My name is Megan Alter; I am the Mayor pro tempore of Iowa City. Over the past two City Council meetings, the public has been exposed to hate speech by cowards who feel emboldened by speaking through our Zoom meeting capacity, which is intended to create greater accessibility for people to engage. Indeed, hateful cowardice thinks it has taken the mic. But what City Council and the public have heard is not engagement; it is opportunistic, ignorant hatred. When I first started attending meetings back in 2018, focus was intently concerned with local issues: the deer population, building heights, and types of development in the Downtown District (for example). Once I became a councilor in the shadow of BLM and Covid, Council’s concerns broadened because these larger concerns are also incredibly local. Thus, our work increasingly focused on national (and international) concerns that live at a local level. And here we are today: dealing with trolls while the horrific humanitarian crisis between Israel and Palestine is worsening by the hour, let alone the day. It is complex, has a long history, and above all else, it impacts our community horribly — as a community we are suffering through death and pain, outrage and frustration, and sorrow. So much sorrow. But there are those who wish to exploit our community’s collective grief and passion by spewing racist, Anti-Semitic, homophobic, fascist rhetoric. As a Councilor — as a person — I strongly honor free speech. 

I even more strongly condemn people logging into Zoom to spread vitriol and lies. I stand with the many community members who have written to the Council in rightful distress about what they’ve heard. I know we are stronger together. We will do everything in our legal power to mitigate and eradicate hate in whatever form it appears before us.

– Mayor Pro Tem Megan Alter, At-Large Iowa City City Council Member