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State rep says virtual meeting was disrupted with racial slurs, derogatory terms

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AdvertisementState rep says virtual meeting was disrupted with racial slurs, derogatory termsHide TranscriptShow TranscriptAND WE WANT TO WARN YOU. THE VIDEO IS DISTURBING. KAYLA: STATE REPRESENTATIVES SAY THEY WERE ABOUT 30 MINUTES INTO THEIR TOWN HALL, ANSWERING CONSTITUENT QUESTIONS, WHEN THE FIRST OF THREE PEOPLE POPPED IN AND STARTED OFF WITH VULGAR RANTS. &gt;&gt; WE WERE CUTTING THEM OFF, AND THEN THEY COME BACK ON. AND WE CUT THEM OFF. SO BETWEEN FIVE AND SEVEN MINUTES. KAYLA: THE INTERRUPTIONS CONTINUED. AND WITH SCREENS OFF AND POSSIBLE FAKE NAMES, THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE WAY OF IDENTIFYING THE VERBAL ATTACKERS. &gt;&gt; IT IS ABOUT -- [BEEP] &gt;&gt; WHO SAID THAT? YOU ARE OUT OF HERE, BUD. KAYLA: ALL REPRESENTATIVE MARTI ANDERSON COULD DO IS KICK THEM OUT. &gt;&gt; SHE WAS FEELING BAD, BECAUSE THEY WERE USING THE N-WORD ON ME. I WAS FEELING BAD, BECAUSE THEY WERE USING THE B-WORD ON HER. KAYLA: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS INSTANTLY MORPHED INTO SHOCK AS THE VERBAL ONSLAUGHT CONTINUED. &gt;&gt; I HATE [BEE] KILL THEM ALL. WHITE POWER! KAYLA: THE FOUR REPRESENTATIVES HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION TO STOP LETTING PEOPLE JOIN THE VIRTUAL TOWN HALL. ABDUL-SAMAD SAYS THE INCIDENT WAS PAINFUL BUT IMPORTANT IN MAKING CHANGE. MR. ABDUL-SAMAD: WE NEED TO HAVE THAT REAL CONVERSATION AND THAT REALITY HIT SO THAT WE CAN MOVE TO THAT NEXT STAGE OF DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. &gt;&gt; THIS ISN’T KIDS BEING FUNNY. THIS ISN’T HAPPENSTANCE SITUATIONS. KAYLA: BREANNE WARD IS A LICENSED MENTAL-HEALTH COUNSELOR. SHE SAYS INCIDENTS LIKE THIS COME FROM PEOPLE LOOKING TO SPREAD HATE, AND IT’S NOT ALWAYS DIRECTED AT RACE. MS. WARD: I ALWAYS CALL THIS AN "-ISM" ISSUE. RIGHT? SO SEXISM. AGEISM. KAYLA: WARD SAYS PEOPLE USING ZOOM SHOULD LOOK INTO CHANGING THEIR PRIVACY SETTINGS. AS FOR THOSE DOING THE ATTACKING, WARD SAYS THEY NEED TO DO SOME SELF-INVENTORY AND ASK THEMSELVES QUESTIONS. MS. WARD: CAN I CALL A SUICIDE HOTLINE? CAN I DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO HELP ME WITH THE HURT THAT I’M EXPERIENCING?AdvertisementState rep says virtual meeting was disrupted with racial slurs, derogatory termsState Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad confirmed with KCCI that a virtual town hall meeting Saturday morning was interrupted with someone using racial slurs and derogatory terms. The meeting was between Representatives Abdul-Samad, Marti Anderson, Jo Olson and Janet Peterson. They hold monthly town halls to answer constituents' questions during the legislative session. "We were cutting them off and then they came back on," explained Abdul-Samad on Sunday. "So between five and seven minutes, they were interrupting. When you thought it was over, that's when they would jump back." The screens of the people who were verbally attacking were off. Abdul-Samad says he's unsure if the names displayed where real. Rep. Marti Anderson worked quickly to silence and kick them out. "She was feeling bad because they were using the N-word on me. I was feeling bad because they were using the B-word on her," said Abdul-Samad. Facial expressions instantly morphed into shock as the verbal onslaught continued. The decision had to be made to stop letting people join the virtual town hall. While he says the incident was painful, Abdul-Samad believes it was important in the push to bring about change. "We need to have that real conversation and that reality hit so that we can move to that next stage of doing something empowering," explained Abdul-Samad. Rep. Anderson tells KCCI she contacted the Division of Criminal Investigation. DCI tells KCCI they're aware of the incident and are reviewing the statements for possible further action. KCCI reported on a similar incident last May. It took place during a meeting between Des Moines City Council members and the city's Civil and Human Rights Commission. "This isn't kids being funny. This isn't happenstance situations," said Breanne Ward, a licensed mental health counselor and CEO of ForWard Consulting, LLC. According to Ward, incidents like this stem from people looking to spread hate and it goes beyond racism. "I always call this an 'ism' issue. Sexism. Ageism," explained Ward. "I think that has everything to do with unhealed hurt or permission to hate." As more and more people continue to use Zoom during the pandemic, Ward says it's important they look into changing their privacy settings: opting into the password protection model, enabling the waiting room and manually letting people in and disabling screen sharing. When it comes to people who are doing the attacking, Ward says they need to do some self-reflection and ask themselves questions. "Can I call a suicide hotline? Can I do something different to help me with the hurt that I'm experiencing?" suggested Ward.State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad confirmed with KCCI that a virtual town hall meeting Saturday morning was interrupted with someone using racial slurs and derogatory terms. The meeting was between Representatives Abdul-Samad, Marti Anderson, Jo Olson and Janet Peterson. They hold monthly town halls to answer constituents' questions during the legislative session.Advertisement"We were cutting them off and then they came back on," explained Abdul-Samad on Sunday. "So between five and seven minutes, they were interrupting. When you thought it was over, that's when they would jump back." The screens of the people who were verbally attacking were off. Abdul-Samad says he's unsure if the names displayed where real. Rep. Marti Anderson worked quickly to silence and kick them out."She was feeling bad because they were using the N-word on me. I was feeling bad because they were using the B-word on her," said Abdul-Samad.Facial expressions instantly morphed into shock as the verbal onslaught continued. The decision had to be made to stop letting people join the virtual town hall. While he says the incident was painful, Abdul-Samad believes it was important in the push to bring about change. "We need to have that real conversation and that reality hit so that we can move to that next stage of doing something empowering," explained Abdul-Samad. Rep. Anderson tells KCCI she contacted the Division of Criminal Investigation. DCI tells KCCI they're aware of the incident and are reviewing the statements for possible further action. KCCI reported on a last May. It took place during a meeting between Des Moines City Council members and the city's Civil and Human Rights Commission. "This isn't kids being funny. This isn't happenstance situations," said Breanne Ward, a licensed mental health counselor and CEO of . According to Ward, incidents like this stem from people looking to spread hate and it goes beyond racism. "I always call this an 'ism' issue. Sexism. Ageism," explained Ward. "I think that has everything to do with unhealed hurt or permission to hate." As more and more people continue to use Zoom during the pandemic, Ward says it's important they look into changing their privacy settings: opting into the password protection model, enabling the waiting room and manually letting people in and disabling screen sharing. When it comes to people who are doing the attacking, Ward says they need to do some self-reflection and ask themselves questions. "Can I call a suicide hotline? Can I do something different to help me with the hurt that I'm experiencing?" suggested Ward.Loading more articles...

AdvertisementState rep says virtual meeting was disrupted with racial slurs, derogatory termsHide TranscriptShow TranscriptAND WE WANT TO WARN YOU. THE VIDEO IS DISTURBING. KAYLA: STATE REPRESENTATIVES SAY THEY WERE ABOUT 30 MINUTES INTO THEIR TOWN HALL, ANSWERING CONSTITUENT QUESTIONS, WHEN THE FIRST OF THREE PEOPLE POPPED IN AND STARTED OFF WITH VULGAR RANTS. &gt;&gt; WE WERE CUTTING THEM OFF, AND THEN THEY COME BACK ON. AND WE CUT THEM OFF. SO BETWEEN FIVE AND SEVEN MINUTES. KAYLA: THE INTERRUPTIONS CONTINUED. AND WITH SCREENS OFF AND POSSIBLE FAKE NAMES, THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE WAY OF...

State rep says virtual meeting was disrupted with racial slurs, derogatory terms

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