A Black woman was racially abused by two men at a city council meeting in San Bernardino, NBC Los Angeles reports.
The men hurled racist comments at Amy Malone as she was voicing criticism over the hiring of Charles Montoya as city manager earlier this month. Malone was speaking during the public comment portion of the San Bernardino city council meeting when she was interrupted by the pair, who were on Zoom waiting for their turn to talk.
Both of the men repeatedly used the N-word. One of them said, "Go back to Africa."
Malone suggested that city leaders failed to properly respond to the racist abuse.
“I was hoping that the people in charge were going to take control and really stop everything for a moment and shut it down and allow me to get myself together, and that's not what happened,” Malone said.
Malone demanded an apology from city officials, which she eventually received from Mayor Pro Tem Fred Shorett.
“I'm sorry, yes. I'm sorry. I’m sorry, that should not have happened, and I don’t know how it did,” Shorett said. “It’s a technical – I don't have any control over that, and certainly that is inappropriate, I couldn't agree with you more.”
Mayor Helen Tran was watching the meeting online while on city business in Washington D.C. Tran said officials will fix the Zoom public comment option so speakers won't have the ability to unmute themselves.
“I, as the mayor, Amy, I am so sorry you had to go through that," Tran said.
San Bernardino police said they are investigating the incident.
"I definitely want charges brought against them,” Malone said. “I think that what they have done is scared others from standing up and speaking at City Council meetings, and we can't have that.”
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