Gary Chambers and his infamous lighter are back.
The longtime community activist and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate made headlines last month with a campaign video in which he smoked a blunt while advocating for the legalization of marijuana.
His latest ad is also a talker. The minute-long spot, titled “Scars and Bars,” shows Chambers burning a Confederate flag while discussing — and symbolically destroying — the legacy of Jim Crow.
The ad opens with Chambers holding an American flag and quoting the Constitution, then replacing it with a Confederate flag as he remarks that its remnants linger in much of the South. He says the right of Black Americans to vote and participate in democracy is under attack, calling gerrymandered districts “a byproduct of the Confederacy.”
“Our system isn’t broken,” he says at one point, setting the flag aflame. “It’s designed to do exactly what it’s doing, which is producing measurable inequity.”
The ad’s release coincides with the state legislature’s ongoing special session to redraw the state’s political lines, in which activists are campaigning for an expansion of majority-Black districts.
In fact, Chambers led a rally for that very cause on the steps of the Louisiana Capitol steps on Wednesday morning, according to the Daily Advertiser.
Lawmakers will have until Feb. 20 to redraw the state’s congressional districts as well as those of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Public Service Commission, state Supreme Court, and state House and Senate, reports member station WWNO in New Orleans.
The public is calling for lawmakers to draw congressional districts that better represent the state’s Black population: Census data show that roughly one-third of the state’s population identifies as Black, but only one of the state’s six congressional districts has a majority-minority population.
Creating a second majority-Black district would likely result in the loss of a safe Republican seat in Congress, which WWNO points out is a tough sell for the state’s GOP-led legislature.
In the ad, Chambers notes the high rates of poverty and disenfranchisement among Black Americans as he watches the flag burn.
“It’s time to burn what remains of the Confederacy down,” he says. “I do believe the South will rise again, but this time it’ll be on our terms.”
Chambers faces an uphill battle in his challenge to replace U.S. Sen. John Kennedy — the 70-year-old Republican incumbent — as the junior senator from Louisiana. But these short clips could provide a major boost in visibility, with his marijuana video racking up millions of views and considerable media attention.
The viral campaign ads, while novel in substance, employ tactics that political campaigns have been relying on for decades.
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This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.
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Neither the Constitution of the US nor that of Louisiana is intended to provide for representation of black people or any other race or ethnic group. I don’t know about the Louisiana districts, but districts could be impartially drawn in a compact manner and result in zero black-majority districts. Every district could have a majority of other races and ethnic groups and everyone would be equally represented. The law and the districts should be color-blind and provide equal representation to every citizen, not to ANY groups. To provide deliberately for ANY representation for ANY particular race is racist.
Black Americans with dignity and common sense vs the Gary Chambers’, demonstrating neither, but yet he, his actions and attitude fostering racism in our country.
RACIEST BASTARD
He should be burned. Racism needs to stop, but some blacks and some white people thrive on causing problems for black and white people.
RACIEST BASTARD
Just another BLM / Antifa political thug likely supported by Soros, Obama, Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton. Be warned – these kind of thugs are the same as tribal warlords in Africa… they will bring and foster wars here on the streets in America while crying to defund the Police, all the while supporting or passing laws to decriminalize actions by criminals and street gangs – and while taking kickbacks from drug dealers and organized crime. Happens all the time in places like Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, LA, NYC, D.C., Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle, etc.
And Houston and Dallas
This guy isn’t qualified to represent anyone. Nobody is trying to take away anyone’s right to vote, everyone is able to get an ID and vote. This perpetual victim thing is getting really old.
Just another BLM / Antifa political thug likely supported by Soros, Obama, Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton. Be warned – these kind of thugs are the same as tribal warlords in Africa… they will bring and foster wars here on the streets in America while crying to defund the Police, all the while supporting or passing laws to decriminalize actions by criminals and street gangs – and while taking kickbacks from drug dealers and organized crime. Happens all the time in places like Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, LA, NYC, D.C., Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle, etc.
Look this lard ass, can burn all the confederate flags he wants to burn, this idiot definitely join the treasonous dirt bags in the Democratic Marxist liars Party. There is no suppression of voting rights to black citizens, that is bull poop on a plate. This moron is to ignorant to realize conservative do not support confederate flags, or want them waving. It appears the most racist people in America lately are honestly in the Democratic Party. We endure racist Shit daily, by the pure evil in our executive branch, our congressional majority, and from their senile puppet crook Biden. Honestly, racism can be seen daily by the behavior majority of Democratic Party Marxist in their party. The American black conservatives are the bravest people in politics, they face attacks from the most evilest blacks in the party of sneaky murderous treasonous sneaks. Open borders by the politicians and executive branch goons that created them, in a free country, they would face being legally punishment .Think about it, the pure evil running this country illegally murdered 100,000 of our people by on purpose negligence to keep those borders wide open. We lost the sovereignty of our republic that millions suffered or died to preserve, for the advancement of a Marxist treasonous party calling themselves defenders of democracy ?
The CSA South Nation is no longer under the US DC laws or Dictatorship = WE DECLARED the CSA South Nation Free and Independent form THE US DC back in Aug 2021 and we are now under OUR OWN laws and CSA Constitution and defacing the Confederate flags – either of them – is the death penalty in the CSA Nation – now that state has the obligation to run that parasitic racist and hater of the South out of our Nation NOW ! Or arrest him and charge him with Treason for burning OUR flag ! A flag by the way that is a Christian flag and stands against Tyranny that he is promoting in his actions. It gets the death penalty below the Mason Dixon line ! WE are under OUR Confederate laws and CSA Constitution now. Loyalty to our CSA Nation is at the top of priorities ! And we carry out our laws – this is NOT the US DC North criminal loving nation !
https://www.confederatearchive.com/ = CSA Declaration of Freedom and Independence From US DC UNlawful occupation
https://www.confederatearchive.com/csa.html = CSA Constitution
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That flag is a big part of my heritage, go to hell black boy
How did he ever get to run for Senate.? He has a mental problem which is obvious, not capable to run for office of any kind….
As a resident of the state of Louisiana, I’d vote to send this worthless piece of garbage back to Africa, where he belongs. And I dare him to try to take down the Confederate flag that I fly proudly. Come on, you worthless maggot. Try it.
Does this mental midget have a bleached blonde girlfriend or bleached blonde common law wife????
lol lol