Stamford city rep's controversial social media posts prompt backlash

A social media post that has been called hateful has landed a Stamford city leader in hot water.

News 12 Staff

Mar 7, 2019, 8:53 PM

Updated 1,876 days ago

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Stamford city rep's controversial social media posts prompt backlash
A social media post that has been called hateful has landed a Stamford city leader in hot water.
Stamford Rep. Marion McGarry, a 12th District Democrat, is under fire for posts that were considered racially charged toward Muslims and Hispanics. News 12 has made the decision not to show the posts because of their offensive nature.
McGarry's co-Rep. Jonathan Jacobson, along with 14 other representatives, called for a special meeting on March 12 to vote to condemn the conduct of McGarry, also known as censuring.
"It's nothing short of outrageous and it shocks the conscience that an elected member of a democratic body can not only harbor this type of hatred and resentment, but to also feel that it's appropriate to publicize it on social media. Something has to be done and we're doing something about it," says Jacobson.
Jacobson says he attempted to confront McGarry before submitting the petition, but says she told him that she had nothing to say to him.
On Tuesday night, the Board of Representatives needs a majority vote to go forward with censuring McGarry.
"Muslims were targeted, Hispanics were targeted, the Jews were targeted," says Stamford Rep. Eric Morson. "There's no place for someone who was elected to represent the interest of the people to speak in that way publicly."
McGarry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stamford Mayor David Martin released a statement in response to McGarry's posts, saying in part, "I am certain that, like me, many leaders of our city are deeply disturbed by the messages of prejudice Representative Marion McGarry is spreading. I do not believe her prejudice has a place in our city and we cannot allow these beliefs to become representative of our community. I hope the Board of Representatives are unified in their action against this hateful rhetoric.  We must reaffirm to all our residents that Stamford is a place they can all call home."


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