PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A Putnam County commissioner is refusing to apologize after using an ethnic slur during a public meeting on Tuesday, sparking a debate over official conduct.
Commissioner Walton Pellicer used the slur while discussing current military tensions and the war with Iran. Pellicer stated Wednesday that he stands by his choice of words.
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During Tuesday night’s commission meeting, Pellicer mentioned his past experience touring a Navy aircraft carrier that is currently deployed in the conflict.
“Kind of neat to think that I was on that, that’s over there flinging on those um t-l heads,” Pellicer said during the recorded session. He later clarified his meaning by adding, “Fling bombs at those people that we’re at war with.”
The term used is a derogatory slur frequently directed at individuals of Middle Eastern descent.
In a phone interview, Pellicer remained defiant. While he acknowledged the public outcry, he stopped short of expressing regret for the language itself.
“I said the statement, and I’m not going to repeat that because it evidently has offended a bunch of people. But I’m sorry, we’re at war,” Pellicer said.
He argued that his remarks were intended for our country’s enemies rather than an entire ethnic group.
“I still stand beside my statement. Those people are our enemies,” Pellicer said. “That was strictly directed at nothing but the Iranian people of that regime... it does not have anything to do with the other countries that are in the Middle East.”
At the time the slur was uttered, no other members of the commission intervened or offered a rebuttal. Efforts to reach the other commissioners for comment on Pellicer’s words have so far been unsuccessful.
The silence was mirrored by a hesitant public. Most residents approached for comment declined to speak on the record. However, some locals, such as Toby Alexander, dismissed the controversy.
”I’ve been called worse, and I’ve called people worse," Toby said. “Just take it like a grain of salt. It ain’t nothing to break your sweat at.”
Pellicer concluded his defense by framing the slur as a matter of personal liberty and political honesty.
”You say what you feel and think what you want to think," Pellicer said. “It’s your business, it’s freedom of speech, and I exercise mine.”
Omar Saleh, Attorney at CAIR FL, released a response to Commissioner Pellicer’s comments:
“When you read the comments made by Commissioner Pellicer, labeling an entire country like Iran as the enemy, and defending slurs like the one he made, it shows someone who would greatly benefit from education on the international community, the current situation abroad, and on how commissioners handle themselves during meetings. Pellicer is not the first public official in Florida to publicly make racist comments — and its doubtful that he has ever met, or cares to meet any Iranians in Florida."
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