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Speaker at Boulder council meeting criticizes leaders over Gaza, council enforces sign-size rule
Summary
During open comment at the Aug. 7, 2025, Boulder City Council meeting, speaker Sarah Napier criticized city leaders for supporting Israel and warned of children dying; the council’s presiding officer and the deputy city attorney enforced meeting decorum and a sign-size rule requiring oversized signs to be removed from the chamber.
Sarah Napier told the Boulder City Council during the Aug. 7 open-comment period that "thousands and thousands of children are going to die," and criticized elected officials for sending tax dollars to Israel.
"Where is your humanity? Because for months and months and months, we have asked you to do the bare minimum," Napier said. "Your legacy is gonna be 20 years from now, we're gonna have to apologize for you guys. You're gonna have to make public apologies for not standing up for children who are dying of starvation."
Napier described the experience of starvation in graphic terms: "Starving to death is painful. Your body shuts down. Your brain shuts down. You cannot move. You scream in agony," she said during the public-comment period.
Presiding officials interrupted and limited Napier's time under the council—s public participation rules. Earlier in the meeting, staff read the city's public-participation guidelines and decorum requirements, which say participants must sign up under their commonly used name, display their name to speak online, limit remarks to matters related to city business, and follow size limits for signs.
Deputy City Attorney Dorota Ramirez told the chamber that signs larger than 11 by 17 inches are not permitted inside the meeting room and must be moved outside. "You are correct. So they will have to be outside," Ramirez said when the presiding officer sought confirmation of the rule.
The transcript shows the presiding officer repeatedly warned the audience to be quiet and ordered removal of oversized signs; the meeting was briefly recessed when chamber disturbances continued. The comments were made during the public-comment portion of the agenda; the transcript does not record any council action or formal response on the substance of Napier—s remarks.
