Alderman Refuses to Apologize For Using Racial Slur

LaRaviere, an outspoken critic of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS policies, was reassigned on April 20

A Chicago alderman doubled down on his controversial use of a racial slur Friday, after using the N-word in a Facebook post criticizing the reassignment of Blaine Elementary School principal Troy LaRaviere. 

"I neither regret nor apologize," 17th Ward alderman David Moore said at a press conference Friday. "In this context, the word n----- was purposely used as an evocative metaphor that highlights the pejoratively reality that black people, our community, and our voice has been and continues to be, perceived as less than and irrelevant at the table of power."

Moore, who was elected in 2015, published the post using the racial slur on April 21, saying he was "appalled" by LaRaviere's reassignment. 

"All I hear is, stay in your place N-----, and don't you dare challenge the DICTATORIAL AUTHORITY designed to put corporate profits over effective public education," the post reads. 

LaRaviere, an outspoken critic of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS policies, was reassigned on April 20. He told NBC5 he was given "no explanation," though a Board of Education official said at a community meeting on Monday that his removal "was not a political decision" but a "disciplinary, legal issue."

CPS spokesperson Emily Bitner said LaRaviere's removal involves a total of 12 charges, including ethics violations, insubordination and wrongful use of equipment. 

"I have had a front row seat to this my entire life, as a child, and a man growing up in Chicago, working in city government, and as a father," Moore said Friday. "As I listen to the voices of many constituents, the Troy LaRaveiere saga is yet another plot in the 'N-----, stay in your place' book of short stories to which many black people can relate and contribute."

LaRaviere has been reassigned to his home. His first hearing, which is not public, will be held April 29th. The process may take six to nine months.

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