A meeting intended to serve as a bridge-building discussion between Gwinnett County Commissioner Tommy Hunter and the local chapter of the NAACP ended abruptly Tuesday night as it devolved into shouts, protests and infighting among the group’s members.
Hunter left after about 30 minutes, halfway through the scheduled hourlong forum. The turmoil stood in stark contrast to Hunter’s visit earlier in the day to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Hunter, who has apologized for the “choice of words” in his now infamous Facebook post calling civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis a “racist pig,” accepted last month the invitation to speak with the Gwinnett NAACP. Members of that organization billed it beforehand as a “moderated discussion.”
But the gathering in the jury assembly room of the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center quickly erupted into shouting.
As NAACP President Marlyn Tillman read questions submitted by constituents, several branch members stood alongside the podium where she and Hunter were speaking. They held signs urging Hunter to resign and shouted as he calmly attempted to answer questions. They said they didn’t want to hear from Hunter, took issue with the questions he was being asked and claimed his appearance at the meeting was not vetted with the NAACP’s membership.