(StraightNews.org) – Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says he has endured racial attacks over the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. Social media commentators, as well as Republican political figures, labeled Scott a DEI Mayor soon after the collapse. DEI means “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and some conservatives believe it elevates people to senior positions on racial grounds, often to roles they are underqualified to hold.
Utah state Rep. Phil Lyman and Florida congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini, both Republicans, were named by the media as political figures who blamed the incident, in which six people died, on DEI policy. Twitter owner Elon Musk is also implicated by retweeting a post with a clip of Mayor Scott speaking of the incident. The user included a caption, “This is Baltimore’s DEI Mayor commenting on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. It’s going to get so, so much worse. Prepare accordingly.”
Speaking to Joy Reid on MSNBC, Mayor Scott said his critics promote stereotypes of black men as “boogeymen,” and DEI is the new slur people use when they “don’t have the courage to say the N-word.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore described the DEI comments as “foolishness” and said his focus is on the bridge and ensuring the free flow of vessels through the waterway.
On April 2, the Democratic Governor announced that a temporary channel had opened to the northeast of the bridge, and a second was in the works. City officials said the channels would only be open to those helping with the clean-up effort but added that a phased approach would soon allow the waterway to resume regular commercial shipping.
The federal government pledged to fund the bridge’s repair as Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship that crashed into the structure, causing its collapse, filed a lawsuit seeking to limit its legal liability. Based on an 1851 maritime law, Synergy argues its liability is limited to the vessel’s value after the incident occurred.
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