Police forcibly remove woman from Georgia county Board of Elections meeting
By: A woman was forcibly removed by police from a Chatham County Board of Elections meeting after officials said she refused to yield her time during public comment.
Beth Majeroni of Savannah identified herself to WTGS as the woman in the video.
During the regularly scheduled Board of Elections meeting on Monday, Majeroni was removed from the building by law enforcement before they say she eventually tried to reenter the building three more times.
Majeroni said this was because she needed her keys, phone and other belongings in the building.
"According to Chatham County police, BOE Chairman Judge Thomas J. Mahoney III asked officers to remove the woman, who they said refused to leave the podium after her allotted time was up."
CCPD reported that they had the right to make an arrest in this circumstance, but they chose not to. Per standard practice with the police department, a review of the incident will be conducted by command staff.
Majeroni said she is still in shock after the incident and feels traumatized watching the video.
"She said she was utilizing her right to free speech by sharing concerns, within the three-minute time limit, about how votes are received and processed before being carried out."
“I mean, that was just inexcusable. It was the ultimate degradation of a woman. And there was no excuse for that," she said. "What those police should have done is told Mr. Mahoney that he was asking for something that’s illegal because he’s not allowed to restrict my freedom of speech, and they should’ve said, ‘I’m sorry, we’re standing down we can’t do this'.'
She said she is speaking with lawyers and will pursue the recommended legal action.
A representative with the Board of Elections told WTGS there were only two items on the agenda for the meeting, but none of the public comments were related to those agenda items.