TARRANT, Ala. — A white city leader captured on video using a racial slur toward Black people during a council meeting said he won’t apologize, and might run for mayor. Others are calling for his resignation.
Tarrant City Council member Tommy Bryant told news outlets his use of the n-word on Monday night reflected something the city’s Black mayor, Wayman Newton, had said during an earlier private meeting.
Standing up from his council seat during a public session and referring to a Black female council member, Veronica Freeman, Bryant asked: “Do we have a house (n-word) in here?” Some in the audience gasped at his use of the phrase, which was broadcast on Facebook Live, and Freeman left crying, but Bryant was unapologetic.
“I did what needed to be done. It needed to be brought to light what kind of a person the mayor is,” Bryant told WVTM-TV.