A disruption at the Kenai City Council meeting caused the zoom call to be discontinued on Thursday, October 19th.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., council members were discussing an ordinance that would determine whether there would be an increase in funds for the Parks and Recreation Department to purchase playground equipment for the Kenai Municipal Airport.
In the midst of discussion, a group of voices overtook the zoom call, and expressed distrust in the council’s debate on whether to appropriate more funds, and started to make references towards the Israel-Hamas war.
“All this money that we give Israel and you guys can’t give us $100k for landscaping? We give Israel all this money to bomb Palestinians, and you guys can’t even make our neighborhoods nice? What’s the deal with that?”
Mayor Gabriel called for a debriefing to assess the situation.
Some profanities and discriminations towards certain religious groups were shared. Then references to 9/11 were made before the zoom call was discontinued.
After the debriefing, the meeting was called back to order in-person, and over a YouTube live feed.
Members of the council then proceeded with the meeting as usual. The ordinance of increasing estimated revenues and appropriate in the general fund for purchasing playground equipment then passed with 5 in favor and 2 absent.
As the meeting came to a close, the council was apologetic to the listeners of the meeting, and the words they witnessed.