Austin (1080 KRLD) - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is taking some heat for comments he made on the Fox News Channel.
On Laura Ingraham's show, Patrick was asked about criticism over the state's COVID-19 response.
"Most of the numbers are with the unvaccinated, and the Democrats like to blame Republicans on that," Patrick said. "Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. The last time I checked, over 90% of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties, so it's up to the Democrats to get -- just as it's up to Republicans to try to get -- as many people vaccinated.
"But we respect the fact that if people don't want the vaccination, we're not going to force it on them," Patrick continued. "That's their individual right. But in terms of criticizing the Republicans for this, we're encouraging people who want to take it to take it, but they're doing nothing for the African American community."
Predictably, those comments are not sitting well within the Black community.
"It's like the slave owner blaming the slave for slavery," says Kyev Tatum, pastor of the New Mount Rose Baptist Church in Fort Worth. "It's insulting and offensive for the lieutenant governor to blame the condition of the African American community during this pandemic on the African American community."
Tatum says Patrick owes him and the entire Black community an apology.
"I want the lieutenant governor to retract those comments, immediately," says Tatum, "or I'll be down there to meet with him personally."
Tatum says especially during a deadly pandemic, leaders should be reaching out to communities, not demonizing them.
Tatum says, "(It would be much better for Patrick to say) I know it's ravaging the African American community. I know your community lacks confidence in the government. I know your community lacks confidence in the Republican leadership. What can I do to help save your community?"
On Twitter Friday afternoon, Patrick doubled down on his remarks on Fox News.
"I shared with her (Ingraham) information recently reported in both the Houston Chronicle and Texas Tribune, as well as on the Texas Department of State Health Services website," Patrick wrote. "Not surprisingly, Democrat social media trolls were up late misstating the facts and fanning the flames of their lies.
"Federal and State data clearly indicate that Black vaccination rates are significantly lower than White or Hispanic rates.
"Democrats continue to play politics with peoples' lives, pandering to rather than serving certain constituencies."
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