HOUSTON – The West University Place City Council met for the first time Monday evening since the behavior of Kellye Burke, the West U. councilwoman accused of yelling obscenities at a teen wearing a President Donald Trump T-shirt, was first reported by KPRC2 and made national headlines.
KPRC2 has been following this story closely since last week.
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Burke did not attend Monday night's council meeting.
An attorney representing Burke was there and read a statement on her behalf.
"I have received threats of violence. As a result, my family has had to flee our home," the attorney read. "Those same critics have mounted a campaign for me to step down from council. I will not be stepping down from my elected position."
An attorney told KPRC2 that Burke has sought police protection because of the threats of violence against her.
People who live in West U. had an opportunity to speak out about the controversy. Some showed support for the councilwoman, while others demanded she step down.
"Kellye is funny and irreverent and at times her comments are somewhat unfiltered, and I think we can all agree that last week she made a big mistake. However this is an incident that should have been handled privately and speedily between adults, not in public," one resident said.
"The intolerance she exhibited, the next time it happens in our community, what's it going to be about? Politics, race, religion? I don't know, but if she doesn't step down she's sending the message that it is OK," another resident said.
Police report of incident
The initial incident report from the West University Police Department is brief and doesn't exactly specify what Burke is accused of saying.
On page 2, the responding officer writes, "It was reported the suspect (Burke) became irritated over a shirt one of the juveniles was wearing and began to yell obscene and profane language directed at the juveniles."
The four juvenile girls were in line at Tiny's Milk and Cookies in West University Place on March 31. One of the girls wore a Make America Great Again T-shirt, in support of the president.
That, according to the father of one of the girls in the group, did not sit well with Burke.
"(Burke) came up to them and screamed at them, 'Grab 'em by the (expletive), girls,'" he said.
When KPRC2 interviewed that father last week, he asked to remain anonymous because of threats he said his family has received since the ordeal made national headlines.
"At that point the girls are getting kind of scared and then the woman starts going, 'MAGA! MAGA! MAGA!'" he said.
Burke has refused KPRC2's repeated requests for an on-camera interview, but issued an apology last week through her attorney, saying:
"I have repeatedly apologized for the bad judgment I used and making the statement I did, but I do not believe repeating the words of the President of the United States is a crime. However, I will apologize again on behalf of myself, the President of the United States and all the media outlets who repeated his words both electronically and in print."
Who is Kellye Burke?
Burke was elected to West U's city council in May 2017.
A biography on the city's website describes Burke as a native Texan, who has lived in West U for over a decade.
Burke's Twitter profile also lists her as a volunteer for a group called Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America.
At one point, Burke served as Texas chapter leader for the organization, according to reports.