Cushingberry defends political flyer with Klan cartoon

DETROIT (WJBK) - Former Detroit city councilman George Cushingberry continues to be surrounded by controversy.

He's now accused of distributing campaign literature that some say is not only offensive but racist. This flyer was mailed to voters outlining Cushingberry's political platform as he runs for the State Senate.
    
But it also contains a cartoon depicting a member of the KKK using a derogatory term for a black person. 

The political ad also features a photo of democratic candidate for Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Her campaign tells us they had no knowledge of the flyer and it was not authorized or approved.

But Cushingberry is standing behind the flyer.

"The artist is depicting the alt-right Klan movement's victorious strategy," he wrote in a text. "It is designed to shock good people into action."

He was later reached in person and stood behind flyer.

"There is an anti-immigrant, anti-dark people theme that permeates this president's thinking and his actions," he said. "That cartoon is right on point as it relates to where we are today in America. 

"And some of us have to have enough guts to speak up."

Some voters wonder why someone running for office would resort to racially charged language to get out the vote.

"Well my first thought is I get so many political fliers I almost just threw it out," said one voter. "But then that little cartoon caught my eye. And I looked at it more carefully and thought that can't be real. I can't believe in this day and age someone would promote this type of negative racist rhetoric."