RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has condemned "antisemitic remarks" a Richmond radio host made on an Urban One-owned radio station when discussing Paul Goldman, a leader of the campaign against the proposed Richmond Grand Resort and Casino. Urban One is one of the companies behind the casino.
"I unequivocally condem [sic] the antisemitic remarks made by a guest host on The Box 99.5 FM regarding Paul Goldman," Stoney wrote in a statement posted on social media. "We must call hate out in all of its forms, and his remarks are completely unacceptable."
I unequivocally condem the antisemitic remarks made by a guest host on The Box 99.5 FM regarding Paul Goldman.
— Mayor Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) November 3, 2023
We must call hate out in all of its forms, and his remarks are completely unacceptable.
I’m pleased to hear the station has issued an apology and fired the…
In audio clips posted to the No Means No Casino website, The Box 99.5 guest host Preston Brown called Goldman "a Jew who got the same trait as Judas. He’s a white Jew with the background of Judas." The audio clips posted online were collected in a playlist and CBS 6 has not heard the entire conversation broadcast on the radio.
According to the American Jewish Committee, comparing a Jewish person to Judas is antisemitic.
"Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s 12 disciples, received 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus to the religious authorities," the group posted on its website. "Although Jesus and all 12 disciples were Jews, the Western world—through art, literature, music, and tradition—chose to depict Judas as the Jew who sold out his Savior for money. Thus, the name Judas became synonymous with traitor, contributing to the persecution of Jewish communities for two millennia. This false and libelous narrative would feed into Hitler’s propaganda and the Holocaust."
Goldman called Brown's remarks odious, antiwhite, and antisemitic. He said his biggest issue with the comments was that supporters of the Richmond casino turned the project into "a wedge of division, to attempt to win by a divisive strategy."
"They have put Richmond in the worst possible situation. If the Referendum passes, it will be seen around the country as due to their appeal to our worst impulses. This is a stain on Richmond that will take decades to overcome," Goldman said in a statement.
Radio One Vice President Marsha Landess said the comments about Goldman were horrible and offensive. She added Brown would not appear on Urban One radio again.
"Once we heard the comments and because he was alone in the studio with his producer, I personally drove to the station and immediately removed him from the show," Landess said.
Landess said Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins personally apologized to Goldman.
"I know politics a little: They didn’t publicly apologize immediately because they were hoping there would be no political backlash. There was no reaction yesterday. So, no public apology. But when they saw their political gamble losing today, they started apologizing," Goldman said in a written statement.
Goldman was not the only target on Urban One radio stations in Richmond.
Hosts on another program referred to Allan-Charles Chipman, another vocal opponent of the casino and former candidate for Richmond City Council, as a self-hating Black person funded by the anti-casino campaign. Chipman said that was not true.
"I find it very dangerous and illegal and irresponsible for them to defame my name in that way," Chipman told CBS 6 when asked about the comments. "I’m not trying to politicize racism and antisemitism, but I think we should pay attention to who they've shown themselves to be."
According to Radio One Vice President Marsha Landess, most of the radio clips posted by the anti-casino website were from a morning show on Praise 104.7. That station hosts a Richmond Grand casino update each morning.
Landess said the primary voices heard in the clips were host Gary Flowers and Urban One founder and chairperson Cathy Hughes.
In one posted clip, the hosts discussed two types of “Black Richmond” which they defined as everyday working people and those who have money.
The phrase, "So you’re saying we got house n***** and field n*****,” was part of their conversation.
“I found that disgusting and racist that they would call people who oppose their casino plan the N-word," Chipman said.
CBS 6 requested an interview with Urban One leaders Cathy Hughes and Alfred Liggins on Friday but did not hear back about that request.
While the company and Mayor Stoney did condemn the comments about Goldman, neither addressed other comments that have been deemed offensive, including remarks by Urban One Founder Cathy Hughes.
Urban One owns Radio One Richmond, which operates Richmond radio stations: KISS 99,3, The Box 99.5, iPowerRichmond 92.1, and Praise 104.7.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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