FLINT, MI – A Flint councilwoman has apologized for comments made at a recent meeting that a fellow councilmember called inappropriate.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Monica Galloway told fellow councilperson Santino Guerra that he was acting like a “police officer that wants to be shot” during a public meeting earlier this week.
During a Friday afternoon press conference outside his Flint home, Guerra, who works in Fugitive Recovery in Metro Detroit and is a former Genesee County sheriff’s deputy, called Galloway’s comments during the Wednesday, Oct. 6 finance committee meeting “disrespectful and inappropriate.”
“In a city that is already rattled with gun violence, this comment is not appropriate,” Guerra said. “... It’s unfortunate that she said those hateful words, but they were said and need to be heard so we can know her true character.”
A dispute broke out when Guerra told council members at Wednesday’s finance meeting, which he was chairing, that he was going to allow Council President Kate Fields to speak despite the council voting to bar her from doing so for 30 days.
Guerra argued that he could not chair a meeting in good conscience without letting the council president participate.
When Guerra attempted to give Fields the right to speak, he told the rest of the council that they will have to remove him if they disagree.
The council appealed Guerra’s decision to let Fields speak and won the appeal. Guerra insisted to put Fields on anyways in what 2nd Ward councilman Maurice Davis called an “ambush.”
It was then when Galloway started to speak to Guerra after calling for a point of order.
“You want to make it seem like we are going to remove you and you want to be like a police officer they say and a police officer that wants to be shot, and they put themselves in that position. If that’s what you need for us to have you in order so you can have MLive and everybody else ... (inaudible). Shame on you. I make a motion to remove Councilman Guerra,” said Galloway at the 3:56:39 mark in the virtual meeting live stream on YouTube.
Later in the meeting, after being confronted multiple times about what was said, Galloway said she was referring to a suicide-by-cop situation where Guerra was sacrificing himself so that the rest of the council would remove him from the meeting.
“Comparing my political stance on an issue to someone taking their life is shameful of her to do,” Guerra said.
Galloway told MLive-The Flint Journal Friday afternoon that she misspoke earlier in the meeting and “used the wrong words” while she “made a bad point.”
“I apologize to any police officer and any law enforcement, I do not care where you are in the world. They do a lot for us. I appreciate them,” she said. “Even through all the challenging things that go on in the world, they still go out every single day and place their lives on the line to protect and serve the community that they work in. ...
“I would never defame them. That was never my intention. I wholeheartedly apologize for making a bad analogy and a bad statement.”
Galloway said she was referring to the point where Guerra said the council would have to remove him from the meeting if they felt his actions by letting Fields speak were out of order. She didn’t want the rest of council to be blamed for his removal.
Guerra said he didn’t initially realize what Galloway had stated during the meeting.
People reached out to him asking, “Did you hear what she just said?” he said. He later went back and listened to the recording.
“Her words were very clear,” Guerra said. “I have proudly served my community in law enforcement these last few years. And I have never wanted to be shot. Unfortunately, I have been around gun fire and been in physical altercations where I had to fight for my life.
“Her comments about law enforcement putting themselves in that situation are insulting to all law enforcement officers and their families.”
Guerra filed a complaint with human relations, but HR cannot remove a councilperson.
He said he does not regret trying to allow Fields to speak at the meeting.
Read more on MLive:
Possible sale of old Flint Farmers’ Market to Children’s Museum moves to council for vote
Genesee County Redistricting Commission votes to keep 9 county commissioners, will draw new lines
Flint council could approve ban on facial hair discrimination Monday
Flint council to vote on honorary street sign for Claressa Shields
Flint council president calls 30-day censor a violation of First Amendment rights
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October 09, 2021 at 11:00PM
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Flint councilmember apologizes for comments that colleague called ‘disrespectful’ - MLive.com
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