People across the U.S. and internationally have had plenty to say about comments Houstonian Sade Perkins made in the aftermath of the Camp Mystic tragedy—the flash flood in Central Texas that led to 133 confirmed deaths, and nearly as many persons still missing (that count was at 101 as of July 15).
In a TikTok video post, Perkins stated:
“I know I’m probably going to get canceled for this, but Camp Mystic is a whites-only, girls’ Christian Camp. They don’t even have a token Asian; they don’t even have a token Black person; it is an all-white, white-only, Christian conservative camp. If you ain’t white, you ain’t right, you ain’t gettin in, you ain’t goin. Period. It’s not to say that we don’t want the girls to be found, whatever girls that are missing… but you best believe, especially in today’s political climate, if this were a group of Hispanic girls… this would not be getting this type of coverage that they’re getting.”
What followed was a social media back-and-forth between Perkins, a combat veteran (82nd Airborne), and those offended by her initial comments that caused even more ire. Not only has Perkins received national and international media attention, she’s also received death threats, promises of protests at her residence and a condemnation from Houston’s Mayor John Whitmire.
Regarding Perkins’ Camp Mystic comments, Whitmire said:
“The comments shared on social media are deeply inappropriate and have no place in a decent society, especially as families grieve the confirmed deaths and the ongoing search for the missing. The individual who made these statements is not a City of Houston employee. She was appointed to the City’s Food Insecurity Board by former Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2023, and her term expired in January 2025.”
Whitmire added that he has no plans to reappoint Perkins to the Houston Food Insecurity Board, and that “the City is taking immediate steps to remove her permanently from the board.”
The Defender spoke with Perkins about her comments and the public fallout.
