I mean, I'm itching for this to be over. I thought she'd clarify and she hasn't. I gotta ask.
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So, I'm at a #MarsvilleMI city election candidates forum and a question came out about diversity. Its intent, I think, was about marketing itself differently.
But the first response was, "Keep Marysville a white community as much as possible."
The room was in shock.
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OK. At a Marysville forum, for nearly 90 minutes, candidates followed a common theme about wanting to propel the city forward on its current momentum, citing mostly positive things: Redeveloping the DTE property, a massive housing project on Range, city park improvements ...
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That was marred by a response from newcomer Jean Cramer to what was intended to be an economic question about diversity. That's a direct quote in the first tweet. Hopefully, we can agree. Reporters strive to be unbias, but that is objectively, by definition, a racist statement.
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In the last question, she quantified the response that a black woman at a local establishment who serves or waits on her is her favorite. Afterward, I asked if she wanted to clarify anything, if the statement that she acknowledged to have shocked the room was what she intended.
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Her response to that, as I'm taking notes in front of her, included a sentiment that she didn't think races should mix in marriage. And while she thought it was OK for blacks to live in Marysville, her husband might disagree. It was only a SMALL part of a much LARGER forum.
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I'm working on a story that will include information from that much larger forum. But we report information voters need to know. And they need to know this. Hopefully, your takeaway isn't that Marysville is racist. This is one woman.
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Although, it's far from the first race-related issue I've heard. For ex., South Park residents in PH, many of whom are African American, have said they won't drive through Marysville to get to I-94 for fear of being pulled over. A worthwhile convo to have. But I wonder:
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Am I the right person to tell this story tonight? What can I do to make this story fair to everyone in that room and everyone at home reading? What can we do in the future to start this dialogue? I'm working on the story, but we're going to take our time. Don't wait up.
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End of conversation
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Was there a red hat involved?
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No. Wants to represent seniors though.
End of conversation
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