‘They Don’t Have The Courage To Say The N-Word’—Baltimore Mayor Condemns ‘DEI’ Attacks Following Bridge Collapse

Topline

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Wednesday critics who called him a “DEI Mayor” after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this week didn’t have the “courage to say the N-word,” pushing back against racist attacks by online right-wing figures who have attempted to blame him for the incident.

Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott has been the target of racist online attacks since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed earlier this week after being struck by a cargo ship. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Key Facts

While being interviewed by MSNBC host Joy Ann Reid on Wednesday night, Scott responded to the right-wing social media chatter, saying Black men “have been the bogeyman for those who are racist and think that only straight, wealthy White men should have a say in anything.”

Earlier this week, a widely followed right-wing X user—whose posts attacking diversity initiatives have been liked and replied to by Elon Musk in the past—referred to Scott as “Baltimore’s DEI Mayor” in a post that has received over 25 million views.

Anthony Sabatini, a Republican primary candidate from Florida who previously served in the state’s House, also reacted to the incident by tweeting: “DEI did this,” while another far-right influencer attempted to place the blame on the ship’s operator Synergy Marine Group, saying it “promotes DEI” and is “anti-white.”

Commenting on this, Scott said: “We know what they want to say, but they don’t have the courage to say the N-word.”

Pointing out he was the “duly elected incumbent,” the Baltimore mayor added: “The fact that I don’t believe in their untruthful and wrong ideology…scares them.”

When asked about Fox News host Maria Bartiromo’s attempts to link the disaster to immigration, Scott talked about the immigrant workers who lost their lives in the collapse, saying they “came to this country to fulfill the American dream” and they were “filling potholes in the middle of the night so all of us can use that bridge.”

Crucial Quote

Scott added: “We’re ignoring all the conspiracy theorists, everyone who’s playing bridge engineer at home…and understanding that what this is about is showing the world once and again that Baltimore can’t be broken.”

Key Background

The tweet calling Scott a “DEI mayor” has been appended with a community note pointing out that he won 70% of the vote in the city’s mayoral election. The post has also come under sharp criticism from several lawmakers and journalists. White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates condemned the post: “You’re attacking the mayor of a city suffering a tragedy for saying, ‘We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted’ and ‘pray for our first responders and thank them.’…How on Earth could you possibly take issue with this?”

Tangent

While the federal and local authorities have said they found no evidence of the incident being a deliberate act or a terrorist attack, conspiracy theories about this have continued to propagate online. According to the Associated Press, security footage of an explosion at the Kerch Strait bridge in the Russian-annexed territory of Crimea in 2022 was widely shared on social media and falsely labeled as footage from the Francis Scott Key Bridge incident. On the day of the collapse, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted about it on X and asked: “Is this an intentional attack or an accident?”

Further Reading

Baltimore Bridge Collapse Sparks Wild Conspiracies — Though Officials Continue To Dispel Them (Forbes)

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Here’s What We Know About The 6 Missing Workers Now Presumed Dead (Forbes)

How Long Until The Baltimore Bridge Is Rebuilt? White House Says It ‘Will Not Be Quick, Or Easy, Or Cheap’ (Forbes)