Durham mayor says he is ‘not going to apologize’ for his town hall remarks
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham Mayor Leo Williams defends slang use at town hall amid reelection bid.
- Critics cite racial stereotyping concerns over Williams’ 'YNs' comment on youth.
- Williams links violence to systemic issues, declines to apologize for remarks.
As Durham Mayor Leo Williams runs for re-election, he’s catching heat for a candid communication style and recent remarks some find offensive.
In a video posted to Facebook of a town hall meeting at Rookie’s Sports Bar on July 3, Williams answered questions about how he is addressing crime and violence, the city’s youth, and other pressing issues.
For some people, one moment stood out: Williams’ response to a remark about gun violence, during which he called young people carrying firearms in Durham “YNs,” short for “young [racial epithet].”
The term, rooted in African American Vernacular English, has gained traction on social media platforms like TikTok. Once reserved for young Black people who engage in violent or destructive behavior, it can now be seen online describing any young Black person.
Critics say it reinforces stereotypes, repeats a racial slur, and unfairly labels young people in ways that contribute to stigmatization.
”As someone who brags about being a former educator, you know the power of words,” Durham writer and activist Paul Scott responded to the mayor in a Facebook video. “You know that people would take you calling young Black men breaking into cars YNs, people would take that and run with it. Durham already gets bashed enough.”
Williams, a restaurant owner and former Durham Public Schools teacher, has used slang and catch phrases during his first term as mayor, including his slogan, “Durham is Dope.” He has often spoken directly to critics in the audience of City Council meetings.
The town hall came days before Williams filed to run for a second term, and he said he’s not going to apologize for his remarks.
“It was me responding to an audience in the context in which we were having a conversation,” he said.
What did Williams say?
The nearly 43-minute video of the town hall shows Williams dressed casually in a baseball cap and jeans, speaking plainly as he introduces himself and shares his upbringing.
The controversial remark emerged during a discussion about ShotSpotter, the gunshot detection program the city ended in 2023.
Williams noted that gun regulation falls under federal and state jurisdiction, not the city. Durham’s challenge isn’t responsible gun owners, he said, but those who carry firearms illegally.
“We’re dealing with some YNs out here just doing their own thing, stealing [guns] out of cars and they don’t know how to communicate,” he said.
Young people used to just fight, but now they reach for guns, he said. “No value for life, that’s what we’re dealing with. And they’re 12 years old.”
“They have a mother that’s only about 12 years older than them. They’re living in public housing where public housing has incentivized poverty. It won’t allow you to have two-parent households, and this is the federal government’s fault. I take issue with it.”
As of July 12, 92 people had been shot in Durham this year, 15 of them fatally, according to the Durham Police Department.
Twenty-seven of this year’s shooting victims have been Black men, 25 to 34 years old. The data does not show the age range of shooters.
‘I’m not going to apologize’
In a phone interview with The News & Observer, Williams wanted to give clarity and context for his use of the term.
He said he chose to hold the town hall at Rookie’s to show that just because he is the mayor does not mean he is above meeting people where they like to hang out.
He also said there were attendees using similar language to the “YN” term and that it was unfair to criticize people who “actually gained up the courage to come out and actually talk to their mayor, someone they’ve never engaged with.”
“That’s how people were talking,” he said. “I’m talking about these youngins on the street who are killing each other too.”
It was unfortunate that “the context wasn’t fully understood based on a clip,” he said.
“I’m not taking back the context of that conversation, and I’m not going to apologize either,” Williams said. “My reference is, these youngins on the street are killing each other, something has to be done. I wish people would focus on that, rather than two letters that came out of my mouth.”
Last month, Williams launched the Bull City Future Fund with the United Way of the Greater Triangle and the Triangle Community Foundation to support groups that serve young people.
“I’m not going to change,” he said. “When I came up with ‘Durham is Dope,’ it was too radical for the older conservative crowd. … I’ve been the same all this time and that’s not going to be enough for some people, but I think it’ll be enough for the right people.”
‘I’m listening’
On Friday, Williams posted a 25-minute video online, saying he used the YN term to mean “youngins.” Though he wasn’t taking back what he said, he expressed regret for how the conversation had been taken out of context and if he had unintentionally hurt anyone.
“For the folks that I know and respect who are hurt by how this has materialized into something else, I apologize,” he said. “I also apologize around the fact that even though the intent was something different, there may be a young person who is taking what they’re seeing and thinking that they’re undervalued, and that is not something that I want.”
He continued, responding to people who have criticized him, as mayor, for what he said at the town hall meeting.
“I wasn’t there as a mayor. I was there as a Black man talking about the role I’ve been put in, what I’m going to have to do to make them feel heard and allow them to join me in this journey to make our community a safer place,” he said.
“And that is my disadvantage, that sometimes I don’t think about me being in a role as a mayor,” he said. “I think about my role as a father — a Black father. I think about my role as a Black man in this community — and there’s nobody Blacker than me, and I’m not Blacker than anybody else.”
“Code-switching”
While Williams said he was not code-switching during the town hall, the practice is often associated with Black politicians and public figures.
Linguists define code-switching as shifting between languages, dialects, or speech patterns depending on the setting. For Black Americans, in particular, it has become a necessary skill for navigating spaces dominated by the white majority.
“One of the things that African Americans learn very early is, sort of, who to sound like,” said Walt Wolfram, a linguist and professor at N.C. State University who has studied American ethnic dialects for over 60 years. “While code-switching was formed out of oppression, it turned out to be a very powerful rhetorical tool and an advantage.”
Wolfram said Black children between second and sixth grade learn to code-switch as they navigate school, teachers, and other expectations.
“My feeling is that a primarily Black audience in Durham would be comfortable using those terms to show a kind of solidarity with one another,” he said.
Mark Anthony Neal, an African American studies professor at Duke University, said code-switching is a “way to show connection or authenticity.”
“At the same time, many of those same people probably would have used a much more volatile and problematic term to describe the same young men, but we would not hold them to the same level of accountability,” he said.
Neal recalled when Barack Obama ran for president in 2007 and was described as being “very articulate, like a badge of honor.”
“For white voters, there is always this expectation that Black folks come off as polished or articulate,” Neal said. “But a lot of young elected officials use their ability to code switch the way that they use social media, That’s really important to reach a part of the electorate that normally is not going to consume political information by reading a newspaper or even watching newscasts.”
Words shaping perception
In a phone call, Anjanée Bell, one of Williams’ three announced opponents for mayor, said, “words matter.”
“Words are not just words; all words carry weight,” she said. “They shape perception, they invite action, and either reinforce dignity or they deny it.”
Bell said language that “stereotypes or generalizes people can embolden those who are not committed to fairness when we are working to be a better Durham.”
“We cannot afford to fuel harmful narratives or negative images,” she said.
Her campaign framework, Durham is H.O.P.E., refers to her priorities for the city: housing and healing, opportunity and ownership, people’s safety and people’s trust, and environment and education. She did not say her acronym was in response to Williams’ “Durham is dope” slogan.
“I have prayed for the incumbent,” she said. “And he’s going to have to be accountable and offer whatever he chooses to offer to those he has harmed as a result of his choice words.”
The primary election for Durham voters is Oct. 7, and Election Day is Nov. 4.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 12:28 PM.