West Warwick Town Council Zoom Turns Into Pornhub Live

Op Ed By Amanda Rose;  LawGirlsNotAttorneys

When a politician tells you something “isn’t newsworthy,” it’s usually because they don’t want you to look too closely. Which means you should grab a flashlight and shine it right there.

That’s exactly what happened in West Warwick on September 2, 2025. At a regularly scheduled Town Council meeting—a meeting that should have been routine, transparent, and focused on business—residents instead got a sideshow of filth, incompetence, and cowardice.

President Gosselin seated with Vice President Williamson at a prior meeting

From Pledge to Porn in 15 Minutes

The evening started with pomp: prayer by Councilman Jason Messier, the pledge led by Vice President Maribeth Quinn Williamson, the whole thing wrapped in small-town Americana.

But just as Planning & Zoning Solicitor Albert DiFiore stood to walk the council through a cannabis zoning ordinance, the Zoom feed—meant to connect residents to their government—was hijacked.

And what filled the screen? Not civic discourse. Not debate. Not accountability. Instead, a live video of a man masturbating, grunting, groaning, and violating the eyes and ears of everyone logged in. My 15-year-old daughter was watching from home. Do you understand what it’s like as a parent to know your child  is sitting at home, subjected to that during what is supposed to be a government meeting?

Gasps filled the chamber. Council President David Gosselin sneered, “Hacked again.”

Town Manager/Public Safety Director Mark Knott joked, “500 feet from THAT.”

Councilman Jason Messier cracked that maybe it belonged in public comment.

Williamson’s concern? Not public outrage, not children watching—she just wanted to know if the Zoom recording was still running.

The clerk, Sarah Rapose, insisted it was. And yet, as of today, the video has vanished from the town’s official YouTube page.

When Transparency Becomes a Dirty Word

This wasn’t just obscene. It was chilling. Two council members—Mark Dennisson and Jason Licciardi—were mysteriously absent. The public parking lot across from Town Hall recently and suddenly fenced off. And when residents call for answers?

The clerk’s office dodges calls, brushes us off,  hides behind excuses, and sends residents on wild goose chases to incorrect destinations.

What are we supposed to think? That this wasn’t a coincidence? That this grotesque interruption wasn’t a convenient way to scare residents away from engaging? Perhaps some of the comments regarding cannabis sales and zoning were muted by stunned town residents.

The Law Can’t Keep Up with Corruption

Rhode Island’s Open Meetings Act is supposed to protect our right to witness government in action. But it’s stuck in the stone age. It talks about paper notices, agendas, and minutes—but says nothing about hacked Zoom feeds, livestream porn bombs, or governments that conveniently “lose” recordings when things get messy.

And yet, Gosselin admitted this isn’t the first time. He said other towns and municipalities have been “hacked” like this. If it’s happening statewide, then it’s not an accident. It’s either a coordinated attack—or a pathetic failure by public officials too lazy or corrupt to protect the public’s right to open meetings.

The Bigger Question: Who Benefits?

Think about it. Who benefits when residents are disgusted, horrified, and scared away from civic participation? Who gains when embarrassing moments vanish down the digital memory hole?

Government loves to preach “transparency.” But when the lights come on, suddenly the cameras are off, the records disappear, and the public is left holding the bag.

Enough is Enough

I stood up during public comment and demanded an investigation. Not a whitewashed “we’ll look into it” report. A real investigation into who hijacked our meeting, why the safeguards failed, and why the recording still isn’t back online.

If the people running West Warwick think this was just an “oops,” or something that should quietly disappear, they’re wrong. This was obscene. This was terrifying. And this was newsworthy.

Because when local government meetings are hijacked by pornography—and then hushed up—you have to ask: what else are they trying to keep us from seeing?

*Edit

As of late day September 3, the YouTube Live of the September 2nd meeting was edited and reuploaded.