A city council meeting ended in chaos after members of the public demanded answers to a recent influx of Haitian migrants.
Residents of Sylacauga, AL, have reportedly witnessed more than 50 migrants being bussed into the city in recent weeks. However, efforts to get to the bottom of the issue have been difficult with the governor’s office claiming it has not received any information from the federal government.
On Thursday, September 5, concerned residents asked questions of the five councilmembers on Sylacauga City Council. Initial concerns were brushed aside by council president Tiffany Nix who said, “I’m going to welcome anybody to Sylacauga that wants to come to Sylacauga.”
A second resident, David Phillips, then approached the podium and called the attitude of the council “entirely unacceptable”.
“Do we know where the individuals we’re discussing are coming from?” he asked. “Where’s their point of origin? Because you’re treating them like lawful U.S. citizens, which they are not.”
“OK, so I’m going to cut it off,” Nix responded. “Because we’ve had three people come up. I’m going to cut it off because we have no reason to launch an investigation or to treat people differently because of how they look. There is no reason for it.”
As the meeting was adjourned, furious residents lambasted the council, many of whom yelled, “This is our city!” after they were denied the right to speak.
Many on social media were critical of the council’s response to public concerns.
There was also an influx of memes in response to the meeting.
