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Immigrants should be shot like pigs? Rep. Virgil Peck, apologize publicly!
  1. Signatures
    4,226 out of 5,000
    Petitioning
    1. State Rep. Virgil Peck (+ 11 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • State Rep. Virgil Peck (KS-011)
      • State Rep. Marc Rhoades (KS-072)
      • State Rep. Arlen Siegfreid (KS-015)
      • State Rep. Michael O'Neal (KS-104)
      • Chair, KS Republican Party (Amanda Adkins)
      • 1st District Chair, KS Republican Party (Randy Duncan)
      • 2nd District Chair, KS Republican Party (Cheryl Reynolds)
      • 3rd District Chair, KS Republican Party (Keith Esau)
      • 4th District Chair, KS Republican Party (Mark Kahrs)
      • Executive Director, KS Republican Party (Ashley McMillan)
      • Assistant Executive Director, KS Republican Party (Harrison Hems)
      • General Counsel, KS Republican Party (Clay Barker)
  2. Created By
    Jackie Mahendra
    Washington, DC
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Mar 18, 2011

After refusing to apologize for his suggestion that immigrants should be shot like wild hogs, Kansas State Rep. Virgil Peck was finally forced to go on camera to offer a public apology for his deeply offensive remarks.

CNN reports his statement to their cameras: "I'm Virgil Peck, and on Monday, I made an inappropriate comment. For that, I'm sorry, and I apologize to anyone that I offended with my inappropriate comment. I'll be more careful with my words in the future."

While Rep. Peck thought the "joke" would easily blow over, thousands of Change.org members spoke out and demanded a public apology. They were right, and he was forced to state, on camera, that he was sorry.

During a Kansas House debate on Monday, State Representative Virgil Peck (R) made the extremely offensive recommendation that we should deal with our immigration crisis the same way that some would deal with the problem of feral pigs: by shooting them from a helicopter.

According to TPM, the Kansas House was debating the problem of wild pigs when Rep. Peck stated: "It looks like to me if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a [solution] to our illegal immigration problem."

That's right, Rep. Peck is calling for the murder of innocent people!

When asked for an apology, Rep. Peck laughed the matter off. Unfortunately, violence against immigrants -- or anyone perceived to be an immigrant -- is no joke. Hate crimes against Latinos are on the rise, and violence in political discourse is a real and growing threat.

Still, the Kansas Republican party has yet to officially censure Peck for these remarks. When Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback finally complained, Peck issued a terse, two-line statement calling his words "regrettable." No public apology. No TV appearance to explain himself. Nothing.

Sign the petition -- demand that Rep. Virgil Peck formally, publicly apologize for his offensive and dangerous comments!

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Apologize publicly for suggesting immigrants be slaughtered

Dear Representative,

I am writing to ask that you offer a formal, public apology for the outrageous comments that you made on Monday, March 14th before the Kansas Legislature, suggesting that immigrants should be slaughtered like wild pigs.

Your exact words were, "It looks like to me if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a [solution] to our illegal immigration problem." When asked for an apology, you laughed the matter off. Only after mounting pressure did you finally release a two-line statement. This is outrageous and unacceptable!

Hate crimes against Latinos are on the rise, and violence in political discourse is a real and growing threat. It's painfully clear that murdering innocent people should not be treated as joke in the halls of government, and I expect more from both elected officials and the Republican Party of Kansas.

Representative Peck, your two-line statement has done nothing to ease the damage your words have caused. I ask that you publicly apologize for this dangerous comment without further delay.

[Your name]

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