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Speakers condemn harassment of LGBTQ resident; Council president apologizes and pledges stricter enforcement
Summary
At the June 10 Scranton City Council meeting, dozens of residents demanded stronger protections for LGBTQ people after last week's hateful public comments. Council President Gerald Smurll apologized and council members pledged better enforcement of speaker rules; several speakers urged ordinance changes and sanctuary-city action.
Council President Gerald Smurll opened the June 10 Scranton City Council meeting with an apology for failing to maintain order during last week’s meeting and for not intervening sooner when hateful remarks were directed at a public speaker.
"I apologize for not performing under my job properly," Smurll said, adding that he accepts responsibility and will enforce council rules going forward.
The apology set the tone for a lengthy public comment period in which more than a dozen residents and community leaders urged the council to take concrete steps to protect LGBTQ residents and to strictly enforce rules that bar personal attacks in the chambers. Speakers called for strengthened nondiscrimination protections, explicit protections for gender-affirming health care and clearer penalties for harassment during public comment.
Angela Ramon, a resident who said she handed the council a copy of the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance (identified in comments as "chapter 2-96"), said the ordinance "is quite extensive in its protections for…
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