Headed for Brazoria? Watch your language

We all have certain words that offend us, right? So we go through life not using those words and hoping other people will extend us the same courtesy — but that's not enough for Ken Corley, the mayor of Brazoria, who is leading a charge to outlaw use of the word "nigger" in his city. If Corley's proposal becomes a city ordinance, certain uses of the word within Brazoria's city limits would be punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Corley said he got the idea while watching two black ministers talking on television about how offensive that word is. "I just think it would be great if this little town of Brazoria, with 2,800 people, leads the way in fighting against this offensive language," said Corley.

He said if the ordinance passes, he may ask for it to be expanded to include other racial slurs.

Under the proposed ordinance, using the "N-word" in Brazoria wouldn't result in an automatic fine — it would only be against the law if it was used in an offensive or aggressive manner, Corley said. That means someone would have to file a complaint on someone else and the offender would have to appear before a municipal judge who, we assume, would somehow have to prove that the word was actually used and then could assess the fine. Use of the word in friendly greetings would not be against the law, which makes us wonder how far a cheerful tone could really get a person.

Corley said he met with local ministers, about 60 percent of whom were in favor of the proposal, but the Rev. Melvin Johnson of Heart of Christ Christian Community said he doesn't think the ordinance would do what Corley intends. Johnson, a black man who has lived in Brazoria his whole life, said use of the word isn't that big a problem in town, and as for people who use it: "They have a constitutional right to be stupid." South Texas College of Law constitutional law professor Gerald Treece said the ordinance, if it's passed, might not stand up if challenged in court — he pointed to a 1992 Supreme Court decision that prohibited a St. Paul, Minn., ban on the display of hateful symbols such as burning crosses. "It's one of those laws you can pass and put on the books, but when you try to enforce it, that's when you're going to run into some trouble," Treece said.

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Brazoria City Hall, 201 S. Main St.