Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams Responds Through Attorney, Denies Allegations Of Former Band Student

Durham mayor responds through attorney, denies former student’s allegations

DURHAM, N.C. – Durham mayor, Leonardo Williams has issued a formal response through his attorney, forcefully denying the claims and calling them “unfounded and defamatory.”

The response was delivered to The North Carolina Beat by Williams’ legal counsel, who said the mayor is prepared to vigorously fight the allegations.

In the statement,  the mayor disputes the allegations in full and stands by his record as an educator.

“The years I spent serving as a public school teacher were among the most gratifying and rewarding times in my life and it was an honor to help shape our next generation of leaders ,” Williams said in the statement. “Being an educator was a responsibility I never took lightly, which is why I am saddened to learn of troubling, false allegations made by a former student. I condemn these obvious and demonstrably untrue claims about my character, and we are prepared to vigorously fight against these defamatory allegations.”

How the Allegations Surfaced

The mayor’s response follows social media posts made by former student Marquise Dawud, who initially described troubling conduct in what he labeled a “hypothetical” scenario involving a high school band director and a student. The post outlined alleged boundary violations, secrecy, and exposure to sexual content, but did not name anyone.

Dawud later stated publicly that the scenario was not hypothetical and said it reflected his own experience as a junior at Southern High School, identifying Williams by name.

Former Southern High School Student Names Durham Mayor in Explosive Social Media Allegations

That clarification circulated widely through screenshots after the original comment was no longer visible on Dawud’s page.