Baltimore Metropolis Mayor Brandon Scott referred to as out a neighborhood journalist who implied {that a} member of his employees was part of the road gang, The Crips, just because he was carrying a blue cap.
“Y’all based on Gary from Sinclair(Fox45) any black man in Baltimore with a blue hat and hoodie have to be a crip. A blue hat in Baltimore = Crip? In Baltimore? These are the type of questions being leveled towards frontline neighborhood violence interrupters by MAGA activist, Sinclair reporter, and former RNC Delegate Gary Collins,” Mayor Scott captioned in a publish with a screenshot of an e mail Collins despatched to Metropolis Corridor.
“That is ridiculous, that is racist, that is harmful and that is unacceptable,” mentioned Scott.
Within the e mail, Collins inquires about footage of staff with Baltimore’s “Secure Streets” program, which was established in 2007 to cut back violence within the majority-Black metropolis. Employees, sometimes outreach professionals, are employed to mediate conflicts that might end in gun violence.
Collins requested a number of questions concerning the Secure Streets employee.
“Why are the clear gang colours of blue, which are likely to illustrate and communities that an individual is affiliated or related to the Crips or Crip associated organizations, seen strolling with two of the state’s most distinguished elected officers?” the Fox reporter queried. “Are lively members of ‘crews’, ‘teams,’ or different enterprises at the moment employed by Secure Streets?”
Collins additionally inquired as as to whether there have been measures in place to “guarantee Maryland and Baltimore taxpayers aren’t funding people at the moment working with or affiliated with felony teams.”
In his response, Mayor Scott wrote, “It’s easy. MAGA needs us to return to the great ole days the place being Black and outdoors was handled as against the law — even supposing we’re making our personal communities safer than they’ve been in 50 years.”
Baltimore and different majority Black and brown cities led by Black mayors have been beneath political scrutiny after President Donald Trump threatened to ship the Nationwide Guard to crack down on what he described as out-of-control. Leaders like Scott have touted record-low crime in recent times and dismissed Trump’s risk as authoritarian.
“Are we performed doing that work? No. Not by a protracted shot. However we’ve come too far to permit any such blatant racism to creep again into normalcy,” Scott mentioned of the e-mail from Collins. “Gary, does carrying a blue go well with make you a Crip?”
Scott additionally listed a number of Baltimore faculties that put on blue as their faculty colours.
He added, “I suppose all the scholars, alum and schools are all Crips, and we should always mandate all of them change their colours?”
