Mayor Apologizes For Calling Protesters 'Morons,' 'Not Educated'

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said it was in a "moment of frustration and I was wrong" when he referred to protesters at City Hall on Tuesday night as "morons."

Hundreds rallied on Jan. 31 at Worcester City Hall in a show of solidarity and support for the city's immigrants and refugees, prompted partly by a resolution offered by City Councilor Mike Gaffney that would officially declare that Worcester not be a "sanctuary city."

Petty addressed the demonstrators, but later, was unaware that his mic was still hot.

In a story first unleashed by controversial blogger TurtleBoy Sports, it is reported that Petty called people in the crowd "stupid," "not educated" and "morons."

In a statement issued to media outlets, Petty said, "I had just witnessed a thousand people outside City Hall delivering a positive and respectful message, and I did not want their voices to be lost. For anyone who has been caught on a hot mic, it's embarrassing. I was caught in a moment of frustration and I was wrong."

The video of the meeting can be found here.

Councilor-at-Large Michael T. Gaffney, an outspoken opponent of Petty's who ran against him two years ago, is very vocal about the subject on his Facebook page. The Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports that Gaffney has called upon Petty to resign over the microphone incident.

The controversy has erupted in a mountain of chatter on social media, prompting Worcester Magazine, which has a fondness for asking readers questions, queries, "Did Mayor Petty call protesters 'morons?'"

President Donald Trump last week signed a promised executive order cracking down on the more than 300 sanctuary cities across the country – including Massachusetts communities such as Somerville, Cambridge and potentially Boston.

"Generally, sanctuary policies instruct local or state government employees not to notify the federal government of the presence of illegal aliens living in or passing through their communities, counties, or states," according to Ohio Jobs & Justice PAC.

OJJPAC maintains a Sanctuary City list and lists Worcester as a "watch city."

Gaffney's resolution to clarify whether Worcester is a "Sanctuary City" was voted down 9-2, with only Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes joining Gaffney with a "yay," reports Nick Kotsopoulos in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

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