Comments made by Humber River—Black Creek candidate Giorgio Mammoliti online are being called racist, outlandish and unacceptable.On Thursday morning, Mammoliti’s official Facebook account posted on the page for Tiffany Ford, who is challenging him in the upcoming election.Ford, a Black woman who is the current Toronto District School Board trustee for the area, wrote on Wednesday that Mammoliti had refused to apologize at a debate for earlier referring to some living in Toronto Community Housing as “cockroaches.”Several commenters posted in support saying it was time for a change of leadership. One wrote: “The angry white men have to go!”In response, Mammoliti added a comment to the thread: “Most of you respondents need to wake up to whats happening to you. On one hand you talk about white men being angry and on the other you just name call yourselves. Who is angry?? At least I have a plan to take you out of segregation, a white man does. Your black candidates don’t speak of how they will do that. They will just keep you bottled up in a poverty, segregated world with no hope. Wake up!!!!!”Reached by phone Thursday, Mammoliti confirmed it was him who posted the comments.“Instead of attacking a person who wants to stop segregation and instead of attacking the person in this campaign who wants to help the poor at Jane and Finch, perhaps the other candidates should have in their platform a mechanism to stop segregation instead of just giving out welfare cheques,” Mammoliti said.Asked if he could respond to the ways in which his comments are offensive to those in the community, he refused to comment further.“He didn’t apologize, obviously,” Ford told the Star. “His response to all of that is just disgusting. It’s really outlandish and gross.”Read more: At least 7 Toronto council races feature 2 sitting councillors. Here’s a look at the matchupsTiffany Ford, wh ...
|
