Near the end of a county schools presentation by Supt. Bryan Johnson to the North Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce on Monday, there was a "Zoom bombing" from an individual identified as "Todd Williams." The individual, who had a swatiska in the background, used the N Word and profanity.
Dr. Johnson was unfazed and even joked about the interruption and the "ignorance." But he said it illustrates the current "racial unrest" and the need for teachers to be prepared to talk about it with students.
When Dr. Johnson later tried to make a point on the screen the Zoom bomber began writing on his illustration. A club member monitoring the Zoom presentation said he was unable to detect who was interrupting the meeting.
Ross Katayama, Chamber community outreach coordinator, said afterward, "On behalf of the Chattanooga Chamber and our council boards, I apologize for the inappropriate 'Zoom bomb' that took place during our Zoom call today with Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson. I’m sorry you witnessed such harmful behavior on a call we hosted. I assure you we are taking this very seriously and are working to make sure we have updated and proper measures in place to keep this situation from happening again.
"We are honored to have the Superintendent’s involvement with the Chamber, and we are a proud supporter of his work for our community. Thank you for your gracious and very courteous comments to Dr. Johnson and the rest of the group after the incident took place. We are thankful that the community engaged with the Chamber is kind and supportive. We appreciate you for standing with us.
"Please contact me or another chamber staff member if you have suggestions or concerns about the incident."