It would help to establish a decorum. Vice Mayor Minette Cooper, who presides over meetings in Luken's absence, can see both sides of the issue. When Cooper, a black woman, asks speakers to be civil, she gets more respect than does Luken, a white man. Oba says Elijah Muhammed taught him to respect black women. Cooper says speakers could be more polite, but there is also value in civil disobedience.
People are more likely to be heard when they do things in a different way.
Council should be wary of new rules, because they will become the focus of debate, instead of the issues, Cooper says. Luken, meanwhile, seems torn. However, I do think there's no place for racial slurs or personal attacks. Before the Sept. 27 council meeting, Luken planned to enforce council rules more tightly, even ordering people to leave, if necessary to keep order. Luken banged his gavel a few times and declared speakers out of order, but their allotted two minutes were almost over anyway.