COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — After a heated meeting to determine whether to censure the College Park mayor on Friday, the city's police department stated it is ready to prosecute those who "violated the law."
The College Park Police Department is reviewing video from the Aug. 9 special meeting where tension was on full display; officers had to take some people out of the room in handcuffs.
City officials said in a statement officers followed the law and acted within their authority when they removed people because of the disruptions.
"Anyone observed violating Georgia Code 16-11-34 (a person who recklessly or knowingly commits any act reasonably expected to prevent or disrupt a law meeting, gathering or procession is guilty of a misdemeanor) will be prosecuted to the extent of the law," said a memo addressed to the mayor and city council from College Park Police Chief Connie Rogers.
City council members voted unanimously to censure or condemn Mayor Bianca Motley Broom Friday evening. The special meeting was held after the council claimed Motley Broom acted out during their regularly scheduled meeting last Monday.
Friday's meeting was contentious and quickly turned chaotic after the reading of the first item on the agenda. After Motley Broom asked the city clerk which council member asked for the item regarding her censuring to be put on the agenda, no one would answer until council member Joe Carn pushed for the meeting to move forward.
Once the item was read, the council lost decorum after someone in the crowd yelled out about his disapproval and officers escorted him out. The crowd started clapping and yelling after his outburst and the interim city manager ordered for the room to be cleared.
"We believe in the First Amendment, but we also believe in law and order, and we are committed to upholding both," Rogers said in her statement Monday.
The room on Friday night was left empty with residents in the hallway, a husband and wife were put in cuffs to be escorted out, and the meeting was almost adjourned. The city clerk recommended the meeting be suspended, citing the need for judicial review and a recommendation on how to proceed with the rules in the city's charter. Despite that, the meeting continued, with the council members voting to suspend all questions on the rest of the items on the agenda.
Chief Rogers stated that further updates will be provided to the public to maintain transparency and accountability. It's unclear how long the investigation will take.
The city statement said it plans to amend its policies to address the lack of decorum and breaches of order at public meetings.