Langley councillor target of online threat
Township of Langley Coun. Michelle Sparrow was at work during a busy Wednesday when she opened her Facebook account to find a threatening message about her vote on an upcoming land use decision.
The threat, from an anonymous account, was over “voting the right way” on an official community plan for the Brookswood-Fernridge neighbourhood, Sparrow said.
It was summed up with the words “see you at the car show,” referring to a Saturday event she’s stated on Facebook that she will attend.
“When you end by saying ‘I’ll see you at a specific event,’ from a male to a female, that is definitely something that made me feel uncomfortable,” Sparrow said.
Sparrow forwarded the message to Langley RCMP to investigate. She didn’t want to get into details of the language used, “but it was definitely a threat.”
“Needless to say, it was very upsetting,” Sparrow said in interview. “The language and words that were used were, it’s saddening to me that this is what local politics has come to.”
Langley RCMP spokeswoman Holly Largy confirmed that the detachment has received Sparrow’s complaint and has begun an investigation.
“We will take all of the appropriate steps to deal with the concerns raised by the postings,” Largy said in an emailed statement.
No one from the Township of Langley municipal hall would comment.
Sparrow, a single mother of four in her 30s, said she put her name forward to run for council to help represent the community’s younger demographic and such harassment “doesn’t encourage people to step forward.”
“It’s this very strange sense that people feel entitled to treat you terribly when you step forward,” Sparrow said. “It’s like you signed up for it in some way shape or form and that’s not at all how it should be.”
Earlier this year, Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read put a pause on public appearances over threatening language aimed at her online.
Online harassment of municipal representatives is an “emerging issue” provincially, said Wendy Booth, first vice-president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
The UBCM offers a local-government leadership academy for newly elected municipal leaders, which teaches leadership, including advice on how to communicate effectively with colleagues and the public. Booth said it has had an increased focus on harassment via social media.
“The general rule of thumb is to use your facts, use strong communication skills, be respectful and be civil,” she said.
Sparrow received an outpouring of support on social media with more than two dozen positive comments on Facebook under a post she put up Wednesday about receiving the threat from “a coward behind a keyboard.”
“I definitely will be at the event on Saturday,” Sparrow said. “I’m not going to allow this to make me uncomfortable and not go about my regular life.”