Don’t dismiss Battie incident as ‘hoax’ – he, others were targets of racism

Recently, there was a racist social media post that targeted Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie and others in our community. Given how this incident continues to be portrayed, I feel compelled to address the now-infamous image that was delivered anonymously to the Corona Cigar Bar in downtown Sarasota several weeks ago.

I know only what’s unfolded in public, and what is beyond dispute.

What is beyond dispute is that City Commissioner Battie, an African American elected official, was alerted by a local business owner, who also happens to be a person of color, that she had received an anonymous document at her business.

The document contained a racist Facebook post that depicted the business owner, Battie and others at an official ribbon-cutting event – and it included a caption that perpetuated an old racist trope regarding African Americans.

These facts are not reasonably in dispute. And that’s why it remains disturbing that this incident continues to be wrongfully characterized as a “hoax.” Such labeling undermines the gravity of the content of the post, and it ignores the harm it inflicted on those who were depicted.

Let’s be clear: A racist act against those depicted did happen in our city, and our local leaders are right to speak up when such incidents occur.

The authenticity of who appeared to author the post is not my focus, and I for one accept that it may or may not be by the person attributed. But that doesn’t make the contents of the racist social media post any less hurtful. We may never know who created this image, so for everyone’s sake let us set that aside and move on.

I’ve known Commissioner Battie, who has also served as our city’s mayor, since our grade school days. There are two qualities I know for sure about Kyle Battie – or “Scotty,” as he is known by in the neighborhood: He would never lie about something like this and he’s always going to stand up for his community.

We need leaders who are unafraid to speak out against the racist imagery that has been silently endured by so many minorities for far too long. Yes, it’s jarring. Yes, it’s unnerving. And, yes, it’s much more comfortable for everyone to dismiss incidents like these as “hoaxes” – and to act as though nothing racist really happened.

But dismissing it in that fashion only encourages more harmful discrimination to occur in our community, and it fails to address the underlying problem. While confronting such issues may be uncomfortable, it is necessary for growth and progress.

Tragically, incidents like this one also evoke memories of the painful history of harassment faced by minority business owners in communities like ours across this country – and particularly in the aftermath of desegregation.

Commissioner Battie has a challenging job, and I believe he has done well in representing the diverse neighborhoods of his district. But one of Commissioner Battie’s most solemn responsibilities is to speak out on issues of race and incidents of discrimination that surface in our community. Indeed, that is a role that should be assumed by every leader in our community.

As Sarasota City Commissioner Debbie Trice poignantly stated during a recent public meeting, the whole focus of this racist act has been hijacked, and the backlash has been severe. And here is my concern: In the face of such backlash, will the victims of racist acts – and the elected leaders of our community – still have the courage to call out similar incidents in the future?

Trevor D. Harvey is an educator and serves as president of the Sarasota County NAACP. He is a native of Sarasota.