I'd like to take a moment to address the concerns surrounding the far-right "Hold the Line" rally that took place in front of @Disney Studios this Wednesday afternoon.

The first major concern was safety. Safety for residents, employees, and passersby. Please know that @BurbankPD
(cont) was alerted to the protest days ahead of time and prepared a measured response to ensure everyone was taken care of. They worked with Disney's security team and coordinated traffic flow so there was very little effect on the surrounding neighborhood.

A second concern was
(cont) the appearance of leniency or support by our police department leading to accusations of support for the protestors. I want to dispel this notion by stating clearly that the internal discussions surrounding police response to political rallies has been shaped by the George
(cont) Floyd protests of 2020. Myself and many others have advocated at great lengths to make sure our first responders treat every 1st Amendment issue with the utmost care and respect. This has allowed Burbank to become a haven for progressive political demonstrations including
(cont) the Women's March, BLM rallies, March for Our Lives, Armenian Genocide remembrances, a vigil honoring the life of RBG, and many others. However, this hands-off approach does mean that right-wing instigators have occasionally found their way into our deeply blue city. These
(cont) demonstrators spent much of last year on Magnolia Blvd protesting in front of Tin Horn Flats, and often they have taken to ambushing elected officials in public with megaphones and hate speech. Recently, I attended a discussion with a local political action group looking
(cont) to curb these right-wing protests through police action. Two clear heads in the room, Shanna and Mike, pointed out that any police powers we enact to curb right-wing protests will invariable be used against progressive demonstrators, as was clearly evident that same day in
(cont) in Los Angeles when an entire squad of LAPD officers descended upon 4 lone climate scientists holding a peaceful demonstration. I will always be the first to point what changes need to be made in our police department, but I'm proud of the fact that we respond very
(cont) differently to 1st Amendment issues here than most other big cities that tend to crack down hard on any civil disobedience.

The final concern is one of pushback or lack thereof. People are asking why there weren't any counter-protests and why Burbank residents would
(cont) "let this happen" in their own backyard. I want to let everyone know that I personally spent some political capital to endure that there were no counter-protests on Wednesday. Many individuals were interested in mounting a response when they got wind of the rally and I
(cont) made sure that didn't happen. My reasoning for this was threefold: 1) Hold the Line is notorious for letting Proud Boys, 3percenters, and other fascist instigators attend their events and start fights so they can take the blame and Hold the Line can claim innocence because
(cont) they didn't explicitly invite these orgs to participate. 2) Right-wing groups like Hold the Line don't have any institutional support here in Burbank so this demonstration is likely a one-off and should be given zero airtime. 3) The target of this demonstration was a
(cont) billion dollar corporation that pays almost nothing in property taxes with a fully staffed security team and until recently supported/funded the #DontSayGay bill in Florida, so they really don't help dealing with a few angry protestors.

So, in conclusion, the actions we
(cont) take today must always be done with the intent to protect the most vulnerable in the future. I will continue to make sure Burbank is a safe space for all political grievances and encourage everyone to take to the streets and demand change wherever you need it.

One last
(cont) thing: I await the day those ChristoFascists ever decide to target one of our schools or non-profits, because we won't sit idly by on the sidelines then. They can expect an overwhelming response from the good people of Burbank.

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