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(Orlando, FL - June 7, 2010) In a public email dated May 13, 2010 to the Volusia County Council of Governments (e-mail copied below), Amendment 4 president and author, Lesley Blackner, referred to the group as "step & fetch it"-a term that is historically synonymous with degrading, racial stereotypes.
On June 2, 2010, former South Bay Mayor and past National League of Cities President, Clarence Anthony, sent Ms. Blackner a private e-mail, calling on her to apologize for her offensive, racially-charged remarks. She has not.
As a result, Mayor Anthony issued the following statement:
"Last week, I sent Ms. Blackner a private e-mail, urging her to apologize for her use of an explicitly offensive, racial epithet. I had hoped that a private e-mail to Ms. Blackner might encourage her to do the right thing. It did not. As a result, I am now publicly calling on Ms. Blackner to apologize for her remarks-something she should have done four days ago."
"Ms. Blackner's use of this term was shameful and clearly deliberate. It is appalling that an attorney of Ms. Blackner's education and knowledge would casually and knowingly use a racial epithet to make a point in a widely-circulated, public email. Apparently, Ms. Blackner is not content to simply finance an amendment that will cost tens of thousands of Floridians their jobs; she also intends to deeply offend a large number of them for good measure. Floridians deserve an honest debate on the consequences of Amendment 4; that debate should be free of offensive and racially-charged rhetoric. Ms. Blackner should apologize-immediately."
Mayor Anthony's e-mail appears here:
Ms. Blackner's email is a matter of public record and appears here:
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