Tuesday's Franklin County Commissioners meeting was disrupted by a racist, explicit video that was played on the meeting's Zoom feed.
It's the latest and loudest in a series of hate messages that have been left in Franklin County, including at restaurants.
The video began playing on TV screens in the commissioners’ meeting room as commissioners were trying to approve a resolution for women in business. The video included pornographic scenes and white men in Ku Klux Klan hoods. The video also included antisemitic remarks and slurs against Black and gay people, explained Erica Crawley, president of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.
Crawley said she was “caught off-guard, surprised, stunned,” and then “very angry” when the video played.
“The intent is clear: to be disruptive, to make racist comments and create an environment where people don't feel comfortable or safe here in Franklin County,” Crawley told WOSU. She added, “Franklin County is open to everyone.”
The video comes after a recent incident where a customer at a Mexican restaurant on Columbus' Far East Side scrawled the message, “I hope Trump deports you,” on a receipt in place of a tip. There have been other reports of hate messages in Franklin County over the past week on social media, including the owner of a Columbus-area Japanese restaurant reportedly receiving a letter filled with racist threats.
"It only stops when people in the community say that we won't accept this, that this is not the type of environment we want to live in,” Crawley said.
Cawley said county IT is working to make sure they can still safely offer meetings over Zoom. She said the commissioners have seen increased meeting participation because they offer Zoom access.
“We want to continue to offer that to everyone, but we want to do it where it can be safe and secure and we're not getting messages or disturbing videos,” Crawley said.
She called hacking the county’s Zoom meeting “cowardly.”
Commissioners are working with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Franklin County’s Prosecutor’s Office to investigate and potentially press charges against the person or people involved. Crawley said it’s not yet clear who hacked the Zoom feed.
“We condemn that behavior in all of its forms and the display of racist, antisemitic and inappropriate videos not only undermines the integrity of our governance, but also tarnishes the principles of respect and inclusivity that we strive to uphold in our community,” Crawley said. “We stand united against any hate and bigotry, and we won't allow the voices of division to overshadow the essential discussions and the work that we're doing here.”
