A city councilman in Northfolk, VA is saying his remarks about Chinese restaurants have nothing to do with prejudice despite an outcry by city leaders who have branded his remarks racist and insensitive.
The controversy follows incendiary comments made by Korean American model Nicky Park of Southern California who said “she is really tired of this whole Black lives matter bullsh*t.”
13 News Now reports that Councilman Paul Riddick expressed opposition to outreach done by the city to Chinese restaurants who may have suffered economic damage due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Chinese [restaurants] don’t need any money,” Riddick responded. “They’re making money hand over fist, and they always have been. They don’t hire Blacks, and they don’t give anything back to the community.”
That’s when fellow Councilman Tommy Smigiel fired back, according to WAVY.com.
“Mr. Riddick, I’m really upset with your comments that you made about Chinese families. I don’t know if those were your intentions.”
Riddick said he’s tired of seeing the needs of Blacks neglected in Norfolk.
“And you wonder why blacks burn down these cities, it’s because we are in a position to help and we don’t do anything, and this is what happens in Norfolk. We don’t do anything to help the small black business,” he said.
“I would be very careful of putting down any cultures in our city of Norfolk at this time,” Smigiel said.
Later in an interview with 13News Now, Riddick doubled down, saying Chinese restaurants have not suffered due to the pandemic.
“They made a lot of money in the past and they don’t get hurt,” he said.
Earlier this week, Korean model Park also denied her remarks were prejudiced, insisting she didn’t have a racist bone in her body.
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RE: City councilman says “Chinese don’t need any money.”: Wow, this is just unbelievable. RACISM is RACISM is RACISM. By the mentality that one race doesn’t “deserve or earned the right for assistance” is outright what supposedly BLACKLIVESMATTER is trying to change.
RE: City councilman says “Chinese don’t need any money”: Huh? Black lives matter is trying to change the economic and social status of American Blacks who are at the bottom of a country they built. Where is the legislation to create more Black businesses? Lots of these minority groups are just as Anti-Black as any southern bigot yet they don’t get called out because they are a “minority”