There have been upticks in the amount of people caught making racist comments in public. The latest example of such behavior comes once again from Georgia, as Douglas County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tom Worthan was caught on camera talking about Blacks. Worthan was at the county fair last month and was being recorded by Mark Dodd, a longtime resident, who asked him about two county sheriff candidates, sheriff candidate Tim Pounds and political newcomer Romona Jackson-Jones.
Worthan stated quite candidly, “Probably going to have to pack up and get out of here if the Black candidates win.” But Worthan didn’t stop there; he went on to state the following in reference to Blacks and the Black candidate running for sheriff:
“Well, do you know of another government that’s more Black that’s successful? They bankrupt you.”
“I’m afraid he would put a bunch of Blacks in leadership positions.”
“I’d be afraid that he’d put his Black brothers in positions that they’re not qualified to be in. So I’d feel more comfortable with Mike Barnhill myself.”
Worthan’s comments were shocking and he is facing calls for him to resign from office. The county and city of Douglasville are about 20 miles from Atlanta and is 41 percent Black. The city recently elected Rochelle Robinson, its first Black mayor. Robinson stated to media that Worthan personally called her and apologized for his comments. She went on to say, “I know who he is. My moral compass and Christian principles led me to forgive him. But I am not saying that the trust has not been broken and that we don’t have work to do to get back to where we were.”
Worthan does not intend to step down from office or stop his re-election campaign. He stated during a recent TV interview that his comments were “not the way I feel.” In addition, he said, “I spoke as a politician trying to say what I needed to say to get a vote, and that’s unfortunate. And I certainly apologize for doing that.”
