Monday, February 26, 2024   |   View in browser

Statement from the Mayor, Council Members, City Manager and City Clerk on Community Standards for Public Comment

Something extremely disturbing occurred at last Thursday’s City Council meeting. A national antisemitic hate group organized a number of public commenters to spout antisemitic conspiracy theories, racial epithets, graphic and vulgar hateful fantasies, and other offensive and dangerous rhetoric. All of us were deeply troubled and shaken by this display, which has been particularly traumatic for our Jewish community. 

There is no place in Evanston for this type of behavior or hate of any kind. And while we have no reason to believe that any of the individuals who did this are Evanston residents, it’s still extremely dangerous. The inextricably linked ideologies of antisemitism and white nationalism have fueled unimaginable violence and suffering, and history tells us that when rhetoric like this becomes commonplace, action is often not far behind.

In the moment, we did what we could to limit this behavior, including muting and removing speakers who violated our ban on “threatening, personal, or abusive language” and eventually ending public comment altogether (which was allowable because of the City’s 45-minute public comment limit).

Rhetoric like this is incompatible not only with our community’s values (and basic human decency) but also with our commitment to holding inclusive Council meetings where all residents feel comfortable and safe expressing their views. Therefore, we will explore legal options to further protect the community from this type of abuse. That said, the First Amendment, as well as the Open Meetings Act, impose serious constraints on what we can do about this, and we will always maintain our commitment to follow all applicable laws.

In Evanston, we believe in robust debate. Our elected officials run for office knowing that harsh criticism comes with the territory, and we welcome sharp discussions on issues where we disagree strongly. But we also clearly understand the difference between that kind of discourse and what happened last Thursday. We ask every single member of this community to join us in standing unequivocally against hate, bigotry, and bullying so we can build a truly inclusive Evanston that values and welcomes all.

Signed

City of Evanston Officials