DEARBORN — After having his first three official statements rejected by the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO), 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik released what he called his final statement on alleged insensitive comments he made about Arabs in July.

Representatives of the Congress of Arab American Organizations at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on Thursday discussing the latest statement released by 19th District Judge Court Judge Richard Wygonik addressing alleged disparaging comments he made about Arab Americans in July. The group said it remained dissatisfied with the judge’s response, his fourth statement since Dearborn Heights City Councilman Tom Berry recounted a troubling conversation he said he had with Wygonik four months ago.      PHOTO: Nick Meyer/TAAN

But once again, the CAAO decided in a meeting at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on Wednesday that Wygonik’s statement is not suitable because it doesn’t include an apology for remarks that Dearborn Heights City Councilman Tom Berry said Wygonik made after a July fundraiser for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

The remarks were recounted in an e-mail circulated by Berry, who said the judge’s wife Adrenne Wygonik said, “Arab parents don’t know how to raise kids, letting them run around, starting trouble everywhere they go.”

The e-mail also said Richard Wygonik agreed by saying, “Yeah, especially those from Salina and Fordson.”

Salina School and Fordson High are east Dearborn schools attended almost entirely by Arab American students.

Wygonik continues to deny that he made those remarks, according to his latest statement, dated Monday, Dec. 1.

“Despite… my continued assertion that my remarks about Talal Chahine were not in any way an indictment of an entire community,” Wygonik said in the statement, “some people have been demanding an apology (for something I never said)… I have, in good faith, produced several drafts of a joint statement based upon what was said at our face to ace meetings with CAAO representatives and during our conversations, only to have those joint statements rejected.”

Sam Salamey, a CAAO member and President of the Lebanese American Heritage Club, addressed the group about the statement.

“The community is upset, and all we’re asking for in his statement is that if he offended anyone in the community that he apologizes,” Salamey said.

Another part of Wygonik’s statement did not go over well with the CAAO. In the statement, Wygonik mentioned that his remarks about former La Shish owner Talal Chahine, whom he called a “crook Arab terrorist” according to Berry’s e-mail, “were not in any way an indictment of an entire community.”

Members of CAAO including Salamey and Michael Berry thought that the focus on the Chahine issue was meant to distract the group from their quest for an apology regarding the other insensitive remarks about local Arab children.

“He maligned all Arabs,” Berry said.

Osama Siblani, President of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) and member of CAAO, agreed.

“(Wygonik) is releasing charges against the community saying that we’re angry about Chahine and that is not true,” he said.

Wygonik indicated in the statement that it would be his last on the subject.

“I am convinced that after weeks of trying to issue a joint statement, there is no truthful statement I can make that will satisfy some of the leaders of the CAAO… I believe I have done all I can do, and it is time for me to put this email behind me,” he said.

Siblani, who is also publisher of The Arab American News, also discussed his stance on Wygonik’s most recent statement at the meeting.

He agreed that the letter was not suitable and said he thought an assertion in the statement that “some of the leaders of the CAAO” are preventing him from releasing a joint statement to resolve the matter, was an attempt to divide the group.

Siblani added that they “remain a united front” on the issue and that the group has assigned committees to continue to follow up on the issue.

“CAAO will release an official statement responding to Wygonik’s latest brouhaha and further actions will be taken to resolve this issue,” Siblani said.