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'I believe that saying Chinese virus is not racist’ | Mayoral candidate stands by comments as video recirculates

Greg Brockhouse told KENS 5 to call the phrase racist demeans when actual instances of racism and oppression occur.

SAN ANTONIO — Video taken nearly a year ago of mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse is being recirculated this week by Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s campaign after a popular Asian restaurant was vandalized with anti-Asian and anti-mask graffiti, and as major cities across the U.S. see a rise in hate crimes toward Asian-American communities. 

The video, taken in May of last year, shows Brockhouse discussing the City Council’s unanimous vote that day to pass a resolution condemning hate speech against Jewish and Asian-American communities. The resolution was passed just months after the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. Among the words in the resolution was “Chinese virus.”

In the video shared this week by Nirenberg’s campaign, Brockhouse goes through public comments on his podcast and at one point states, "Look, Chinese virus is not racist. It’s not.” In the same breath, Brockhouse elaborates how he supports the Asian community in San Antonio and attends a local association’s annual event.

“The Chinese community and leadership in this town, 100% supportive of them,” Brockhouse says in the May 2020 video. "They do fantastic work. Donors, volunteerism — you name it.”

In May, and again Tuesday, Brockhouse asserted the City Council's resolution was an “ill-timed political stunt.” He said the vote was essentially the passage of a piece of paper that was never backed up with actions from members of the city council who all voted in favor of the resolution.

Brockhouse said he believes he supports the city’s Asian community in the way he said matters most: Actions.

As news spread of the vandalism incident at the Noodle Tree restaurant off UTSA Boulevard over the weekend, Brockhouse went to the restaurant to drop off $1,000 to go toward free meals for the first people to get there before the funds ran out. In a Facebook video, Brockhouse urged the public to go support the business to let the community know the acts of vandalism did not speak to the true heart of San Antonio.

RELATED: San Antonio elected leaders and community organizers denounce racist graffiti incident at San Antonio restaurant

RELATED: Vandalized restaurant gets show of community support after racist messages were left Sunday

“The day it happened I was at Noodle Tree not because I felt like I had the answers to everything,” Brockhouse said. "I just knew a small business was in trouble. A hate crime had occurred. I wanted to go make sure they knew, off camera, I supported them and I wanted their business to stay open.”

Nirenberg also swiftly condemned the vandalism, tweeting a message that read in part, "Thank you to all the neighbors who showed up to help & proved that we're better than this one hateful act.” 

RELATED: Mayor Nirenberg speaks out against racist, anti-mask graffiti at San Antonio restaurant

Nirenberg’s campaign chairman, Gilberto Ocañas, said via phone Thursday that Brockhouse's actions were hypocritical in light of the fact that Brockhouse does not see how the term “Chinese virus” is offensive.

“Using that term is very abusive,” Ocañas said, adding that it illustrated Brockhouse’s “disregard for serious issues.”

The recirculation of the video came after the vandalism incident, subsequent barrage of threats being received by Noodle Tree owner Mike Nguyen and an Atlanta-area shooting spree that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.

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Asked Tuesday whether he stood by his remarks last year, Brockhouse explained his point.

"I believe that saying Chinese virus is not racist,” Brockhouse said. "The actions that we saw at Noodle Tree... completely racist.”

He said drawing false equivalencies devalues and disrespects those who have endured what he believes are actual instances of oppression and racism, such as what happened at Noodle Tree.

“100% We should stamp out racism across our city,” Brockhouse said. "When we see it, we should identify it, call it what it is and get them out of our community. I think 99.99% of all San Antonio is in agreement with me on that. 

"But we have to be careful to where we fling the word racism around because it demeans when we see the real action.”

Brockhouse pointed to instances where major news outlets, including CNN, referred to the virus early on as the “Wuhan Virus,” and said it’s how illnesses have been named through the years, including the Spanish Flu. Though, he continued, "Can we find better ways? We call it COVID-19 now. Can we associate different viruses with different names? Yes, we can.”

Ocañas, who said Brockhouse was lagging in polls and that his campaign was “dead in the water,” called Brockhouse clueless.

"If he doesn't understand this severity of using terms to demean people, I feel sorry for him,” Ocañas said. "And I hope that he's never holds a responsible office, especially in a city that is majority minority.”

Asked why the Nirenberg campaign circulated the video despite thoughts Brockhouse will not be a serious contender in May, Ocañas said it was incumbent upon the campaign to point out the remarks.

“I think it's important to remind people of the type of individual who's running and that he's not as principled as he appears to be,” Ocañas said. “He’s really out to score political points at every every turn at the expense of a serious issue.”

Brockhouse, however, said the same of the circulation of the video, the resolution passed in May and Nirenberg’s press conference held Thursday in conjunction with local leaders and members of the Asian community to present a united front against anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes against Asian Americans. 

Though, while many major cities have reported a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, San Antonio Police this week said over the last two years the incident at Noodle Tree is the only hate crime against Asian-Americans to be reported to the department.

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