Baltimore Mayor Taunts Right-Wing Trolls With Brutally Honest New 'DEI' Definition'

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott provided a new meaning for the acronym "DEI" after conservative critics linked him to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in response to the deadly Francis Scott Key bridge collapse.

"I know and we know and you know very well that Black men, and young Black men in particular, have been the bogeyman for those who are racist and think that only straight, wealthy white men should have a say in anything," said Scott.

He continued, "We've been the bogeyman for them since the first day they brought us to this country and what they mean by DEI' in my opinion is 'duly elected incumbent'."

Scott was elected with "70% of the vote" back in 2020 by a city with a predominantly Black population.

"So by right-wing logic, a diversity hire,' would have been a white man," Reid said.

Scott later told Reid that he knows what those critics "want to say."

"But they don't have the courage to say the N-word and the fact that I don't believe in their untruthful and wrong ideology and I am very proud of my heritage and who I am and where I come from, scares them," Scott said.

He continued, "Because me being at my position means that their way of thinking, their way of life of being comfortable while everyone else suffers is going to be at risk and they should be afraid because that's my purpose in life."

Michigan Rep. Says Buses At Airport Were Full of Illegal Invaders' But They Were Athletes

Michigan state Republican Rep. Matthew Maddock posted a photo on social media on Wednesday of buses at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, claiming the buses were transporting "illegal invaders," seemingly referring to immigrants, but they were actually transporting college basketball players.

Wayne County Airport Authority, which operates Detroit Metro Airport, confirmed that the buses were transporting four men's basketball teams competing in this weekend's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Detroit. Maxwell White, a reporter in Detroit, wrote on social media on Thursday that the buses were carrying the Gonzaga basketball team.

Sam Inglot, executive director of Progress Michigan, an organization aiming to hold public officials accountable, said in a news release that Maddock's language leads to violence.

"A lot of people are making fun of Maddock for this, but it's important to acknowledge the dangerous rhetoric he used while spreading his misinformation," Inglot said. "Maddock and so many Republicans across the country are carelessly using militaristic language to describe an already-marginalized group of people. This type of dehumanization inevitably leads to violence and we cannot let Republicans get away with using it to divide our communities and put people in danger."

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