“The Fox2 management team spoke to Kevin following the mistake and we believe that it was truly inadvertent and does not reflect Kevin’s core beliefs,” a Tribune spokesperson said a written statement.

That answer didn’t satisfy the county NAACP chapter.

“There are some matters where it is imperative we take a stand, and this is one of them,” said St. Louis County NAACP President John Gaskin. “I understand some people believe it was a mistake, but there are some mistakes in every field that are grounds for termination.”

The slur has a painful history for African-Americans, often used by racists to denigrate King.

“It needs to be taken seriously,” Gaskin said.

The NAACP is joined by others in asking for more action, including the Ethical Society of Police, a police membership organization that represents primarily black officers, and Missouri state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed.

After the meeting with KTVI leadership Monday afternoon, Gaskin said, “We’ve made our request and we’ll give them a chance to respond accordingly.”

He declined to provide more details about the meeting but said the NAACP was standing firm in its request for Steincross’ termination.