COVINGTON, Ga. — A Newton County commissioner is under fire for spewing racially-charged and sexist language on his social media page.
Commissioner John Douglas offered a meek mea culpa apologized Tuesday night after a comment he made on Facebook after posting a photo of a woman sticking her middle finger at the camera, while wiping her derriere with the American flag.
In response to the photo, Douglas wrote that “she is just a cheap, street walker knee grow who lays down for white men.”
Douglas has since deleted the post.
At a County Commission meeting Tuesday night in this city , Douglas publicly apologized for making the comment.
“If I could take it back, I certainly would. To say that I’m sorry is a vast understatement,” Douglas said, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Douglas then trumpeted his positive relations with African Americans in his recent and distant past, including talking about having a black roommate in the military, to hiring the the African American in the Republican-controlled legislator during his time as a state lawmaker. He even recalled in his address to the public his time where he helped a down-on-his-luck black person.
Afterwards, Douglas again apologized. This however, was hardly sufficient contrition for the blacks in attendance.
Many people, mostly African Americans appeared at the latest commissioners meeting to excoriate Douglas, calling for his resignation regardless of his apologies, but Douglas did have his defenders.
“What really matters is the division it’s created in the community and we can’t have that,” said Phil Johnson.
While African-American leaders say they were appalled by the original photo desecrating the American flag, Local Southern Christian Leadership Conference Vice President Joseph Lightfoot said Douglas’ comment crossed the line.
“If he wants to apologize, that’s fine, but he still should resign,” Lightfoot said.
“I think he should resign, just step down and make this county a better place. I mean this county is growing and you can see all the movies being filmed here, and this is going to be a hindrance,” said Norris Freeman with the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.
At the end of the meeting, the commission chairman called an executive session saying he did not anticipate a vote.
