Hail Satan: Iowa City Opens Council Meeting With an Invocation to the Dark Lord (Watch)

A little town in Iowa got a whole lot of attention and sparked a whole lot of public backlash, all because of a couple of really big idiots.

The City of Ottumwa opened a council meeting with an invocation to Satan.

Watch:

HOLY SH*T @City_of_Ottumwa in Iowa opened up their most recent city council meeting with a prayer to SATAN. "Let us pray. Dear dark father... HAIL SATAN" WTF is wrong with these people??? https://t.co/Ge92TpnLG6

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 7, 2026

Right from 'Hail Satan' and directly into the Pledge of Allegiance. Very strange indeed.

The two idiots in question, former council member Mike Dalbey and current council member Cara Galloway, were upset about a city policy that allows a prayer before council meetings. The policy is intended to show respect to all the city's religious denominations. Dalbey, a member of the Satanic Temple of Iowa, used that policy as a sort of publicity stunt to mock the policy itself and the existence of God.

It's not fake.https://t.co/MVStrHbGma

— Mitz 🇺🇲 ✝️ (@MLCMitz) October 7, 2026

This is Cara Galloway, the @City_of_Ottumwa council member who attempted to PREVENT a Christian man from REVERSING an evil Satanic prayer that was issued at the beginning of the city meeting. You can contact her here: [email protected] https://t.co/iRD0btlKS0

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 7, 2026

After the Pledge of Allegiance was completed, Pastor Rick Bick stepped up to the microphone to 'Reverse the curse' that was placed on the city. The second idiot, Cara Galloway, objected to the Pastor's request, stating he was speaking out of turn and would have to wait until the open comment portion of the meeting.

Soon after Dalbey left the podium and after the council, staff and audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance, Bick had his turn, and was out of turn with the meeting's protocol of speaking on agenda items.

"Let's just reverse this curse that was put on our city. That 'Hail Satan' is not welcome here," Bick said.

Council member Cara Galloway, who has never stood for an invocation, said that Bick should speak during the portion of the meeting where citizens can speak on either agenda or non-agenda items; Bick spoke after the roll call was taken and the council was to discuss the consent agenda.

"It needs to be done now," he said. "I appreciate what Ms. Galloway is saying, but that was a curse put on the city. Most of you know that, and we need to just stop and reverse it."

 Mayor Benjamin Foote intervened and called for a moment of silence.

"It needs to be done now." Mayor of Ottumwa, Iowa, rebukes the satanic prayer at the beginning of the city council meeting after a council member tried to stop him: "Let's just reverse that curse that was just put on our city. Ending with 'hail Satan"... that's not welcome here." 👏

— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) October 7, 2026

The Satanist stunt certainly caught the attention of the city residents. Many let City Hall know exactly how they felt.

The city released a statement Wednesday afternoon regarding the prayer, and said "we've been fielding calls all day ... some calls have been cordial, while many have been rude and full of profanities."

Hailing Satan at an Iowa city council meeting?😳 Instead of opening the meeting with a Christian prayer, they opened with a prayer to Lucifer. How can this be happening in the USA?🤔 This is the Democrat party folks! Vote red to keep these people out of office!

— NWRain-Judi (@RYboating) October 7, 2026

Jesus, come back now.

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 7, 2026

For every Christian out there who doesn't plan on voting in the midterms because they don't want to get involved in politics:

— NotKennyRogers (@NotKennyRogers) October 7, 2026

The Satanist invocation was a publicity stunt meant to send a message.

If that message was 'HEY! I'm an idiot.', we think it was heard loud and clear.

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