Just a Totally Normal RA Community Meeting About Hook Road, At Least Until The Cops Showed Up (Updated)

It's not a party community input meeting until the cops show up.

Discussion over plans to build a 30,000-seat baseball stadium and boccedrome improve facilities at the Hook Road Recreation Area near Lake Anne got a tad heated last night, in large part due to an RA board member's suggestion to take out the existing tennis courts and basketball courts altogether and pave them over for parking, maybe? Alls we know is that RA board members bickered with each other, one got into an altercation with a little league president, and at some point the cops got called. Give us some Roberts Rule of Order-inspired blockquote, BFFs at Reston Now:

Many of the more than 100 members in attendance, however, expressed their dismay with Ray Wedell — the At-Large member of the Reston Association Board of Directors who recently shared his personal thoughts on the project in a five-page statement. In the statement, Wedell said amenities such as the baseball field at the park do not need upgrades, and that consideration should be given to removing the tennis and basketball facilities altogether.

Sherri Hebert, president of the RA Board, made a point at the start of the meeting to mention that Wedell’s opinions in no way represent anything that is being considered by the Board as a whole.

[snip]

More than once during the meeting, Wedell circumvented the line of speakers waiting to give their public comment on the project. The crowd met him with point-of-order calls and shouted him down as he attempted to shout over them. At one point, some turned their backs on him and refused to listen to his statement.

Wedell said he was within his right to take the stand and respond to comments. Hebert and Sridhar Ganesan, the Board’s treasurer, at one point told him to step away from the microphone, which he had taken from the stand and was holding in his hand.

[snip]

After [Reston-Herndon Little League president Jason Walker] made his public comment, he and Wedell had a verbal confrontation at the back of the room. An argument ensued in which Wedell told Walker to “shut up,” and Walker was heard calling Wedell “a disgrace.” The men give differing stories on who instigated the argument. After the brief disruption in the meeting, Walker left the room.

The Fairfax County Police Department was summoned at some point, and a pair of officers responded after the meeting had concluded. They conducted interviews at the scene, but no report was filed.

So.... that happened.

Wedell told Reston Now that his five-page statement, which you can read here and which he defended extensively in comments at the end of this article, was deliberately provocative to "increase community conversation about the plan," which he adamantly opposes. In an era where governance has been replaced by trolling at all levels, we think it's safe to say that he succeeded, the end.

Update: Video of the meeting. Pop some popcorn and gather the kids around your glowing rectangle of choice.

Also, Wedell has announced his resignation from the RA Board. Full statement here.