thats-racist

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges came under seriously ridiculous racially-charged scrutiny this week when local police chastised her for making this gesture with a young man involved with a Twin Cities charity. As you can see in this video, the hand sign was clearly the result of an awkward "how do I pose" sort of moment. Local TV station KSPT had another story: That the mayor was intentionally making a "gang sign" with the volunteer, a former felon.

The other twist in the story? Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau was just off camera during that entire photo shoot, on the far left here:



Something seems fishy here, beyond mere ignorance and hasty sensationalized news reporting. The best response so far has come from the mayor's husband, Greg Cunningham:

Can't tell if this is racial profiling or just...

That would be Jim DeBerry, the force behind this ass-backwards commercial for McCutcheon & Hamner, P.C. Attorneys at Law. DeBerry, never one to back down from the "PC Police" apparently, defended accusations of racism with the classic "but I have Asian friends" defense.

@khayters I appreciate your viewing but to the contrary, I'm not a racist. I have many friends of various races and a top minority employer.

— Jim DeBerry (@RealJimDeBerry) November 25, 2013

Remember, dime-store costumes and bad accents that would make the suits behind old-school Aunt Jemima squirm are totally acceptable so long as you have friends. The wisdom of life, right here.

I don't want to spoil any of the fun for you all, so let's just have the video speak for itself: