Correspondence - Item 24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I uu March 19, 2024 Mayor Valerie Amezeua Santa Ana City Hall 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 Madam Mayor and Councilmembers: Today, you will be voting to update an ordinance that regulates demonstrations in front of residential homes. I ask that you support the modifications to the existing ordinance for the benefit of our neighbors and for the betterment of our civil discourse. The proposed ordinance has drawn attention to ongoing demonstrations in front of my home, and I wanted to share my experience. Recently, demonstrators have come to my home as early as 6:30 am on weekends and stayed as late as 9.00 pm on weekdays with bullhorns and sirens. While demonstrators claim to be civil and peaceful, the reality is much different. Many of my neighbors have shared with me their anger and distress because of these demonstrations. I ask you to consider their experiences as you deliberate this ordinance. As an elected official, I understand the importance of public activism and have personally participated in many movements. I also know that part of my job includes listening to those who might disagree with me on policy. I have made a career standing up for our community, even when my decisions were not universally popular. However, I do not believe there is a place for taunts, personal insults, and other targeted aggression, including toward my staff or the complete disregard for the privacy of our neighbors. I ain concerned this type of behavior will lead to violence. These demonstrations, which occur outside my home while I am in Washington D.C., target and taunt my family and neighbors using excessive noise. Typically, protesters employ these types of tactics when they are refused meetings; however, my staff and I have met with many individuals and groups on their issue. One of their self-appointed leaders, Omar, continues to claim that their request is a meeting with me. The truth is I have spoken and met with Omar on numerous occasions. We have also responded to thousands of emails on the topic. Omar would not share whether he lives in our community or is from elsewhere, but one thing is clear, he has misstated the facts and misrepresented my position on this issue and others. The first time I met Omar was on December 9, 2023, at our event at the Corbin Senior Citizen Center in Santa Ana. In the middle of the event, Omar and a few of his friends showed up unannounced, disrupted the event, surrounded me, and began to aggressively argue with me. They tried to bully me, they made veiled threats, while shoving phone cameras in my face. I was