Marysville, Michigan (pop ~10k) is making headlines.
Cramer and the candidates were asked, âDo you believe the diversity of our community needs to be looked at, and if so, should we be more aggressive in attracting foreign-born citizens?â
âKeep Marysville a white community as much as possible,â said Cramer, one of five candidates vying for three open council seats in November.
Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Hayman said she took Cramerâs comments personally in her response. âI donât even know that I can talk yet, Iâm so upset and shocked. My father was a hundred percent Syrian," she said. "So basically, what youâve said is that my father and his family had no business to be in this community.â
Haymanâs late father Joseph Johns served 55 years as an elected Marysville official. The council meeting room, where Thursdayâs forum was held, is named for him.
âMy son-in-law is a black man and I have bi-racial grandchildren,â she told Cramer. âAnd I take this very personally what youâve said, and I know that thereâs nothing I can say thatâs going to change your mind. ⌠We just need to have more kindness â thatâs it.â
After the forum, Cramer was asked by the Times Herald if she wanted to clarify her response.
âAs long as, how can I put this? What Kathy Hayman doesnât know is that her family is in the wrong,â she said. â(A) husband and wife need to be the same race. Same thing with kids. Thatâs how itâs been from the beginning of, how can I say, when God created the heaven and the earth. He created Adam and Eve at the same time. But as far as me being against blacks, no Iâm not.â
Marysvilleâs current reported racial make-up/demographics from Wikipedia:
97.5% White (compared to a much healthier 98.18% white only 10 brief years before)
0.3% African American
0.2% Native American
0.6% Asian
0.4% from other races,
and 0.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.
So obviously Ms. Kkkramerâs fears and concerns are well founded in reality.
