El Paso City Council considering banning people who insult others from speaking at council meetings

El Paso City Council is grappling with how to prevent members of the public from insulting others or saying inappropriate things during the public comment portion of city council meetings.

Public comment is a time for community members to address city representatives about anything not on the meeting’s agenda. Members of the public can also speak on individual agenda items when council is addressing them.

Council’s rules forbid people from engaging in disruptive behavior or making personal attacks while addressing the city representatives. “We have certain individuals who repeatedly go up to the podium and break those rules, constantly using derogatory names for people, like gay people. They’ll call people names and they seem to enjoy that shock factor hoping to get themselves on the news,” said City Rep. Michiel Noe.

Noe cited a comment made by resident Sal Gomez, who frequently attends the council meetings and speaks during public comment on current events and political opinions. Last Tuesday, Gomez talked about the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same sex marriage. “I cannot swallow these same sex unions. I can only tell you the way that I feel inside about such a thing: guacala! Guacala. Translation: yuck,” Gomez told Council.

“He referred to them (gay people) in spanish as being gross and disgusting. You can come to the microphone and say because of my religious beliefs, because of this or that I just don’t agree with the supreme court ruling, or what city council did years ago but you don’t have to refer to people in those terms. In this forum, act respectfully when you get your point across,” Noe said in an interview Wednesday.

Noe on Tuesday had suggested banning “repeat offenders” from public comment for three months. But City Attorney Sylvia Borunda Firth said that was dangerous territory. “I would be very careful here with regard to free speech and just you disagree and you’re offended. If someone is being disruptive to the meeting, and disrespectful or using profanity that’s different than ‘I find your political position on this offensive’. So I think we need to be very careful on how we do this,” Borunda Firth told Noe.

“I think what I disagreed with was his (Gomez) wording. I would agree that he has the perfect right to say my religious beliefs – I cannot support gays being married. That’s free speech. But to say “ugh guacala” that’s going beyond,” Noe responded.

Borunda Firth also told the Council it didn’t have to have call to the public at all. “I don’t think anyone up here wants to eliminate call to the public. We welcome public opinion when expressed in a respectful manner,” said Noe.

Council agreed to turn off people’s microphones who are disruptive or say personal attacks. But they won’t be banning anyone. The city attorney will have to see if council can impose any other consequences to repeat offenders.