Advertisement LePage: 90 percent of drug dealers arrested in Maine are 'black and Hispanic' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

At a town hall meeting in North Berwick Wednesday night, Gov. Paul LePage said nearly all of the drug dealers arrested in Maine are either "black and Hispanic."The governor was answering a question from a man in the audience who asked him about his past comments regarding out-of-state drug dealers. LePage said since those comments, he has been keeping a record of all the people arrested for dealing drugs."I don't ask them to come to Maine (to) sell their poison, but they come. And I will tell you, that 90 percent-plus of those pictures in my book -- and it's a three-ring binder -- are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Conn., the Bronx and Brooklyn."41361288LePage said he was trying to emphasize that the drugs are coming from places like Connecticut ant New York and the drug dealers could be "black, white, purple or orange," but they are "killing Maine citizens.""Nobody wants to give you the real story, but the fact of the matter is, sir, I am not a racist, and I don't promote it," LePage said to the audience member.House Speaker Mark Eves, who represents North Berwick, condemned the governor's remarks in a statement late Wednesday night."I'm disgusted that Paul LePage came to my town to make racially charged comments that will do nothing more than divide our state. If the governor is looking for something productive to do with his time, he should focus on ending Maine's drug crisis by giving law enforcement the resources they need to crack down on drug dealers, help stop addiction before it starts by providing education at an early age, and make treatment services with a proven track record of success available to Mainers suffering from addiction," Eves said.LePage made national headlines in early January by saying out-of-state drug dealers are coming to Maine to impregnate "young white" girls.