AZ Councilman Blames Adrenaline For 'I Can't Breathe' Remark

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — A Scottsdale city councilman who drew condemnation after he used the phrase "I can't breathe" during a speech at an anti-mask ordinance rally announced Tuesday that he will not resign from the council.

During a news conference, Councilman Guy Phillips insisted he'd used the phrase innocently and explained that his "adrenaline took over" during a speech lambasting the city's recently enacted mandatory mask ordinance. He maintained that he spoke without recognizing the phrase's connection to the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who uttered the words as he was being choked beneath the knee of a police officer in May.

Instead, Phillips said he had heard the phrase used by rally attendees who were complaining about their experiences wearing masks.

"One said wearing a mask made it hard to breathe. Others told me that with a mask on, 'I can't breathe,'" he continued. "While waiting to speak, I thought about those comments, and when it was my time to speak, the adrenaline took over, and I blurted out twice, 'I can't breathe.'"

Phillips' remarks came during a June 24 "Unmask Us" rally, which the councilman himself had organized in the wake of Scottsdale and other cities passing ordinances to enforce the wearing of masks.

Read also: Ducey Calls AZ Councilman 'Despicable' For Mocking George Floyd

In a video of the speech, Phillips approaches a podium wearing a mask and loudly states, "I can't breathe" into the microphone. Phillips repeats the phrase and then, as the crowd cheers, he removes the mask and looks to the sky in performative relief.

Hours later, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called the remarks "despicable."

During Tuesday's news conference, Phillips claimed that it wasn't until hours later that he was informed that his word choice had raised accusations that he had mocked a man whose death had produced international outrage over police abuses.

"I knew then I had unwittingly created a controversy I couldn't erase," Phillips said.

"I take full responsibility for that mistake," he continued, "and I ask those who are hurt or offended by my words to forgive my insensitivity. Given the divisiveness of our country today, too many immediately rushed to judgment after hearing such comments."

He defended his decision not to resign.

"I will not give into bullying nor surrender to crowd madness," he said. "If I do, who will be next?"

Phillips' statements followed earlier apologies for the June 24 remark. He directed one apology to the family of George Floyd and issued another to 12 News in which he acknowledged that his use of the phrase "was a stupid and insensitive comment that I shouldn’t have made and I had no intention of disrespecting anybody."

In response, Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane released a statement Monday that summarized Phillips' explanations for the remark as a "hollow apology."

"I believe he should resign," Lane said. "Scottsdale City Council has no authority to forcibly remove him from office, but if he truly cared about Scottsdale, he would resign his Council position."