Are community board meetings the height of democracy or a ‘Parks and Rec’ satire?

Local board meetings favor the loudest and most available. Are they hindering democracy? When a community board meeting in the Bronx was held to discuss a prospective new apartment building for homeless, formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, the public hearing was far from a civil debate. In videos that went viral, proponents were shouted down by loud boos and cursing. Community members called one speaker a “liar,” “scumbag,” and “piece of shit,” and threatened to punch him. Read Full...