Baltimore, MD Mayor Brandon Scott is fighting back after being blamed for the destruction of the city's Francis Scott Key Bridge. On Wednesday (March 27), he spoke to MSNBC's Joy Ann Reid about the criticism and responded to being called a "DEI mayor" by one of his detractors. DEI (or diversity, equity, and inclusion) is a framework utilized by governments and companies across the United States to ensure fair treatment for minorities and any marginalized group dealing with discrimination.

“I know, and we all know, and you know very well that Black men -- and young Black men in particular -- have been the boogeyman for those who are racist and think that only straight wealthy white men should have a say in anything,” he said. "We've been the boogeyman [for] them ever since they brought us to this country. What they mean by DEI, in my opinion, is duly elected incumbent. We know what they want to say, but they don’t have the courage to say the N-word."

Scott continued, "The fact that I don't believe in their untruthful and wrong ideology, and I am very proud of my heritage, who I am, and where I come from scares them. Me being at my position means that their way of thinking, their way of life, and being comfortable while everyone else suffers is going to be at risk. They should be afraid because that's my purpose in life."

As REVOLT previously reported, Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River Tuesday morning (March 26) after being struck by a foreign cargo ship that lost power. Eight construction workers plunged into the water as a result of the collision, with two of them being rescued by authorities. The bodies of another two were later recovered while the remaining four are still missing and presumed dead. "Based on the length of time that we've gone in the search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, [and] the water temperature... We do not believe that we're going to find any of these individuals still alive," U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath told reporters during a press conference (above).