Fearing anti-Semitism, Castle Rock council poised to limit public comments

CASTLE ROCK | Castle Rock Town Council is preparing to ban people from making public comments remotely, citing online concerns about hate speech during meetings.

With a majority support for the change, the council voted on Tuesday night to remove remote public comments from future meetings, meaning members of the public will have to appear in person if they want to speak during public comment sessions.

Council members said they supported the change after online users with anonymous identities signed up and barraged council meetings, including in Wheat Ridge and Lakewood, with anti-Semitic speech.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Mayor Jason Gray said. “I don’t think we have to wait for it.”

The move stands in contrast to the recommendations of experts interviewed by Colorado Community Media, including a state open meetings watchdog group and the regional chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism.

Jeremy Shaver, senior associate regional director for the Mountain States Region of the ADL, said he can empathize with elected officials who want to remove remote comments, but advocated for governments to maintain as much access as possible.

“We would encourage local governments to do their utmost best to preserve access for residents to engage with civic process,” Shaver said. “I think having some of those other content-neutral restrictions are potentially helpful and at least contain the impact of potential disruptions.”

The change in Castle Rock will take effect after the council approves the measure during a second reading at the March 5 meeting. Council members will still be able to participate remotely and meetings will still be live-streamed.

That fear of anti-Semitic speech was echoed as a reason for the change by others on the council.

“I’d much rather be proactive than reactive,” council member Max Brooks said. “I don’t want to subject our citizens to that.”

Gray and Brooks also argued that the move would not reduce participation access in government dealings because commenters will still be able to listen remotely and submit comments online or appear in person. Council member Kevin Bracken supported the change because he said it would allow the council to work with fewer disruptions.

Gray said he didn’t want to provide a tool for people to spread hateful comments and potentially threaten council members.

“Do it where I can see your face,” he said.

Opposition to the change came mostly from council member Laura Cavey, who said she supported maintaining online speakers during public comment sessions because she is in favor of having multiple channels through which the public can participate in their government.

“I appreciate people who come and participate, but unfortunately, that’s not possible for everyone,” Cavey said, citing people with disabilities, the elderly and those who work during council meeting hours.

She added that she felt it is hypocritical to allow the council’s members to participate remotely, but not citizens.

Council member Ryan Hollingshead initially opposed the change, but ultimately voted for it.

Three people spoke on the proposal at the meeting, with one in favor and the other two asking the council not to ban remote comments.

The Anti-Defamation League has tracked four instances of anti-Semitic attacks during public meetings in Colorado since November – and more than 140 attacks have been reported across the country since summer 2023.

The attacks are coordinated by an anti-Semitic hate group calling itself the Goyim Defense League, according to the ADL. Recordings of the attacks are shared on social media by an account called the City Council Death Squad.

The Goyim Defense League was also linked to anti-Semitic flyers dropped in neighborhoods, including instances in Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch in 2023.

Shaver, with the ADL, said the recordings not only spread propaganda and work to recruit members, but also fund the hateful activities through the monetization of social media posts.

“They’ll ask for donations to support continuing the efforts of interrupting public meetings,” Shaver said.

Because of the remote nature of the comments, it’s hard to know where attacks originate, Shaver said.

The Castle Rock council’s move contrasts with what the ADL suggests as a good response for public bodies facing online anti-Semitic remarks. The ADL said councils should require commenters to give a name and address, prepare for possible attacks and respond by countering hate speech in the moment it arises, as well as following any instances with education and communication with the community.

“That really tears at our social fabric and makes our institutions weaker and that’s why we need to condemn this type of conduct and make sure local governments are responding in the most effective way,” Shaver said.

Shaver praised Lakewood officials for their response to a recent attack because council members pushed back against the hate at the meeting and released a statement afterwards, condemning the comments.

“Leaders and public officials should remember their own free speech and rights to state that the rhetoric is unacceptable and goes against the community’s values,” he said.

Currently, Colorado law doesn’t require public meetings to allow comments, though a bill in the legislature could change that.

HB24-1168 would require public meetings to allow remote comments for accessibility reasons.

Jeff Roberts, the executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, said local governments should work to preserve access.

“City councils and other public bodies experiencing this are in a tough spot, and it’s understandable they would be looking at restrictions,” Roberts said. “But offering the community an opportunity to comment on issues is important as well. And having a remote option encourages more people to participate in government.”

The Castle Rock News-Press is one of two dozen Colorado Community Media newspapers that cover the cities, towns and suburbs that make up the Denver metro area.