On Friday, the Antioch City Council will likely vote to remove Antioch Planning Commissioner Ken Turnage II from his voluntary position. However, it does not excuse a blatant double standard going on which is also presenting a First Amendment challenge.
For full disclosure of this editorial, I am friends with Mr. Turnage. However, that does not mean I agree with how he presented his opinion and even have had conversations with him calling the post “stupid” while noting how he could have more carefully crafted his post to get his point across in a more sensitive way.
Clearly, his post was outrageous, but I will defend his right, or any one else’s right, to speak their opinion under the First Amendment. His opinion is his; we can all agree to disagree and move on. In speaking to Turnage, he says he was simply trying to point out that Sweden got it right while Mother Nature has her own course.
Fair enough.
Turnage’s comments come days before New York Times Opinion Columnist Thomas L Friedman wrote “Is Sweden Doing it Right?”. He explains how Sweden has opted for the strategy of “herd immunity” through exposure. Clearly, Turnage is not as eloquent in his writing as Friedman—but it’s the same concept.
In fact, Thursday, it was reported that the World Health Organization applauded Sweden as a “model” for battling the coronavirus. Again, Turnage is not as well-spoken as Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s top emergency expert, but it is the same idea.
Predictably and unfortunately, Antioch City Councilwoman Monica Wilson opted to make this a political issue knowing Mr. Turnage resides in her city council district and is planning to run against her for the seat. This is common knowledge with many Antioch residents. Knowing that, she took a politically motivated stance claiming racism—this is not the first time she has done this. Her calling for his removal, is what promoted media attention around a rather non-issue on a personal Facebook post which did not even reference the City of Antioch or his volunteer position.
It should be pointed out, Wilson failed to follow any type of process Tuesday which likely will result in a Brown Act Violation as her request was followed by responses by Mayor Sean Wright and councilmembers Lamar Thorpe and Joy Motts as the item was not on the agenda.
Ironically, this action comes four years after Thorpe was removed from the Economic Development Commission for a difference of opinion over a casino. At the time, Thorpe scolded the council for removing him because he did not share the same opinion as the council.
Today, Thorpe apparently has changed his tune now that he holds power and it politically benefits him to ensure Wilson is protected in the upcoming election as the two are known to be tied at the hip by voting a majority of the time together on various city issues.
Truth is, Turnage is being used as a scapegoat for using a poorly crafted opinion while the Council is giving Thorpe a pass on many of his own social media postings. All while building a huge divide between the city and the school district. He is on record as publicly blaming the school district for the problems of the city.
If the city council is going to claim Turnage does not represent the City of Antioch or its Council, then what does it say about Thorpe and some of his social media posting?
In the two photographs above, which he has since removed, Thorpe was clearly poking fun at the #MeToo Movement as well as human trafficking. One could also argue he was being bigot. Keep in mind, these posts are coming from the same man who is now the Executive Director at the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District. He is also working with Senator Steve Glazer.
Being the human trafficking advocate she is and a supporter of #MeToo, where is Wilson’s outrage on Thorpe’s posts? Why hasn’t she called for at the very least a censure?
Even worse, the council has called a special meeting in the middle of a pandemic just to remove a voluntary planning commissioner for a difference of opinion? The council is making people come to work, create an agenda, waste time and to hold a meeting?
If that is not political. I do not know what is.
The real question is who has free speech and who does not? An elected member of the City Council who is paid? Or a guy who volunteers at the pleasure of the council?
Mike Burkholder
Publisher of ECT
[email protected]
29 comments
Thank you for your common sense and writing this editorial. This absolutely is censorship on the councils part. And as a side note, Sweden is protecting their elderly and vulnerable community, they have restrictions and safety measure in place, they just haven’t shut down their economy. Sounds smart to me.
and Sweden is now paying the price for not shutting down once you compare their Covid-19 response to other Nordic country’s that have.
https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk/economics/is-swedens-covid-19-handling-a-failure-or-a-success
Well said. I do not agree with Kens comments either and it pisses me off to no end considering I am “old”, but he has every right to express his opinion. This is politically motivated and shame on Sean Wright for even placing this on an agenda at the pressure of Wilson.
Once Ken is removed, will the Antioch City Council vote to censure Thorpe based on his social media postings? Come on Monica, we are all waiting. Sean? Joy? Shame on all of you!!!!!!
Thank you for a great article and voicing the clear double standards that plague our City. It is painfully clear that freedom of speech is something only the elected council can have. If you have been a volunteer in many areas of the city as Kenny has, you don’t have that luxury. I find the posts that Lamar Thorpe posted to be extremely offensive, racist and in very poor taste. Shame on Monica Wilson for not taking this same “moral” stand when it came to her good friend Lamar Thorpe.
Did you just call Monica Wilson an advocate for human trafficking?
“Being the human trafficking advocate she is…”
What kind of a scumbag advocates human trafficking?
Epstein didn’t kill himself and
i stand with Ken.
Say what the fuck you need to say and forget the feeble minded political correctness. This pandemic is bullshit. If this is “one nation under God” and you pledge allegiance to that, then maybe God wants you to die as part of the greater good. Flu is better than war, assholes, but let’s go bomb Iraq because we blamed Saudi pilots on a controlled demolition that no corporation could ever get legitimate permits to do. Fear rules America, not a spiritual divinity.
Free Soil Party 2020
stfu you nut
I always cringe when someone compares the USA to Sweden or other Scandinavian countries knowing damn well our brain dead populace would never vote for their kind of social policies. Turnage’s opinion is not original and resonates the business as usual in the USA where we’re ok with sacrificing our vulnerable populations for the bottom dollar. Instead, how about we expose why so much of the stimulus went to huge corporate bailouts (just like in 2008) rather than small businesses? Why did the LA Lakers qualify for a small business loan? Funny how the feds tell us blue collars to keep a rainy day/emergency fund, yet these corporations with BILLIONS in profit never seem to, and always need the taxpayers help in crises.
He had his free speech! Nowhere does the first amendment guarantee (or even suggest) that there should be no consequences for what you say.
I have lost all faith in Sean Wright. This is not the same man I supported when he ran for Mayor. He was played by Wilson and Thorpe and phony public sentiment. At this point, all five of them need to go for the circus they are creating. Focus on more important things than Facebook.
Your point about double standards is well taken. Antioch voters, are you listening? Time to get out the election brooms and sweep out the political status quo.
This is what this country has become with liberals in charge. Political correctness over everything. You are not allowed to voice an opinion deviating from the liberal MSM narrative. If you do, you get censored, punished, removed. It is just a matter of time until you will get imprisoned or killed for that. We are on the way to communism / totalitarianism. 1984 is happening here.
Thank you Mike. I would vote for Ken for Mayor. At least he is honest.
. .
Sweden (Sverige), my country of birth, has a population of 10 million, while the USA has 300 million. Swedes don’t live on top of each other like we do here. There is enough space there for people to spread out. The lifestyle is such that infecting each other is rare.
This Turnage fellow probably has never been to Sweden. Now, as I understand it, the First Amendment was created to keep the government from interfering with a person’s right to voice/write unpopular speech. Would the city government be considered to be on par with our federal government?
I was shocked and disappointed in his post. I believe those who are involved in the city with planning and or city council should be held to a higher standard. I also believe the homeless are way overdue for some action by the city of Antioch. I see these shopping centers being overrun by the homeless, And it’s sad. There needs to be a plan of action with regard to the homeless population who will refuse the services to get help. Because let’s face it there are a lot if the homeless out there who would prefer to be left alone. A lot of those out there have been out there so long they won’t be able to handle having rules and responsibilities of household bills and chores. But there needs to be a either or or something. It’s not right or fair that those of us in the city are expected to just be ok with the destruction of the city like it is now.
I totally agree with Michelle. This city counsel just keep ignoring the fact that these homeless are invading our shopping centers and neighborhoods. We have been asking the city to get them out of our neighborhoods, the railroad tracks and shopping centers for over a year or even longer but they never address the problem. Let them stay in your neighborhood and leave needles and feces on your sidewalks and bushes so you can not have a moments peace at night, watch your property and cars add they try to break in to them and smell the aroma of shit instead of the flowers you have blooming in your yard. This entire counsel and mayor need to get their head out of each other ass and do something about this now. Now we can’t even call PD on these vagrants because they don’t want to place their officers near these COVID-19 homeless. I don’t blame or officers at all because they have families that they want to keep safe too. This should all be blamed on the Mayor and Counsel while their addressing something that was just someone saying the wrong thing and wrong happen here. They should be doing something more to clean up these vagrants that most only want something for nothing. We have sexual registrants, drug addicts and thieves living on our streets and now we can’t even call for help when they’re causing a problem unless we are actually being attacked, as I was told by dispatchers. Doesn’t make any sense. APD is doing a great job and it’s not there fault for this, it’s the shitty Mayor and counsel that doesn’t earn the paycheck and doesn’t do anything for the taxpayers of Antioch. We need a new mayor and counsel this November.
I totally agree with you Michelle, not because that is my name too. It’s like every where you turn there are more & more homeless people. They are truely invading our city. They are not only taking over the shopping centers. Has anyone been down Wilbur!!!!! It is F**KING unbelievable. Need to do something before it’s to late to do so.
Free speech comes with consequences. Say whatever you want; you may or may not pay a price for your words, spoken or written.
Teresa, you don’t get it. If you don’t like someone’s speech, speak to it, don’t act to it. If you act to it, it would not be free speech any more. In China you can get killed for speaking freely.
I meant to address to American Romance Equestrian
Free speech…If it is good for one it is good for us all. I don’t agree with Ken either but he did not yell “Fire” in a theater, so respond and disagree as you wish or ignore him but don’t go after someone because of there opinion. Maybe we should see who is a Trump supporter and then let’s kick them out too. Most of the council is drinking the same Kool-Aid and there poor judgement will likely get the City sued $$$. Antioch should elect a diverse thinking council instead teaming up and forming alliances. That is not doing anyone any benefit. Get rid of Joy before she runs the City out of money buying trailers for the homeless.
Give me a freaking break. A public official suggests that certain Americans should be allowed to die a painful and lonely death because they are a drain on society, and you are surprised that he lost his job? Really? Many of the people this moron is talking about are voters or related to voters. You get that, right? You also understand that Covid-19 is killing black and brown people at a higher rate, correct? You also know that children, young and healthy adults, health care workers and first responders are among the tens of thousands of Americans who have died during this pandemic, right? Even the analogy to a fire is idiotic. This state spends tens of millions of dollars each year trying to prevent fires. Ask PG&E whether Californians view fires as nature’s way of achieving balance. We have lost tens of thousands of Americans to Covid-19 and that is with the social distancing and shelter in place orders mandated in many states. If we attempted to follow the Sweden model, we’d be looking at millions of deaths. That is unacceptable to most people in this country. If you are a public official and think that millions of Americans dying is perfectly fine (if the right Americans are dying, I guess), don’t think that the First Amendment is going to protect your job if you say something that stupid and insensitive out loud. It won’t. Never has. Never will.
Give me a freaking break. A public official suggests that certain Americans should be allowed to die a painful and lonely death because they are a drain on society, and you are surprised that he lost his job? Really? Many of the people this moron is talking about are voters or related to voters. You get that, right? You also understand that Covid-19 is killing black and brown people at a higher rate, correct? You also know that children, young and healthy adults, health care workers and first responders are among the tens of thousands of Americans who have died during this pandemic, right? Even the analogy to a fire is idiotic. This state spends tens of millions of dollars each year trying to prevent fires. Ask PG&E whether Californians view fires as nature’s way of achieving balance. We have lost tens of thousands of Americans to Covid-19 and that is with the social distancing and shelter in place orders mandated in many states. If we attempted to follow the Sweden model, we’d be looking at millions of deaths. That is unacceptable to most people in this country. If you are a public official and think that millions of Americans dying is perfectly fine (if the right Americans are dying, I guess), don’t think that the First Amendment is going to protect your job if you say something that stupid and insensitive out loud. It won’t. Never has. Never will.
He may have the right to free speech. But his momma never taught him that you can think it but not say it. The writer of this article obviously wanted to use it as a warfare of comparison and totally lost the point. The point is if he is working with the city and wants to impose those ideas on the public, then his comments are subject to judgment and so is his character. Same with the author of this article. It makes me think that we should be careful and vet the folks who ran our local governments to make sure that they have humanity and care about people. Before we ask him to be our leaders. Too bad the world doesn’t work that way and we wind up with crazy ego maniacs running all of our governments.
“Free speech comes with consequences” is an oxymoron.
All is good in terms of defending his right to free speech but in his role he has some oversight of those he considers expendable. They can rightly question his opinion’s influence on his decision making. Those who take issue may be influenced by political considerations but it dos not mean their finding is wrong. He has a right to express an opinion and thereafter the obligation to face the consequences something like the idiot who shouts, “Fire” in the crowded theater when there is none.
No one said Turnage isn’t allowed to speak, but someone who has these types of opinions about the value of human life has no business being in a public office. Everyone gets mired in suppressing free speech as if that’s the topic, this is slight of hand imo. The issue is his comments are a reflection of his beliefs, not that he was or was not allowed to say it. He should hope he is not treated the way he feels others should be in his future.
Anyone who believes we should let the elderly and vulnerable die off should go volunteer at a coronavirus ward or the morgue, without any PPE and take the place of one of those they think should die for the good of the cause. Dan Patrick of TX said something similar at least twice. I had the same response for him. Go ahead and sacrifice yourself, pathetic Dan Patrick. You think grandparents should be willing to die to make a better economy for their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Make yourself happy.
No body has a right to a voluntary position in our city government. He revealed his immorality after accepting the position. No vote needed to remove him. He has all the freedon of speech he wants. Just not in a responsible position that could negatively effect our people and city.
Comments are closed.