How Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott became the face of the internet’s favorite reaction meme
TheGrio...
The viral clip of Mayor Scott dates back to a 2024 press conference about the city’s violence prevention plan.
Since becoming Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott has generally received praise from social media users for the changes he’s made in the community. And while users applaud his efforts in decreasing gun violence in Baltimore, there is one moment social media can’t seem to get over.
The viral clip, which continues to resurface, stems from a 2024 press conference where Mayor Scott’s office shared an update on the city’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan and plans to expand its Group Violence Reduction Strategy. During the event, the mayor’s office reported a 33% reduction in homicides and a 20% decrease in nonfatal shootings since the program’s launch. They invited Terry “Uncle-T” Williams, founder and president of Challenge 2 Change—a nonprofit organization dedicated to mentoring at-risk boys and young men in Baltimore and helping them move away from street life and gun violence—to discuss the plan’s overall impact.
“I said to myself, ‘I don’t know what convinced the mayor to put me in front of this mic,’ and I know he’s saying, ‘don’t fumble that ball,’” Williams said at the beginning of this speech. “First and foremost, don’t look for me to be politically correct up here.”
Despite the warning, Mayor Scott and the members of his colleagues visibly struggled to hold it together when Williams went on to say, “It starts in the home. But what happens when the home is in disarray? You know how we say, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’? But what if the village is r—d? What do you think it’s gonna produce?”
While society has collectively agreed that the “R-word” is offensive, social media users couldn’t help but laugh at the clip, particularly when looking at everyone’s different reactions. And every few months, the moment proves itself to be a great reaction to current events.
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Even Uncle T and his son found themselves laughing along with social media users at the viral moment.
Through all the jokes and politically incorrect language, Williams’ speech emphasized a powerful message about community and supporting the next generation in making the right choices.
“It is so essential that we work together collectively [to take care of] all these bright and sharp and educated minds. These guys behind me got so many more degrees than a thermometer. And I’m sitting up here pouring my heart out, but I know they got me back. What I can’t fix, I know they got me,” his speech concluded. “If we continue to love up on these kids, man. We will see the difference. And with that being said, I’ll close out with the mayor’s saying…we need Lottie, Dottie, and everybody on this.”