FERGUSON, Mo. – After hateful speech was used during a virtual Human Rights Commission meeting Monday night, Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones is taking action.
Mayor Jones said the individual named ‘Albert’ on Zoom never showed his face during the meeting and used the N-word numerous times. She says that kind of language will not be tolerated.
“I’m hot…it’s so demeaning,” she said. “To get on a Human Rights Commission meeting and talk to the commissioners that way is unacceptable…this person gets on and tries to belittle them, berate them and tell them they are ‘not U.S. citizens’ and ‘it’s time for them to go back to Africa,’” Mayor Jones said.
President of NAACP in St. Louis County, John Bowman, says there is work that needs to be done after Monday night’s comments.
“We have to come together as a community and as people to push back on these deplorable hate statements,” he said. “Hate comments is what they are.”
10 years ago, Ferguson was the center of protests and riots the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer. It sparked nationwide debate on race relations in the country.
“We should be bringing ourselves together to show more empathy to the needs of individuals in this country,” Bowman said.
Jones is the first African American mayor in the City of Ferguson, and she says the city will continue to push forward.
“A case has been filed with the Ferguson Police Department, the FBI has been talked to, and this guy has a digital footprint. We will find him,” she said.
