Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges posed with a black volunteer and then all sorts of media hell broke loose.
Minnesota television station KSTP aired a report on Thursday accusing Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges of “flashing gang signs” while posing alongside a convicted felon.
The report cited law enforcement sources who were “fuming” over the photo, and stated that “officers believe the mayor has put the public and police at risk.”
The story’s online headline: “Mpls. Mayor Flashes Gang Sign with Convicted Felon; Law Enforcement Outraged."
KSTP / Via kstp.com
Watch the report here:
Navell Gordon, the "convicted felon" with whom the mayor was posing, was also a volunteer for the charity Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC).
On November 1, he and the mayor were with several NOC volunteers trying to get out the vote ahead of the Nov. 4 mid-term elections.
In a NOC video posted online, the exact moment the photograph was taken can be seen, with the "gang sign" seemingly nothing more than two people awkwardly posing together.
In the video, Gordon—who was convicted in 2011 of selling and possessing drugs, and in 2012 for illegally possessing a firearm—states his reasons for campaigning with NOC.
"I've made some mistakes in life, you know. I can't vote. I'm not ashamed to say that," Gordon said. "But I'm working on fixing that right now so I can be able to vote for my next president.”
In its report, KSTP states that law enforcement officials told the station that the gesture is a "known gang-sign from a north side gang."
NOC / Via youtube.com
