not react to his comments during the hearing, there was backlash. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer responded, "The comments that Senator Ernie Chambers made today at the Nebraska Unicameral are not only reprehensible but are completely without merit." Mayor Jean Stothert also criticized Chambers, saying in a press release that he should be looking for ways to improve public safety instead of "comparing police officers to terrorists." Governor Pete Ricketts called Chambers's comments "irresponsible" and asked for an apology. Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson were also critical, and the hashtag #supportblue was organized in response to Chambers's comments. Senator David Schnoor of Scribner called for his resignation. Senator Bob Krist of Omaha said he regretted that he had not immediately protested the remark. Several other senators disagreed with his opinion but defended his right to express it. Senator Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins remarked, "It's a wonderful opportunity to pile onto Senator Chambers." Chambers said he would continue to be vocal in his criticism of the police and would not apologize. Residency challenge On November 8, 2016, Chambers was reelected to the legislature, defeating his opponent, John Sciara, by a vote of 7,763 to 1,726. In January 2017, Sciara filled a protest challenge to the legislature, claiming Chambers did not live in the district he was elected to represent and was thus ineligible to hold office. Chambers denied the allegation, calling it "busybody, gossipy, vengeful cud that already has been chewed." On April 20, 2017, Nebraska state senators voted 42-0 to dismiss Sciara's challenge, following the recommendation of a special legislative committee formed to evaluate the claim. Legacy Chambers is a longtime civil rights activist and the most prominent and outspoken African-American leader in the state. He has been called "the Maverick of Omaha" and the "angriest black man in Nebraska," and has called himself a "Defender of the Downtrodden." In the 1990s, the apartment complex Strehlow Terrace was renamed Ernie Chambers Court. In 2008, a room at the Nebraska Capitol used for Judiciary Committee meetings was named the Ernie Chambers Memorial Hearing Room. Awards The Freedom from Religion Foundation awarded Chambers a plaque naming him a "Hero of the First Amendment" at their annual convention in 2005 in Orlando. Chambers was offered a Distinguished Service award from the American Humanist Association in 2007, but he turned it down. He accepted