WTAE anchor Wendy Bell has removed the Facebook post that was viewed as racist and has apologized.
“I have removed a post that I initially placed here on Monday,” the Pittsburgh ABC affiliate’s anchor wrote on Facebook. “I sincerely apologize for that post about the Wilkinsburg mass shooting and the restaurant employee whom my husband and I encountered. I now understand that some of the words I chose were insensitive and could be viewed as racist. I regret offending anyone. I’m truly sorry.”
Bell came under fire yesterday for her posts which included a story about a young man she and her husband saw at a restaurant. Some commenters saw that story as condescending and filled with white privilege.
She also gave her opinion on who was responsible for the mass shooting in Wilkinsburg by saying in part, “They are young black men, likely teens or in their early 20s. They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system before. They’ve grown up there. They know the police. They’ve been arrested. They’ve made the circuit and nothing has scared them enough.”