Salem Mayor Outlines Reasons For Blocking People On Social Media

SALEM, MA -- Mayor Kim Driscoll explained her reasoning for blocking about two dozen people from viewing her Facebook page in a lengthy post on the page Saturday. In the post, she said she had blocked about two dozen accounts of the more than 10,000 that follow her for hate speech, offensive language, and threatening remarks. Driscoll also said she would look at relevant case law over the next few weeks, but signaled she was likely to continue the process.

"It’s recently been raised that a federal court in Virginia has issued an opinion regarding a public official’s ability to 'block' individuals on Facebook. There are also competing decisions in other jurisdictions that run counter to that decision," she said. "So long as it is not in violation of any law, however, I believe it is appropriate for me to prohibit hateful and abusive comments from my personal Facebook page. I hope you understand and appreciate my perspective here."

Previously on Patch: Can Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll Block Critics On Facebook?

In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that public officials cannot block constituents from viewing or commenting on their social media pages. In that case, an elected officially temporarily blocked a constituent from viewing her Facebook page. It was the first ruling by a federal appeals court whether free speech protections prevent public officials from barring critics online.

A similar case has been filed against President Donald Trump. That lawsuit argues Trump violated the First Amendment right to free speech of people he had blocked on his Twitter page.

In her own post, Driscoll argued that her page was not the official City of Salem social media account. She also said most of the people she had blocked were using anonymous accounts or from out of state. She said some of the out-of-state accounts had posted about her stance on Salem's Sanctuary for Peace ordinance or the controversy with Gordon College's LGBTQ policies

"Anyone looking to keep up with Salem happenings has a range of options on how to do so," she said. "Anyone looking to give praise about something they like going on in Salem or blast me about something they are unhappy with has a range of options to do so - believe me, I know this first hand."

The issue was first raised with a letter to the editor of the Salem News. In it, Salem resident Justin Whittier said he has heard from several residents who have been blocked by Driscoll. Whittier ran for Ward 2 City Councilor in 2017.

"This isn't simply a matter of silencing bad actors," Whittier wrote. You can find comments from those supportive of the mayor on her page engaging in vitriolic, even discriminatory speech, and yet they remain unblocked. Those whom she apparently blocks are critics."

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).