LLANO COUNTY, Texas — A video that was posted by the Facebook page "The Truth Files - Llano, TX Edition" shows recordings of Bill Blackburn's voice.
In the video, Blackburn is heard saying at 1:26, "The thing I learned from that is that I don't trust groups of blacks."
Later, he is heard saying, "... and yeah, I do fear a large number of blacks."
Sheriff Blackburn confirmed to KVUE Wednesday morning that it was his voice in the recordings, but explained that the comments were not intended to be racist, and were in regards to something that happened to him back in the 1960s.
That video is still public on Facebook, and can be seen down below.
Blackburn is running for another term as the Llano County sheriff against Jim Caruso and, at a candidates forum Tuesday night that which was recorded by the Llano County News Wire, Tonya Revada of Llano asked about the comments.
"Bill are you willing to resign in light of the audio that came out today," asked Revada.
The video by the Llano County News Wire can be seen below. Fast forward to 1:33:42 to see the question be asked, and the explanation from there.
Blackburn responded and explained that he believes this was a "hit piece" on him.
"There's a part of it in there that says I am racist," Blackburn said at the forum. "Now, there is a story in there that said I fear large numbers of blacks ... I do fear a large number of blacks. And I'll tell you why, I'll tell you the whole story."
Blackburn explained to the forum Tuesday night and to KVUE News Wednesday morning that the comment was related to something that happened decades ago while at graduate school at Texas A&M.
He said he tagged along with his friend, who was recreation and parks director for the City of College Station, to check on some parks.
"We checked the gym area, everything was fine, it was running smooth, people in there playing basketball and stuff like that. Then we went down to a baseball park ..." said Blackburn. “We got down there and there were about eight black males that had taken a fence down around the ballpark and were parked under a tree working on the car. And we pulled up down there, Paul got out, told them they needed to leave and put the fence back up and they started cussing us..."
He said that he called police with his friend.
“… told them we needed some help and we went back down there which we shouldn’t have done but we did and parked our car and got out and started talking to him – they weren’t receptive at all to us talking," said Blackburn. “While we were standing there talking to him, more cars showed up and eventually our vehicle got blocked in and it was getting kind of testy.”
RELATED:
The situation lasted around an hour, according to Blackburn.
“I was getting nervous and scared," he said. “I remember how I felt that day, especially when that guy took the knife out and I totally felt helpless. And the way it made me feel was that no human should feel the way I felt that day.”
Blackburn went on to say the intention was not racist.
“I made up my mind that if I ever got in a situation where, say here in Llano or anywhere where a group of blacks or Hispanics or whatever, a small group and a large group of whites, I would go in to help the minority group. Whichever the minority group was," said Blackburn. "... because no person deserves to feel the way I felt that day."
Blackburn told KVUE he believes the Facebook page that posted the video is run by two or three ex-police officers that worked for the City of Llano who were fired.
At the forum Tuesday night, he said the same thing.
“I am not racist. I never have been. I was raised in a small town, I wasn’t raised that way, I didn’t raise my kids that way, I just don’t look at it that way," said Blackburn.
KVUE also spoke to Tonya Revada, who asked the question at the forum.
She explained to KVUE that a high school friend sent her the video over Facebook.
"It rubbed me wrong," said Revada. “I’m still not totally at ease with it because the backstory he gave went back 40-plus years of an experience and it disturbed me that you’re going to carry that into your public service life.”
Revada went on to say that she has no ill will towards the sheriff, but that the comment still doesn't sit well with her.
“I wish him well in his race, if I see him on the street I’m gonna shake his hand," said Revada. “As one of maybe four minorities – meaning black kids that went through the school when I did – I’m going to promise you I went through a lot more than what he told in that story. And I live it every day and I don’t let it affect me.”
Blackburn's opponent in the race for sheriff, Jim Caruso, told KVUE over the phone that he had no knowledge of the video until it was brought up at the forum on Tuesday night.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: