Frank Artiles must resign despite sorry-not-sorry apology

Frank Artiles must resign despite sorry-not-sorry apology
  • Sumo

It didn’t take long for newly-minted Sen. Frank Artiles to misbehave now, did it?

It shouldn’t take this long for him to resign.

A known bully and hothead who punched a college kid in the face at a bar and who wants to kill a Florida black bear, Artiles was in the news again Tuesday after a group of African-American colleagues said he had used the n-word with them and had insulted one of them in multiple other ways, calling her “bitch,” “girl,” and referring to himself as “a fucking assohole.”

At least he got one thing right.

Ladra is not surprised that this happened. She’s only surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Artiles is not only a little more aggressive than some people, he’s a magnet for bad news — from the time he was caught by Ladra living outside of his district as a state represenative to last year, when he proposed some hateful anti LGBT bathroom policing bill.

This item, however, might do him in. At least for now.

Read related story: State Rep. Frank Artiles wants to kill a Florida black bear

It happened at the members-only Governors Club near the Capitol building, just after 10 p.m. and “over drinks,” as first reported in the Miami Herald. So maybe he was under the influence. Sometimes, one’s true colors are revealed when one’s inhibitions are removed. Artiles approahced Sens. Audrey Gibson (D-Jacksonville) and Perry Thurston (D- Fort Lauderdale) and told them that Senate President Joe Negron (D-Stuart) had only gotten to his powerful position because of “six niggers” who voted for him.

“Say what,” one of them sorta said, recoiling at the n-word, and confused because he must have been talking about white Republicans. “Niggas,” Artiles clarified, because the slang version is supposed to make it okay. He said in his half-assed apology Wednesday that he comes from a diverse area where, one would suppose, that is common. He’s my senator, in my district, and I don’t think so.

And you didn’t say it like “my niggas,” Frankie boy. You said it like “those niggas.” Not the same. And you’re not a 17-year-old who wants to sound like Kanye West. You’re a senator, now. Or were.

Because he also called a fellow senator a “girl” and a “bitch” in what was, by all accounts, a political tirade, it is no surprise that Democrats statewide immediately called for his resignation, as they should, and not only because it would cause a special election and a chance for them to win back a seat in the post Donald Trump America that has become a blue promise. SAVE demanded his resignation on Wednesday, seizing on the momentum to get rid of one of their biggest enemies in Tallahasee.

But that’s just gravy. Artiles should resign because former State Rep. Ralph Arza was forced to resign after he left several threatening voice mail messages with racial slurs on the phone of former State Rep. Gus Barreiro. Artiles should resign because the Florida Senate is no place for that kind of language, no matter how sorry you are about getting caught. Artiles should resign because Gibson and Thurston — indeed, any black legislator — should not be forced to work with someone who made such remarks.

It seems an affront to Gibson, in particular, to force her to confront her bully every day.

Former state rep and current Miami-Dade School Board Member Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall said “it would be impossible for me to sit in a room to create laws that impact our community with someone that has neither regard or respect for those who make those laws with him. 

“As lawmakers, we make laws for men, women, children, Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, and others who come from all corners of the world,” Bendross-Mindingall said in a statement. “A person who is not respectful to all is not fit to make laws for them, neither should anyone be subjected to sit on a dais with such an individual.”

Lastly and perhaps the least, Artiles should also resign because staying in office will only hurt the Republican Party, serving as a constant reminder of how racist the GOP has become that it would tolerate this talk from one of their own.

Where are the Republicans calling for his resignation? Negron stripped Artiles of his chairmanship of the Senate’s Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities. But he didn’t call for his resignation. Negron said that he apologized and that should be the end of it. And Artiles — who waged a supremely negative campaign against a black Democrat last year — scoffed, saying that he was soon running for re-election.

Are you kidding me? I don’t think so. Artiles sorry-not-sorry apology — reading off remarks most likely prepared by someone else — was hardly as heartfelt as his insults. Ladra is surprised that some ambitious Republican with county or state or federal hopes hasn’t come out to lead the GOP rejection. Sen. Anitere Flores? Are you watching this? Do you want people to remember your silence?

Read related story: Artiles lives outside district

Artiles would be smart to resign and quietly work to make amends. He’s a young guy and Miami is a city with acute political amnesia. Arza is now a successful campaign consultant and lobbyist. And former State Sen. Al Gutman, who pleaded guilty to fraudulently billing Medicare and resigned from the legisulature in 1999, owns the quite awesome and successful Cuban Crafters the cigar shop and bar on Northwest 7th Street.

Hey, maybe they can start a club there.

12 Responses to "Frank Artiles must resign despite sorry-not-sorry apology"

  1. BOYCOTT AMERICAN WOMEN! http://www.BoycottBitches.com I am an American man, and I have decided to boycott American women. In a nutshell, American women are the most likely to cheat on you, to divorce you, to get fat, to steal half of your money in the divorce courts, don’t know how to cook or clean, don’t want to have children, etc. Therefore, what intelligent man would want to get involved with American women? American women are generally immature, selfish, extremely arrogant and self-centered, mentally unstable, irresponsible, and highly unchaste. The behavior of most American women is utterly disgusting, to say the least. This blog is my attempt to explain why I feel American women are inferior to foreign women (non-American women), and why American men should boycott American women, and date/marry only foreign (non-American) women.

  2. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
    The rest of you can throw them after. Really no one here has ever said anything they wanted to walk back later (Laura?), especially in a moment of passion and with a couple of drinks in you.

    Artiles has been stripped of his chairmanship and will eat some crow as he should. He should also behave more civilly in the future.

    I know Democrats want to take this seat and they will get their chance in November 2018 when voters will have their say one way or another.

    Though I won’t condone his behavior or language I frankly (pun intended) find it abominable but I don’t think it even remotely warrants expulsion.

    Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

    • I respectfully disagree. This man (and I don’t care what his party affiliation is) said some really nasty things about his colleagues to their faces.

      Saying that “everyone says things they regret when they drink” is merely an enabling excuse, in my opinion.

      In some ways, saying things like “bitch” and “nigger” to someone while you’re drunk is worse. Inebriation tends to lower inhibitions of all kinds and reveals a person’s dark side without the filter of sobriety.

      The Romans had a saying: “In vino veritas.”

  3. I say don’t resign, the left is way to sensitive and have selective outrage.

    Get used to it, your time is over.

    PC: Are you folks capable of running a neutral story about South Florida Politics?

    • Wow. Really? The “left” and liberals’ time is over?

      Where do we live, anyway? The United States of America, a representative, multi-party republic?

      Or did someone declare that the Republicans installed a conservative, one-party government?

      Scary rhetoric worthy of the Third Reich. Just sayin’…..

  4. Artiles won his election because his opponent was worse. Democrats need to run better candidates if they hope to win. (No sense of entitlement momma’s boys need apply) At this point, every citizen with ties to Hialeah should be demanding Artiles resign. The dude blamed Hialeah for his racist rant?

  5. This situation sounds messy. Ladra has amazing STRENGTH to professionally cover so many political issues.

    I am not a big fan of hip-hop music, in which the word “nigga” appears to be the
    common fare, used repeatedly and offensively, in almost every song. Do Senator Artiles and hip hop have something in common?

  6. Hi Elaine! You left out that he referred to Negron as a “pussy” and according to Floridapolitics.com:

    “…In fact, that’s not the only epithet tossed out that evening. A lobbyist who shall remain unnamed, said it was reported to him after he left the Governors Club that same night that Artiles called him and another person who works in the Capitol “faggots”. That’s according to two friends of the lobbyist, who told him of the exchange later in the evening. The lobbyist then told me. Everybody is something in Frank Artiles’ book. His colleagues who supported Negron for Senate President are “niggas” while Negron himself is a “pussy”.”

    http://floridapolitics.com/archives/236363-course-frank-artiles-resign-senate-steel-make-happen

  7. I watched the video of Artiles’ “sorry-not-sorry” (or, more apropos, “sorry-I-got-caught”) apology online last night. The biggest takeaway? Ol’ Frank needs to take acting lessons. He did not come across as sincere in his prepared remarks, and his figurative wrapping himself with the red-and-gold Marine Corps flag was cynical and disingenuous.

    • Jo,
      Republicans were told to vote for this animal unlike good sheep, they did.
      Butt armor not so very well-known, is the fact that Artiles received help from whole bunch of Democrats too.

  8. BAD TASTE AND MARINE CORP BRAVADO. HE IS NOT AND EXAMPLE OF THE COURAGEOUS MEN AND WOMEN THAT FIGHT FOR FREEDOM EVERY DAY. THEY ARE TO BE HONORED AND RESPECTED BY ALL INCLUDING THE SENATOR. WHAT A SHAME!

Leave a Reply to Sam Feldman Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.