The City of Berkeley (the “City”) has partnered with OpenGov, a third-party online forum provider, to create a civic engagement platform named “Berkeley Considers” that will allow the residents of Berkeley to get more involved in City government. Berkeley Considers is a forum for the discussion of proposed City projects and upcoming policy topics related to local government in the City and its partner agencies. The topics are generated by City staff or the City Council Agenda Committee for the purpose of public participation in current government decision making.
To ensure that all voices are heard and that forum participants are able to speak freely about the posted topics, participants who register to use the forum must agree to not post disruptive statements. Disruptive statements include the following:
- Statements that do not relate to the posted topic;
- Personal attacks and statements that threaten or abuse other forum participants, members of the public, City staff or City officials;
- Hate speech; Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
- Statements containing any sort of commercial advertising or soliciting funds for commercial purposes;
- Statement from users who have falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence; and
- Statements that include obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.
- Private, personal information published without consent of the individual identified;
- Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party;
- Information that is likely to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
- Campaigning with respect to candidates or ballot measures
- Direct advocacy with respect to specific candidates for elected office,;
- Incitement of illegal activity;
- Photos or other images that fall in any of the above categories; and
- Hyperlinks to material that falls in any of the above categories.
OpenGov, acting as the forum monitor, will remove any disruptive statements that are posted on the forum. Forum participants who post disruptive statements may lose their posting privileges.
Frequently asked questions about the participation guidelines
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government through the broadening of civic engagement. It is OpenGov’s and the City of Berkeley’s experience that many people who would otherwise participate in governmental forums, such as City Council meetings, will not participate, if the result is that they are subjected to abuse or insult, or if the forum itself is disrupted.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements on topics moderated by OpenGov nationwide are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
OpenGov:
- moves the statement to an unpublished area,
- describes the problem in an email to the author, and
- invites the author to change the statement or invites the author to email it directly to the City Council without changes
Does Open Town Hall ever edit statements?
No. Only a statement's author can edit a statement. If a statement is removed from the Berkeley Considers public website, it will still be seen by the City of Berkeley and be part of the public record.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog and debate which, by necessity, includes disagreements. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Translate
What are the most pressing unmet mental health needs in the City of Berkeley?
The violence and crime by the mentally ill and criminals who live on our streets and in camps.
What are your ideas on the best ways to address these needs?
1. Enforce existing laws - I can't stress this enough. We are in a period of time both nationally and locally where existing laws are not being enforced.
2. Recognize the fact that the mentally ill have health issues.
3. Read the book "The Body Keeps the Score," and recognize that drug addition, alcoholism and bad decision making arise from trauma
Is there anything else you would like to share regarding mental health services and needs in the City of Berkeley?
Yes. How the government, culture and media have named the mentally ill a "homeless" problem" has vastly influenced its potential solution. For decades we have referred to those in our streets as "homeless" people or the "homeless" problem. These folks are, in fact, drug addicts, alcoholics, the mentally ill, criminals and/or a combination thereof. We should name it. Because we have called this multi-faceted problem "a homeless" issue for at least 30 years (as long as I can remember), we are stuck with those who shout that providing homes is a solution. Let's face facts...providing someone a home doesn't fix alcoholism, other drug addictions and mental health issues which need treatment. I urge the council and others to stop calling this a "homeless" issue ...it may foster a different solution!!!! 30 years ago, SF Civic Center turned into a cesspool under the Mayor Art Agnos, during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. The Civic Center (where I had to go to work) was very, very dangerous. This danger continues in Berkeley because rather than dealing with perhaps having to house people in mental hospitals, care communities, and jails in a regional way, the cities with few resources play whack-a-mole with the problem. I abandoned my Berkeley YMCA membership because I was not safe in downtown Berkeley. If it wasn't for the arts groups, transit, and the adjacent University, I don't think anyone in town would visit Berkeley after dark.