Sudbury Select Board votes 5-0 to disable Zoom chat after racist disruption

SUDBURY — July 6, 2022 — Sudbury Select Board votes 5-0 to disable Zoom chat after racist meeting disruption. The off-cycle July 6 meeting, called by acting chair Charles G. Russo, addressed a June 28 Zoom-bombing in which unknown users posted repeated racial slurs in the chat during former Town Manager Henry Hayes's final meeting. Interim Town Manager Maryanne Bilodeau said IT director Mark Thompson captured IP information for Sudbury police and updated Zoom settings so chat defaults to hosts only and can be deleted. Member Lisa V. Kouchakdjian demanded prosecution under the state hate crimes law, calling for "every effort made to identify this person or persons." DEI Commission co-chairs Nuha Mtasser and Nalini Luthra urged the board to draft a statement specifically naming anti-Black racism rather than diluting it with broader values language; Luthra called the incident "a hate crime." Member Jennifer Roberts will lead a revised statement for the July 12 meeting.