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Georgia County District 3 Commissioner Felicia Franklin was dismissed from her position after a recently released body cam footage showed her passed out near a bar.
Franklin, who was replaced by DeMont Davis as the vice chair by the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, was captured hurling insults at the first responders trying to assist her after she was found outside of a sports bar passed out on the ground.
The incident, which occurred outside of 404 Sports Bar and Grill in Morrow, Georgia, on September 29, was captured on bodycam video. The clip showed an inebriated Felicia Franklin wailing on the stretcher after she was found unconscious outside the bar.
As officers loaded a belligerent Franklin inside the ambulance van, the former Vice Chair became extremely unruly as she yelled at the emergency staff to steer clear of her. In the clip, a woman named Patty, who appears to be acquainted with Franklin, tries to calm her down as she becomes hysterical inside the van.
At a certain point, Franklin, who was heard repeatedly screaming, "Get him out of my face,” was seen flipping off the emergency staff. In the wake of the video circulating on social media platforms, Felicia Franklin was removed from her position as Vice Chair.
Netizens react as body cam footage shows Felicia Franklin passed out near a bar
Recently released body cam footage that showed Georgia County Commissioner Felicia Franklin passed out outside a bar has stunned social media users who seemingly applauded the Clayton County Board of Commissioners decision to fire Franklin. The former commissioner's rude and abrasive behavior directed toward the emergency staff trying to aid her prompted a netizen to quip:
“Bye Felicia! Way to represent your constituents.”
In response to the video, Board Chairman Jeff Turner stood by his decision to remove Franklin. In a statement shared by Fox 5, Turner said:
"The video spoke for itself. What more can we say? "We represent the citizens of Clayton County, and we have to make sure we present ourselves in a way that our citizens are going to be proud of us." He added, “When things are caught on camera like that, we’ve got to begin to address it. I think there has to be a change to regain some of this confidence."
Meanwhile, Felicia Franklin spoke out against the alleged false narrative of drunk, unruly behavior circulating online, claiming someone drugged her at a sports bar back in late September. However, the Morrow police thwarted her assertion, citing toxicology reports that found Franklin had consumed several drinks and had cannabis in her system.
In the wake of the controversy that led to her dismissal, Franklin declared her intention to run for the seat of chairwoman of the board, alleging her removal was unlawful. In a statement on her campaign website, she said:
“I am excited to announce my candidacy for the position of Chairwoman of Clayton County. It is an incredible privilege to serve the entire county and work towards its progress and prosperity.”
Franklin, who graduated from Miami Norland Senior High School and the University of Miami, is a Benefits Consultant at MSI Benefits Group, Inc. Per her website, she received the President's Lifetime Achievement Award from President Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service in 2017.
