Republicans are up in arms over an advertising flyer put out by the Missouri branch of America Coming Together – ACT – a group working to elect Democrats. The advertisement features a photograph from the Civil Rights Era in which a hose is being turned on a Black person. Under the image is the caption, “This is what they used to do to keep us from voting.” It’s followed by a series of accusations under the caption, “This is how Republicans keep African Americans from voting now.”
Ann Wagner, Chair of the Missouri Republican Party and Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee, says it’s another example of Democrats and their supporters playing on race-based fears. She’s calling on the State Democratic Party to condemn the ad, but a party spokesman says Missouri Democrats are not associated with ACT Missouri and will not comment on an ad from another organization. Sara Howard of ACT Missouri says the image of the Black person being hosed is entirely appropriate because it depicts some of the actions taken by those trying to prevent Blacks from voting. ACT Missouri claims Republicans placed phony cops at polling stations in Black neighborhoods and made Black voters stand in line for hours before turning them away from the polls.
[Larger version (pdf) of flyer]
