Richard Callow, campaign manager for Slay, says that he and his staff were taken aback when they saw the offensive flyer.
"It is an appalling contradiction to the Reed campaign's theme of 'One St. Louis' when they and their supporters demean, in the worst possible way, African Americans who support Mayor Slay," Callow tells Daily RFT, noting that this group includes Frankie Muse Freeman, a 96-year-old civil rights activist.
The Slay campaign has also gone after Reed for accepting donations from the "Grim Reaper of Radio" Bob Romanik, a convicted felon with ties to a major east side racketeering scandal.
But Glenn Burleigh, campaign manager for Reed, tells Daily RFT that, very simply, the campaign has nothing to do with the film or the flyer.
"Slay should take it up with the people responsible for it," he says.
Asked if he condones the message of the flyer, Burleigh adds, "We don't have an official campaign position on this.... Personally, I think the graphic's in poor taste... It's just not ours."
He adds, "The Slay campaign is trying to focus negative attention on anything they can, because Lewis is too good of a candidate."
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