Khursheed Ash-Shafii, a councilman for the city of Highland Park, Michigan, refused to resign Tuesday in a public meeting following an incident with the police.
Ash-Shafii was charged with refusing to take a breathalyzer and driving with a suspend license following a car crash on April 7, WXYZ reported.
EMTs at the scene alleged that the councilman’s breath reeked of alcohol and that he exhibited slurred speech, according to a police report obtained by the outlet. (RELATED: Trump Supporters Stage ‘Red Hat’ Protest Over Council President’s KKK Accusations)
In a separate incident, Ash-Shafii can be heard on body camera footage calling officers “white Nazis” in a contentious exchange on March 10, WXYZ reported. The outlet published a video of the incident that can be viewed here. Police were in the area to ask a bar employee about a wandering child discovered nearby, according to the outlet. Ash-Shaffi arrived after allegedly receiving a call asking him to ensure the police treated people fairly.
A Highland Park councilman who was charged with refusing to take a breathalyzer after a crash and driving on a suspended license spoke out at a city council meeting this week, saying in part: “make me step down.” https://t.co/Wii7J0vpTN
— WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) April 22, 2025
Ash-Shafii defended calling police officers “white Nazis,” according to a phone call recording provided by WXYZ’s Simon Shaykhet.
One resident cited this incident in a council meeting Tuesday, according to WXYZ. “I feel as what Khursheed did was very impolite and rude, and I think he needs to apologize and step down,” the resident said.
Ash-Shafii expressly refused to resign during the heated meeting, according to footage obtained by the outlet.
“Anybody who got a problem with me, tough. You want me to move, come move me. I’m sitting right here. I’m going to be here until my term is up or until the Lord calls me back, one of the two. So anybody that don’t like Khursheed Ash-Shafii, that’s just tough titties for you, deal with it,” the councilman said, according to the footage. “Revenge is a dish best served cold, and I love a good fucking fight.”
Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald issued a statement to WXYZ, accusing him of not being professional. “Regarding his use of the word ‘revenge,’ I am unclear on who or what he was referring to. However, suggesting or threatening revenge in any context is entirely inappropriate for someone in public office,” she wrote.
