The Roswell Daily Record newspaper in New Mexico posted a cartoon to its Facebook page on Monday that appeared to tell blacks and Latinos to leave the state.
The cartoon depicted two signs that — in the place of honorary street names — had the distance to the home and birthplace of civil rights activists César Chávez and Martin Luther King, Jr, respectively.
On a nearby branch, two birds were discussing the street names and were in agreement that what Roswell actually needed was a “Larry Bird Boulevard.”
At the top of the cartoon was text that read “Roswell signage suggestion…” followed by text at the bottom that said “…to clear up any confusion about where some people should go.”
On Thursday, the paper offered a defense of the cartoon in a comment on its Facebook page, saying it wasn’t meant to be racist and was in fact a nod to the fact that renaming streets “is mostly considered superfluous.”
“We certainly did not imagine it would be interpreted as wanting people to leave our town permanently,” the newspaper said in the comment. “The cartoonist meant that if we are going to have honorary street signs, the individuals named on those signs should have connections to Roswell.”
Read the paper’s statement, via Facebook:
No confusion. The caption gives the game away. It’s absolutely clear what the intent of the cartoon is, despite the newspaper’s weak attempt to justify it. “Some people” is a loud blast on the dog whistle.
I find it beyond laughable for this to appear in a newspaper in a state that was FOUNDED by Native Americans & Hispanics and then INVADED by Anglos…
Sorry if you were offended …
That defense is bullshit. Just a quick look at google shows they have a Washington, Sherman, Lafayette and a bunch of others along with a street named after half the other states in the union.
Ah, yes… The classic, racist “nonpology”…