ST CHARLES, Mo. — The mayor of St. Charles has apologized for a comment he made to an activist and resident while discussing the topic of defunding police.
“I extend to each one of you my most sincere apology,” Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said wrapping up the statement he released Friday afternoon.
The apology stems from a conversation he had with activist and St. Charles resident Brianna Howard. Earlier this month, she told 5 On Your Side the two of them were talking about the idea of defunding police.
"My point in the conversation was to urge him to start considering the defunding of the police because during my research I see that 72% of the community funds in St. Charles goes to police and fire," Howard previously said.
However, she said their discussion took a turn when she urged him to look at the changes Minneapolis made following the police-involved death of George Floyd.
“He started to become very angry at this point and asked me if I knew what the downtown population of Minneapolis consisted of. And I didn’t answer because I did not know, and he said Muslims and Minneapolis will see Sharia law enacted within their city, which of course rang the alarm bells of Islamophobia to me," said Howard.
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Mayor Borgmeyer explained his response in his apology Friday.
“I was trying to illustrate a hypothetical situation that if the Minneapolis police were completely defunded, the possibility existed that the large Muslim population in Downtown Minneapolis may opt for Shira Law as a solution. I also extended my comments toward the Hispanic community and others,” he wrote.
Borgmeyer said since their conversation, he has met with the Imam of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and St. Charles resident Shahab Mushtaq. He said they discussed his comment and implications.
“I, at no point, had the intention to offend or disparage any race, creed or ethnic community. I was wrong and now better understand that situation. I intend to continue my outreach to these communities and work toward a better understanding of their cultures and beliefs,” the mayor wrote.
Borgmeyer also said he supports the Black Lives Matter movement and has walked with St. Charles residents in four demonstrations this month.
“I hold no prejudice toward any race or creed and I continue to support their causes and look forward to building bridges to better understanding and dialog,” he said.
You can read Mayor Borgmeyer’s full apology below.
"In a recent conversation with a protester, we talked about the police defunding situation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
During my response, I was trying to illustrate a hypothetical situation that if the Minneapolis police were completely defunded, the possibility existed that the large Muslim population in Downtown Minneapolis may opt for Shira Law as a solution. I also extended my comments toward the Hispanic community and others.
I have met with Asif Umar, the Imam of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis and St. Charles citizen Shahab Mushtaq. We discussed my comment and its implications toward the Muslim, Hispanic and other communities.
I, at no point, had the intention to offend or disparage any race, creed or ethnic community. I was wrong and now better understand that situation. I intend to continue my outreach to these communities and work toward a better understanding of their cultures and beliefs.
I walked and supported the BLM cause in four separate demonstrations earlier this month. We have had thousands of protesters without one incident. We have treated them with respect and they, in turn, have respected our community.
I hold no prejudice toward any race or creed and I continue to support their causes and look forward to building bridges to better understanding and dialog.
I extend to each one of you my most sincere apology."
Mayor Dan Borgmeyer
Mayor of St. Charles, MO