Do you want to be represented by a man who falsely calls the Black Lives Matter Movement a terrorist organization? If you live in Legislative District 6, which includes Flagstaff, you are.
His name is Walter (“Walt”) Blackman. He lives in Snowflake but thanks to gerrymandering, the largest city in his district is Flagstaff. Blackman is a Republican (no surprise). He happens to be African-American. Blackman was elected to the legislature in 2018 largely because not enough Democrats bothered to vote in the Arizona House race.
People who care about Black Lives Matter and the protests going on now and who live in Legislative District 6 have a real opportunity to send a message by voting against Blackman in November. Make him a one-term representative!
Did He Really Say That?
Yep. And, he’s proud of it.
In the days following George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, Republican Representative Walt Blackman hosted Facetime video after video in which he proclaimed, “George Floyd is no hero.” No indeed, Rep. Blackman, Floyd is just one of many victims (not “heroes”) of police excessive force — victims of our society’s failure to address systemic racism, which pervades too many law enforcement agencies in this country. Excessive and brutal policing is what Black Lives Matter stands against. (Blackman is also a master of gaslighting like his hero, Donald Trump.)
A few days later, Blackman doubled down in an interview with the Arizona Republic, questioning whether police brutality even exists.
Rep. Walt Blackman admitted in an interview, “Some people are going to be pissed off at me.” More importantly, some people are going to be very determined that Walt Blackman loses his current re-election campaign.
Register to vote — and keep your registration current if you change your address between now and November. Sign up to get your ballot by mail when you register — Stay safe, Stay Healthy, Vote!
Notes:
The only African American Republican in the Arizona Legislature told a conservative radio host that the Black Lives Matter movement is a terrorist organization. “This is my thought on Black Lives Matter – first of all, it’s a terrorist organization because it’s been deemed, or it’s been identified by the FBI already,” Rep. Walter Blackman told KFYI radio. Factcheck: BLM has not been declared a terrorist organization. Blackman picked that up from conspiracy theorist Candace Owens.
Blackman also likened Black Lives Matter to the Klu Klux Klan.
Sources:
Blackman’s own Facebook page, where the videos reside.
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P.S. A few days after the criticism of Blackman’s remarks began to pour in, our State Senator, Republican Sylvia Allen, rose to his defense, ending her statement with “Don’t stop talking Walter… I love you my dear friend!” Vote them both out in November.