Earlier this year, the same council took advantage of a loophole in state election law to approve the construction of a giant football stadium without conducting a full environmental review or taking a vote of the people. Then the city filed a federal lawsuit against resident Joseph Teixeira, alleging he violated copyright law by using snippets of official council meeting footage in YouTube videos that criticized Mayor James T. Butts Jr. Calling the lawsuit a “serious threat to critical political expression,” a federal judge tossed out the city’s claims and ordered it to pay Teixeira’s lawyers $117,741 in fees.
Since then, The Times reported, the city has stopped posting council meetings on YouTube. It’s also cut the time residents can speak during the meetings’ public comment period from two minutes per person to one. So it’s understandable that residents, especially those skeptical of the city leadership, feel the move to daytime meetings is part of trend to limit participation and curtail opposing views.