Town Council meeting disrupted by Zoom-bombers

Explosive Town Council meetings are nothing new to La Conner.

But the panel’s Nov. 10 tele-conferenced session briefly blew up in a way not seen here before.

Mayor Pro-Tem Bill Stokes had to shut down the meeting for several minutes after it was “Zoom-bombed” with disturbing, profanity-laced content.

The meeting did resume, and Town business was conducted, but the unexpected and troubling interruption left its mark.

“I hate these Zoom meetings, especially if we’re going to get bombed like that,” said Stokes, who presided since Mayor Ramon Hayes wa delayed in traffic en route from Tacoma.

“I want to go back to live meetings as soon as we can,” Stokes said.

Among those attending the targeted Council Zoom meeting was Sgt. Jeff Willard of the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, the La Conner detachment administrator.

Willard told Councilmembers that Zoom-bombing, in which uninvited guests bombard attendees with distracting and unwelcome messages, has become more widespread in recent weeks.

“It’s becoming quite an epidemic,” he said, noting a prior episode at La Conner Schools, which is providing on-line instruction this semester in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A very similar thing happened at a La Conner Middle School Zoom meeting and the sheriff’s office is doing its best to track down the IP (Internet Protocol) address where it came from,” Willard said.

He said the La Conner Schools Information Technology Department is helping the sheriff’s office pursue the case.

“They’re fabulous to work with,” Willard said of the school district staff.

Willard said Zoom-bombers gain access to meetings by assuming the name of one of the actual participants.

“Zoom is not a very secure platform,” he said.

Authorities are now probing the Town Council episode, which occurred about 15 minutes into the meeting as La Conner Chamber of Commerce Director Heather Carter wrapped up her regular monthly report.

“The Chamber,” Carter said, just before being interrupted, “is busy and excited as we gear into Christmas.”

At that point, an unidentified female voice began talking about her favorite Christmas gifts.

“This,” she was chided, “isn’t that kind of meeting.”

A male voice then suddenly spouted racial slurs and obscenities. There was stunned silence after the hackers dropped the f-bomb and spewed the n-word.

Stokes and Town Finance Director Maria DeGoede quickly moved to shut down the meeting until it was certain the Zoom-bombers had been removed.

What remained uncertain was why the Town Council meeting was chosen for mischief, and by whom.

“We have no idea who it was, or the motive,” Town Administrator Scott Thomas told the Weekly News afterward. “It’s kind of sickening, but there’s a lot of that in the world.”