KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | Eyman booted from Yakima City Council Meeting
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Yakima, WA - Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman got the boot from last night's Yakima City Council meeting.
"This is very unfortunate," Eyman told the city council as he was escorted out by a police officer.
Eyman was trying to read a letter to the editor defending newly elected council member Rick Ensey that he says the Yakima Herald refused to print.
But the mayor cut him off when he started attacking Bonlender and the paper.
The council voted 5-2 to stop him from speaking.
He refused to leave and that's when police got involved.
Eyman was a little bit more than a minute into his speech and normally the council allows people to speak for three minutes.
"I was really shocked that the mayor and the majority didn't respect my free speech rights," Eyman told KNDO by phone, "I wasn't using profanity. I wasn't raising my voice. I was simply, calmly reading a statement that is completely within the bounds of political free speech."
Neil McClure was one of the five council members that voted for Eyman to stop speaking.
"That's not what council is for to insult council members," says McClure, "It's a chance to get your viewpoint across in a civil way."
McClure says legally the Yakima City Council decides who gets to speak and for how long at its meetings.
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