Obama Delegate Quits After Campaign Finds Remarks to Neighbor Kids to be ‘Unacceptable’
Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski (Photo Courtesy of: Daily Herald)
A Barack Obama supporter has given up her role as a pledged delegate after the campaign found “unacceptable” her description of her neighbor’s children as “monkeys,” which she says she called them because they were climbing in trees.
Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, an a Hispanic trustee for the Village of Carpentersville, Ill., was accused of racism following the interaction with her African-American neighbors.
“Given the incident, she is stepping down and will be replaced as delegate,” Ben Labolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign told FOXNews.com, calling Sliwinski’s remarks “unacceptable.”
The campaign discussed the incident with Ramirez-Sliwinski, who decided to step aside as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in August, Labolt said.
Police issued a $75 citation for disorderly conduct on Saturday to Ramirez-Sliwinski , Carpentersville Police Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne told FOXNews.com.
“This is like a parking ticket,” Kilbourne said. “She was not arrested, she was not fingerprinted.”
Police officers were dispatched to Sparrow Road for a neighbor dispute, Kilbourne said.
Ramirez-Sliwinski told the kids to stop playing in her next-door neighbor’s tree because she was worried they would fall out of the tree and hurt themselves, Kilbourne said.
Dametta Stewart, a parent of one of the kids, alleges that Ramirez-Sliwinski came outside and told the kids to “quit playing in the tree like monkeys,” according to the police report. Stewart told police she was upset and felt the comment was racist since her children are African-American, Kilbourne said.
Ramirez-Sliwinski told officers that she didn’t believe the comment was racist and that she calls her own grandkids monkeys.
Ramirez-Sliwinski told the local Daily Herald, based in Arlington Heights, Ill., that her remarks were not racist despite ill feelings between the neighbors.
“Technically, I don’t consider it a mistake because that’s not what I meant,” Ramirez-Sliwinski told the newspaper. “They’re children. They’re climbing in a tree. What would you think?”
Ramirez-Sliwinski said she likely won’t run for re-election as a trustee after her term expires in April 2009.
I am really tired of some people construing any and every comment as racist….when its NOT____this is reminescent of Biden being attacked for saying Obama was clean (as in clean cut)
get the chip off your shoulder, & stop assuming the worse
Would Obama be able to take the sharp critisism that Bush takes? Will blacks cry racist for name calling against Obama? What if he can’t deliver on his promises for change or if things get worse. I’ve already seen posts on youtube threatening to blow up the country if Obama is not elected. My brother has seen intimidation at work by Obama fans against Hilary fans. I see racial progress going backwards not forwords. If you think the Sunni vs Shiite type hatred can’t happen here, think again.
Ramirez is right, the neighbor is wrong…..the operative word here is LIKE.
Quit playing in the tree like monkeys is what was said? IF true, she should sue for defamation. Or the media is not telling the whole story…..as usual. Or, we are all screwed. I can’t believe people can be so irrational.
What a great idea! I am so glad someone finally realized that calling names does hurt. We should all get right on the band wagon and call the police everytime someone calls a kid a name. I am sure the police need more to do! Or, let’s put police officers in all the schools to fine every kid who calls another kid a bad name. And maybe they can even arrest the kids that use the really bad words. Would it be going too far to have child services do home studies in these homes? After all, people who teach their kids to call other kids names must have learned it from their parents. And judging from all the people commenting, there are a lot of them out there.
In case this idea doesn’t catch on….maybe we should all just get thicker skin??? Oh wait, that might offend someone with a bad complexion…sorry!
This is the most rediculous thing I have heard. This country in way to sensitive and politically correct. A person cannot say anything without fear of being labeled.
I find it disgusting that our great country is being torn apart within, by these liberal do-gooders.
I am not ashamed of being white, proud american, and conservative.
God Bless America
“quit playing in the tree like monkeys…” That’s silly, and waay overblown.
OBAMA is being sold as the candidate for ‘post-racial America’. Obviously untrue, if anything one says, however innocent, can be spun by his team as ‘racist’.
Little by little the “American Way” of life is deteriorating. This is a classic case of self-destruction - no need for the Jihadist to do it. We are pitting ourselves against each other. The sad thing is we are allowing it to happen! When are we going to wake up and realize that we are our own worst enemy? I think it is time we stand up and make our voices heard regarding not only “political-correctness(PC) but a myriad of other issues that are tearing the heart and soul from the american way of life.
What America needs are true leaders. What we do not need is more of what we already have in Washington DC and our own state and local governments - Corruption, Sex, Slander, Lies, Self-Promotion, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Deception and Pride. No wonder many of these are listed among the seven deadlysins!
America and americans need real change(not sure whether McCain is the answer but quite sure Obama and HRC are not) and a period of self evaluation. We as americans need to shed our passive and unassuming state of being and take back control of the steering wheel and utilize the power of the vote to implement change ourselves.
All in all, if this article wasn’t so sad - it would be funny!
a monkey is an affectionate word for all children. People who take it in another way are racists who are looking tocause a problem. There is nothing she said was wrong. His campaign once again looked for racial undertones that were not there. I guess it is OK for his Rev to bad mouth white people saying it directly and he and hia campaign made invalid excuses for that. They are the only ones who are making this a race issue. Obama and his campaign make you walk on egg shells not to offend blacks. I bet if you asked 100 black people to reply to her words less than 10 would turn it into a race issue. I hope Linda sees what he is and changes her vote in November
To call kids in a tree monkies is NORMAL! Good grief!
I raised four (white-hispanic) kids, called them monkies when they were acting like monkies, even said, “Hey, you’re on TV when monkies would be on the screen.”
And, my kids turned out great! Two graduated as salutatorians of their high school classes. One finished college last year, two are in college, now. All are outstanding citizens.
Let there be MORE MONKIES in America!!! And let freedom of speech remain FREE!
i am a white Mother, grandmother. I always called my children a bunch of monkeys as an affectionate remark. My grandmother also used to call them little monkeys when they acted up. No offense intended or taken. To fine her $75.00 for using that is utterly amaziing. How are we supposed to unite when things like this happen?