ROSS TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Ross Township trustee is refusing to resign after writing a racial slur on social media while discussing violence in downtown Cincinnati last weekend.
David Young shared a video of what police are calling a "violent attack" downtown early Saturday on his own Facebook account with the caption, "Ten on one is N—R fun." The post appears to have been deleted from his account.
Young also commented on another post, saying, "Cincinnati has a problem and they always had a problem with the black citizens. Their (sic) animals and won't change."
His fellow trustees called for an emergency meeting Thursday evening to discuss the comments, with multiple trustees saying they were appalled by what Young said. When asked to read what he wrote by a member of the public, Young repeated his statements out loud, including the slur.
WATCH: We talk to trustee who posted racist comments on social media, repeated them out loud
While his fellow trustees and members of the public called for his resignation, Young said that he apologized if he offended anyone, but he will not step down.
"I already made a public apology, I already made amends with my God, and if you have a problem with that, I can't help it," Young said.
One resident who spent the emergency meeting sitting outside on the tailgate of his truck said the comments made the entire town look bad.
"It makes us look like a bunch of redneck, KKK type people, and that's just not true," Dan York said.
During the meeting, his fellow trustees noted Young's removal would have to be put on the ballot in November. Young is up for reelection.
Trustee Russ McGurrin said he hoped the people of the township would find a replacement for him.
"This is simply not acceptable in this day and age, and this will not be accepted in Ross Township," McGurrin said.
One resident pressed Young to read his comments out loud, and eventually he did.
You can watch that exchange in the video below:
Young said he would be back at their next regularly scheduled township meeting Aug. 7.
Following the meeting, we pressed Young on whether he believes and stands by what he wrote on social media.
"I can't stand by my comments if I apologize — I'm admitting fault, am I not?" said Young. "I'm saying that I've done a wrong. And that's what an apology is, I've done a wrong and I hold that wrong. I made a mistake, I apologize for it, I can't revoke what I said. I said what I said, I apologize for it, that's all I can say."
We pressed Young further, asking again whether Young believed the things he wrote online.
Q: Do you still believe what you wrote in those posts? An apology is one thing, but still believing it is something else.
A: No, it's not. It's not.
Q: So no, you don't believe it?
A: I don't believe what I said was right. What I said I should not have said, it wasn't right for me to say it. Deeply, I apologize for what I said.
When asked about how he felt about the other trustees calling for his resignation, Young said he understands.
"They're entitled to ask, I'm entitled to say no," said Young. "I made one mistake in my life, as far as the trust doing this. I've done a lot more better than I've done bad."
He said the reason he refuses to step down is because he believes Ross Township still needs guidance, and things he's been working on still need to be done.
Watch reporters interview Young below:
According to the Ross Township website, Young has lived in the township since 1978, previously working for Young & Bertke as well as serving as chief of the Ross Township EMS.
Young is not the only local official facing backlash for the comments they have made on the violence. Cincinnati City Council member Victoria Parks posted in the comments of a Facebook post that the people who were allegedly assaulted "begged for that beat down!"
With several people on social media calling on her to resign, we asked some Cincinnati city council members if they think Parks should face any consequences.
"I would never expect an elected leader, a colleague of mine, to make such damning, irresponsible statements," fellow council member Meeka Owens said. "I don't know if I can have an authentic conversation about safety and about how we move things forward in the city, with a colleague who is actually condoning violence.
Parks already announced in January that she will not run for re-election after this term. We have reached out to Parks but have not yet heard back.
