The mayor’s office sent out this statement from Mayor Ashton Hayward:
“I am saddened by the ongoing events in Charlottesville, and I know that I speak for our community when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Virginia.
I have always taken a strong position in support of civil rights and in opposition to racism and discrimination of all kinds.
Together with mayors from across the country, and on behalf of the citizens of Pensacola, I am reiterating my unequivocal belief that hate and bigotry have no place in America.
I condemn the white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and all other hate groups who do not share our democratic values. I deplore the violence and the terrible loss of life and injuries in Charlottesville, and I urge leaders at all levels of government to do the same.
Pensacola’s future is best served by a reputation for being a welcoming community and a beacon of respect for all. I intend to continue to work with everyone in our community to make sure that we live up to that reputation.”
Mr. Mayor,
The white supremacists that are the most dangerous are the covert ones that create and implement policies and actions from their positions of power and influence. Clearly, there are some problems within your OWN administration that can be described as discriminatory.
In this age of incredibly divisive politics, does anyone really care what the white mayor of the “City of Five Flags” – which until 2015 included a Confederate flag – has to say about racial violence in Virginia? Does he really think this statement will cause a single African-American voter to place their hard won ballot for him in the next election? Why doesn’t he focus on the social and racial injustice occurring within his own government and among his own residents? Oh – yeah – that might require actually doing something.