Mayor Arreguin and East Bay Leaders Take Stand Against Bigotry and Hate
Berkeley, CA – Today Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, California State Senator Nancy Skinner, California Assemblyman Rob Bonta, California Assemblyman Tony Thurmond and Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson hosted a press conference to condemn hatred, bigotry and violence, ahead of a planned white nationalists rally in Berkeley.
“Today and always, we stand together as a community against bigotry, racism, and intolerance – and we are stronger for it,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin. “As mayor, I am working closely with officials at every level of government—including various law enforcement agencies—to keep peace on Sunday.”
“President Trump has emboldened white nationalists but we must hold steadfast to our progressive values as a community, regardless of the challenges. We cannot allow anyone, certainly not the President, to roll back the clock on progress. We must stand united against hate,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I am thankful for the East Bay’s bold leadership to stand against such hatred in our community.”
"The East Bay stands firmly against the recent incidents of hatred and bigotry," said Assemblymember Rob Bonta. "These voices of ignorance and intolerance will never prevail. They will be unmasked and we will see they hold no power to erode our California values of inclusion, equity and opportunity. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the East Bay as a strong and diverse community. We will never let hate and bigotry divide us."
Assemblymember Tony Thurmond said, “Recent events have provided a painful reminder that we must continually address hate and racism and that education can be one of the most powerful tools for teaching tolerance to our students. This week I am hosting a roundtable discussion with education leaders and government officials about the role education can play in countering racism and hate speech. This is the beginning of a statewide dialog to develop strategies to prevent and address acts of hate.”
“As we’ve clearly seen over the past few weeks, racism is alive and well in America. Racial inequity exists in the very structure of our society, and until every American is willing to condemn hate, it will continue. But we cannot overcome hatred with violence, and I call on the citizens of Alameda County to stand peacefully against bigotry,” said Supervisor Keith Carson.
Senator Nancy Skinner added, “I’ve introduced legislation to expand California’s hate crime law so that the hateful acts of these racist groups can be prosecuted fully. I also introduced resolutions that condemn the terroristic acts of white supremacist groups and urge law enforcement to prosecute them under terrorisms and hate crime laws.”