DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A city official in Danville is being banned from city property after an incident at City Hall.
During a new alderman orientation at city hall, Alderman Thomas Hightower was observed angrily confronting the mayor and the Danville Police Chief. As a result of his conduct, Hightower is now dealing with some consequences.
Hightower explained his frustration: “What upset me about the mayor was that while I was having a heated discussion with the chief, the mayor was secretly recording me without informing me,” he said.
On May 8, Hightower let his emotions take over. This incident led to him being prohibited from accessing city hall, the mass transit building, and the public works building. He was noted for shouting profanities at both the Mayor of Danville and the chief of police.
“He called me the n-word and told all of us if we had any problems with anything he said or did, ‘f us,'” said Mayor Rickey Williams. “And what you see in the video compared to his actual behavior beforehand… like I said, he used all kinds of other racial slurs.”
It all happened during a new alderman orientation.
“Never no threat of physical harm or anything like that,” Hightower said. “I just laid it out and told him how I feel.”
Hightower doesn’t deny what he said, but said he regrets the way he acted.
“[He] literally got in my face, inches away from me, pointing at me while I was sitting down and he was standing,” Williams said. “And after that point, I started recording him just as a safety measure for myself and everyone present.”
Hightower said his aggressive energy came from bottled up emotions from 40 years ago.
“If we’re exhibiting this kind of behavior, it makes it tough for you to be heard and for people to take you seriously,” Williams said. “And so, I think he did a great disservice to the people that he represents by behaving in such a way.”
Hightower claims he’s been picked on by the city for years, saying the police called him racial slurs and city employees fought with his children.
“I followed every protocol that I could,” Hightower said. “I even filed a complaint with the attorney general. I filed with the city, with the police department. I tried to talk to the mayor, and it was just bottled-up frustrations.”
“You know, I think that he could do a lot of good for them,” Williams said. “But self-control and self-regulation is critical.”
Hightower is still able to work as an alderman, but with stipulations. He’ll be allowed to attend city council and public works committee meetings and go to court.
He’ll be let in 15 minutes before a meeting and is required to leave the property within 15 minutes after adjournment. Williams said he’s not opposed to having another conversation with Hightower down the line.
