In an earnest appeal to the public at the end of the regular council meeting on June 10, Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor asked people not to threaten or attack city council members.
He then made an effort to set the record straight regarding the decision by council not to declare a state of local emergency due to safety concerns in the city.
The plea to stop attacking council members online was in response to a violent comment directed at council which was made under one of Coun. Scott Nelson's Facebook posts about safety in the community.
The comment, which has since been deleted but was verified by the Efteen read "...load em all up against a wall n call firing squad."
"It's very disappointing," Rathor said.
Nelson, who has voiced his opposition over the city not declaring a local emergency, has been using his Facebook page to highlight safety issues around the city, one of the latest being vandalism to a church downtown.
"I'm trying to provide some calmness to the community, is there a potential arsonist in this community or what is occurring with all these fires that are starting after midnight?" Nelson asked Gary Muraca, chief administrative officer.
Muraca stated that fires are being seen in encampments, noting the one in the River Valley was within a rock ring and not an uncommon event. However, Muraca did express concern there may be reason to believe there are some people in the community causing issues.
Crime prevention team makes state of emergency unnecessary
When a city declares a state of local emergency, it activates specific powers within the local authority's jurisdiction to address a crisis or emergency. These powers can include ordering evacuations, prohibiting travel and authorizing entry onto private property – often used during wildfire season.
Although city council voted 6-1 to not enacting this approach, with Nelson the lone councillor in favour, the mayor told meeting attendees that the city has been in consistent discussions with the public safety ministry, who had offered the help of the RCMP's crime prevention team.
"I can't believe that we still have to talk about what happens on social media at a council meeting," Muraca said. "Anybody that's saying the police are not out there working overtime for the benefit of our community with the resources that they have, which is four to five members per shift, is completely uninformed and ridiculous.
"It's kind of ridiculous when some people in the community question the efforts of the RCMP in my mind."
Muraca then pointed to the major busts the RCMP have conducted in the community since the arrival of the crime prevention team. He said it was the discussions around declaring a SOLE which helped provide the city with the resources they were looking for.
Rathor said everyone around the table respects one another's views, adding he and Nelson had a good discussion before the meeting to work together.
"My request to everyone ... please don't put these life-threatening messages on the social media," he said.
Patrol volunteers sought
Rathor ended the June 10 meeting by encouraging the community to support one another and downtown businesses by joining Citizens On Patrol (COP).
"I'm asking people to stick together, work together, and if anything comes up, call RCMP," he said, suggesting that those interested in volunteering to patrol the downtown area can contact chair Baldish (Bob) Singh Sunner, at 250-398-0750.
Following the council meeting, on June 11, Rathor posted an extended response to his own social media page in attempts to clarify the misinformation and negativity being shared online.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story previously included an erroneous description of Nelson's discourse with councillors amid disagreements on city policies and decisions on public safety and crime prevention. We wish to clarify it was not Councillor Scott Nelson attacking his colleagues.
