Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been criticized by one of the city's top conservatives for hosting a party without whites, calling attendees the “Wu Klux Klan.”
In a thrilling opinion piece for the Boston HeraldHowie Carr denounced Wednesday's “elected of color” event hosted by the Democratic mayor — saying there would have been anarchy on the city streets if the races had been reversed.
“What if a white mayor had held a whites-only party in a city-owned building after specifically banning all non-white members of the City Council?” wrote the veteran radio host.
'It would have been the end of the world, a national story that would last for days, if not weeks. On the night of the party there would have been riots, looting and violence.
Carr also highlighted exclusive photos from DailyMail.com showing guests attending the party – and asked why, if the party wasn't an issue, they had chosen to cover their faces.
If the event had been hosted by a Republican, every Republican politician across the country would have been asked to denounce it, Carr added, accusing “most of the state media” in Massachusetts of looking the other way.
Wu, Boston's first non-white mayor, was unapologetically outside the event Wednesday night
In a blistering op-ed for the Boston Herald, Howie Carr called the “elected of color” event held by the Democrats' office a “Wu Klux Klan rally”
Carr's op-ed lambasted the party, calling it hypocritical – and asking why some attendees chose to cover their faces while being photographed by a DailyMail.com photographer
At the liberal Boston Globe, staff ignored the scandal for 24 hours before publishing a bizarre explainer full of lawmakers defending Wu.
“After all, Michelle Wu was just trying to bring the 'party' back under apartheid,” the conservative said.
Carr attacked the “state media” for ignoring or soft-soaping the Wu scandal, without naming names.
The liberal Boston Globe – which has regularly praised Wu's performance – ignored the story for 24 hours, even as media in the US and around the world picked up the scandal.
An “explainer” piece titled “What to Know About Mayor Wu's 'Electeds of Color' Party and Why It's Causing So Much Uproar” was published Thursday afternoon.
The article quoted multiple local lawmakers defending Wu's separate bash — and only one calling it “divisive.”
The story has since been flooded with hundreds of comments from readers accusing the newspaper of going out of its way not to publish the story because of its alleged pro-Wu stance.
One response read: 'ahhhhhhhhhhhhh……here's the article I was looking for!!….nice twist there Globe.'
Another added: '36 hours later, after all the media in the country (and other countries) have extensively covered it, the BG decides that not reporting on the Wu snafu is blatantly biased – even by their standards. Better late than never, I guess, but the damage has already been done. Shameful.'
A third wrote: 'The Globe is covering for his lib protectorates as usual….smh'
Back at the Herald, columnist Carr also pointed out that City Councilman Freddy Langone held hearings in 1979 to investigate the mayor's use of Parkman House, the site of Wu's non-white meeting, to host parties for contributors.
Unknown guests are greeted as they arrive at the Electeds of Color Holiday party
A woman covered her face as she arrived at the controversial party Wednesday night, before Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden
A woman in a smart red outfit is pictured arriving at Wednesday night's Electeds of Color party at a taxpayer-funded facility in Boston
He also reflected on the definition of a “Chosen One of Color,” writing, “If the Democrats can't define what a woman is, how can they ever define what a 'Chosen One of Color' means?
“Think of Gigi Coletta, the city council member from East Boston. Her city hall website lists her “Italian and Mexican heritage.”
“So Gigi got an invite as an EOC, or was stopped at the front door under the Democratic party's traditional 'one-drop' rule of banning anyone from the festivities who isn't 100 percent… whatever ?
“Or did the Wu Klux Klan split the difference for Gigi and only let her attend half the party?”
Wu, Boston's first non-white mayor, unapologetically sat out the event Wednesday night, defending it by claiming that “some people who are concerned may also not have all the information.”
However, the Democrat did not clarify what additional information the public was missing while tacitly confirming that the party was indeed as advertised.
The mayor's office has maintained that they did not use any tax dollars for the event. The party did use municipal resources, however, as it was held at the city-owned Parkman House.
Councilwoman Tania Fernandes Anderson defended Wu, saying, “Just as there are groups that come together based on shared interests or cultural backgrounds, it is completely normal for elected officials of color to gather for celebration.”
Wu said there are numerous examples of representative groups based on race, with both citing the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington DC as an example.
She added that her office also hosted holiday parties “to which the entire City Council and all of our elected colleagues were invited.”
News of the party emerged when a city hall employee accidentally sent the invitation to all thirteen city council members — because white elected officials were not supposed to be involved in the event.
“I accidentally sent that to everyone, and I apologize if my email may have been offensive or came across that way. “Apologies for any confusion this may have caused,” wrote Denise DosSantos, director of relations with the City Council.
The Boston Herald reported that there were seven white council members who were not invited — and six people of color who were.
“This is a group that has been around for many, many years,” Wu said. 'We celebrate all kinds of connections and identity and culture and heritage in the city.
'Yesterday we hosted our official Hanukkah lighting at City Hall.
“We've had tree lightings and we want to be a city where everyone's identity is embraced, and where there are spaces and communities that we can help support.”
Wu's spokesman Ricardo Patron said Wednesday that the mayor was asked to organize the annual party by the group Electeds of Color, and that the host and location change every year.
Patron said the party was just one of many taking place over the holidays, and that Wu is planning a larger holiday bash next week for all her cabinet members, city council members and the entire legislature.