Source: Drew Angerer / Getty
Calling rioters in Baltimore “thugs” is coming back to bit the city’s mayor, who took to Twitter to make amends for her poor choice of words.
“I wanted to clarify my comments on ‘thugs.’ When you speak out of frustration and anger, one can say things in a way that you don’t mean,” Stephanie Rawlings-Blake tweeted Wednesday afternoon (April 29) in response to criticism from those who felt her use of the word “thug” was simply a way to replace the n-word.
The mayor’s apology stemmed from remarks she made Monday (April 26) at a press conference after the riots began in Baltimore. During the conference, Rawlings-Blake condemned the rioters, many of which were high school students.
“It is very clear that there’s a difference between what we saw last week between the peaceful protests and the thugs, who only want to incite violence and destroy our city,” she said. “I’m a life-long resident of Baltimore. Too many generations have spent their lives building up this city to have it destroyed by thugs, who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for.”
Although Rawlings-Blake did damage control with her tweet, she found herself on the defense Wednesday as Fox News reporter Leland Vittert attempted to ask the mayor about allegations from a source that she ordered police to stand down during Monday’s civil unrest.
