Public debate over whether to restore school mask mandates in Charleston was met with a fierce opposition at a recent City Council meeting. | File
Public debate over whether to restore school mask mandates in Charleston was met with a fierce opposition at a recent City Council meeting. | File
A group of state lawmakers labeled citizens' behavior at a recent Charleston City Council meeting “barbaric.”
During debate over mask mandates, people cursed and even spat at each other, according to state Reps. J.A. Moore, Marvin Pendarvis and Deon Tedder, and state Sen. Marlon Kimpson.
“What we witnessed at the Charleston City Council meting earlier this week was appalling,” Moore tweeted in a joint statement with other legislatures. “The hatred and harassment that doctors and medical professionals fac hat room was unacceptable. Citizens can disagree without losing their civility. Shouting insults and going so far as to spit on someone who has a different view than you is barbaric I disgusting.”
In the end, the City Council failed to pass the emergency ordinance mandating masks inside public and private schools and day cares across the city, The Post and Courier reported.
Had the measure passed, it would've been in violation of state law, which prohibits statewide mask mandates in all schools, according to a budget proviso.
Most of the speakers were opposed to the mandate, but some doctors supported it, citing the delta variant of COVID-19, The Post and Courier reported.
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