Baltimore mayor claims 'racist' critics use 'DEI' instead of N-word to attack him

BALTIMORE (TND) — Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Wednesday slammed people accusing him of pushing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, claiming they use such terms as a dog whistle for more harmful speech.

His comments came while speaking with MSNBC’s Joy Reid about social media backlash over his response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Listen, I know and we all know and you know very well that Black men and young Black men in particular have been the boogeyman for those who are racist and think that only straight wealthy white men should have a say in anything,” Scott said. “What they mean by DEI, in my opinion, is duly elected incumbent. We know what they want to say but they don’t have the courage to say the N-word.”

Scott also touched on efforts by critics to tie the events of the collapse to immigration after information emerged that workers on the bridge at the time of its collapse were foreign nationals.

“Those folks came to this country to fulfill the American dream, a dream that they say should exist for everyone but they really mean just for them.” Scott said. “They were working, filling potholes in the middle of the night so all of us could use that bridge.”

He went on to call his critics “conspiracy theorists.”

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates came to Scott's defense on social media.

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,’” Bates wrote. “That's literally the whole clip. How on Earth could you possibly take issue with this?”

Scott was elected in 2020 with 70% of the popular vote. He is one among five mayors of color to have led the city since 2007. Over 60% of Baltimore residents are Black, according to Census data.

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