By Marcos Palma | El Informador del Valle
In our divided and deeply polarized society, intimidation and provocation are increasingly taking the place of dialogue, especially on the extreme ends of the political spectrum. With presidential elections less than two months out, we’re sure to see more of the same.
Our freedoms are threatened when opposing forces use violence and hatred to shut down contrary views, and this is exactly what is happening in Palm Desert.
A little background is in order: In late summer, Palm Desert Mayor Karina Quintanilla, who is a Democrat, posted a comment to her personal Facebook page criticizing a local store for its “extreme” political views. The establishment in question, the Patriot Store, had taken out an ad in a local magazine, the El Paseo Catalogue, with the tagline, “Fuel the Fire.”
Quintanilla, responding to a post shared by a friend, took issue with what she saw as the store’s overt political messaging. The Patriot Store, she noted in public comments, “has patriotic merchandise but there are also items that are associated with groups who stated that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. And for me, that is terrorism, we cannot allow this, because it will affect local commerce.”
Speaking to a local broadcaster, Quintanilla stood by her remarks, though she acknowledged she should have been more attentive to making sure they appeared on her personal page and not on her page as mayor.
The Patriot Store does indeed sell a variety of red, white and blue themed merchandise, alongside products that promote former president and current GOP candidate Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again, or MAGA political movement, which played a prominent role in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol that was itself fueled by lies around the 2020 election.
The business, run by a group called The Republican Women of the Eastern Coachella Valley, is located along El Paseo, an affluent stretch of high-end boutiques and other retail outlets located in one of the wealthiest corners of the Coachella Valley.
Response to Quintanilla’s criticism was swift. Residents during a recent city council meeting demanded that the mayor apologize for her remarks. Others called for her to resign. Insults were hurled her way during the session.
Then came the threats. “You are a worthless, radical leftist. We want your death,” read one of two hand-written letters sent via the postal service to the mayor’s office.
In a statement, Quintanilla remained undaunted. “In this city of around 53 thousand residents… if there are two who want to intimidate me, they will not succeed.”
She added that the FBI is involved and is actively investigating the threats.
Any threat against an elected representative is considered a federal crime. Reporting has shown an increase in threats of political violence across the country, highlighting the dangers that those who decide to work in support of democracy face in these divided times.
Still, Quintanilla’s comments managed to rankle even one-time supporters, including the group Democratic Women of the Desert. “We supported her, we helped this candidate but not anymore,” said the organization’s president, Amalia de Aztlán, who stressed that partisans of either party should have the freedom to express their points of view.
As Quintanilla nears the end of her term as mayor, she remains the city’s only Latina representative and is again running to represent District 3 on the City Council.
It is critical, in this time of heated political division, that we work together to strengthen our democracy, and that we adhere to our shared values, key among them the principle of freedom of expression, without resorting to insults or threats of violence, which only serve to destroy the fabric of our society.
Our elected officials, more than anyone, should understand this.
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
