Current:Home > NewsCharlottesville City Council suspends virtual public comments after racist remarks at meeting-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Charlottesville City Council suspends virtual public comments after racist remarks at meeting
View Date:2025-01-11 05:21:26
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The Charlottesville City Council has suspended virtual public comments during public meetings after anonymous callers Zoomed into a council meeting and made racist remarks.
The Daily Progress reports that the decision came after an Oct. 2 council meeting was interrupted repeatedly by people who turned their cameras off, used fake names and flooded the public comment period with racist slurs and praise for Adolf Hitler.
“We struggled for a while in trying to figure out what we could constitutionally do and concluded there was not really a good answer,” Mayor Lloyd Snook told the newspaper last week. “Do we listen to everybody as they’re ranting, knowing that if they were there in person, they probably wouldn’t do it, but feel free to do it anonymously online?”
Under the new policy, the public will still be able to attend meetings virtually, but anyone who wishes to speak will have to do so in person.
In August 2017, hundreds of white nationalists descended on Charlottesville, ostensibly to protest city plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
James Alex Fields Jr., of Maumee, Ohio, rammed his car into a crowd of people who were protesting against the white nationalists, injuring dozens and killing Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal and civil rights activist. Fields is serving life in prison for murder, hate crimes and other charges.
Councimember Brian Pinkston called the decision to suspend virtual comments a “judgement call.”
“On one hand, we obviously value people’s input and desire to participate remotely and we’d love to continue to do that,” he told the newspaper. “But at same time, I’ll call it taking care of the community and protecting those from behavior that’s not just offensive but deeply hurtful.”
During the meeting, the people in attendance could be heard gasping after some of the remarks, and several demanded that the speakers be cut off.
Council members questioned whether the virtual public comments were protected by the First Amendment, as the first speaker to make racist remarks claimed.
Snook eventually looked to city attorney Jacob Stroman for guidance, and Stroman said the council could cut off the speaker.
“The gross insult” to community members was unacceptable, “even under the broadest interpretation of the First Amendment,” Stroman said.
The Daily Progress reported that the remarks at the meeting seemed spurred at least in part by the city’s decision to lift the curfew at a park after police were accused of mistreating the homeless population there. That story had been circulating in national right-wing media ahead of the meeting. Police Chief Michael Kochis called the allegations “unfounded” and said the city plans to reinstate the curfew to coincide with the availability of more beds for the unhoused.
veryGood! (5292)
Related
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- Aerosmith singer and Maui homeowner Steven Tyler urges tourists to return to the island
- DeSantis super PAC pauses voter canvassing in 4 states, sets high fundraising goals for next two quarters
- Northwestern AD Derrick Gragg lauds football team's 'resilience' in wake of hazing scandal
- Giuliani’s lawyers after $148M defamation judgment seek to withdraw from his case
- Acuña 121 mph homer hardest-hit ball of year in MLB, gives Braves win over Dodgers in 10th
- Mets slugger Pete Alonso reaches 40 homers to join very exclusive club
- 4 things to know on Labor Day — from the Hot Labor Summer to the Hollywood strikes
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- Secession: Why some in Oregon want to become part of Idaho
Ranking
- Giuliani’s lawyers after $148M defamation judgment seek to withdraw from his case
- At least 1 dead as storms sweep through Las Vegas
- Max Verstappen breaks Formula 1 consecutive wins record with Italian Grand Prix victory
- Racism in online gaming is rampant. The toll on youth mental health is adding up
- Golden Bachelorette: Joan Vassos Gets Engaged During Season Finale
- Peacock, Big Ten accidentally debut 'big turd' sign on Michigan-East Carolina broadcast
- Selena Gomez, Prince Harry part of star-studded crowd that sees Messi, Miami defeat LAFC
- Jimmy Buffett died of a rare skin cancer
Recommendation
-
Why Amanda Seyfried Traded Living in Hollywood for Life on a Farm in Upstate New York
-
Christie's cancels sale of late Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten's jewelry over Nazi links
-
Burning Man flooding: What happened to stranded festivalgoers?
-
Meet Ben Shelton, US Open quarterfinalist poised to become next American tennis star
-
Bankruptcy judge questioned Shilo Sanders' no-show at previous trial
-
Smash Mouth Singer Steve Harwell Dead at 56
-
Racism in online gaming is rampant. The toll on youth mental health is adding up
-
France’s waning influence in coup-hit Africa appears clear while few remember their former colonizer