MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Manitowoc County supervisor said he wants to set the record straight.
Don Zimmer has faced intense backlash for his comments about Black Lives Matter.
He spoke on-camera for the first time Wednesday with FOX 11. This comes a day before the Manitowoc County Executive Board Committee decides whether to take action against Zimmer for those comments last month.
This is what Manitowoc County Supervisor Don Zimmer wants people to know.
“I’m not a racist and never have been!”
But that’s not what everyone in the community thinks.
“After his speech during public comment here at city hall, I received numerous complaints about him from the public, and other supervisors, other elected officials here in Manitowoc,” said Manitowoc County Board chairman Jim Brey.
The backlash from Zimmer’s comments about Black Lives Matter at a Manitowoc City Council meeting hasn’t changed his views.
“I’ll stand by what I had to say. The evidence of Black Lives Matter’s criminal activities is all over the television! Anybody with an eye to see and ears to hear knows the truth.”
The problem many have with Zimmer’s comments is the timing.
Manitowoc’s city council had just sworn Aaron Bailey in as the city’s first black alder. Zimmer’s comments happened ten minutes after that.
“If I had held those comments to the next meeting of the city council, they would’ve leveled the same charges at me!” said Zimmer.
He tells FOX 11 his comments weren’t meant for Bailey.
“I saw a man being sworn into office. The fact that he was black was of no relevance to me, because I do not look at the world through the prism of race.”
Zimmer says he was criticizing Manitowoc alder Courtney Hansen, for attending what he thought was a Black Lives Matter rally. It was actually a community meeting with Lakeshore United Visionaries – a group that Bailey is the vice president of.
When asked if his opinion changed, after realizing that it wasn’t a Black Lives Matter event, Zimmer said,
“Well, I’m not sure it isn’t part of the Black Lives Matter organization! They are in sympathy with the goals of Black Lives Matter, they support Black Lives Matter, and they use Black Lives Matters intimidation tactics.”
And Zimmer insists the allegations now against him are unfounded.
“There are people in this community who are racial-grievance mongers, and they’re out to prove the systemic racism that exists in the heart of people like me.”
Brey says the outcome of tonight meeting could result in a recommendation for no action to be taken, a censure or, although unlikely, even a removal from the county board.
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