Junction City Mayor Jim Douglas is facing accusations of using a racial slur to refer to a Black sheriff’s deputy in a video posted to Facebook. Douglas, who has served as mayor for 18 years, acknowledged that he was speaking in the video but denied using the slur.
“It looks like I did say it, but I did not say it,” he told the Lexington Herald-Leader. Douglas claimed the recording had been altered and called the accusations a political “conspiracy” ahead of November’s local elections, when four candidates are running for mayor and 15 are seeking city council seats.
He did not provide evidence that the video had been altered.
The deputy referenced in the conversation, Charles Parks, has served in law enforcement for 48 years. When asked about the controversy, Parks said he had heard the slur many times throughout his career but declined to comment further.
