Several council members and public speakers in Naperville rose in defense of their hometown Tuesday after state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray described Naperville as a city with a “history of white supremacist policies.”
Council member Kevin Coyne called for Stava-Murray to step down from her seat representing the 81st District, which includes parts of Naperville, saying she “has a fundamental misunderstanding of both the Naperville community and what it means to represent a constituency.”
Council member Benjamin White spoke up as the only black member of the council, recounting his family’s experiences in town and calling for constructive efforts to address ways in which racial biases occasionally come to the forefront.
“I don’t believe Naperville is a community with white supremacist policies. However, that does not mean Naperville is immune to the ills of bias and discrimination,” White said. “To believe so would be a fallacy.”
