An Arizona mayor had a woman arrested during a recent city council meeting for speaking out against the city attorney, in clear violation of meeting rules.
On Tuesday, Rebecca Massey, 32, attended a city council meeting in Surprise, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb of about 143,000 people. When it was her turn to speak during public comment, Massey said: Sinclair National Desk and Surprise City Attorney Robert Wingo as “libertarian activists.” increase He was reportedly given.
“Don’t lay a hand on me!”
Massey said Wingo “committed numerous violations, or alleged violations, and showed blatant disregard for not only the Arizona Revised Statutes and the State Bar’s Rules of Professional Conduct, but also the Arizona Constitution and the federal Bill of Rights.”
Massie then cited issues with the integrity of past elections and claimed Wingo “did nothing” about them.
Shortly after, Mayor Skip Hall warned Massie that “personally attacking the city attorney” appeared to violate one of the rules governing public comments. The rules say:
Oral communications during a City Council meeting may not be used to make accusations or complaints against members of City officials or agencies, regardless of whether the person is identified by name in the presentation or by other references that lead to their identification.
Massie countered that he was only sharing “factual information” and that the rule itself was “unconstitutional.”
“It’s a violation of my First Amendment rights,” she said calmly.
Massie also argued that if he stood at the podium and yelled expletives at Hall for three minutes, his speech would be “protected” by the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent.
At that point, Hall became enraged and threatened to escort Massey out of the chamber, and Massey acknowledged that meeting rules prohibited him from publicly criticizing city officials but reiterated his argument that the rules were unconstitutional.
“That’s your opinion,” Hall argued.
Massey said she was stunned that Mayor Hall would threaten to drag her out of the room, in front of her 10-year-old daughter, who was in attendance, for simply exercising her “First Amendment rights,” and suggested Mayor Hall may have violated meeting rules regarding debate.
After further back and forth, a security guard approached the podium and attempted to remove Massey from the stage, and when Massey refused, the guard began placing her hands behind her back.
“Don’t lay a hand on me!” Massey yelled.
“Are you kidding me?” she continued. “Why am I in custody? On what charge?”
Police forcibly dragged a screaming Massey out of the meeting, and video footage of the meeting showed another attendee, believed to be Massey’s daughter, rushing away as well.
Massey was subsequently charged with trespassing, a third-degree misdemeanor, as well as resisting arrest and obstructing governmental business, both first-degree misdemeanors.
According to Not the Bee, Massey claims she was not read her Miranda rights or allowed access to an attorney, and she also accused the arresting officers of throwing her to the ground and against a wall.
“I am not resisting. My daughter is here. I don’t know what is going on. They say I am being held but I don’t know why I am being held,” Massey told Not the Bee.
The city argued that Massey’s Miranda rights were not recognized in her case because she was not questioned, but merely summoned and released. City officials “maintain their position that their anti-free speech policy does not violate the First Amendment,” Not the Bee reported.
You can see the whole meeting hereMassey appears at about 1:58:04.
source: TikTok’s library
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