A BART board director called the leader of the Confederate Army an “exemplary general” in a public meeting Thursday — an abrupt and controversial statement that briefly derailed a discussion on Black Lives Matter and policing.
Director John McPartland, whose district includes Hayward, Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton and Castro Valley, praised General Robert E. Lee and said he is troubled by the toppling of Confederate monuments, a cathartic expression of rage as the nation grapples with its long history of racial oppression.
“From a political perspective, we are really shooting ourselves in the foot,” McPartland said. “Robert E. Lee was an exemplary general. He was a West Point graduate ... He ended up becoming a general that ended up simply doing his job. And he’s being villainized.”
Later in the meeting, Director Bevan Dufty invited McPartland to walk back his statements.
“I love you a lot, and I would just be grateful if you could just take a moment and let’s walk back,” Dufty said. “Because I don’t think this is a time to think about statues or any of those things. I think in your heart I know you know that.”
McPartland agreed to recant the comments.
“Yeah, I need to walk that back,” he said. He blamed lack of sleep, saying he’s been troubled by the intense criticism of police departments, equating it to the hostility he endured after returning from the Vietnam War. He went on to condemn President Trump for sowing division.
“We need to end up having more Oprahs, in the process of getting people to read off the same piece of music,” he said. “I am so concerned about what is happening to our nation. I grew up being color blind, and that’s not good enough.”
McPartland, who is white, angered members of the public last year when he told a Black lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union that she was “very articulate.”
“If you are a law student, then you’re doing great,” McPartland told Abre’ Conner, who addressed BART during a discussion over a possible panhandling ban last October. “And if you’re not, you should consider it.”
“She’s a lawyer,” Board President Lateefah Simon responded in the background. “Out of one of the top-rated law schools in the country.”
wtf? i'm watching the @SFBART board meeting and Director McPartland took time to tell one of the commenters, a black woman, that she is "very articulate" and suggested she go to to law school. she already did and is a lawyer for the ACLU.
— chris arvin (@chrisarvinsf) October 24, 2019
Although McPartland represents some of the more conservative parts of the East Bay, he’s recently joined the progressive wing of the board on key votes, including the approval of a budget Thursday that would shift duties away from BART police, and over to ambassadors or social workers.
Before joining the board, McPartland worked as a BART safety specialist and had a long career in emergency management. He also served in the armed forces, doing a tour in Vietnam and returning to active duty for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He was a colonel for 36 years and has several medals.
He responded to a request for comment late Thursday night.
“First and foremost, let me be unequivocal. Black Lives Matter. Systemic racism is real and as an elected official I pledge to do everything in my power to root it out,” McPartland said in an email to The Chronicle. “At today's BART Board meeting, I was trying to make that point but was cut off prematurely. As a result, some may have mis-interpreted my remarks as racist. I fully support the Black Lives Matter protesters. However, those who use the protests as an excuse to destroy property can turn away the very allies that we need to fight for systematic equality for people of color. All lives can't matter until Black lives matter.”
Dufty sighed heavily during an interview after the meeting, saying that McPartland occasionally makes gaffes, but that he felt compelled to correct the statements on Thursday.
“I don’t think it’s OK to just pretend somebody’s outburst is over and move on,” Dufty said.
Later in the afternoon McPartland sent a text to Simon apologizing for his comments. She said she accepts his willingness to learn “the true story of racial terror in the country.”
Simon, who is Black and active in fighting racism, said she has received three calls in the last five days from anonymous men who spew racial slurs and threaten her life. She said she experiences racism every day, and appreciates that McPartland at least acknowledged his mistake.
However, she added, “I think Robert E. Lee was a slave-trading racist.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misquoted BART board director John McPartland, who called Robert E. Lee an “exemplary general.”
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
"board" - Google News
June 26, 2020 at 01:25PM
https://ift.tt/3ib8jGL
BART board member calls Confederate leader an 'exemplary general' - San Francisco Chronicle
"board" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KWL1EQ
https://ift.tt/2YrjQdq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "BART board member calls Confederate leader an 'exemplary general' - San Francisco Chronicle"
Post a Comment