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Residents call on Councilwoman Hallam to apologize or resign over social-media post
Summary
During public comment, speakers accused Councilwoman Bethany Hallam of making an inflammatory social-media post regarding Gaza and urged her to apologize or resign; the council did not take formal action at the meeting.
Two public speakers said a social-media post by Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam was inflammatory and called on her to apologize or resign.
Joseph Aguglia said a friend of his had been a victim in a recent attack and framed the online environment as demonstrating that "hate should have no place in Allegheny County." He urged the council to pass and champion legislation to prevent hate crimes.
Heather Pope said she had seen a post she attributed to Councilwoman Bethany Hallam that stated, in part, "another week of watching people burned alive in Gaza and were still required to be civil with Zionist." Pope called that language "extremely inflammatory and anti Semitic" and said she was "ashamed and dismayed" the council did not immediately condemn the comment. Pope asked the council to seek Hallam's resignation or, at minimum, an apology.
The speakers cited contemporaneous violence in other jurisdictions and said the post was made public before it was removed. The council did not record any formal censure, rebuke, or request for resignation during the meeting; no council member's response to the allegation was recorded on the meeting record provided.
The matter was raised during the public-comment period; it was not on the agenda as a formal item for council action during this meeting.
