Sometimes, public service and social media don't mix
How social media can get you into trouble as an elected official, example 34,698.
El Monte planning commissioner Art Barrios shared an article with his Facebook followers with the headline “China makes major moves to ban Islam.”
Then he added a comment: “Sounds good maybe the rest of the world should do the same.”
The Los Angeles Times reports this is just the latest example of public officials getting into hot water on social media.
“Last week a Silver Lake neighborhood council member resigned after posting rants on Facebook that were considered anti-Mexican and racist.
“In the posts, since deleted from Facebook, Karen Speitel said that she's been in L.A. “a loooong time and the distruction [sic] I see all over is from Mexicans. All other immigrants make pockets of this city nice. Go To Chinatown. It's clean and fun.”
“In a separate post captured by the Eastsider LA blog, she wrote: “All illegals should have to work like slaves for free for every single legal citizen who came here the right way.”
Maybe next time, just don’t hit send.
But Barrios stood by his actions.
““I thought it was about time that we stop kowtowing to the Islam that’s doing the racist things and doing the things that are bad for any religion,” Barrios said about the post. “I’m an American citizen. I have the right to think anything I want to think.”
