Letter to the Editor: Protesting outside homes goes too far

Catherine Alvarez protesting outside the home of then-Councilman Rick Rodriguez in 2019.

Dear Editor:

For a few months now, I've been noticing in many news reports that locally, and across the country, there are protests being held in front of the home of elected officials.

Then I began hearing reports that many of these so-called protests at times included knocking on doors, using bull horns and holding them late at night. And that is when I formed the opinion that they were no longer just a protest but could be considered an act of domestic terrorism.

Elected officials have family, many times children, as well as neighbors. Using late night, loud and intrusive tactics seems to me to be more about terrorizing the family and neighbors than about free speech.

So imagine my dismay when I read in the Patriot that someone who engages in such terroristic tactics has actually been elected to Downey's City Council. If that report is correct, it is very disturbing.

Public protest is fine, it is part of our democracy. But protesting at someone's home shows a lack of judgement at the very least. And I would fully support making protests at someone's home illegal in Downey, as well as in California and nationally.

Gina Grissom
Downey