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Hate-spewing antisemitic and racist groups are actively targeting our public meetings, public officials and democracy itself. It is happening in our own backyard, in nearly every Bay Area county, and in many other communities up and down California.

In recent weeks, we’ve had dozens of these orchestrated, venomous attacks. While the groups certainly like to target political bodies with Jewish members, these brazen antisemites target and attack any public meeting that allows for remote public comment, which was greatly expanded in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am the mayor pro tem of El Cerrito, an East Bay city of 26,000. I am proudly Jewish, and my careers as both a public administrator and in local elected politics are rooted in the Jewish values ingrained in me from an early age: treating all with dignity and respect, caring for the planet and creating public spaces that promote tolerance and peace. As a direct descendant of a Holocaust survivor, I carry the trauma of genocide and acutely know what happens if we don’t protect democracy.

After Walnut Creek City Council member Kevin Wilk and I were featured in an NBC Bay Area News clip about Walnut Creek being early targets of antisemitic remote calls in June, we were both subjected to disgusting online trolling. Now the remote call-in tactic has gone viral and seems to be everywhere.

In September, my own El Cerrito City Council was attacked. It started during a special meeting for board and committee appointments, then endured throughout the regular council meeting — during any period in which the public was allowed to provide comment via Zoom.

A local Boy Scout troop was attending the meeting (earning merit badge for their civic engagement!) as the callers used slurs against Jewish people, violently described acts of pedophilia, denied the Holocaust and proclaimed that Hitler was the best leader the world has ever seen.

As the meeting went on and the Boy Scouts left the chambers, the callers heated up and expanded their targets, with Mexican Americans and African Americans being targeted.

Our El Cerrito community was understandably furious. How could we let this happen? Why would we let this happen? In order to understand the how and the why of these attacks, it’s important to consider two things: the First Amendment and California’s Brown Act.

RELATED: After being derailed by antisemitic rants, S.F. Board of Supes may change rules on remote public comments

Whether we like it or not, the First Amendment protects hate speech. Unless the slurs clearly threaten violence, it is not considered a First Amendment violation to use racist and antisemitic speech — including in a public meeting. These white supremacists know the line. They march right up to the line, but know their rights well enough to not cross the line.

As public agencies, we cannot limit anyone’s right to free speech. However, I’d argue that we don’t need to honor the First Amendment rights of someone who lists a disgusting slur as their name on Zoom. Having seen these hateful pseudonyms, I know these are not anyone’s legal name; therefore I do not believe we need to honor their First Amendment right to spew hate speech during our public meetings.

In California, the Brown Act sets rules for how government bodies run public meetings. These rules are meant to foster greater transparency in the decision-making process and often are modified and shifted in order to adapt to the changing landscape of public meetings.

The mayor (or chair) of a public body can limit the amount of time for public comment, or even how public comment is received: in person, submitted in advance in writing or via Zoom. We can cut off speakers if they are speaking “off topic” during an agenda topic. As the elected officials, we also have the option to leave the dais or turn our backs to the speakers. We are not forced to listen.

In El Cerrito, the mayor opted to cut down the time for public comment by half during the attacks, and my colleagues and I held up signs reading “EL CERRITO STANDS UNITED AGAINST HATE” at the dais whenever a hatemonger spoke.

We then felt compelled to make the heartbreaking decision to end public comments via Zoom. It was once a silver lining of the pandemic for those who could not to appear in person — and now these white supremacists ruined it for our community.

America has long been considered a haven for religious and ethnic diversity, but this recent increase in hate speech during public meetings and town halls has shattered the illusion of community we may have once held. The discomfort and anxiety we’re experiencing during these attacks in the public arena cannot be understated. It leaves me questioning the very foundation of our democratic society, where open dialogue and respectful discourse should be the cornerstones of civic engagement.

I refuse to be deterred or silenced by these hateful acts. In fact, they motivate me to work even harder. It’s a call to action, a reminder that we must stand firm in our convictions and strive to protect the principles of democracy. It is also my duty as an elected official to ensure that all members of our community, regardless of their background, can participate in the democratic process without fear.