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Tribal member says library board meeting included racial slurs; urges council to pause room‑naming
Summary
A representative of the local tribe told the council that a recent Astoria library board meeting included racial slurs and personal attacks toward tribal members during a room‑naming discussion and urged councilors to halt the room‑naming process and seek compromise and better engagement.
Todd Lawson, speaking during the meeting’s public‑comment portion, said tribal members who attempted to participate in a recent library board meeting were subjected to racial slurs and personal attacks and that the process left tribal participants "devastated." He urged the council to pause the library room‑naming process and work toward compromise and constructive engagement.
"There was a recent library board meeting that turned out to be really horrible for the tribe... people commented through racial slurs and personal attacks, and it was just really got out of hand," Lawson said. He said his request was not simply a three‑minute comment but a call for a more formal discussion of process and meaningful dialogue with tribal stakeholders.
Lawson said the tribe has historic claims and that the subject is not ancient history — citing federal disenrollment actions in 1953 — and asked the council to use the library matter as a potential prototype for how the city handles sensitive cultural and historical subjects moving forward. The mayor and council acknowledged the comment and then proceeded to announce an executive session on litigation matters later in the agenda.
