OP-ED: Protesters lose credibility by harassing council members at home

Mayor Blanca Pacheco has an official Facebook page that she uses to interact with the public. She posts video messages, links to news articles, photos of herself volunteering around town, and fliers with important public safety announcements.

She makes the occasional foray into the comment section, interacting with commentators when they are civil and respectful. 

Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Frometa also has a public Facebook page, as do council members Alex Saab, Rick Rodriguez and Sean Ashton. Some are more active than others, but all have a social media presence.

Of course, they also have email addresses and phone numbers. And before the pandemic upended our lives, all of Downey’s elected officials were visible at meet and greets, town halls, ribbon cuttings, and city council meetings. 

This is a long-winded way of saying that our Downey City Council members are accessible. This isn’t Washington or even Los Angeles, where electeds hide behind aides and spokespeople. This is Downey, where you're just as likely to run into your council member at Stater Bros. as you are at City Hall.

If you want to make your opinion known to your city council representative -- and why wouldn’t you? -- it can be done with minimal effort. And the truth is that local government remains the most efficient way to make the greatest impact on your community.

Recently, a group of rogue protesters has thrown logic and decency to the wind, staging profane demonstrations outside the private homes of Downey council members. Using bullhorns, the protesters are using explicit language to disturb the neighborhood as they advocate for rent and mortgage forgiveness. 

In at least two cases, children were inside the homes while demonstrators shouted obscenely. 

From a decency standpoint, the demonstrations are reprehensible and cross a moral line. It’s not appropriate to disturb someone’s personal life and scare their children. 

From a strategic standpoint, it’s far more effective to protest a city council meeting or outside city hall, or even at a major intersection. (It’s also illogical to expect the city council to take action on something like rent or mortgage forgiveness, something they have no authority over.)

“They scared my girls and disturbed my neighborhood’s peace. Their actions are unacceptable and disrespectful,” said Frometa, the mayor pro tem. “As a public servant, my desire is to serve my community; to do what I can, within my power to protect my city and advocate for my constituents. I take great offense, however, when the lines between private and public life are blurred, and instigators with the mob mentality choose intimidation tactics to protest outside my home.”

Former Downey mayor Mario Guerra called demonstrations outside personal homes “wrong on so many levels.” 

“I don’t care which party you are or what your elected office is -- protesting at somebody’s home is out of line and actually drowns out the message these people are trying to get across,” he said. 

At some point these demonstrations should be acknowledged by police for what they are: public nuisances in violation of our city’s noise laws.