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| Shouting, Finger-Pointing and Threats in a Florida City on Edge | Shouting, Finger-Pointing and Threats in a Florida City on Edge |
| (7 days later) | |
| HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — They were both yelling. | HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — They were both yelling. |
| She banged the gavel and walked off. | She banged the gavel and walked off. |
| He pointed his fingers and clapped in frustration. | He pointed his fingers and clapped in frustration. |
| The showdown last week between the mayor of Lake Worth Beach, Fla., and a city commissioner, captured in an explosive two-minute-and-17-second video clip that resulted in death threats by viewers, provides a glimpse into the high-stakes tension facing local government officials across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. Debates over shutdowns and containment measures and their economic impact are boiling over as stakes rise. | The showdown last week between the mayor of Lake Worth Beach, Fla., and a city commissioner, captured in an explosive two-minute-and-17-second video clip that resulted in death threats by viewers, provides a glimpse into the high-stakes tension facing local government officials across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. Debates over shutdowns and containment measures and their economic impact are boiling over as stakes rise. |
| The city commissioner, Omari Hardy, had watched the news as the coronavirus transformed from a distant outbreak to a threat to local lives. | The city commissioner, Omari Hardy, had watched the news as the coronavirus transformed from a distant outbreak to a threat to local lives. |
| Mr. Hardy thought the city of about 38,000, which stretches seven square miles not far from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, needed to act quickly to blunt the spread of the coronavirus and to protect the city’s most vulnerable. | Mr. Hardy thought the city of about 38,000, which stretches seven square miles not far from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, needed to act quickly to blunt the spread of the coronavirus and to protect the city’s most vulnerable. |
| He wanted officials to immediately ban large public gatherings, stop shutting off delinquent electric and water accounts, establish more protections for city workers, and find out who had lawful emergency powers. | He wanted officials to immediately ban large public gatherings, stop shutting off delinquent electric and water accounts, establish more protections for city workers, and find out who had lawful emergency powers. |
| Mr. Hardy said that he had tried to arrange a special commission meeting for a week as cases in Florida multiplied, but that at every turn, his requests were dismissed by the city manager, Michael Bornstein, who at one point told him to “calm down.” | Mr. Hardy said that he had tried to arrange a special commission meeting for a week as cases in Florida multiplied, but that at every turn, his requests were dismissed by the city manager, Michael Bornstein, who at one point told him to “calm down.” |
| So by the time the five-member commission met on Thursday, Mr. Hardy was seething. And it would not be long before everybody knew it. | So by the time the five-member commission met on Thursday, Mr. Hardy was seething. And it would not be long before everybody knew it. |
| At the end of a fraught two-hour meeting, Mr. Hardy unleashed his exasperation on Mayor Pam Triolo and Mr. Bornstein in a fiery speech that would be alternatively characterized on social media as heroic and disrespectful after it was posted online last week by The Palm Beach Post. | At the end of a fraught two-hour meeting, Mr. Hardy unleashed his exasperation on Mayor Pam Triolo and Mr. Bornstein in a fiery speech that would be alternatively characterized on social media as heroic and disrespectful after it was posted online last week by The Palm Beach Post. |
| “I was angry. I wish that I hadn’t lost my cool,” said Mr. Hardy, 30, a former middle school civics teacher elected to the commission three years ago. “I felt strongly that I needed to say the things I said, and the public needed to know how wrong this is. But I wish I hadn’t been yelling.” | “I was angry. I wish that I hadn’t lost my cool,” said Mr. Hardy, 30, a former middle school civics teacher elected to the commission three years ago. “I felt strongly that I needed to say the things I said, and the public needed to know how wrong this is. But I wish I hadn’t been yelling.” |
| Mr. Hardy, who describes himself as a progressive Democrat, insisted that the city was on its way to creating its own crisis by taking away utilities from some of the poorest residents because they could not pay their bills. | Mr. Hardy, who describes himself as a progressive Democrat, insisted that the city was on its way to creating its own crisis by taking away utilities from some of the poorest residents because they could not pay their bills. |
| “This is a banana republic is what you’re turning this place into with your so-called leadership,” Mr. Hardy shouted at Ms. Triolo in the meeting, his voice booming. “We should have been talking about this last week. We cut off people’s utilities this week and made them pay what could have been their last check — to us — to turn their lights on in a global health pandemic. But you don’t care about that. You didn’t want to meet.” | “This is a banana republic is what you’re turning this place into with your so-called leadership,” Mr. Hardy shouted at Ms. Triolo in the meeting, his voice booming. “We should have been talking about this last week. We cut off people’s utilities this week and made them pay what could have been their last check — to us — to turn their lights on in a global health pandemic. But you don’t care about that. You didn’t want to meet.” |
| Ms. Triolo did not sit idly by. She repeatedly slammed the gavel to recess the meeting and quiet Mr. Hardy. And she yelled right back at him. | Ms. Triolo did not sit idly by. She repeatedly slammed the gavel to recess the meeting and quiet Mr. Hardy. And she yelled right back at him. |
| “Point of order! You are done. You’re done. You’re done. Disrespectful,” she said, marching out of the meeting and into a back room of City Hall. But social distance did nothing to slow the argument; it continued from two separate rooms as other commissioners sat quietly. | “Point of order! You are done. You’re done. You’re done. Disrespectful,” she said, marching out of the meeting and into a back room of City Hall. But social distance did nothing to slow the argument; it continued from two separate rooms as other commissioners sat quietly. |
| Ms. Triolo, 52, a moderate Republican in her fourth term as mayor, suggested that Mr. Hardy’s rant was intentional grandstanding for attention — he is running for a seat in the State House. She said that his actions amounted to bullying and that the issue of utility shut-offs had been inaccurately portrayed. | Ms. Triolo, 52, a moderate Republican in her fourth term as mayor, suggested that Mr. Hardy’s rant was intentional grandstanding for attention — he is running for a seat in the State House. She said that his actions amounted to bullying and that the issue of utility shut-offs had been inaccurately portrayed. |
| “He hijacked this meeting to talk about something that was not even on the budget,” she said. “He was aggressive and completely out of order. That snippet was taken out of context. It was damaging and gave our city a black eye.” | “He hijacked this meeting to talk about something that was not even on the budget,” she said. “He was aggressive and completely out of order. That snippet was taken out of context. It was damaging and gave our city a black eye.” |
| Updated August 4, 2020 | |
| Mr. Bornstein acknowledged that service to dozens of residents had been suspended earlier, but he said no utility disconnections had taken place since a moratorium was announced on Wednesday, the day before the explosive meeting. Those customers had already had their service restored, he said, and fines had been reversed. | Mr. Bornstein acknowledged that service to dozens of residents had been suspended earlier, but he said no utility disconnections had taken place since a moratorium was announced on Wednesday, the day before the explosive meeting. Those customers had already had their service restored, he said, and fines had been reversed. |
| The city later announced additional protections for city workers, including paid leave, and closed the public golf course, but it left the beach — which attracts about 3,000 visitors daily — open until the governor, Ron DeSantis, ordered beaches closed in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. | The city later announced additional protections for city workers, including paid leave, and closed the public golf course, but it left the beach — which attracts about 3,000 visitors daily — open until the governor, Ron DeSantis, ordered beaches closed in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. |
| Mr. Hardy said he could hardly sleep after the commission meeting. He knew the shouting match had been videotaped. He did not know how it would land among residents — or that it would eventually be viewed more than four million times. | Mr. Hardy said he could hardly sleep after the commission meeting. He knew the shouting match had been videotaped. He did not know how it would land among residents — or that it would eventually be viewed more than four million times. |
| “I wondered what people would think of me, this black man yelling at this older white woman, which is why I didn’t chase her out of the room to finish my point,” he said, adding that most responses he has received have been positive. “I didn’t want people to think I was this wild and crazy black man who should be nowhere near a seat of power,” he added. | “I wondered what people would think of me, this black man yelling at this older white woman, which is why I didn’t chase her out of the room to finish my point,” he said, adding that most responses he has received have been positive. “I didn’t want people to think I was this wild and crazy black man who should be nowhere near a seat of power,” he added. |
| Ms. Triolo had her own worries. Since the meeting, she said, she has received so many death threats that she is requesting police protection. Many of the threats specified that they wanted her to die from the coronavirus, she said. | Ms. Triolo had her own worries. Since the meeting, she said, she has received so many death threats that she is requesting police protection. Many of the threats specified that they wanted her to die from the coronavirus, she said. |
| “I have been threatened. My family has been threatened,” she said. “People have told me all kinds of terrible, horrible ways they hope I die. This has been unsettling.” | “I have been threatened. My family has been threatened,” she said. “People have told me all kinds of terrible, horrible ways they hope I die. This has been unsettling.” |
| When Ms. Triolo told Mr. Hardy about the threats, he condemned them on social media. | When Ms. Triolo told Mr. Hardy about the threats, he condemned them on social media. |
| “This was two public officials talking about issues pertaining to our city,” Mr. Hardy said. “These threats must stop. She has a right to feel safe.” | “This was two public officials talking about issues pertaining to our city,” Mr. Hardy said. “These threats must stop. She has a right to feel safe.” |