DEAR WEHO: Mayor must control ‘chaos’ in Council Chambers

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Dear Mayor Shyne,

It is with great concern and disappointment that we are writing this letter. 

The past several council meetings have been appalling to the community and our reputation as a city which does not tolerate discrimination. We are very concerned that antisemitic and ageist comments have been allowed in chambers as well as the use of profanity. 

The fact that as Mayor you did not speak up against this and enforce how citizens are to conduct themselves in chambers only allows for this kind of hatred to be spread upon our city streets and encourages others to behave in the same manner while addressing council.  This is not to be considered free speech. This is chaos and a complete disregard for those of us who do not want hate speech to have a voice in our city. There is no excuse for this behavior and rules should be enforced as to how people can conduct themselves in meetings, especially as it is televised. 

City leaders are to be the example of what is acceptable and tolerated, and should immediately stand up against such behavior. We demand that something be done immediately.

Regards, 

Bobbie Edrick & Jim Banks

Captain & Co-Captain,
Norma Triangle Neighborhood

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Mikie Friedman
Mikie Friedman
1 year ago

Sepi could take a lesson from Tod Hallman! At last night’s public safety commission meeting, he, in a quiet but forceful way, did a good job of preventing A J Vicente from continuously disrupting the meeting with her outbursts!

Productive Meeting
Productive Meeting
1 year ago
Reply to  Mikie Friedman

Exactly. Tod Hallman had two potential seriously disruptive issues to deal with. The evolution was productive to watch and would be good for anyone in the community to review. The valued contributions of two commissioners unfortunately at the end of their service added to an unusual dynamic which Robert Oliver was then able to extrapolate

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
1 year ago

I would encourage the city to strongly increase security at meetings and City hall, including metal detectors. There are clearly mentally ill angry people who speak nonsense. Take some of the handout money from the homeless, and buy some metal wonds and detectors, and do it today.

Eastside Straight Girl
Eastside Straight Girl
1 year ago
Reply to  WehoQueen

Completely agree with you WeHoQueen! It’s time to protect everyone that goes to those meetings from the crackpots that come from the outside of WeHo to start more chaos! It’s just a matter of when…….

Back To Zoom For Safety
Back To Zoom For Safety
1 year ago
Reply to  WehoQueen

A disaster waiting to happen! Extremely concerned about attending. Perhaps the City Manager & City Attorney should return the meetings to Zoom until the public has complete confidence that this issue has been eliminated. No one ever could have conceived that we would have experiences the Jan 6 Capital tragedy occur. Annie Jump Vicente has given multiple indications of extreme instability and has set an example to other bad actors.

Eastside Straight Girl
Eastside Straight Girl
1 year ago

In the last several meetings that I have observed, John Heilman was called a white Nazi and both Meister & Heilman have been horribly attacked repeatedly for their skin color, white hair & age. I am sure that if AJVincente started to call the city manager the “N” word or made comments about Queen Sepi’s skin color, it would be dealt with quite forcefully. The part that I am struggling with is that all of the name calling is simply abusive! Is verbal abuse tolerated as free speech just for certain groups & if so….at what degree do you allow… Read more »

Joshua88
Joshua88
1 year ago

The City Attorney addressed this at the last meeting.

Didn’t anybody pay attention to what she said?

Failed to Address Subject
Failed to Address Subject
1 year ago
Reply to  Joshua88

Apparently you were swayed by the “word salad” Atty. Langer used when she failed to fully address the subject.

Eastside Straight Girl
Eastside Straight Girl
1 year ago
Reply to  Joshua88

yes, I heard the free speech dialogue however she did not address to what extent the abusive name calling can go before it goes into a category of hate speech.

Joshua88
Joshua88
1 year ago

Abusive rants may never cross over into hate speech. As I wrote above, anybody has the right to make an absolute ass of him/herself in a public forum/

Enough!
Enough!
1 year ago
Reply to  Joshua88

The city can and has set rules of conduct for city meeting. Rules apply to the council as well as to the public. When they are not followed, there is recourse. Rules need to be followed to have a respectable, orderly meeting. Non enforcement of the rules means that things spiral into absurdity. Allowing this outrageous behavior to continue only encourages more of it. We can’t allow that.

Woke Up
Woke Up
1 year ago
Reply to  Joshua88

I hope you’re not talking about Annie!!! She is the major highlight of those dreadful boring meetings. Where you have to listen to that dreadful boring mayor slobber on about Iran for 15 minutes. Or the totally absurd John Erickson perform. A message to Annie: confront the city council on who’s getting a kickback or commissions from BBB or the scooter companies.

Joshua88
Joshua88
1 year ago
Reply to  Woke Up

I was speaking in generalities. But Annie would qualify for my statement.

Koweho
Koweho
1 year ago

City council meetings in West Hollywood have always been a three ring circus. Even Jean Dobrin (god rest her soul), now an icon since her passing, was treated just awful so many times at city council meetings. I think the solution is when you go to speak, they put an electrified collar on you and when your 2 minutes is up, they zap you. That would really condition the speakers.

Eastside Straight Girl
Eastside Straight Girl
1 year ago
Reply to  Koweho

Or better yet, make the name calling people actually wear an electric dog collar & when they start barking the abusive name calling….zap them at the highest level! THAT will shut them up!

Koweho
Koweho
1 year ago

Yes, this would also be a good practice!

Dog Barking
Dog Barking
1 year ago

Maybe when the speaker begins the abusive behavior and/or name calling, mute them and play 2 minutes of dog barking. Laugh them out of the chamber.

Manny
Manny
1 year ago

These meetings have turned into a complete debacle. Aside from what’s brought up in this article, the cutting off of speakers when their time has expired seems harsh for some while others are given a more lenient pass.

It should be made very clear by the person running the meeting that public speakers have 2 minutes. Everyone who runs long should be given notice in the same tone.

Enough!
Enough!
1 year ago
Reply to  Manny

It’s time for more people to speak up and demand more from our so-called-leaders!

Red E Group
Red E Group
1 year ago
Reply to  Manny

People were better behaved in 7th grade. Rather than a passing grade Sepi would receive an” F” and be put on what we had in boarding school “RED E GROUP” …..all social privileges revokes. People learned fast!

voter
voter
1 year ago

Time to ban this Annie clown from Council meetings. This person has been indulged to the point of madness. Look at the result.

WeHo Mary!
WeHo Mary!
1 year ago

So they basically want the Mayor to kick out Annie J. Vicente?

Enough!
Enough!
1 year ago
Reply to  WeHo Mary!

There is a certain level of decorum that the public must following in order to have civilized meetings (there are actual rules in place!). So yes, if, after a warning, any individual cannot conduct themselves in a civilized manner, they should be removed from the meeting.

resident
resident
1 year ago
Reply to  WeHo Mary!

Yes we do. This creep has done enough harm to the people of West Hollywood. Put on muzzle on it.

Grant
Grant
1 year ago

Email I sent to Council on 2/7- no reply.SepiYou are the leader of the council sessions. I don’t understand why you allow Annie to speak out of turn towards Lauren, disrespecting older people, or how you don’t step in when Annie calls Heilman a Nazi. You claim to be all about respect and get all bent out of shape when Mickey refers to you sounding like Trump, but accept this behavior under your leadership.  I recall Lauren, when leading the sessions, often called out Annie on her dis respect, but you allow it.Time for you to step into your roll as Major in… Read more »

Mikie Friedman
Mikie Friedman
1 year ago
Reply to  Grant

Grant,
Sadly, you are right. Mayor Shyne said she would not tolerate, perceived “disrespect” aimed at her, supposedly coming from me…but she seems to have no trouble tolerating and “hearing” very real disrespect hurled at her fellow councilmembers by Annie J. Vicente. So, again, much like Trump, Mayor Shyne demands respect and loyalty from her colleagues, but not does not give it in return.
Is it because she may be jealous of councilmembers Meister and Heilman’s intelligence, common sense, AND popularity with WeHo residents? Who knows?
mikie (not Mickey) 😊

Last edited 1 year ago by Mikie Friedman
Reading Rainbow
Reading Rainbow
1 year ago

This Council Member (aka unelected Mayor) takes no responsibility or make any attempt to control the chaos and foul language at these meetings.There isn’t much an unelected Mayor in Weho has to do at council meetings other than to protect decorum in the room. But instead, she unfairly dumps that responsibility to the city clerk. Who also does nothing.

At her over-the-top induction ceremony, this unelected Mayor was very proud to take pictures with the Mayor’s gavel……She should try using it.

Steve Martin
Steve Martin
1 year ago

The Clerk could cut the microphone.

Enough!
Enough!
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Martin

The Sheriff could escort the person out of the meeting. Should not be tolerated.

Steve Martin
Steve Martin
1 year ago
Reply to  Enough!

I went to the City Council meeting and suggested that the meetings could benefit by having mental health out-reach workers present.

Eric
Eric
1 year ago

Exactly! Sepi does absolutely nothing to control the chaos, possibly cause she’s intimidated by this particular public speaker who spouts out ageist and antisemitic remarks. She is not fit to hold the title of Major.

Woke Up
Woke Up
1 year ago

Why doesn’t she just resigned? She’s probably the most hated mayor in California if not the United States.

Outraged
Outraged
1 year ago
Reply to  Woke Up

There is a RECALL CAMPAIGN under way that needs about 150 signatures to go on a ballot. Who’s in? The neighborhood associations are working on it.

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
1 year ago
Reply to  Outraged

Waste of tine as the freeloaders on the Eastside who Sepi bribes with free taxpayers funded handouts will turn out in droves to protect this monster