Cal Cities African American Caucus’ response to offensive comments made during SB City Council Meetings public comments

[San Bernardino, CA]  – The Cal Cities African American Caucus is extremely disheartened by the recent offensive comments that were made through zoom, during the regular city council meeting, while a San Bernardino resident was providing their public comments.  The lack of decorum and respect for others should not be tolerated and immediate action should take place when incidents such as this happen. 

We do applaud the city of San Bernardino for issuing a statement condemning this type of behavior and working swiftly with their IT department and local law enforcement. We encourage everyone to speak out against racism and discrimination. We are calling on Mayor Tran and Mayor Pro Tem Shorett to issue an official apology to those who were in attendance and watching the live stream, and more importantly, to African American residents of San Bernardino. 

We encourage all municipalities to enforce stricter guidelines and protocol with devices that allow for virtual interaction so that we prevent these types of incidents from happening. 

As a Caucus dedicated to advancing the interests of African American communities in California, we stand in solidarity with our African American communities of San Bernardino, and furthermore, support our African American elected leaders on the San Bernardino city council that are working diligently to eradicate all forms of racism and discrimination. 

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The African American Caucus' mission is to represent the interests of African American city officials and the greater African American community within the Cal Cities, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, and related state and national organizations. This mission will be achieved by the identification of issues of concern to the African American community and the vocalization of those issues through sponsorship of educational seminars, viable legislative advocacy and heightened participation and involvement in the Cal Cities initiatives.