Berwyn school board member resigns after admitting to yelling racial slur at contractor
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Berwyn South School District Board member who admitted to yelling a racial slur at a man while on the job has resigned.
Her resignation came less than 24 hours after CBS 2's Marissa Pearlman's report on the man's call for justice.
Plus, a Berwyn alderman also apologized on behalf of the city's mayor for a lack of a response.
Phillip Robbin, was hired to remove a tree from a property in Berwyn and was working in an alley behind a residential block.
According to Berwyn police, a City of Berwyn car pulled up. The driver - identified as Sarah Lopez – started yelling at Phillip to move his work truck from the alley.
"She was like, 'You cannot turn your back on me, you f***ing n*****,'" Robbin said. "I said, 'Excuse me?'"
Police said a driver, later identified as Lopez, got into an argument with Robbin. She admitted that's when she used the slur.
Lopez is a City of Berwyn employee and now former school board member.
Also on Wednesday, an alderman issued a letter apologizing to Robbin for being subjected to such treatment at the hands of an elected official and city employee. The alderman also said he apologized for the inaction of Mayor Robert Lovero.
The Berwyn South School District said it was aware of the incident and that the board member involved had resigned.
In a message on its website, the district also released a statement in which is said in part it's "a welcoming district to all and we will not tolerate individuals creating division through their words or actions. We condemn racism and racist language in all forms."
