In recent Saratoga Springs City Council meetings Saratoga residents have begun to raise concerns about the public’s ability to speak during the public comment period given the monopolization of the floor and disruptions of meetings by local Black Lives Matters activists.

In this post, I am presenting two brief videos from June City Council meetings.

The first is from the public comment period at the June 6 Saratoga Springs City Council meeting. A gentleman who identified himself as Jeff Gresavage expresses his support for the national mission of Black Lives Matter but expresses reservations regarding the tactics of the local group. He is shouted down by the local BLM activists.

The second video is from the June 20 meeting. Mary Beth Delarm addresses the City Council regarding their failure to maintain civil order at their meetings and expresses her concern regarding the undermining of democracy when citizens are discouraged from addressing their elected officials.