Mayor Is Accused of Racial Intimidation

Mayor Mark Steenbergh of Warren, Mich., was charged with two counts stemming from a September incident in which he allegedly choked and shouted a racial slur at a black teenager. Steenbergh was charged with one count of racial intimidation and one count of misdemeanor assault after the altercation with John Harris, 16. He was released on $25,000 personal bond. Racial intimidation is a felony punishable by up to two years in prison. Steenbergh, who is white, has denied making any racial slurs but he acknowledged that he confronted Harris, believing the teenager had attacked a friend of his daughter earlier on a street in Harris’ neighborhood.