Racist political fliers distributed in Chicago

Racist political fliers distributed in Chicago

Fliers comparing Chicago Alderwoman Toni Preckwinkle to Aunt Jemima are being distributed in the South Side. The fliers, designed to resemble parking tickets and placed beneath windshield wipers, are addressed to "Registered Voters and Concerned Citizens of Chicago" and include a photo of the 4th Ward alderwoman captioned by the phrase "Aunt Jemima On the Meter Box." An Aunt Jemima, in historical ethnocentric parlance, is a negative racist and sexist symbol. The fliers seem to imply, although they don't directly state, that Preckwinkle supports Chicago's parking meter agreement with LAZ Parking. Preckwinkle voted against the parking meter lease. The fliers also call out several other apparent beneficiaries of the lease, including Ald. Preckwinkle's husband, Zeus, Michael Daley, Avis Lavelle (Mayor Daley's former press secretary), and investment bank Morgan Stanley. The alderwoman called the fliers "garbage literature" and suspects gang member-turned-activist Gator Bradley is behind them. "It has the same sense, the material, and it's the same name-calling, so if it didn't originate with Gator Bradley and his crew, it's surely people who are imitating him," she said. Preckwinkle theorizes that she's being singled out because she is the current frontrunner in the campaign and therefore a target. "In the last weeks, the last few days of a campaign, there are often pretty despicable pieces that sort of appear on the street, and this is one of them," she said. Attempts to reach Bradley have been unsuccessful.