Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Free Speech Kiosk Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public raises free‑speech concerns about proposed electronic kiosks; council says hybrid approach preserves posting rights
Summary
During public comment, a resident questioned how proposed hybrid kiosks (electronic plus tack boards) would handle controversial messages; council said the hybrid design preserves the ability to post physical notices, that electronic displays are intended for municipal wayfinding/events, and that hate‑speech policies would apply.
Irfan Kawaja of Kilo Road told the council during public comment that he remains unconvinced about replacing paper kiosks with electronic versions and asked how the town would regulate content if kiosks include an electronic display.
Kawaja listed five example messages he said he had seen in town and asked whether the council would accept them for posting: an obscenity spelled out in full, "Free Gaza," "Death to the IDF," "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," and "Naftali Bennett is a war criminal." He asked how those messages would be handled if presented as either tack‑on flyers or requests for electronic display.
Council responses emphasized that a hybrid kiosk design would retain a portion of the kiosk for physical public postings and that the town's approach is intended to protect constitutional posting freedoms for the physical portion. Council President Lambros said the electronic portion is envisioned primarily for municipal signage, wayfinding and event notices and that details about electronic content curation "remain to be determined" and would be reviewed legally.
A council representative also said the municipality would have a policy against "any type of hate speech," but that how the hybrid system will be managed is still under discussion and legal review.
What happens next: Council indicated there will be additional presentations on the hybrid kiosk design, a design contest for the kiosk look, and further conversations about content policy; the council did not adopt specific content rules during the meeting.
