Mayor Matt Diaz should resign his position due to unacceptable public messages of hate and intolerance toward many members of our community. His initial social media post insulted both LGBTQ and Jewish community members and our community as a whole. His ignorance and lack of respect for fellow citizens is appalling. Unfortunately, such hateful “speech” is precisely the type that may motivate unhinged, angry people to acts of violence, making our community less safe. Should Diaz refuse to resign, I respectfully urge the Council to censure his conduct.

Diaz’s follow-up statement dug an even deeper hole for himself. Diaz falsely equated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts with Nazi propaganda. (Really?) He failed to recognize or take responsibility for his intolerance.

Diaz said, “The post in question was meant to illustrate how the DEI or “woke” ideology is being propagandized and militantly forced on American society and culture using the same psychological tactics used by the Nazi party in the 1930s-1940s.” Apparently, from Diaz’s perspective, it’s a bad thing to honor the US constitution in declaring all people are created equal.

During this Pride Month, we honor all members of our community including those who are LGBTQ. We expect our public officials to welcome all citizens with respect, and to obey the laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, religion, race, sex/gender, and other protected classes.

Mary Tomlinson

Baker City