A Richmond council candidate issued an apology after a Global News interview where his comments were perceived by some to racially stereotype gangsters.
Andy Hobbs, a former VPD superintendent, told the Richmond News he was making the point that patios are safe and restaurant-goers should support local businesses. However, he also added people should be alert and aware of their surroundings, telling Global News, "Don’t go to that patio if it’s full of a bunch of gangsters."
“I would take the one comment back if I could,” Hobbs told the Richmond News on Monday.
Although Hobbs, who is running in the May 29 Richmond byelection, did not reference any ethnic or racial groups, some people on Twitter claimed it was racist and assumed gangsters were Asians and South Asians.
Others took Hobbs to task over the difficulty of identifying who a gangster was.
Hobbs said he got the sense from social media that his comment “hurt some people’s feelings.”
On Sunday, he issued the apology saying he made a statement “that created the impression of targeting a specific community.”
He said that wasn’t his intent, adding “The remark has hurt people, especially with the existing concerns about racial profiling.”
The Lower Mainland appears to be in the middle of a gang war with several daylight shootings in public places, for example, the shooting on Mother’s Day at the Vancouver International Airport and a shooting outside Cactus Club in Burnaby Thursday.
