Members of a northern Michigan anti-racism group are calling for the removal of an elected official in Leelanau County after he used a racial epithet just before a county meeting.
Road commissioner Tom Eckerle was having a conversation with his colleagues a few minutes before a public meeting was scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
It was then that Eckerle reportedly used the n-word to describe Black residents of Detroit.
Now an anti-racism group in northern Michigan wants Eckerle removed from his position.
Marshall Collins a member of the group Northern Michigan E3 says he wants more than an apology.
“If nothing is done, he has made it okay," said Collins. "So what do I tell my kid who goes to school and someone decides to call him the n-word again.”
The group says they also want anti-racism training for all northern Michigan elected officials so that comments like this don’t happen again.
Reached for comment Eckerle repeatedly used the n-word again and said he will not apologize or step down from the road commission.