Denver City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega thinks we should judge candidates based on how they look and speak. In other words, she is a racist. Or to put it even more bluntly, she shames the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. whose dream was to one day have a world where his children were judged not for the color of their skin, but the content of their character.
Reports The Denver Post's Jeremy Meyer:
The battle over redrawing Denver's City Council district boundaries is getting contentious, with arguments between council members, suspicion and allegations of racial politicking.
The latest kerfuffle occurred after Councilwoman Debbie Ortega e-mailed a newsletter to constituents Wednesday, in which she said the redistricting process and the council should "defend everyone's right to elect a Denver City Council representative that looks and talks like them."
"This is racial politics," said Denver Councilman Charlie Brown, who is white and represents a mostly white district. "If I would have said something like that — that my district should only be for someone who talked like me and looked like me — I wouldn't have gotten elected. Nor should I have been. Denver is not Birmingham 50 years ago." [Peak emphasis]
BOOM!
Accusations of racism can fly both ways. Only this time, Councilwoman Ortega's words are undeniably calling for judgment based on skin color, which if we read the dictionary correctly, is racist.
Terrance Carroll and Wellington Webb: take note. This is what racism looks like.
It's not adding the sound of a cowboy whip to Mayor Hancock's ridiculous DIA greeting, Terrance.
It's not a jail population you make up in your mind so you can lob the racism bomb without merit during reapportionment, Wellington.
Racism is judging someone by the color of their skin, not the content of their character.
By the way, Terrance and Wellington, we're still waiting on your statement calling Councilwoman Ortega to task for her racist statement.