Open Letter Reveals Mayor Q's Online Free Speech Crackdown Cont'd

Conservatives hope that Elon Musk will save the Internets from censorship as criticism of public officials and MSM is under increasing scrutiny. 

Accordingly, tonight we share this worthwhile open letter from a Kansas City area voter, resident and veteran. 

Here's the word . . .

Continued Illegal Blocking of Constituents

Mayor Lucas,

I am writing you yet again about your illegal blocking of constituents on social media.  This morning you stated on Pete Mundo’s show that you liked that you could use social media to bypass the media gatekeepers to get your word out for constituents to hear from you.  Apparently you like being the gatekeeper to deny those same constituents access to your message and to pick and choose which constituents can see and respond to those messages.  I am blocked from following or commenting on your Mayor Quinton Lucas Facebook page as well as your @QuintonLucasKC Twitter account, you took these actions without any legal reason to do so.  You have made public statements that constituents can’t use vulgarities or racist statements on these pages, and I have not done either of these things. For you to make these comments when asked in regards to my situation by the media smacks of an inference that I engaged in this behavior, and frankly seems like an attempt by you and your office to smear and defame me.  

Your page is a public forum and you are an elected official.  Your actions are a blatant violation of my first amendment rights and I am not backing down on this subject.  These actions violating the rights of constituents and subduing criticism on these public forums are certainly not defensible, not legal and undoubtedly not ethical.  Here s a link to the Kansas City, MO Code of Ethics in case you need a refresher.  https://library.municode.com/mo/kansas_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH2AD_ARTXVCOET#fn_59  You don’t have to look far into it to realize that you “Are bound to discharge faithfully the duties of their office, regardless of personal considerations, recognizing that the public interest must be their primary concern and shall be loyal to the objectives expressed by the electorate and the programs developed to attain those objectives” and you “Shall uphold the constitution of the United States, constitution of Missouri, and City Charter and carry out impartially the laws of the nation, state and municipality, and thus foster respect for all government;”.  I believe your behavior in silencing dissent is to directly benefit you personally in your political aspirations and to raise your stature.  You are legally bound to abide by these ethical requirements.  You stated in an interview not long ago that you believed that “social media reflects reality”, but when you are blocking those who are critical of you, then you are creating your own contrived reality.  Unrestrained by your ability to block constituents, your reality would look much different, and I think that scares you.    

I write this asking you to immediately stop blocking my Brian Hand Facebook account and my @TheHand77 Twitter account you are blocking or produce evidence in the form of screenshots or other direct evidence justifying your blocking of my accounts on these platforms in accordance with what you allege you have authority to block constituents under.  I would also ask that you do the same for every constituent that you have blocked, releasing a full list of those accounts you block and why.  There are no privacy concerns as all these comments were made publicly by those constituents.  You are the Mayor of all the citizens of Kansas City, MO and have an obligation to support all of our rights to free speech and to engage our elected officials regardless of their support of you and to not willfully and systematically violate our First Amendment rights.  I spoke personally with Councilwoman Bough and Mayor Pro Tem, Councilman McManus last night and both agreed that elected officials should not violate the First Amendment rights of constituents and assured me that neither of them engage in that behavior.  I ask that the City Council launch an investigation of this issue within their authority under Art. I, Div I, Sec 211 and 212 of the Kansas City, MO Charter https://library.municode.com/mo/kansas_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTICHKAMI_ARTIIMAMECO_DIV1MACO_S211RUPR.  I hope that these Council members are not willing to sacrifice the free speech rights of their constituents to the ego of you, a Mayor who can’t withstand criticism.  Again, I ask you immediately unblock my social media accounts or provide the evidence justifying your actions, I make this request under the MO Sunshine Law, which as you know requires a response withing 3 working days with the information or an explanation of why you are not able to. I formally request a waiver of any related fees and electronic delivery to this email address of the requested information if it exists.  I would appreciate a prompt response in regards to this matter.  

Regards,

@TheHand77
########################

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Analysis: Twitter exploring a sale would make free speech an afterthought

Twitter Inc's board directors can lean on concerns about the fate of the social media platform under Elon Musk to rebuff him, but if they decide to explore a sale, price will override all other considerations, corporate governance experts said.

Is Twitter really biased? This study takes a look

( NewsNation) - Claims of censorship on Twitter, particularly of right-leaning viewpoints, have gained attention in recent years, sparking lawsuits and even Congressional hearings. Accusations of bias and censorship are largely what prompted Tesla CEO Elon Musk to make a highly publicized offer to buy Twitter for $43 billion.

Elon Musk looks to raise funds to buy Twitter, reports say

Tesla CEO and America's richest man Elon Musk is stepping up his bid to acquire Twitter. Musk, whose proposal to buy the platform for $43 billion was rebuffed by Twitter's board last week, is now said to be looking for financing for the acquisition.

Developing . . .