The group ChangeTN said it has withdrawn its endorsement of City Council candidate Marie Mott following her video in which she speaks about Jewish Chattanoogans and their role in the institution of slavery and asks "When are we going to deal with it?"
Ms. Mott and Marvene Noel are in a runoff on Thursday for the District 8 post formerly held by Anthony Byrd and currenty by Ms. Noel.
The group said, "We recently have been made aware of a video taken by Marie Mott in which she singled out and attacked the Chattanooga Jewish community.
"At ChangeTN we do not condone the language used in the video, but understand the historical facts she presents well. While no human is perfect, and we are all prone to mistakes, misinformed and out of context comments designed to single out minority groups is never acceptable in our Tennessee.
"We are an organization dedicated to creating a safe future for all of Tennessee. When we endorsed Miss Mott we did so on her dedication to her community, her history as an activist and vision for the future. Those things have not changed, but we cannot take her comments lightly.
"As a proud member of the Tennessee Jewish Community, I know first-hand the damage statements like this can bring on a community. It snowballs into more blatant attacks on Jewish communities - not just in Chattanooga but all across Tennessee."