Walker County Commission Chairman issues apology after man used racial slur during meeting

WALKER COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) – At a Walker County Commission meeting Thursday night during public comments a man used a racial slur.

Walker County resident Colby Curry heard it live.

“My first reaction was, ‘y’all just going to sit there and let this dude say this,’” Curry said.

He was able to grab the video of the meeting streamed online before it was removed.

“Now, if you represent all of the community, you should know he’s up there using racial slurs, I would expect you to be like, ‘hey, hold on, we’re not going to allow you to say that,’ but they just let it continue,” Curry said.

The next day, Commission Chairman Shannon Whitfield held a press conference and apologized for the language.

“We do not accept with what they say. We do not agree with what he said and we want to make it very clear that this is not what Walker County is,” he said.

Whitfield was joined by one commissioner and two residents.

“I’m proud to live in Walker County. I’m glad that we are taking these steps now, because we do not want this to be a reflection on Walker County,” resident Stan Porter said.

Whitfield hopes to form a team to research code of conduct rules to address situations like this.

As for the man in the video, identified as Ray Burnfin, his family issued a statement saying they do not support what he said.

They added that Burnfin has a history of mental illness and that they are taking steps to address the issue.