"Disagreements are inevitable in public service, but retaliation, harassment and gender-based abuse are wholly unacceptable especially from elected officials entrusted with serving the public. When council members respond to accountability with intimidation, it undermines democratic governance and erodes public trust. Such behavior discourages participation, silences dissenting voices and sends a troubling message about whose leadership is valued in our city."
"For every article that the paper prints about an ICE raid, for every human interest article that you write about one individual's life that has been upended because of their undocumented presence in the USA, would your publication please counter that article with reporting that will broaden knowledge about immigration? Present facts about current immigration laws, statistics and quotas, such as types of visas, methods of obtaining them and the time it takes to secure them."
An independent investigation found that San Leandro Councilmembers Victor Aguilar Jr. and Fred Simon retaliated against Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen and engaged in gender-biased, abusive conduct after her November 2024 censure vote. The conduct raises concerns about intimidation, erosion of democratic governance, diminished public trust, and the silencing of dissent, and calls for meaningful accountability and higher standards of professionalism from elected officials. Media coverage of ICE raids and related human-interest stories should be paired with explanatory reporting on immigration laws, visa types, quotas, timelines, pathways to citizenship, debated reforms such as birthright citizenship and chain migration, and the naturalization civics test.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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