The city of White Settlement is receiving pushback for its public participation statement endorsing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“The City of White Settlement is committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, ensuring that all individuals feel recognized in our community. Participants are expected to engage respectfully, and any disruptive behavior — such as personal attacks, profanity, or threats — will lead to removal from the Council Chambers,” the Public Participation Statement says for the December 3 city council meeting.
“Speakers should address the City Council directly, refrain from engaging with the audience or staff, and keep comments relevant to the agenda item and city business. To speak on specific agenda items, individuals must complete a Speaker Registration Form before the meeting. This process allows the Council to consider public input before making decisions, ensuring that community voices are valued,” the statement says.
The Dallas Express discovered that the public participation statement, along with the DEI statement, was missing from the September and October city council meetings. The first mention of the DEI statement did not appear until November of this year.
The public participation statement has been met with backlash from White Settlement residents and other Tarrant County residents.
“There has never been the use of such neo-Marxist wording in previous agendas. Also, there are so many businesses doing away with DEI; why would White Settlement put this in as their statement? It’s just plain weird to me,” White Settlement resident and Republican Precinct chair Aaron James told The Dallas Express.
“Bet they voted every year for Kay Granger too,” Tarrant County resident David Medlin wrote on Facebook.
The Dallas Express contacted the mayor and city council members of White Settlement to inquire about the city’s addition of the DEI public participation statement but did not receive a response.