July 30, 2025
Durham Mayor Leo Williams Catches Heat For Referring To Youth As ‘YNs’ During Town Hall Meeting
The new terminology is a slang term rooted in African American culture -- labeling young Black people who potentially engage in destructive activity, made popular on social media.
Leo Williams, mayor of Durham, North Carolina, is catching heat for referring to the city’s young people as “YNs,” a slang term meaning “young n***as” during a town hall discussion about gun violence, with voters labeling it as “offensive,” Blavity reports.
The town hall took place on July 3 at Rookie’s Sports Bar, where Williams addressed pressing issues in Bull City, including crime, violence, and the city’s youth. Out of everything the mayor discussed, one comment stood out. “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,” Williams said.
The new terminology is a slang term rooted in African American culture, labeling young Black people who potentially engage in destructive activity, made popular on social media. However, critics feel use of there term was of bad taste, especially coming from a former Durham Public Schools teacher – once named Teacher of the Year – as critics feel it reinforced stereotypes, implies a racial slur, and puts an unfair label on youth. ”As someone who brags about being a former educator, you know the power of words,” Durham writer and activist Paul Scott said, according to The News & Observer.
“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.”
But Black social media users are defending Williams, questioning why the mayor, who is Black, is receiving backlash for use of the term. “What? Even Black people aren’t allowed to say it now? Definitely did not have THAT on my bingo card,” @jimdandy1969 said on X.
What? Even black people aren’t allowed to say it now? Definitely did not have THAT on my bingo card
— JimDandy (@JimDandy1969) July 18, 2025
Other users said they are “pretty sure he’s allowed to say it,” and Williams agrees.
Following the backlash, the mayor has stood his ground, claiming he was simply keeping it real with the audience and recognizing how to meet people where they are, especially within his leadership of Durham. “It was me responding to an audience in the context in which we were having a conversation,” the mayor said. “I’m not taking back the context of that conversation, and I’m not going to apologize either,” he 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.”
During his remarks, the mayor and business owner touched on how guns are taking the place of kids simply fighting. “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.”
Under Williams’ leadership, Durham County has seen 26% decrease of crime just in the first six months of 2025, however, of the shooting crimes committed, the victims have been identified as young Black men between the ages of 25-34. However, Williams understands his role as a leader and released a statement to those hurt by the slang usage. “During a recent community event held at a local bar with many members of Durham’s Black community, a person in the audience used an acronym, and I repeated it in the answer to his question,” the mayor said in a statement.
“While I was not code switching, I do believe in meeting members of the community where they are, which is what good leadership is about. Although we’ve already also seen a 26 percent drop in crime this year, when we consider that many of the victims of crimes in Durham are young Black men, we must acknowledge that we have more work to do. While I apologize to those who may have been offended, my goal is to continue seeing crime decrease in our city, and I am determined to keep doing that work if re-elected.”
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