Community members turned out in support of embattled Beaverton school board member Tammy Carpenter, who is subject to an investigation into her social media posts on the Israel-Hamas war.

The rally outside district headquarters ahead of the June 2 school board meeting, organized by the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, attracted over 100 people. Many carried signs supporting Carpenter’s right of free speech. 

Carpenter has written and shared several posts on her Instagram account calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East and for Israel to “stop the genocide.” Carpenter’s Instagram lists her as a member of the Beaverton school board but states the views expressed are her own. 

Carpenter’s comments online have drawn criticism, including 13 complaints lodged to the district. The complaints led the Beaverton school board to vote 5-2 last week to begin a third-party investigation on Carpenter’s conduct.

“The goal of this rally today is to basically show that the community strongly supports Dr. Tammy Carpenter and strongly believes that this is not a fair or useful use of resources by the Beaverton School District to entertain these really specious and silly accusations,” Brian Denning, co-chair of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, said during the rally. 

“Every organization in the world, other than the United States and Israel, recognizes it’s genocide and recognizes that what’s happening is unfair, and free speech is a central issue here as well,” Denning said. “Dr. Tammy Carpenter definitely has the right to speak freely, under the First Amendment, and say this is genocide. The idea that she should be investigated for that is absolutely not acceptable.” 

Maxine Fookson, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, a national organization with a chapter in Portland, said it is “outrageous” that Carpenter has come under investigation.

“We stand with her,” she said. “We stand behind what she was saying in terms of recognizing the need to stand for Palestinian human rights. Nothing in that is antisemitic at all.” 

Once inside the meeting, 10 speakers addressed the school board on topics ranging from free speech to pro-Palestine comments eliciting antisemitism. Naomi Fink, who has three kids across three schools in the Beaverton School District, said she fears that public discourse on the Hamas-Israel war could draw more divides in the classrooms.

“Don’t insert a war that we can’t do anything about into our classrooms and alienate our students and prevent them from talking to each other and getting to know each other. It’s wrong,” Fink said. “Re-sharing Instagram Reels isn’t going to stop what’s happening there, but we can help our children feel safe in their classrooms.” 

Noem Peleg, a Jewish student, told the board that he no longer feels safe at school amid hateful comments from his peers.

“These are acts that are so frequent that none of us no longer bother reporting them,” Peleg said. “They feel normal. My friend told me that standing up against antisemitism almost feels pointless now. No matter what you say or do, you’re always a minority.” 

But many others during public comment spoke in favor of Carpenter’s right to support Palestine and the end to bombings in Gaza.

“Supporting the resilience and strength of Palestinians in the face of oppression is a moral imperative,” Zahra Baloch said. “Mislabeling pro-Palestinian advocacy as antisemitic undermines everyone’s right to speak out against injustice. I urge the board to uphold the values of free expression and ensure that all voices speaking out against oppression and injustice are protected and respected.” 

The crowd would briefly sound off with applause after speakers, though board Chair Karen Perez-Da Silva warned that outbursts could prompt her to end the meeting.

As of Tuesday afternoon, June 3, there is no word from Perez-Da Silva on when a third-party investigation into Carpenter will begin or who will handle the investigation.