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Tommy Bryant's wife Nancy gets death threats after he shot N-word at Veronica Freeman

Nancy Mahler Bryant said that she and the rest of the family have been terrified that someone was going to kill Tommy

The wife of the longest-serving councilman in Tarrant, Alabama is getting death threats and living under the fear of retaliation after her husband stood up in a city council meeting on Monday, July 19, and hurled the N-word at a Black councilwoman.

Nancy Mahler Bryant told TMZ that ever since her husband, John 'Tommy' Bryant blurted out the slur, which was captured in a video that went viral on social media, she and the rest of the family have been terrified that someone was going to kill Tommy. So far she claimed to have received at least 400 calls to their home over the past few days as people from all over the country who came across the clip called them up just to scream at them, branding them racists and making all sorts of threats. Some other instances of people hurling the N-word in the past include Vinnie Hacker, Illinois Karen and Heeseung. 

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Nancy Bryant carries a gun, Tommy wears a bulletproof vest 

After the incident which went viral, Nancy said that she and her husband are taking no risks when it comes to their safety. She told the outlet that her husband is wearing a bulletproof vest every time he leaves the house and he has also given her a pistol to carry with her all the time in case she needs to go somewhere. It was also supposed to protect her against unwanted home intruders.

However, Nancy is choosing to stay put in the house for now, as she lives with her 92-year-old mother. The security team is not even letting her go outside to her garden over safety concerns. Over growing fears for her husband's life, she is also keeping the blinds closed all day. She is worried that if someone spots Councilman Bryant inside, they might try to shoot him. As for Tommy, he is maintaining that he did nothing wrong in saying the N-word and he is not worried about the threats. She would also not apologize for "doing what is right."

What happened during the council meeting?

On Monday, July 19, Bryant was caught using the N-word during a meeting, while allegedly referring to Black council member Veronica Freeman. Bryant was slammed by both the Democrats and Republicans but has so far refused to apologize. The Alabama Democratic Party has called for the resignation of Tarrant city councilman Tommy Bryant. The state GOP also slammed him for his choice of words, but stopped short of an official rebuke. 

Footage from the meeting shows Bryant ask, "Do we have a house N-word in here? Do we? Do we?" The comments were made at a July 19 city council meeting. In his defense, Bryant said he was only repeating what the Mayor called councilwoman Freeman. "I heard a comment from the (unclear) where someone made that comment. And I thought it be proper to go ahead and bring it to light," he said in an interview with WVTM 13. "The Mayor called Veronica Freeman a stupid h-n. He doesn't need to use that term in front of everybody, and I thought the city ought to know what kind of terminology the Mayor uses," he added. Bryant claimed the Mayor "said it in a derogatory manner, I said it so people would know what the mayor said."