Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) is being harshly criticized after he said the US “must get rid of roads” in response to comments made by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about systemic racism in the design and location of highways in American cities and suburbs still continues to adversely affect low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
“The roads are racist. We must get rid of roads,” Cruz wrote on Twitter in his response to Buttigieg.
Responding to criticism from Cruz and other conservatives, Buttigieg told Yahoo News that racism and segregation in road building are not ancient history or a figment of liberals’ imagination, as some on the right contend.
“There are many well-documented examples of this happening, from the ’20s and ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and sometimes we have to be on the lookout for issues that are happening in our time,” the Transportation Secretary said. “But for me, the issue is not: In what year did somebody create this problem? The issue is: Is that problem affecting people today in 2021?”
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Others took to Twitter to slam Cruz over his “outrageous response.
The roads are racist.
We must get rid of roads. https://t.co/nde3mJHn37
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 8, 2021
Ted, do you work hard at being pompously odious, or does it just come naturally to you now?
Why do you hate America?
— Dr. Ohm 🇺🇲🌊 (@HereToRebuild) November 8, 2021
thanks, Ted, for threatening americans, continuing to hold us hostage after letting trump get away with treason, after letting trump get away with obstruction, after letting trump get away with abuse of power, after letting russia get away with interfering in our elections but no
— Luke Zaleski (@ZaleskiLuke) November 8, 2021
That’s a dumb ass statement but I know you’re racist, and we must get rid of you.
— Kate 🤍🇺🇸 (@ImSpeaking13) November 8, 2021
We bulldozed minority neighborhoods to build freeways and interstates.
— Jeffrey Abbott 🇺🇸 (@JerkwaterJeff) November 8, 2021
Did you know that in detroit they build a road that sectioned off "good neighborhoods" from "bad neighborhoods" so yeah road building was about race too. CRT is a true thing.
— jon friedman (@j_m_friedman) November 8, 2021
Roads aren’t racist Fled; but ppl that decide that the next interstate should run through the middle of a predominantly black residential district are insensitive at best and possibly, yes, racist. Definitely so if they live in TX.
— Democracy is a fragile thing (@DavidBu38622964) November 8, 2021
Name one thing you've done Ted since becoming a Senator that's helped the lives of your constituents
— SirDuckins (@SirDuckDave) November 8, 2021
Who decided to construct these highways that completely isolate this majority African American neighborhood from downtown Fort Worth? pic.twitter.com/8nl8kYwBHK
— Emperor Norton I 👑 (@TheNortyEmp) November 8, 2021
I wish you were interested in learning, because people are posting great resources you could use to understand that yes, a lot of urban planning is intensely racist. They seized people's property for freeways to strangle neighborhoods that were mostly minority-owned. Coincidence?
— Ward Q. Normal (@WardQNormal) November 8, 2021
Oh, good grief. Do you do anything but troll?
If you knew any history at all, you'd know how racism played a role in the building of the highway system.
Forget teaching CRT. Can we get more teaching of Critical THINKING? https://t.co/np8YjV0PoJ
— D Villella ❄️ (@dvillella) November 8, 2021
Asshole idiot senators from texas are a waste of our tax dollars. We must get them the hell out of DC.
— One Day Things Will Get Better…. (@Imkindofsad1978) November 9, 2021
