A GOP candidate for Senate has gotten backlash for allegedly planning a “racist” campaign event in Harlem.
Republican Jon Girodes, a candidate in New York’s 30th Senate District, was emailing with NBC-4 reporters regarding controversy over a real estate dispute when he included in a message:
“Ps I’m hosting an event in Harlem which will be in front of the state building in a few weeks. We will [donate] Kool Aid, KFC and watermelons to the public on 125th street in Harlem. Please join us to help the community.”
He also, for some reason, included a shirtless photo of himself, writing, “Run with it and have fun. My gift to you :-).”
Yikes.
NBC-4 published the email online, and later confronted Harlem residents about Girodes planning an event with stereotypically “black” food.
“It’s racist. Whoever he is, I think he should go back in whatever hole he crawled in and have a great life,” one man, Tyrone Nero, told NBC-4.
According to the station, Girodes (who appears to be a non-white Latino, although that has yet to be confirmed) has stood by his “Kool Aid” comment.
“What I think is anyone who gives free food to people is doing them a favor,” the GOP candidate reportedly told NBC-4.
“Get a bunch of people who say it’s offensive and let me go into their neighborhood and give it out for free and see if they take it.”
It’s incredibly problematic that Girodes believes he can appeal to the mostly-black residents of Harlem by offering them a racially-charged trinity of foods that have historically been used to stereotype and dehumanize them. The fact that Girodes sees nothing wrong with the email is pretty worrying, but the fact that he’s running for Senate makes it even moreso.
As of Thursday, Girode’s website, Facebook and Twitter accounts appear to be down or put on private. He has yet to reply to The Huffington Post for comment via his official Instagram page.
UPDATE: Oct. 18 ― Jon Girodes was arrested on October 15 in connection to an alleged Craigslist rental scam, according NBC-4. Girodes allegedly stole $50,000 from 10 people, and faces several counts of grand larceny.
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