Former Atlanta Mayor Andy Young blames Jews, Koreans and Arabs for "ripping off" Blacks.
WSBRadio ^ | 08-18-06
wsbradio.com
In an interview, Young was asked whether he was concerned that Wal-Mart causes smaller, mom-and-pop stores to close.
``Well, I think they should; they ran the 'mom and pop' stores out of my neighborhood,'' the paper quoted Young as saying. ``But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us, selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs; very few black people own these stores.''
Young said he decided to end his involvement with Working Families for Wal-Mart after he started getting calls about the story.
``Things that are matter-of-fact in Atlanta, in the New York and Los Angeles environment, tend to be a lot more volatile,'' he said.
The Jewish community criticized Young's comments.
``Andrew Young is a nationally known civil rights leader. If anyone should know that these are the words of bigotry, anti-Semitism and prejudice, it's him,'' said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. ``I know he apologized, but I would say this: ... During his years as a leader of the national civil rights movement, if anyone would utter remarks like this about African-Americans, his voice would be the first to rise in indignation.'' |
