An otherwise routine city council meeting in small-town Lawrence, Kan. on July 9 went all bad — and all racist — in the drop of an N-word. And it was all caught on video.
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It all started with a case that Lawrence resident Michael Eravi filed last year, claiming that his rights were violated when he was trespassed from a homeless camp in North Lawrence that’s supported by the city. Eravi asked Judge Julie Robinson to amend his lawsuit once in February, and again during the July 9 meeting, according to Lawrence Journal-World.
Robinson dismissed Eravi’s suit with prejudice so that it cannot be brought up again. That’s when Eravi took to the podium and expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision....colorfully: he turned to the council’s leader — Mayor Bart Littlejohn, the only Black man on the council — to tell him how he really felt.
“I thought about coming up here and using some language,” Eravi told the council. “I’m not going to say it out of respect for somebody else on that desk,” he continued.
The “somebody else” Eravi was referring to was Amber Sellers, the only Black woman on the council. Even though Eravi said he had no beef with Sellers and would remain respectful, his promise barely lasted 10 seconds.
“Trust me, Bart, if you were the only colored person on that dais, I would be saying what I wanna say right now,” Eravi said. Then, Eravi just popped like a water balloon, first alluding to slavery by specifying “the difference between ‘house’ and ‘field.’”
Littlejohn, putting two and two together, chuckled at Evari’s slavery remarks, which apparently sent the resident over the edge. “Oh, f*** you and your smile. I’m not your field ni****, bi***” Eravi blasted.
Littlejohn then asked Eravi to leave, and that’s when things got even more interesting. “You can’t ask me to leave,” Eravi yelled. “That’s protected speech. I am not your field ni****.”
Citing the First Amendment, Eravi insisted free specch included his repeated use of the N-word, and despite being asked to leave repeatedly, it seems Eravi never even addressed his original concerns with the council.
Littlejohn, perhaps slightly entertained by the man’s unprovoked outburst, allowed Eravi to continue through the rest of his 22-seconds left at the podium, and he definitely took full advantage.
“Son of a bi***... he [Littlejohn] wants to remove me because of my speech, that he has instigated all f*cking night in here,” Eravi continued using his time to now address the rest of the council. Eventually, Littlejohn called for a five minute recess, ending Eravi’s harangue.
Once the council returned, another white man stepped up to the podium to speak. Immediately, this unnamed man began on a similar rampage, opening with “Y’all mother f***ers are so f*king soft. A f*king word shuts down the meeting?”
When no one from the council responded to his question, the man just kept going. “It is letters together that form a word that comes out of our mouth, and you can’t tolerate that?” referring to Eravi’s earlier N-word remarks. He compared the N-word to “cracker” and “honky” daring the mayor to call another recess.
Clearing not understanding the differences between the N-word and other racially motivated insults, the man went on to call Mayor Littlejohn by his first name, disrespecting proper protocol and disregarding the mayor’s title.
To no response from the council, the man continued his rant while everyone sat back and watched. Finally, only when he was tired of hearing himself speak, the man simply walked out the door, without so much as a goodbye.
The City of Lawrence is made up of only 4 percent Black residents, according to city’s website. With an overwhelming 82 percent white majority, Littlejohn stand out as the city’s mayor. He was first elected in 2023, after previously being elected as the city’s vice mayor, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.
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