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Chappelle-Nadal files scathing remonstrance against Nixon

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — It was only a few hours into the 98th General Assembly when Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, took the floor to blast Missouri’s chief executive as an aloof racist.

“Whereas, during his numerous years as an elected official, Mr. Nixon has consistently exhibited a prideful disengagement from African-American issues, as well as an extraordinary level of personal disdain for African-American concerns; and, Whereas, Mr. Nixon seems only to acknowledge the existence of the African-American community on Election Day,” the remonstrance reads in part.

Chappelle-Nadal — who is widely expected to challenge St. Louis congressman Lacy Clay in 2016 — filed Senate Remonstrance 1 on Wednesday, which calls on Gov. Jay Nixon to resign or face potential impeachment over his handling of the aftermath of the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson.

Sen. Chappelle-Nadal
Sen. Chappelle-Nadal

Chappelle-Nadal has been perhaps the most active and vocal participant of the 98th General Assembly on protests in Ferguson in the weeks and months of protests following Brown’s death and a subsequent grand jury decision not to charge Wilson with a crime. Chappelle-Nadal spent early weeks of the protests camping out with activists in the streets, and during the September veto session, Chappelle-Nadal took the senate floor for nearly an hour to tell her colleagues about being tear gassed by local police, and the brutality she witnessed.

Chappelle-Nadal says Nixon should resign and, failing to do so, that the House should “seriously consider” impeachment proceedings against the Democratic governor.

Chappelle-Nadal’s remonstrance is a frothing, six-page criticism of the Governor’s handling of both the protests in Ferguson and the police response, as well as allusions to Nixon’s move as attorney general to end the state’s bus desegregation. Chappelle-Nadal compared Nixon’s move to end the bus program to former Alabama Governor George Wallace’s famous support of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow; segregation forever.”

A spokesperson for Nixon declined to comment.