It’s in the governors’ mansions and city halls in the three states, including in Lawrence.
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Leaders of two MA cities fired back at Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s controversial comments linking race to the opioid epidemic and pointing to Lawrence and Lowell as the problem.
LePage described Gattine as a “cocksucker” in the message that he left on his voicemail last week.
LePage said in January that “guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie”, come to ME to sell drugs and “impregnate a young, white girl”.
Fredette and Republican Senate President Mike Thibodeau met with LePage on Monday. That’s how it turns out.
“I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c– sucker”, he said in the recording released on August 25.
Maine Governor Paul LePage, (R), greets the crowd before Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Merrill Auditorium on August 4, 2016 in Portland, Maine. Some also asked for him to resign.
“The governor is not mentally able to serve and needs to resign”, House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe and Assistant Majority Leader Sara Gideon said in a joint statement.
Mr Gattine denies accusing the governor of racism. Now ever since I said that comment, I’ve been collecting [the photos of] every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state.
“I believe that, for me, what this is about is stopping the categorizing of people, the negativity towards entire groups of people, the suggestions of violence, it’s not a way to carry on the business of the state or the business of society”, Cynthia Phinney said. Laplante said in Lawrence, 75 percent of opioid-related arrests are of people from out of town – mostly from outside MA. “Most, by the way, from residents outside MA”.
Democrats condemned the threat and urged Republicans to get LePage “professional help”. Baker’s reaction was more tempered. But, he said, if he has lost his “ability to convince the ME people that’s what we need and that’s the type of people we need in Augusta, you know, maybe it is the time to move on”. I think some things I’ve been asked to do are beyond my ability, and I’m not gonna say that I’m not going to finish it. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. LePage also mentioned Waterbury, Connecticut, and the NY city boroughs of the Bronx and Brooklyn.
But LePage did not apologize for blaming Maine’s opioid problem on blacks and Hispanics coming from out of state. It’s not just a political gaffe or something that came about because he is unstable. And I make no apologies for it. At a rally planned for this evening at Capital Park in Augusta, attendees are expected to do the same.
“A half-hearted, partial apology on a radio show does not get remotely close to addressing the core issue: ME faces serious issues and its government is not functioning”, the state’s Democratic House leadership said in a statement on Tuesday. “We all know that heroin is ravaging all communities, regardless of their racial or ethnic composition. Nobody is safe from these drugs”.
Edward Markey, among others in response to LePage’s comments.
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Following that statement, LePage left a profanity-laced voicemail for state Representative Drew Gattine, who he was mistakenly told called him a racist. “I’m not going to say I’m not going to finish it; I’m not going to say I am going to finish it”.
