and those who made laws where it’s safe for Muslims. What is most ironic about Condor is during the recent election cycle when he was running to represent Riverside’s Ward 4, he was quick to callout another candidate in the race to represent the city’s 7 th Ward.ĭave Denilofs, whose overt racists comments were so beyond the pale for Condor to not have spoken out against him could have damaged his own chances for election.ĭenilofs’ purportedly called for the execution of Muslims, people who wave a Mexican flag in the U.S. The consensus is, politicians who in the past were given a pass will no longer be granted such dispensation. Many constituents of all races are no longer willing to look the other way or remain silent because they now understanding to do so makes them complicit in sanctioning and accepting such passive aggressive racist behavior. Many in the community believe the country is changing. However, as Governor Gavin Newsom expressed recently–this is a different time.Īlthough Condor has his supporters, many of whom spoke in support of him at a special meeting on Thursday, Jtestifying to his decency and goodness, trying to assure those who spoke out against him of what an honorable man he is while others attempted a tit-for-tat defense, choosing to point the finger at Councilwoman Plascentia instead, appearing to trivialize her stand against Condor’s racist action and calling for his resignation, as if it was merely some form of benign political infighting. He most probably expected his offended peers and constituents to move begrudgingly on as has happened in similar instances involving politicians as demonstrated time and time again regarding the president of the United States. When fellow Councilmenber Gaby Plascentia called him out about the Twitter post, Condor subsequently removed the retweeted post and offered the usual, panned political apology. It was the posting of this racist meme that reverberated around the City of Riverside and across the region in recent weeks which has led to escalating calls for Condor’s resignation. Many in the Riverside community and beyond were angered, though not surprised, by such an overt display of insensitivity by an elected official, especially during a time when Americans are calling for change. With heightened awareness of the role far too many in power play in perpetuating negative stereotypes and racists myths.
This is typical White Supremacist propaganda. In other words, it implied it is the choices made by Black men, not a system of institutional and systemic racism, which determines the outcomes of Black lives in America. The image alone spoke volumes, but for those who refused to read between the lines of the message implied by the image, it included verbiage that made it clear Black men are arrested because of the life choices they make. When Riverside City Council member Chuck Condor retweeted a meme showing three Black men–one a police officer, one dressed in a business suit, possibly meant to depict an attorney, and a young Black man, intimating visually the probability he was a criminal-there was little doubt regarding it’s racist symbolism.
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