Setti Warren: Weekend’s events were ‘terrorism’
Newton Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Setti Warren appeared in studio on Boston Herlad Radio’s “The Rundown” with Zuri Berry yesterday to talk about the violence in Virginia:
Q: What were some of your thoughts when you heard about what happened this weekend in Charlottesville?
A: When I think about what happened this weekend, and make no mistake, this was an act of homegrown terrorism by a white nationalist group that continues to spew hate and bigotry across our country. We have to stand up against it. Call it for what it is, again, act of terrorism, that doesn’t belong in any part of our society, period. When I think about what happened this weekend, I think about my children. I think about what kind of world they’re living in and what kind of world we’re going to leave them.
Q: What did you tell them about what happened?
A: My kids are 9 and 6, and I had a very difficult conversation this morning with my wife and my two children before they left to go do their activities. We had to explain to them what happened in Charlottesville this weekend. One of the most difficult conversations I’ve had to have as a parent, my wife and I, to explain to them, and we had to, because we knew they were entering camp and they were going to hear about this, and we wanted to make sure that we gave them the context.
Q: President Trump reacted for the second time to this, and he called out the KKK and white supremacists. What did you think of his revised statement and his initial remarks?
A: You asked me a question at the top of this. What’s your instinct when you saw what happened? And I answered you what my instinct was: It was an act of terrorism, a white supremacist group promoting, spewing poison and racism. It’s got to be pushed back on. You gotta call it what it is. The president’s instinct was not to give that answer, and that was wrong ... I don’t care how many revised statements he puts out. Look, here’s what we’ve got to do. I’ve said this as an elected official and I’m saying this as a father as well, and as an Iraq War veteran. This has got to go beyond our politics here ... We’ve got to find a way to find to understand perspective. Work with one another. Live with one another if we’re going to leave this world better off for our kids.”