TOWN HALL: Law, order and respect are important

I want to offer a different opinion regarding the recent, now-viral, KCRCC meeting that was disrupted by a woman who is now the recipient of more than $200,000 from a GoFundMe account.

The First Amendment is important, but so is law, order and respect. Interrupting a meeting’s speakers by shouting out opinions is not respectful. It’s disruptive and should not be tolerated.

Recently, Police Chief White said it’s not appropriate for law enforcement to forcefully remove a person from a town hall for speaking out of turn or shouting. If that’s the case, how will any future meetings ever be held in our community? If we have citizens who, like this woman, are yelling out and disrupting speakers at our meetings, we will only have future shouting matches — not meetings.

Is this the precedent we want to set for our future civic gatherings?

From what I understand, this woman was asked to quiet her loud comments and outbursts, but she wouldn’t. After her lack of compliance, she was asked to leave. She refused. 

So this is my question to everyone who is enraged about her removal: what do you think should have happened at this point? 

Since the meeting continually got derailed by her comments, should they have just ended the event? Should they have continued to speak, while being constantly interrupted? How is that fair to the other attendees?

Our voices and opinions matter, and we all have a right to be heard, but not in a disrespectful way that derails an entire meeting and prevents other audience members from their right to peacefully assemble.

DAWN THOMPSON

Coeur d’Alene