in a situation that makes them desperate. They shut down the businesses and they take away all of the options and the&nbsp;only option they have is the government giving them money."&nbsp;After his interview with IndyStar, he created a&nbsp;new post this morning defending the meme, using a photo of the image he found on the meme generator without the added words.&nbsp;"I used this STOCK PHOTO of a little boy dancing and celebrating," he said in the post, "because the government is handing out free money, to everyone, regardless of their skin color. I phrased it in a celebratory way and have danced and mocked things in that exact same manner myself."He then posted a photo of several toothless white kids with the words: "We gon' get free money!" Then he posted a picture of himself, smiling, with a big yellow foam hat saying "We gon' get free money!""THIS is the kind of garbage that divides us," he wrote on Facebook.&nbsp;"I don’t see nor look at the color of a person’s skin and I find it repugnant of those that do. I apologize for nothing and the meme stays."Please support the work of IndyStar reporters and visual journalists by becoming a subscriber today. IndyStar left messages for reaction with the governor's office, the Speaker's office and the Indiana Republican Party.&nbsp;Lucas is a Marine, owns an awning company and was first elected in 2012. He's most known for his ardent support of gun rights&nbsp;and .&nbsp;In June 2017, he posted a letter to Facebook saying women should arm themselves to avoid becoming victims of rape. While he indicated he wanted to empower women, others accused him of victim blaming.&nbsp;In January 2017, Lucas&nbsp;was criticized for&nbsp;another Facebook post he shared&nbsp;after the post-inauguration Women's March. The post showed a&nbsp;police officer in riot gear, pepper-spraying a woman in the face, with the overlaying text: "Participation trophies, now in liquid form."In December 2016, he posted a meme on Facebook of a woman in a car trunk with the caption:&nbsp;"Wanna know who loves you more:&nbsp;your wife or your dog? Lock them both in your trunk and see who's happy to see you when you let them out."&nbsp;Lucas deleted and apologized for the posts in December 2016 and January 2017 after he received criticism from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.&nbsp;He later said he believed those posts were blown out of proportion.Call IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich at 317-444-6036. Follow him on Twitter: .Read or Share this story: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/12/indiana-lawmaker-accused-racism-after-posting-meme-black-kids-celebrating-free-money/3115113001/to help improve our site experience!More Stories

Get the newsShare This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutRep. Jim Lucas is defending himself against accusations of racism&nbsp;— againA link has been sent to your friend's email address.A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Join the ConversationTo find out more about Facebook commenting please read theWelcome to our new and improved comments.This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.You will need to register before adding a comment.Typed comments will be lost if you are...

Indiana lawmaker accused of racism after posting meme of black kids celebrating free money

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