California Governor Gavin Newsom apologized for calling a group of cargo train thieves 'gangs of people' and — fearing the term was offensive — clarified the criminals were actually 'organized groups' of people traveling from place to place.
'This is not one-off. This is organized theft. These are organized gangs of people that are coming out,' Newsom said during a Los Angeles news conference Thursday, before clarifying: 'Forgive me for saying "gangs" — that's not a pejorative.
'They're organized groups of folks that move from site to site.'
The woke Democrat also likened the site of the freight train package thefts to a shanty town exclaiming: 'It looked like a third world country, these images, the drone images that were on the nightly news.
'I took off the suit and tie and said I'm coming because I couldn't take it,' he added. 'I can't turn on the news anymore. What the hell is going on?'
Newsom's commentary comes as thieves are targeting freight cards as they leave a packing depot, nabbing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods - including COVID tests - many of which are quickly discarded by the side of the railroad tracks.
Although he announced a multiagency effort to clean-up the tracks, hold the thieves accountable and attempt to deter theft, Newsom was met with backlash over his comments with some critics mocking the irony of his apology.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured Thursday) apologized for calling a group of cargo train thieves 'gangs of people' and — fearing the term was offensive — clarified the criminals were actually 'organized groups' of people traveling from place to place
Newsom's commentary comes as thieves are targeting freight cards as they leave a packing depot, nabbing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods - including COVID tests - many of which are quickly discarded by the side of the railroad tracks
'Gov. Gavin Newsom is an idiot. He called LA area a 'Third World Country' because of 'Gangs', then apologizes for calling them gangs!' wrote Twitter user @CJ4America.
'Hahaha the most Newsom thing ever - pretending to get mad about crime increase but then apologizing for using the word "gangs,"' echoed @TrajanSF who apparently resides in San Francisco.
Some blasted the governor for even having the 'audacity' to compare Los Angeles to a third-world nation, while others alleged his policies were responsible for the appearance.
'Hello, Gavin Newsom: the term “Third world country” was replaced by “developing nation” like, 25 years ago,' California-based political reporter Doug Sovern wrote.
'Your own country is a s***hole, people are acting like a bunch of uncivilized a**holes, and still you have the audacity to call other countries as "Third World Country" Gavin Newsom,' @sidduu96 added.
'Gavin Newsom now thinks California looks like a third world country…' Republican congressional candidate Errol Webber tweeted. 'He’s the one who made it this way!'
'Yesterday in LA Gavin Newsom said "we look like a third-world country." The definition of a gaffe is when a politician accidentally tells the truth,' echoed state Rep. Kevin Kiley.
Actor Nick Searcy argued Newsom's comparison was accurate, but also the result of his own actions: 'Los Angeles is a third world country. Thanks, Gavin Newsom Democrats!'
Although he announced a multiagency effort to clean-up the tracks, hold the thieves accountable and attempt to deter theft, Newsom was met with backlash over his comments with some critics mocking the irony of his apology
Newsom is promising statewide coordination as law enforcement and prosecutors go after the scoundrels who've been targeting near downtown Los Angeles for months, leaving the tracks blanketed with the litter.
The governor on Thursday, dressed in a T-shirt, baseball cap and coronavirus mask, joined a crew from the state Department of Transportation filling dozens of trash bags with crushed cardboard from packages stolen on their way from retailers to people across the US.
Last week TV news stations aired overhead video showing thousands of boxes strewn by thieves along a Union Pacific rail line northeast of downtown in the Lincoln Park area. Footage from
