Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is pictured holding a meeting on Sept. 12 in a frame grab from a recorded video. The board is restricting public comments during its next meeting to in-person attendees due to a series of "racist and hate-filled" speeches on Zoom that disrupted their previous meeting. (County of Sonoma)
Sonoma County’s Board of Supervisors will restrict public comments at its next regular meeting after a spate of “racist and hate-filled” speech on Zoom, the county administrator’s office said.
Only those attending in person will be allowed to make verbal comments at Tuesday’s Supervisors meeting, the administrator’s office said Sept. 15.
The board’s Sept. 12 meeting was marred by “a series of disruptive racist and hate-filled comments” that prevented the board from completing its business, the administrator’s office said.
“We are making this change because of the hateful, hurtful verbal attacks from a few bad actors on Zoom at our last meeting,” Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “I and my board colleagues are committed to free speech and open public dialogue, but that does not include racist, antisemitic and personal attacks that only spread harm.”
The public can still monitor the meeting through the board’s livestream or on Zoom, the administrator’s office said.
Sonoma County supervisors to ban Zoom comments for ‘racist, hate-filled’ speech
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Sonoma County’s Board of Supervisors will restrict public comments at its next regular meeting after a spate of “racist and hate-filled” speech on Zoom, the county administrator’s office said.
Only those attending in person will be allowed to make verbal comments at Tuesday’s Supervisors meeting, the administrator’s office said Sept. 15.
The board’s Sept. 12 meeting was marred by “a series of disruptive racist and hate-filled comments” that prevented the board from completing its business, the administrator’s office said.
“We are making this change because of the hateful, hurtful verbal attacks from a few bad actors on Zoom at our last meeting,” Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “I and my board colleagues are committed to free speech and open public dialogue, but that does not include racist, antisemitic and personal attacks that only spread harm.”
The public can still monitor the meeting through the board’s livestream or on Zoom, the administrator’s office said.