Last Monday evening’s Kenmore City Council meeting was disrupted by vile, bigoted, and racist hate speech. Hate has no place in Kenmore, and the City unequivocally condemns these comments and will always fight against racism in all its ugly forms.

The abhorrent comments were made remotely via the online participation platform during the public hearing portion of a tree protection ordinance. The mayor reminded these commenters that their remarks had to be on topic. When they refused to comply, they were quickly removed from the call. The comments appear to have come from one person pretending to be several individuals. In cowardly fashion, the commenter hid their identity.

The City of Kenmore stands firm against those who promote such fear and hate. The City’s adopted Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility policy and strategic plan put forth the City’s efforts to advance racial and social justice, equity, and inclusion, and we will not allow incidents such as what happened last Monday evening to undermine those efforts. 

For more information or support, feel free to contact the City at 425-398-8900 or cityhall@kenmorewa.gov