Tea Party Wants To Hang Blacks: Congressman

A member of the Congressional Black Caucus has accused the Tea Party of regarding African Americans as second-class citizens and that they would like to see black people hanging on a tree.

Democratic State Representative Andre Carson of Indiana made the comments during an appearance in Miami on Aug. 22 for a jobs event sponsored by the Caucus.

We have seen change in Congress … The Tea Party is stopping that change, Carson said in the video montage.

This is the beyond symbolic change. This is the effort that we are seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these folks in Congress would love to see us as second-class citizens. Some of them in Congress of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.

Jenny Beth Martin, a spokeswoman for the Tea Party Patriots, condemned Carson’s words as ridiculous and outlandish.

Martin told the New York Daily News: Unfortunately we've seen since right before debt limit was increased, this was becoming status quo for members of congress. It's ridiculous. They're offending millions of Americans who want nothing more than to see fiscal responsibility restored to our country. That's what we want. They are making these comments to distract people from the real issue at hand.

However, Carson’s press secretary Jason Tomcsi defended the congressman’s incendiary remarks saying it was more about frustration with the country’s economic malaise.

The Tea Party is protecting its millionaire and oil company friends while gutting critical services that they know protect the livelihood of African-Americans, as well as Latinos and other disadvantaged minorities, Jason Tomcsi told reporters.

So, yes, the congressman used strong language because the Tea Party agenda jeopardizes our most vulnerable and leaves them without the ability to improve their economic standing.”

Another prominent Black Caucus member, congressman Maxine Waters of California said earlier this month that the Tea Party can go straight to hell at a jobs forum in her home state.