unique visitors counter Ex-Dem Rep Tulsi Gabbard Calls For Chicago Mayor To Resign: “Mayor Lightfoot’s blatant anti-white racism is abhorrent” – Washington News

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Ex-Dem Rep Tulsi Gabbard Calls For Chicago Mayor To Resign: “Mayor Lightfoot’s blatant anti-white racism is abhorrent”

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Former Dem Rep Tulsi Gabbard cut through the noise and demanded Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot resign over blatant racism. She said, “Mayor Lightfoot’s blatant anti-white racism is abhorrent. I call upon President Biden, Kamala Harris, and other leaders of our county—of all races—to join me in calling for Mayor Lightfoot’s resignation. Our leaders must condemn all racism, including anti-white.”

Earlier a Chicago Tribune reporter snubbed Lightfoot over her policy to only grant interviews to people of color. Gregory Pratt said: “I am a Latino reporter at the Chicago Tribune whose interview request was granted for today. However, I asked the mayor’s office to lift its condition on others and when they said no, we respectfully canceled. Politicians don’t get to choose who covers them.”

NBC 5 Chicago political reporter Mary Ann Ahern took to Twitter to blow the whistle on Lori after she was refused an interview to mark the “midway point” of Lightfoot’s first term.

“As ⁦@chicagosmayor reaches her two year midway point as mayor, her spokeswoman says Lightfoot is granting 1 on 1 interviews – only to Black or Brown journalists,” Ahern said. 

Other reporters quickly confirmed the news.

“I was told the same thing,” WTTW Chicago Tonight anchor and correspondent Paris Schutz said.

“I can confirm,” Chicago politics reporter Heather Cherone said.

Lori defended her policy saying: “I ran to break up the status quo that was failing so many. That isn’t just in City Hall. It’s a shame that in 2021, the City Hall press corps is overwhelmingly White in a city where more than half of the city identifies as Black, Latino, AAPI or Native American.

“Diversity and inclusion is imperative across all institutions including media. In order to progress we must change.

“This is exactly why I’m being intentional about prioritizing media requests from POC reporters on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of my inauguration as mayor of this great city.

“This is an imbalance that needs to change. Chicago is a world-class city. Our local media should reflect the multiple cultures that comprise it.

“We must be intentional about doing better. I believed that when running for office. I stand on this belief now. It’s time for the newsrooms to do better and build teams that reflect the make-up of our city.”

The Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago also came out against Lightfoot issuing a unanimous vote of no confidence for Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Unanimous. Along with Lightfoot, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown and First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter received votes of no confidence.

The Wednesday vote was the result of a “lack of respect for Gold Star families” and the cancellation of the St. Jude Parade, which is meant to honor the officers who have died in the line of duty, 

Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said in a video that the Wednesday vote happened because of a “lack of respect for Gold Star families” and the cancelation of the St. Jude Parade. The parade honors cops who have fallen in the line of duty.

“Today, the membership spoke loud and clear,” Catanzara said before adding it was a “unanimous vote with zero dissent.”

Catanzara said canceling the parade for the second year in a row was a “slap in the face to every department member.”

“The superintendent was very clear with me on the phone that the reason this was being done was because of the anniversary of George Floyd’s death and the fear that something might happen,” Catanzara said of the parade not being held. “That’s not justifiable.”

Catanzara also said the vote was in response to the working conditions.

“Too many of our officers have worked extended hours, not voluntarily but forced, and the compensation, for starters, is the same whether you volunteer or not. That makes absolutely no sense, but the department doesn’t give a damn,” he said.

“Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our annual St. Jude Police League Memorial March has again been cancelled,” a police spokesperson said. 

“The Chicago Police Graphic Arts Section has produced a video in honor of the 594 officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including four COVID-19 related Line of Duty deaths that occurred in 2020.

“Never forget these men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We honor them today and everyday.”

From CWB Chicago:

Earlier this week, the department announced that officers will be required to work 12-hour shifts from May 21 to June 7 with two split days off over the period. All officers are required to work Memorial Day weekend, according to the department order.

“The superintendent was very clear to me on the phone that the reason this is being done was because of the anniversary of George Floyd’s death and the fear that something might happen,” he continued.

“It’s become a reoccurring theme for the last several years that every holiday is going to be [days off] canceled because they’re trying to keep the [murder] numbers down,” Catanzara said.

“The numbers still come no matter what. I mean, we had record overtime last year, but yet in July we had record numbers. In one day, we had 21 homicides. So what did that overtime accomplish? Nothing.”

“It is pretty close to a contract violation which says it has to be an emergency” for the department to cancel cops’ days off, Catanzara said. “There is no emergency.”

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