Woman physically removed from Chatham Board of Elections meeting by police
Beth Majeroni walked into the Chatham County Board of Elections meeting July 10 expecting to deliver a brief speech regarding concerns about election integrity.
It ended with two Chatham County Police officers carrying her from the room.
According to Majeroni, she brought up concerns during the public meeting regarding a grand jury complaint alleging voter irregularities and falsifying documents by Elections Supervisor Billy Wooten. Then, according to Majeroni, Elections Board Chairman Tom Mahoney got upset when she mentioned Wooten was required to provide her information about what is contained on the QR code printed on paper ballots.
Mahoney ruled her out of order and requested she end her remarks.
Mahoney told the Savannah Morning News, "We must use this state voting system,” said Mahoney. “People who disagree need to talk to [Secretary of State] Brad Raffensperger or the Georgia General Assembly. Our meetings are open to the public but they cannot participate. The public does not have a right to speak at our meetings. It's an open meeting under the Georgia Open Meeting law. We did provide for public comment and I explained limitations to that. She was very disruptive. It was a very unfortunate situation.”
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In a video captured on body camera footage, the initial conversation that led to her dismissal cannot be heard because the officer’s camera was muted. As the officer approaches her, he turns it on and Majeroni can be heard saying, “It is against my rights for you to ask me to leave.”
As the officer grabs her by the arm, she tells him to leave her alone. In the midst of Majeroni trying to escape his grasp, she falls and one of the officers instructs her to stand up. Majeroni then says, “I am not standing up.”
From there, another officer grabs her by her feet and the two carry her out.
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“It was degrading and mortifying and the ultimate insult to me,” said Majeroni.
The retired schoolteacher is a frequent attendee at public meetings. She has spoken at dozens of Savannah-Chatham School Board meetings over the last two years and is the leader of a group that calls itself the School Board Action Team.
“I was in shock,” said Majeroni. “Never in my wildest dream did I think this could happen to me. I’m 67 and a retired grandmother.”
A press release by the Chatham County Board of Elections reads in part, “One member of the public would not yield to the Chairman after being ruled out of order during her comment period. She was removed from the building by law enforcement officers, who promptly released her. She tried to regain entry three times and was not allowed to return to the meeting.”
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In a prepared statement, Betsy Nolan, public information officer for the Chatham County Police Department, said, “We do not have any body camera footage that begins before what has already been released, or that has additional audio of what was happening in the room,” said Nolan. “We do not have plans to release the names of the officers involved. That is not part of our normal practice. Whether additional training will take place as a result of the incident will be part of the Command Staff review that is underway now.”
Despite what she called a traumatizing moment, Majeroni still has faith in law enforcement.
“I back the blue,” said Majeroni. “We need good police officers but I think these officers lacked training to know what to do if there was an illegal order that they were asked to follow. Mahoney gave them an illegal order which was to remove me and to take away my freedom of speech, basically violating the basic rights one has.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: A woman was ruled out of order at public meeting and forced to leave
