Suburban Obama delegate quits over 'divisive' remark

[stephanie]

CARPENTERSVILLE | Says when she called black kids 'monkeys,' she was asking them to get out of tree

April 8, 2008Recommend (45)

BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter/apallasch@suntimes.com
Moving to nip in the bud some potential bad press, White House hopeful Barack Obama's campaign persuaded a delegate to step down after she was ticketed for calling her neighbor's African-American children "monkeys."

Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, a Carpentersville village trustee, was elected as an Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She sports an Obama sign in her front yard.


Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski (left) admitted she used the word "monkeys," but said she did not intend racism. Barack Obama's campaign has persuaded the delegate to step down.
(File/AP)

On Saturday, two neighbor children were playing in the tree next-door to her house.

Ramirez-Sliwinski "came outside and told the children to quit playing in the tree like monkeys. The tree was not on Ramirez-Slowinski's property," Carpentersville Police Commander Michael Kilbourne said.

Ramirez-Sliwinski admitted she used the word "monkeys," but said she did not intend racism. She said she was only trying to protect them from falling out of the tree.

SNIP:
Ramirez-Sliwinski's $75 ticket was for "disorderly conduct," which Kilbourne defined as, "when a person does something that alarms or disturbs another."

read the rest and comments..
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politic...stee08.article

[Abbey Marie]

I think the real question here is, were they acting like "typical monkeys"?

[Gaffer]

She got a ticket for free speech. How liberal.

[Hagbard Celine]

She got a ticket for free speech. How liberal.

No it isn't.

[avatar4321]

she was an Obama delegate? Can we say a Clinton conspiracy

[Sitarro]

Blacks have always been very sensitive to monkey remarks. I love going to the zoo and hanging around the monkey exhibit because there is always a bunch of black people congregated there, they seem mesmerized by them. I walk over near them and while watching the monkeys I will say....." isn't it amazing that we evolved from those guys?". Without fail they will get real indignant and say..... "I never came from no monkey!"...... it's great fun.