Racial slur at El Portal meeting prompts apology from council member
An El Portal council member has apologized to the community after repeatedly using a racial slur during a public meeting last week, prompting strong reactions from residents and village leaders.
During Tuesday night's council meeting, residents spoke with "passion and concern" as they addressed the council member. He apologized, saying he used the N‑word to "express how other people speak," but residents said the explanation was inappropriate and unacceptable.
Remarks spark immediate backlash
The controversy began at the end of a planning and zoning meeting last Thursday, when the council member raised concerns about Border Patrol agents stopping people in the community. While recounting the incident, he used the slur twice and made additional inflammatory comments about voters and law enforcement. The vice mayor responded in the moment, calling the word "grossly offensive" and saying, "as a white man, you should not be saying the N‑word in any context."
Council member issues second apology
Five days later, the council member apologized again, telling residents, "All slurs should be globally buried. I acknowledge and understand that the word I used, no matter the context, is beyond offensive and even traumatizing. None of this excuses my choice to use the word, I am sorry."
Some residents condemned the remarks as "offensive and vile," while others said they appreciated the council member's tone and willingness to take responsibility. One woman hugged him after the meeting, telling him, "Sometimes you're the only one standing up for us."
NAACP weighs in on language
Before the meeting, the president of the NAACP Miami‑Dade Branch said the council member could have expressed his concerns without using slurs. "Those words do not have to be used against anyone," she said.
Some residents said any disciplinary action should be left to the village. After the meeting, the council member told CBS News Miami he wants to focus on repairing the relationships he has damaged.