California MassResistance has rallied supporters up and down the state to demand the termination of SB 1146.
This terrible bill is still bad.
It makes no difference how many amendments have been made.
The legislation is based on the flimsiest of bases.
State Senator Ricardo Lara should be ashamed of himself just for having introduced this terrible legislation in the first place.
Even worse, a number of the Christian colleges in the state of California caved on this bill after the amendments, when they should have doubled-down and demanded its complete removal.
Despite the Christian college's lack of resolve, individual churches throughout the state pressured their lawmakers.
Pastor Marc Little of Faithful Central Church in Inglewood led the Religious Freedom Bus Riders up to the state capitol to demand that their lawmakers do the right thing and vote down this terrible legislation.
The chief of staff for one representative, Reggie Jones-Sawyer, did not like this opposition, and left this vile, curse-laden voice message for Pastor Marc.
Joey Hill is an intolerant bigot, and should be terminated immediately.
You can listen to it here.
So, with other members of the black community in Inglewood and throughout the South-Central Los Angeles area, I wanted to organize a protest at Sawyer's office.
One young man, Bertran Usher, joined me at the steps of the Assemblyman's office.
Here our some photos from our arrival there:
California MassResistance
Young Conservative and Libertarian Bertran Usher
But there were problems the moment that I go there.
You will notice in the bottom photo that a receptionist is supposed to be on duty.
The door was locked. I could not get into the office.
There was s voice box on the right side of the entry way, with buttons labeled to call staffers in Assemblyman Sawyer's office, and also for State Senator Holly Mitchell.
I knocked on the door a few times to see if someone would answer.
No one came.
I pressed the button twice to summon staffers in Reggie Jones-Sawyers office.
Instead of getting reception from inside the building, two police vehicles drove up to the front of building.
It was pretty intimidating:
This sheriff''s deputy escoted one lady out of the building.
The above deputy took a picture of me from inside, but then claimed that he was taking a selfie with the staffer he escorted out of the building.
Yeah sure.
Now get this. The deputy then tells us that Sawyer and his staff were out of the office for the day!
WHAT?!
The voice recording I received when I called thirty minutes early had informed me that the office is open from 9-5. I hear nothing which about the office being closed for August 26th!
Sawyer and his staffers are getting paid taxpayer dollars to do a job.
They don't both to work on Fridays? They don't even take the time to inform their constituents that they will not be in the office?!
Here, Bertran is trying to get some answers. Where is the assemblyman? Why won't he speak to us?
What's going on? We are two law-abiding citizens exercising our First Amendments, including a petition for redress of grievances.
And this is how we get treated?
The sheriff's deputy ended up escorting a staffer out of the building although we could not tell if that woman was working for Sawyer's office or not.
Betran tried ringing for staffers in Sawyer's office, and no one answered.
Final Reflection
Apparently, Sawyer and Company were scared of what might happen at this office on Friday.
This man rejects the concerns of black community leaders.
His chief of staff, Joey Hill, curses out a pastor.
Then Sawyer votes for SB 114g, with neither respect nor regard for the First Amendment of his oath of offce.,
Shame, shame on Reggie Jones-Sawyer.
He has turned his back on his constituents, and the black community he supposedly represents!