A debate on crime in the Midwestern city St. Louis on the Fox News broadcast America’s Newsroom hosted by Bill Hemmer went viral after the conversation turned ugly.
Pundit Geraldo Rivera asked network contributor and civil rights attorney Leo Terrell about the last time he was “in the ghetto,” and Terrell did not take the proposition kindly. The conversation stemmed from a discussion on St. Louis Mayor-elect Tishaura Jones’ new crime plan for the city.
“I wish her the best. She seems very idealistic but unrealistic in many regards,” Rivera said of Jones.
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Hemmer asked Terrell for his opinion on comments Jones made while campaigning to lead the city. During election season, the host said she remarked that although she appreciated the support from “white allies,” she was better equipped to sit as mayor in the majority-minority city.
Terrell responded it was the “most insulting, racist comment” and that he was offended by her idea that being Black made her the better candidate.
Rivera then asked, “Hey Leo, when was the last time you were in the ghetto?”
Terrell then responded, yelling, “How dare you say that?”
He continued, “You know nothing about me! How dare you say that? I have been a civil rights attorney for 30 years. I have fought discrimination for 30 years.”
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Rivera has since apologized for his question on Twitter.
“[I] Apologize to @TheLeoTerrell did not mean to imply that he doesn’t get realities of urban life,” He tweeted. “Sorry Leo didn’t mean it personally. I wish St Louis’ new mayor the best. She has her hands full in a city beset by violent crime.”
theGrio reported Jones was elected mayor after defeating Alderwoman Cara Spencer. Jones, 49, will be sworn in on April 20. She will be the city’s third Black mayor and the first Black woman to hold the seat, winning 52% of the vote over her opponent’s 48%.
“St. Louis: This is an opportunity for us to rise,” Jones said in her victory speech. “I told you when I was running that we aren’t done avoiding tough conversations. We are done ignoring the racism that has held our city and our region back.”
Jones has been critical of the city’s “arrest and incarcerate” model, even amid a rise in violent crime. She has vowed to restructure the police department and allocate more funds to substance abuse and mental health services.
“We need to declare gun violence as a public health crisis and address it as such, just as how we’ve addressed this current pandemic,” Jones said in a previous interview. “We need to have that same laser-focused attitude of looking at the root causes like we did with the pandemic, we need to address that same sort of root cause, focus on gun violence and public safety.”
This article contains additional reporting from theGrio’s Biba Adams.
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