Posters can be no larger than 11×17 inches. No holding signs above your face. In-person meetings can be moved to virtual following disruptions.
These are some of the new rules for public participation the Boulder City Council adopted on June 20. The changes come after recent interruptions in the council chambers over the Israel-Hamas war.
Councilmembers have described chatter and arguments among attendees as distracting. Flag waving and poster displays have blocked people’s views and access to aisleways. Chants and shouts from the audience have prompted the mayor to call for recesses during public hearings.
Councilmembers Lauren Folkerts and Taishya Adams were the only two councilmembers to vote against the changes. “Disruptions are one of the most powerful ways community members can bring attention to a topic their government isn’t addressing,” Folkerts said before the vote. “Curtailing free speech to avoid council’s discomfort reveals the fragility of these rights.”
For more on the changes, see our previous reporting.
“Free speech” is America’s favorite self indulgent excuse.
I know everyone has opinions on the war going on, but what can Boulder do about it? I feel disrupting the Boulder city council on a national or international issue is counterproductive and inappropriate!