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Kiah Morris, representative of the state of Vermont, resigned from office on the grounds of racial harassment and The New York Times that the lack of response from the local police was "staggering".
Morris, who was the only black woman in the state, announced in August that she would not run again. She wrote that the political discourse had become "divisive, inflammatory and sometimes even dangerous".
Now she is leaving her job sooner than expected. In addition to ongoing harassment, she says her husband is recovering from open-heart surgery.
"I will now focus on the care and support of my family during this transition period and ensure that our health, safety and well-being are priorities," she wrote on Tuesday.
Morris, a Democrat, was elected to the House of Representatives of the State in 2014 and represented Bennington. She ran for reelection, advancing into a primary in August, but then decided to leave the race.
"They win," when we turn to one person as an answer, we shrug our shoulders when people tell the truth in power and downplay the real effects of misogyny. I am neither the first nor the last to face this choice – but let me be the last to support it in the service of the state. Finish this.
– Kiah Morris (@KiahMorrisVT) September 1, 2018
On August 30, Morris spoke to Vermont Public Radio about his decision not to run again.
"Since the last election cycle, I have just started to be a very intentional target of several people affiliated with white supremacist groups," she said.
"It was very painful to see not only that this happened in the world of online speech, but also in the real world," she told the member station. "We had propaganda under the Democratic Party door.I had an invasion of home, vandalism – even the woods near my home where we go and frequently walk in family with swastikas everywhere."
On Thursday, VTDigger, a nonprofit information site, reported that a group of teenagers had knocked last week the doors of Morris' home and a neighboring home. The police described the incident as a farce that was aimed at no one in particular, according to the news website, but a Morris lawyer says that there has been a series of events that constitute a "harassment campaign".
There is also an ongoing investigation into the threat reports against Morris online.
Morris and his lawyer accused the local police of failing to adequately address his concerns. Time reports. Despite being an elected official, she told the newspaper, "I could not even find the protection and justice that my family deserves". She called the situation "staggering".
Morris also spoke to the Washington Post Thursday about his decision to leave office.
"The sacrifices were getting too big," she said.
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