Wilmington City Council members lob racism accusations at each other

A white Wilmington city councilman on Monday accused his black colleague of racism in an email, in yet another display of tensions and division in the city's legislative body. 

Ciro Adams, the sole Republican city council member, called Sam Guy a "racial bigot" who refuses to work with white colleagues.

The emailed rant was in response to Guy's accusations that City Council President Hanifa Shabazz, who is also black, has discriminated against Guy during council meetings.

The exchange comes just after council appeared to have ended several weeks of fighting over how to fill the hotly contested 1st District seat.

STALEMATE ENDS: Wilmington City Council ends weeks of fighting, finally fills open seat

Guy has frequently accused Shabazz of blocking his legislation. In an email last week to Shabazz, he demanded for legislation he had introduced last fall to be assigned to a committee. 

The legislation consisted of four resolutions on city council staff matters, which in November were assigned to a committee meeting that was canceled. Council spokesman Leon Tucker at the time said there was a lack of quorum.

Copied on the email were council members, staff, other city employees and local reporters.

In it, Guy attached a video from a city council meeting in which Shabazz remarks, "Well maybe you should start looking like Councilman Freel," as she denies a comment Guy wants to make. Guy had before that meeting accused Shabazz of privileging the voice of their white colleague, Bud Freel, over the matter.

"You have no authority to unilaterally establish this additional racist policy on behalf of Wilmington City Council and the City of Wilmington," Guy wrote, adding, "The Human Resources Department needs to arrange some training for you."

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Adams responded with his email Monday morning, accusing Guy of sowing racial discontent with "evil words" and "vulgar chants." 

"Your racial heart precludes you from working with a white mayor, or any white person, under any circumstance," Adams said. "You spew incendiary words like white supremacy in hopes of denigrating these individuals or council as a whole."

He wrote that Guy was an ineffective council member because he would not work with other legislators, and referenced the Ku Klux Klan, writing, "There are no white men in white-hooded sheets marching up Bennett Street or any other place here in Wilmington."

Reached by phone Monday, Guy said he had not yet seen Adams' email but stood by his allegation that Shabazz was holding back his legislation.

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He noted a resolution he sponsored to allow the city to give a historic firehouse to the local firefighters' union was discussed last week at a committee meeting, but not placed on this week's City Council agenda.

"He's not addressing the substance" of the original email, Guy said. "It shouldn't be a surprise if he's got a problem when racial issues are discussed."

Guy said it was a display of white supremacy for Adams to tell him not to talk about race.

"I can talk about what I want just like he can talk about whatever he wants," Guy said.

Councilwoman Loretta Walsh weighed in Monday afternoon.

"Three cheers for you, Ciro," she wrote. "This behavior continues to eat away at our council."

ACTION TAKEN: Wilmington City Council censures Samuel Guy

The exchange is not the first time Guy and his colleagues have clashed. During conflict over the appointment of a new member to the vacant 1st District seat, he led a faction of members trying to appoint their own favored candidate by introducing legislation to go around Shabazz's selection committee.

In 2017, his colleagues censured him for publishing complaints and conspiracy theories about them online. He also sued his colleagues over the distribution of council grant funding. That suit was dismissed.

Contact Jeanne Kuang at jkuang@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2476. Follow her on Twitter at @JeanneKuang.