Mayor Rahm Emanuel was accused Wednesday of “victim shaming” for citing an absence of “values” and “character” in the African-American community after the weekend bloodbath in which 71 people were shot, 12 of them fatally.
Shari Runner, until recently the president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, said the mayor’s blame game is offensive and insensitive.
“I cannot see the victims of racist policies and bigoted practices shamed by anyone who says they need to do better or be better in their circumstance. I won’t accept it,” Runner said.
“Scolding the African-American community for the ills of what’s happening in those communities is not only not helpful. It’s not correct. There’s no more religious, conservative, amazing community than the African-American community. The African-American community is resilient. The African-American community survived this strife. … It is not fair to blame the victims of policies that have created their circumstance.”
Apparently referring to the mayor’s emotional response to the weekend violence, Runner said: “The African-American community deserves a lot more than tears and certainly deserves a lot more than victim-shaming. This is the result of racist policy and bigoted practice for decades.”