Reporter asks Chicago mayor point blank, ‘Why are you a racist?’

An independent reporter from Chicago not only asked Mayor Brandon Johnson what he needed to be asked, but also gave him a good grilling along with it.

The tense exchange followed an announcement on Monday that the DOJ was opening an investigation into Chicago’s hiring practices.

Hiring practices like this, for example:

During a Tuesday conference, reporter William J. Kelly, a former candidate for Chicago mayor and the governor of Illinois, let Mayor Johnson have it.

“Real Chicagoans woke up this morning relieved that the Department of Justice is finally investigating your race hustle,” Kelly said. “As someone who grew up on the south side of Chicago, I’ve heard a lot of race hustlers in my life, trust me; but they were usually marching around outside of City Hall, which is what makes this so embarrassing and dangerous — very, very dangerous to the city of Chicago.”

When someone interrupted Kelly, urging him to get to his question, Kelly did just that.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’m more than happy to ask this question,” Kelly continued. “It’s long overdue. For over a year, real Chicagoans, white and Black, have been telling me that your Black power rhetoric is bringing the city backwards from a place that we had overcome. You want the question? Real Chicagoans want to know: why are you a racist?”

It’s not surprising that Mayor Johnson skirted the confrontation by saying he rejected the premise of the question.

He won’t, however, be able to skirt the probe that the Windy City now faces.

ADVERTISEMENT

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles