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Prosecutor and Tik-Tok famous “Chef Way,” also known as Waymond Wesley II, announced his resignation from the Harris County District Attorney’s office on Tuesday in the wake of backlash against his racist and insensitive tweets about Black women.
“Although the leadership at the DA’s office and I believed a path forward was possible at the outset of this situation, it has grown clear that my presence is becoming a distraction,” Wesley said. “But once I saw that my presence at the DA’s Office was becoming larger than the office itself and the ability of Black women, in particular, to feel protected, I knew the only correct course of action was to resign and allow the healing process to begin.”
When Wesley’s comments resurfaced a few weeks ago, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg defended Wesley’s employment at the office, saying in a statement: “His recovery is ongoing. I am a believer in second chances, and Mr. Wesley has conducted himself professionally since joining our staff.”
In addition to announcing his resignation, Wesley outlined his issues with alcoholism and said he jumped on the bandwagon of other Twitter users who targeted Black women to grow their social following.
“On Twitter from 2015-2016, there was a sick trend that targeted and trolled Black women to gain attention and followers,” Wesley said. “Unfortunately, I joined this trend. Alcoholism destroyed me mentally, spiritually, and physically. I do not hate Black women. I have never hated Black women.”
Wesley is known for various tweets from 2015-2016 that spew hate predominantly for dark-skinned Black women. In one 2015 tweet, Wesley compared a Black woman to a trash landfill and said, “I see no difference.”
Tweets from Waymond Wesley II’s now deleted Twitter account.
@tayshusmamaIn another tweet, Wesley posted a picture of a dark-skinned Black woman and said, “she’s too Black.”
“I regret that Black women, who already face dehumanization and discrimination from other racial groups, were the brunt of this inflammatory discourse, led in large parts by Black men online,” Wesley said in his Tuesday statement. “These tweets were not a drunk mind speaking sober thoughts.”
In the Instagram post, Wesley also denounced a tweet he said was fabricated and attributed to him. That tweet refers to Black women as a punching bag. “The author of the tweet, Latry Howard, has since reached out me and personally apologized. I do not condone violence against anyone, especially Black women.”
However, an alarming tweet Wesley didn’t address in his apology was his remarks about former Prairie View alumna Sandra Bland who died in 2015 in Waller County police custody.
A few weeks after her mysterious death, Wesley tweeted, “If black lives mattered to Sandra Bland, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. I’m serious too,” according to Twitter screenshots posted by @tayshusmama. Eights years later, many questions surround Bland’s death because of a previous violent interaction with Waller County authorities. The county eventually ruled her death a suicide.
Nonetheless, in his apology statement, Wesley pointed to his severe addiction to alcohol as the root cause of his erratic behavior.
“In total, I spent around 19 months in inpatient and residential facilities to treat my alcoholism,” he said. “Alcoholism is a disease. It nearly killed me. I am not the man I was in 2015.”
