Barry Comment Critical of Asian Business Owners

[didymus]

NBC:

Barry Comment Critical of Asian Business Owners

While celebrating his Democratic primary victory in Ward 8 Tuesday night, D.C. Councilman Marion Barry delivered a remark apparently critical of Asian business owners. Barry spoke of changes in the ward, saying he’s worked hard for economic development in the city’s poorest ward and will continue to do so and saying something needs to be done about Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Avenue.
He also seemed to criticize Asian shop owners who operate many small stores in the District.

                                                                                                                                 “We got to do something  about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops,”  Barry said. “They ought to go. I’m going to say that right now. But we  need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places,  too.”
                                                                                                                                 Neither News4 nor Barry’s staff could reach the four-time former mayor Wednesday to get clarification about the remark.
                                                                                                                                 Mayor Vincent Gray said he hadn't heard about Barry's comment.

“I think you know what I stand for,” he said. “And that is everybody having an equal opportunity in the District of Columbia.”
U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce President Susan Allen, a 40-year D.C. resident and former Barry appointee to a minority business panel, said Barry’s comment surprised her.

                                                                                                                                 “I was very surprised that  this came out of his mouth,” she said. “Marion Barry has been a leader,  he has been a mayor and he had worked on putting people together. We  should utilize people like Marion Barry to put people together so that  the Asian-Americans who have made the decision to move into place like  Ward 8, which need businesses to service them and provide them with the  services and product they want and create jobs. Keep them there and help  them work together so that the two sides of the community can come  together, become a positive change.”

Well, yes, I suppose we certainly want to keep them out, don’t we? I mean there’s good diversity and bad diversity.
/sarc

 

[Richard320]

Yeah, they need to get rid of those guys who work 90 hour weeks. Working hard to get ahead might be the American Dream, but it ain’t the DC Dream.

 

[oldcelt]

“Consider the source” has never been more applicable. I actually thought ole Marion had dropped off the face of the earth.

John

 

[midori]

“Critical” isn’t quite the adjective that first came to mind when I heard the clip. Feh.

 

[Rich_Olszewski]

“We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops,” Barry said. “They ought to go. I’m going to say that right now. But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too.”

I don’t understand Berry. In D.C. of all places there are enough black people to be able to produce businessmen at all levels who can compete with Asian, most likely Korean, business owners, especially on the retail level where large amounts of capital aren’t necessary. Black owned groceries, flower shops, restaurants, and clothing shops are appropriate businesses as a start. Sweat equity was good enough for the Asians, it ought to be good enough for Washington blacks (and even whites.)