A Texas mayor resigned after telling residents in his city, “Take the bag off and look after your own family!” in the face of a devastating winter storm that occurs once in a generation that killed more than 20 people across the country and left millions without power in the state.
Colorado City Mayor Tom Boyd told some 4,000 citizens in his city that he was “fed up with people looking for alms” and blamed “a socialist government” for the dire situation.
“No one owes you or your family anything; nor is it the responsibility of the local government to support you in difficult times like this! Sink or swim, the choice is yours! The city and the county, together with energy suppliers or any other service, owe you NOTHING! ”, Boyd continued in his speech about the end of his career that he posted to a local community group on Facebook.
Instead, he suggested that people look to their churches for inspiration. “Only the strong will survive and the weak will die. Guys, God gave us the tools to support us in times like this, ”he said.
Texas, run by Republicans, has been hit particularly hard by the blizzard and freezing cold that is enveloping large areas of America. Utilities from Minnesota to Texas and Mississippi implemented continuous blackouts and nearly 3 million customers were left without power on Wednesday morning in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
In Texas, the interruptions amply illustrated inequalities across much of the state, with wealthier neighborhoods receiving energy services than the poorest, who are often communities of color.
Amid widespread outrage, Boyd has now apologized, resigned and issued a more contrite statement about the devastating disaster caused by the storm, which experts associate with the climate crisis.
“Please understand, if I had to do it all over again, I would have just kept my words to myself and, if I had said them, I would have used better writing and it would have been more descriptive,” said Boyd.