A message from Mayor Nicola Smith and Council President George Hurst regarding racial slurs used during the September 13^th City Council Meeting

We outright condemn the use of racial slurs of any kind. Additionally, we condemn threats of violence.

During the September 13th Lynnwood City Council Business Meeting, there were individuals asking to participate in the meeting to provide public comment, however, these individuals used the public forum instead to spew racial slurs. 

Our City Council meetings and other related City meetings are a place for healthy community discourse. We encourage all voices and we understand that we will not always agree and we all have different communication styles. However, we will not accept the use of racial slurs or any other type of derogatory language.

These individuals were muted and removed from the speakers panel as soon as our meeting moderator was able to do so. We are consulting with our Information Technology professionals and City Attorney to see what can be done to identify the individuals who committed these acts of hate, and we will be reviewing our process for public comments. 

Sincerely,

Mayor Nicola Smith and Council President George Hurst