An unknown artist or artists painted Maine Gov. Paul LePage wearing a white hood and robe, complete with a red Ku Klux Klan insignia next to bold words declaring “racist”, “homophobe”, and “moron”.
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“I do not want it up there”. The word “governor” was there too, but crossed out. “It is not reflective of our values”, Mayor Ethan Strimling said, according to the Press Herald.
“As much as we are all infuriated by the governor’s statements, equating his language to the systemic terrorism and murder Grand Wizards inflicted upon African Americans (and Catholics) trivializes the KKK”, Strimling said.
LePage vowed he would not resign in wake of the remarks, and rejected some lawmakers’ assertions that he had “mental issues”.
“It’s understandable why people are using this as a symbol to express their disagreement and outrage with what LePage has said”, Robert Trestan of the The Anti-Defamation League told the Bangor Daily News. The letter also states that LePage has encouraged vigilantism, such as when he said in January that because ME has constitutional carry, citizens could “Load up and get rid of drug dealers”.
Late Tuesday night, the Ku Klux Klan imagery was removed from the mural, while Mickey Mouse ears were added to the governor’s image, according to the Portland Press Herald. “Therefore it is incumbent that we the undersigned Legislators formally request the intervention of the Secretary of State to empower the Maine Supreme Court to conduct a full review and hearing before the court to determine whether Paul LePage is mentally fit to serve our State as Governor”, the letter concludes.
City officials told the station that the mural will stay as is.
But a water district spokeswoman said that the district’s general manager is in discussion with city officials to see about removing the mural.
The next day, he left a profanity-laden voicemail for Democratic state Rep.
LePage’s office did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
LePage has stirred controversy over his insistence that Maine’s opioid epidemic is chiefly fueled by blacks and hispanics driving in from out-of-state.
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LePage said the contents of the binder are news clippings, not scientific data, that he began collecting in January after being criticized for saying out-of-state drug dealers were impregnating “young white” girls. Drew Gattine and challenged him to a duel.
