Posted on October 11, 2019

‘You Stop It, You Are a White Male!’: Unhinged Trustee Shouts Down Colleagues

Breck Dumas, The Blaze, October 10, 2019

A board of trustees meeting in the Village of Oak Park, Illinois, took an ugly turn Monday night, when one elected official went on a tirade against several of her colleagues for daring to give input on updates to the town’s equity, diversity, and inclusion statement.

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Buchanan, a medical doctor who has served on the board since April, criticized Moroney for bringing up the police and capitalism, and then another male trustee stepped in delicately to try to assist in working out language that would satisfy all parties.

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“I am so tired of hearing two white men tell us what systems of oppression are,” she said to applause from the audience. “You have been white from birth. Why are you arguing what is a system of oppression? You’ve never experienced it, so shut up! I don’t want to hear from you! Just stop Dan, just stop Deno. You are not oppressed people and people in Oak Park are and we are trying to recognize that as a community.”

She continued, “This mayor and this board is obviously not willing to face history. We have a chance to make history. It is time for this community to face equity. Enough!”

Then, pointing fingers at the men directly, she said, “And you stop it! You are a white male! You stop it, you are a white male!”

According to West Cook News, Buchanan even turned her ire to Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb, a Palestinian immigrant, pointing at him and telling him, “Your skin is light enough. Stop it!”

[Editor’s Note: The full video of the council’s meeting is available below. Susan Buchanan’s tirade begins at 3:05:13.]