www.montereycountynow.com SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 America has a long, painful history of political violence. Again and again, people have been attacked or assassinated not simply for what they did, but for what they said—their speeches, their advocacy, their artistic expression, their willingness to use words to challenge power. And again and again, the nation has looked to its leaders to set a tone in the aftermath. At these moments we need to calm, to unify, to remind everyone that democracy thrives on debate, not blood. Free speech is a cornerstone of our country. We’ve been a beacon to the rest of the world for our commitment to ensuring freedom of expression. Larry Flynt, the controversial publisher of Hustler magazine, was paralyzed in a 1978 assassination attempt by a white supremacist who objected to the magazine’s depiction of interracial couples. A decade later, Flynt was sued for libel in a landmark case. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in his favor, reinforcing the First Amendment, even if speech is offensive. Flynt said, “If the First Amendment will protect a scumbag like me, it will protect all of you.” Yet the list of Americans attacked for their political speech is sobering. Elijah Lovejoy, an abolitionist editor, murdered in 1837 for printing anti-slavery editorials. Congressman James Hinds of Arkansas shot and killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1868 for speaking out for Black suffrage. Frank Little, a labor organizer, lynched in 1917 for anti-war speeches. The 1960s were scarred by politically motivated killings: Medgar Evers of the NAACP, President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy. In the 1970s, Dan Bolles, an investigative journalist in Arizona, killed after reporting on corruption; Harvey Milk, a San Francisco county supervisor, assassinated for his advocacy of gay rights. More recently, in the 2000s, Chauncey Bailey, editor of the Oakland Post, murdered for his investigative reporting. Dr. George Tiller, a physician and outspoken defender of abortion rights, murdered in Kansas. Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and 18 others shot at a constituent meeting in Tucson in 2011; Republican Congressman Scott Scalise, one of four people shot at a congressional baseball game in Virginia in 2017. In June of this year, Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband shot and killed in their home. The throughline is clear: No matter your political persuasion, words make people targets. There is a bright side of this history: how presidents have responded. After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson urged “calm and order.” After Kennedy was shot, Lyndon Johnson reassured the country: “Let us continue.” After the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168, Bill Clinton brought the temperature down. After a mass shooting killed nine parishioners in Charleston, Barack Obama literally brought grace—singing “Amazing Grace.” Sadly, Donald Trump is the dark outlier of American history. After the Sept. 10 assassination of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, a controversial conservative organizer, any hope that the president would use the bully pulpit to lower the temperature rather than raise it was blown to smithereens. Trump chose not to unite. Instead, he used the moment to inflame. He really did say: “We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them.” He spoke not of healing but revenge. He implied that violence is a natural consequence of political rivalry. Words matter. And while presidential words cannot stop violence, they can amplify the very violence they should defuse. Trump’s angry response is unprecedented. It’s dangerous. Political violence in America is not a relic of the past—it is a clear and present danger. Kirk was provocative, spreading what many considered vile, white supremacist ideology. Despite that, he did not deserve to be killed. No one does. The essence of democracy is that we agree to disagree—without resorting to force. Since “The Liberty Song” was written in 1768, we’ve been taught to recognize the power of the principle “united we stand, divided we fall.” That is something we can all rally around, and we must—especially if the president isn’t up to the job. Bradley Zeve is founder & CEO of Monterey County Weekly and Monterey County Now. Words Matter Trump fails in uniting the country, instead politicizing an assassination. By Bradley Zeve ARCH SUPPORT…Squid loves natural arches, the dramatic result of erosion. They’re fun to ooze through is reason enough. But things are a little different in the landlubbing realm, where building an arch over a street costs a cool $100,000. County Supervisor Luis Alejo, who represents Salinas’ District 1, is advocating for a new arch in East Salinas to complement an arch built in 2021 over Main Street in downtown Salinas. Besides referring the matter to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Alejo has presented the concept to the board of Salinas United Business Association and Santa Lucia Rotary. “The construction of an iconic Alisal Arch will serve as a lasting tribute to the hardworking people, families, organizations and small businesses that form the heart of East Salinas,” Alejo wrote in his pitch to the Board of Supes. But in the arc of this arch story, there’s a battle playing out between Alejo and Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval, who are both quick on the social media draw. “As a city we have to make choices about where our resources go,” Sandoval wrote on Instagram. He included a list of projects constituents would prefer $100,000 go toward, including fixing potholes and sidewalks and adding streetlights. Alejo responded: “The idea for a future Alisal Arch didn’t come from me, it came directly from the residents themselves.” That’s the inconvenient thing about democracy. Whether or not you build a shiny arch over it, the people will still disagree. TRADING SPACES…One of the nice things about September is that, with Car Month being over, we can get on talking about other things besides how much traffic there is or isn’t. It was just as that craziness was winding down when the Transportation Agency for Monterey County board met on Aug. 27, and the subject of the proposed Sand City Multiuse Trail came up. It would fill in a missing link of the Rec Trail as it passes through Seaside and Sand City along the old rail line, which is owned by TAMC. Sand City was awarded two grants in 2024 totaling over $2 million to design the trail, and just as those designs are starting to take shape, there’s already pushback. Attorney Jason Retterer said his client Monterey Motors—which operates the Jaguar and Land Rover dealership in Seaside—has long leased part of the easement to store about 100 cars, and that parking spaces associated with the proposed trail will take away vital storage parking from the business. Based on those comments, County Supervisor and TAMC board member Luis Alejo asked to revisit the trail, making sure it didn’t impact the auto businesses. The trail is proposed to have parking spaces along parts of it, areas currently parked with cars. So the conflict, for a rec trail, is about parking. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. Democracy thrives on debate, not blood. SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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