A Palm Beach County public meeting grew tense as some people criticized the county’s investment in Israel bonds. Sheriff’s deputies removed several attendees, including a woman arrested on a trespassing charge.
Read more GOP Miami rep. warns Trump’s immigration crackdown could lose Latino voters
Noura Erakat, a Palestinian American activist, was arrested and charged with trespassing, accused of refusing to leave the county’s governmental center in West Palm Beach, according to the arrest affidavit. In a statement posted on social media, Erakat wrote she was released on bond and has a court date set.
“What we witnessed (Tuesday) in Palm Beach County was alarming and terrifying,” she wrote. “Cops swarmed the room and demanded anyone who came to speak on the bonds leave. I refused. The whole scenario was absurd and a glimpse into how protecting Israel requires the sabotage of democratic norms.”
In a text message to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the executive director of the Internationalist Law Center wrote that Erakat is not providing comment as the center determines her legal defense.
County commissioners had gathered Tuesday to determine budget items, including setting the tax rate and approving more than $8.2 billion in countywide funds. But many of the people who attended the meeting showed up to decry the Israel bonds, with one person — not Erakat — during public comment calling them an “obscene investment.”
At the beginning of the meeting, County Mayor Sara Baxter explained that public comments had to be limited to the county’s budget, which does not include Israel bonds.
“If you are not on topic, I will ask you to please get on topic, and if you cannot, I will ask you to be removed if you cannot stay on topic,” she said.
According to the county’s rules of procedure, “the content of all public comment shall be limited to Board (of County Commissioners) business.”
Baxter also limited the time for public comment from three minutes per speaker to one minute per speaker because she said they had more than 15 public comment cards.
Shortly after public comment began, one person started to express disdain for Israel bond investment, and Baxter stopped him. She asked County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo to explain how bonds work.
Read more Judge orders Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes
Abruzzo said while the commission sets a “ceiling” for investment, the county’s Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller actually decides what is invested in Israel bonds.
Abruzzo previously served as the comptroller, at a time when he led the county toward becoming the largest holder of Israel bonds.
Despite the commission’s warnings, several people still attempted to speak out against the Israel bonds.
“A billion dollars goes a long way in this county where so many families are suffering and need more resources,” said Cara Jennings, a Lake Worth Beach resident. “To try to divorce this from other policies that influence how you spend our public money, I think is problematic, and I encourage you to take special issue about the bonds and to incorporate it into the conversation about the budget.”
At one point during the meeting, Commissioner Joel Flores told a man in military garb who spoke during public comment that he was “embarrassing that uniform.”
The crowd erupted after Flores’ comment, booing and shouting until Baxter called for a recess.
When the commissioners returned, they approved the various budgetary items and praised the Sheriff’s Office for stepping in to control the meeting.
“I’ve been in government a long time, but I’ve never seen a ruckus like this,” Commissioner Maria Sachs said.
Read more Docs in A.I. copyright suit reveal startling admission by Microsoft exec over ‘astonishing theft’