Alabama city leader under fire for using racial slur
Alabama's state parties have condemned Tommy Bryant's comments
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The front of Tarrant City Hall in Alabama. (City of Tarrant)
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"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.
The mayor declined comment and said the video speaks for itself.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Asked whether he is a racist, Bryant demurred.
"It's according to what your definition of the word racist is. What a lot of the public's definition is, I might be a racist. But according to what the true definition of a racist is, absolutely not," he told the station.
Bryant did not respond to an email sent to the city by the Associated Press on Wednesday seeking additional comment.
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While city elections are nonpartisan in Alabama, the state Democratic Party issued a statement calling for Bryant's resignation, and the Alabama GOP noted that Newton is a Republican and said Bryant's remark was "completely unacceptable."
Tarrant, which adjoins Birmingham, has a population of about 6,100 and is about 53% Black, Census statistics show.