Citing mounting criticism of U.S. Border Patrol agents, a candidate for a seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors says such commentary of law enforcement should be a hate crime.
And sheβd include critical attacks on βpolitical persons,β too.
βBad things happen when we glump people together. We can see the downhill spiral among some community members, and the mounting aggression in regards to Border Patrol agents. We have been down this path before. We cannot forget history, because it repeats itself,β Felicia Chew wrote on Facebook Thursday morning.
In a lengthy public post, Chew suggested that laws needed to be changed to βClassify attacks (verbal and physical) on law enforcement officers (and political persons) as hate crimes, and charge them as such.β
She also said Border Patrol needs more βresources/tools so BP agents remain safe while performing duties such as confronting unknown persons.β
The Facebook post seems to be prompted by a recent editorial cartoon by my colleague David Fitzsimmons, in which he editorialized about text messages written by an agent accused of striking a Guatemalan man with his Border Patrol vehicle.
After some criticism for her post, Chew later added, βI am not anti-political cartoons, nor anti-journalism. I am pro-responsibility.β
Chew says labeling Border Patrol agents as villains in the media is similar to anti-Chinese xenophobia in 19th Century America, which led to attacks on immigrants and helped raise the suicide rate in the community.
Chew says she worries the fallout could lead to more physical attacks on agents and an increase in suicides in the agency.
Later, Chew returned to Facebook to explain that her initial post was a βdraft,β designed to start a community dialogue that would find solutions to end the cycle of violence against law enforcement officers. Maybe it wouldnβt need to be a law, she wrote.
Tucson Attorney Stacy Scheff was critical of Chewβs comments, saying it would make agents a protected legal class, giving them the same legal protections as minority groups.
Plus, Scheff said, judges have ruled that criticism against law enforcement is constitutionally protected under the First Amendment.
This isnβt the first time Chew has been criticized for her online posts.
In her attempts to save Golden Pin Lanes from demolition earlier this year, Chew said the old bowling alley could be used for a number of community needs, including a neutral meeting place where domestic abusers could meet with their victims to find a way to repair the harm, known as restorative justice.
Chew and her allies were unable to secure financing to rent the aging bowling alley.
Chew filed paperwork in October to challenge Democrat Sharon Bronson in the Democratic primary next year. She has previously lost bids to win a seat on the Tucson City Council and the Amphitheater Unified School District board.
Modeling power suits, Rep. Hernandez
State Rep. Alma Hernandez, who represents Tucsonβs District 3, is being featured by the plus-sized clothing line ELOQUII on social media and its website in a series of photos and a video.
βIn my world of politics, you need to be bold, strong and courageous tackling every challenge thrown your way. Confidence is key β¦ to feel confident you need to be confident with yourself,β Hernandez says online while wearing a floral patterned suit.
Hernandez is part of the companyβs latest national campaign called #ModelThat and will be featured in ads in print publications as well as through various social media channels.
I guess we can add fashion model to Hernandezβs titles, which include lawmaker, Democratic activist and University of Arizona grad who earned a masterβs degree in Public Health.
