Following recent incidents of hate speech during public meetings, the City of Mountlake Terrace will require registration for those making public comments remotely via Zoom.

A group of people made antisemitic and transphobic remarks remotely during two city meetings: the Jan. 8 planning commission and the Jan. 11 city council.  

In response, the city said it is implementing a registration process for those commenting via the Zoom platform to dissuade bad-faith actors and keep online commentary accessible to residents.

Public participation over Zoom was initially started during the pandemic and was kept for legitimate public discussion about city business. In an effort to simplify communication with the public, passcodes for online meetings were removed.

“This is another cowardly attack on the public comment process, which is supposed to be an opportunity for everyone to address their local government,” City Manager Jeff Niten said. “These people hide behind fake names and won’t turn on their screens for a reason. It’s because their behavior is abhorrent, and those names appear to be references to white supremacist ideology. The city council will not tolerate hate speech.”

After the Jan. 8 planning commission meeting, the City of Mountlake Terrace released the following statement:

“The incident was a betrayal of one of the core values of our community: Everyone should feel safe and welcome at public meetings and throughout Mountlake Terrace. While such gatherings are underscored by free speech principles, our city council and boards will not tolerate hate speech. The City of Mountlake Terrace condemns hateful conduct of any kind, especially in a public forum, and we reaffirm our commitment toward meaningful work on diversity, equity and inclusion. There is no evidence that the people behind this incident come from our community.”

The new commenting procedure will be implemented at the Jan. 25 city council meeting. (There is no meeting Jan. 18 due to councilmembers’ schedule conflicts.)

The City of Lynnwood experienced similar incidents of hate speech via Zoom during council meetings late last year. In response, it also implemented a required registration process for commenters. 

— By Rick Sinnett