Guidelines for public speaking

If elected to city council, how will you uphold City guidelines in A Public Speaker’s Guide to Addressing the Arcata City Council, noting, “The public speaker’s role is to provide additional information focused on the item being considered that will assist the Council in making its final decision on the matter.” How will you enforce this guideline to ensure a norm of decency? How will you prevent mob rule from dominating public speaking at council meetings? How will you draw a line between free speech and intimidation and defamation? How will you disallow public speakers to create a hostile environment for council members, public attendees, and especially, minority voices? How will you prevent screaming matches during public comments?

Thanks for this important question, Maria. It’s pretty similar to a question previously asked, so I will keep it simple:

Democracy can be messy sometimes, but the alternative is unacceptable.

I will forever stand up for the First Amendment, as I would expect anyone on City Council to do. We have existing rules of decorum for speakers to keep meetings safe, and I support them when they are applied fairly.

Like you, I have been horrified at the comments of some people who come to speak at City Hall. I have sat in the room when speakers called the term “Palestinian” a blanket term for terrorists. When they said that, they were calling me and my children terrorists.

I’ve watched people stand up and advocate for the slaughter of innocent families using our tax dollars in front of the Council. They said those people were “human shields,” and deserved anything that happened to them.

I’ve seen particularly odious speakers at City Council deny the humanity of entire groups of people, insisting there was never starvation in Gaza, and in fact that starvation victims are actually obese and could use a diet.

The fact is, as hard as it might be for good people to understand, people do have the right to speak their minds, and I would never argue they should not. In fact, those kinds of comments do a lot to expose the hateful, racist feelings of a small group of people that would otherwise be hidden by silence.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Public comment is an important part of our democracy, and I believe people should be able to come to the Council and speak passionately, disagree with us, and criticize decisions. That is part of the job of being an elected official and what I signed up for. But public comment also has to remain a place where everyone can participate.

As Mayor, I preside over our Council meetings, and I have had to manage difficult and sometimes heated situations. I have taken appropriate breaks and recesses when needed to give people a chance to step back, calm down and de-escalate the situation.

If reelected, I will continue to uphold the City’s existing guidelines fairly and consistently. The purpose of public comment is to share ones point of view, and to provide information and perspective that helps the Council make decisions. It is not for intimidating other speakers, Council members, staff, or members of the public.

I do not believe in mob rule. The loudest voices, large groups, or repeated interruptions don’t get to determine which voice gets heard. At the same time, I would not want to see rules used to silence people simply because their views don’t align with mine or my fellow Council members or are unpopular. People should not and can not be silenced because they are angry or passionate about an issue. There is a big difference between strong disagreement and behavior that crosses the line into threats, intimidation, personal harassment, or disrupting the meeting.

Free speech protects people’s right to criticize their government. It does not give anyone the right to threaten or physically intimidate another person, prevent others from speaking, or keeping Council from conducting business. And the City needs to apply those standards consistently, regardless of who is speaking or what position they are taking.

Most importantly, I want Council meetings to be places where everyone feels they can participate, including people who have historically been left out of local government. I have always advocated for engagement. We can and often should have difficult conversations, passionate disagreements, and very different opinions without turning our public meetings into a yelling match. Everyone gets a chance to be heard and everyone does not have to agree. 

The role of the Mayor is to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be heard while also maintaining a productive and non threatening environment so everyone, regardless of their views,  can feel safe.

Yes, Maria, we have seen some hateful, uninformed rants and will continue to see those. I think the guidelines we have, when enforced gracefully like Mayor White does, can be adequate for keeping things constructive.

However, I think people would do less of the negative ranting when for one, City Council was more representative of working people in this city and when they responded more often and more quickly to public comment. Those two things and more are what I will do to inspire more comments and more constructive dialogue with La Gente!

Think Glocally, Vote Blase Bonpane !  

Hi Maria:

To get straight to the point I am going to answer your questions in order.

How will you enforce this guideline to ensure a norm of decency?

• If the speaker begins to stray away from items within the City’s purview or beings speaking on an agenda item I would ask them to redirect their comment or refrain from commenting until we have reached that item.

How will you prevent mob rule from dominating public speaking at council meetings?

• I would first ask myself, is this “mob-rule” or a group of like-minded and passionate individuals? If their comments or behavior become violent- I would request that we take a short break and consult with the City Manager and APD on how to proceed. 

How will you draw a line between free speech and intimidation and defamation?

• As public servants, we expect that members of the community may want to comment on our work as a group and as individuals. However, that does not mean that its acceptable to “intimidate” or “defame” us. As the meeting chair, I would ask for a brief break to confirm with Counsel the best course of action. If the commenter were to be cut off, I would ask that they either file a formal complaint with the City or meet with the City Manager to discuss solutions. 

How will you disallow public speakers to create a hostile environment for council members, public attendees, and especially, minority voices?

• See my responses above. I would personally reach out to that member of the public and identify solutions they feel address their concerns. Attempting to “silence” someone is never a solution.  

How will you prevent screaming matches during public comments?

• Making sure people feel heard. When people truly feel heard- there is no reason to scream. You will be surprised how willing people are to coordinate and engage with you on a solution when you reach out to them and express your commitment to listening.