City councils getting back to the people's business: condemning President-elect Trump

While the federal government tackles the epidemic of fake news and allegations of Russian tampering in the 2016 election, city governments are attending to more pressing local issues, like condemning President-elect Donald Trump in advance of his January inauguration.

King 5 News in Seattle, for example, reported on the council’s vote Monday calling on Trump to condemn recent incidents of hate speech.

.@SeattleCouncil to vote on a measure calling on President-Elect Trump to condemn recent attacks & hate speech. City Hall.

— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) December 12, 2016

That sounds a bit vague … which attacks and instances of hate speech, exactly? This sounds a bit like when the Trump camp was pressured to denounce white nationalist Richard Spencer’s dinky little alt-right conference that had no connection to his team whatsoever. Remember this?

Trump transition statement on alt right conference where neo nazis and white nationalists were praising Trump's election pic.twitter.com/XZCxVSS6Jt

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 21, 2016

The entirety of the Seattle council’s anti-hate resolution fit into a tiny image attached to its tweet:

Anti-Hate resolution vote @ 2p today. 34% of Seattle residents are persons of color, 19% foreign-born, 129 languages https://t.co/cUIreUsOT2 pic.twitter.com/HblyfSFuSs

— Seattle City Council (@SeattleCouncil) December 12, 2016

On the other side of the country, members of the Baltimore City Council are proud to say that they were among the first to “push back” against the Trump administration, making it their first order of business after being sworn in to condemn the president-elect.

First action by a new council member: @electryandorsey asks council to condemn @realDonaldTrump, days before prez-elect visits #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/U1iNjgMlUz

— Yvonne Wenger☀️ (@yvonnewenger) December 8, 2016

Clarke was one of 10 sponsors of the resolution, which was adopted “for the purpose of opposing and condemning divisive and scapegoating rhetoric, rooted in hate and prejudice, and used, approved of, or encouraged by President-Elect Donald Trump targeting historically disenfranchised, marginalized, and oppressed groups.”

It's nice that Baltimore doesn't have any problems and the city council is able to focus on important issues like this. https://t.co/vWGFqBNGs7

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) December 8, 2016

https://twitter.com/david_dgaith/status/807016046737690624

@AnnCoulter Ironic is that the purpose of the statement was to "condemn divisive and scape-goating rhetoric."

— Wayne Sida (@neurosidafex) December 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/macvicar24/status/807026870961127425

https://twitter.com/The_Saneman/status/807015963841404928

Hmm … it’s a bit tricky to condemn rioting when the mayor herself “provided spaces for protesters to destroy if they chose to do that.” Come to think of it, Seattle can be counted on to put on its own riot every May 1.

Let’s not forget the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, whose resolution is too long to reproduce here but was widely regarded the city’s “middle finger” to the president-elect.

Read what’s being called San Francisco’s ‘middle finger’ to Trump https://t.co/XNmh6ibCjs

— KRON4 News (@kron4news) December 1, 2016

The resolution reaffirms San Francisco’s sanctuary city status and hits similar notes as well: “… we condemn all hate crimes and hate speech perpetrated in this election’s wake; that although the United States will soon have a President who has demonstrated a lack of respect for the values we hold in the highest regard in San Francisco, it cannot change who we are, and it will never change our values.”

Never change, progressives.

* * *

Related:

Mayor Bill de Blasio launches his own #NeverTrump alternative on behalf of all of New York City https://t.co/qOIvl136kQ

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 21, 2016