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Leonie Sherman's Statement on the Negative Campaigning Aimed at Her
Leonie Sherman has released a statement in response to the SCPD's smear campaign aimed at her Santa Cruz City Council candidacy.
Negative Campaigning aimed at Leonie
As a Safety Skills teacher in Santa Cruz schools for the past seven years, I’ve worked well with our Police Department. As a Council member, I look forward to maintaining a productive and positive relationship with the department.
When a Deputy Chief of the City Police Department publicly discredits a candidate in a City Council race — any candidate — the department is exposed to the charge of influencing the outcome of an election. That undermines public confidence in this City’s ability to hold a free and fair election.
No question that members of the police department enjoy the same right to express themselves as freely and to vote as freely as anyone else, but I believe our police department should stay out of the electoral process. A blatant attempt by a police spokesman at character assassination of a candidate on the eve of an election is a poor judgment that reflects badly on the department. All of us rely on our police men and women to have the ability to make sound judgments about nuanced matters: about probable cause or the use of force or whether to arrest, etc. It’s a difficult job, and no one is perfect, but having a senior officer make outlandish judgments on the TV News shakes public trust in that ability.
http://leoniesherman.com/uncategorized/negative-campaigning-aimed-at-leonie
Leonie Sherman for City Council
http://leoniesherman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Leonie-Sherman-2014/234646793409408
As a Safety Skills teacher in Santa Cruz schools for the past seven years, I’ve worked well with our Police Department. As a Council member, I look forward to maintaining a productive and positive relationship with the department.
When a Deputy Chief of the City Police Department publicly discredits a candidate in a City Council race — any candidate — the department is exposed to the charge of influencing the outcome of an election. That undermines public confidence in this City’s ability to hold a free and fair election.
No question that members of the police department enjoy the same right to express themselves as freely and to vote as freely as anyone else, but I believe our police department should stay out of the electoral process. A blatant attempt by a police spokesman at character assassination of a candidate on the eve of an election is a poor judgment that reflects badly on the department. All of us rely on our police men and women to have the ability to make sound judgments about nuanced matters: about probable cause or the use of force or whether to arrest, etc. It’s a difficult job, and no one is perfect, but having a senior officer make outlandish judgments on the TV News shakes public trust in that ability.
http://leoniesherman.com/uncategorized/negative-campaigning-aimed-at-leonie
Leonie Sherman for City Council
http://leoniesherman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Leonie-Sherman-2014/234646793409408
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When the Deputy Chief of Police Steve Clark can't productively work with city council members (because of a lack of trust both ways), he's got no business serving in that position.
There is a real lack of oversight of the SCPD, and the rogue comments by Clark show that.
There is a real lack of oversight of the SCPD, and the rogue comments by Clark show that.
SCPD Deputy Chief Steve Clark launched a smear campaign against Leonie Sherman followed by this SCPD media release. I responded by slamming the City of Santa Cruz with a Freedom of Information Attack (FOIA). Relevant links:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTKPdmfF4X8SG1ZYms0NkJqV00/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTKPdmfF4X8VDJEcHFqNjRybW8/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTKPdmfF4X8SG1ZYms0NkJqV00/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxTKPdmfF4X8VDJEcHFqNjRybW8/view?usp=sharing
You're saying he has the right to speak his opinion, but you don't think he should embrace that right? This, from a proud activist whose always spoken her mind despite being in the minority and knowing it would result in pushback?
Good for the goose is good for the gander.
Good for the goose is good for the gander.
Under the rule of law, in the USA, one is alleged to be free to speak as an individual. When doing so in uniform (the military is very clear on this, although they tend to turn a blind eye when certain factions abuse the uniform), or in an official capacity (the same applies), their speech is not as an individual but as a representative of an organization. Usually members of .gov organizations enjoy immunity, qualified or unqualified. That is what keeps elected officials and .gov employees out of court/jail when they violate a public trust.
An officer in uniform, working as a spokesperson for the SCPD, must surrender their speech protections, their immunity, or their job. Obviously the SCPD Chief understood this violation of a public trust; the attempt at spinning the misconduct was immediate (we shall see if anyone with jurisdiction acts on this pattern of misconduct).
As a non-.gov example, see the distancing of Santa Cruz organizations from the likes of, oh, let's say: Dylan David Greiner. Given that disgusting example, surely the TBSC and 'Clean Team' membership can understand this basic civics concept.
An officer in uniform, working as a spokesperson for the SCPD, must surrender their speech protections, their immunity, or their job. Obviously the SCPD Chief understood this violation of a public trust; the attempt at spinning the misconduct was immediate (we shall see if anyone with jurisdiction acts on this pattern of misconduct).
As a non-.gov example, see the distancing of Santa Cruz organizations from the likes of, oh, let's say: Dylan David Greiner. Given that disgusting example, surely the TBSC and 'Clean Team' membership can understand this basic civics concept.
For more information:
http://PeaceCamp2010insider.blogspot.com/
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