Taking a principled stance against hatred, racism, and antisemitism, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen has announced his office has deactivated their Twitter account.
From his Facebook page, his lede:
I want to announce to everyone that I have decided to end my Office's and campaign site's affiliation with Twitter. I do not do so frivolously or as a stunt. I do so because–if not me, then who, and if not now, then when? Here is my official statement.
Jeff Rosen is Jewish. When I saw him recite “if not me, then who, and if not now, then when?” goosebumps immediately went up my neck. As a Jewish American, that has been happening more frequently, recently. Most of you have seen on these pages, the emboldened fascist Right has been doing Nazi salutes on freeways and a huge rise in White Supremist activity. It is indeed a scary time to be living as things do NOT seem to be getting better on this score.
Here is the official statement from DA Rosen and his office:
"As Americans, we have the freedom to loudly express our political opinions and strongly disagree with each other. However, when that speech crosses the line into hatred, racism and antisemitism, all of our precious and hard fought freedoms are undermined and our democracy is weakened. Every American has a moral obligation to fight against hate speech. There are many ways to do that, large and small. Here’s one way: Quit Twitter. My Office – the largest prosecutor's office in Northern California – is quitting Twitter.
Some think that allowing hatred, encouraging it, and standing beside it equates with free speech and constitutional liberty. That is not a principled stand. That is complicity. That is what many Germans did in the 1930s and what many South Africans did in the 1980s. It is what Elon Musk is doing in the 2020s.
Anyone who uses Twitter has noticed the proliferation of extremist posts in their daily feed. Many of these handles were previously banned by Twitter because they spread hatred and bigotry. Now they are back. That is not free speech. It is a cynical marketing strategy.
Mr. Musk is hiding behind the curtain of being a defender of balanced public dialogue. Yet he himself has used Twitter to spread hatred and bigotry. In a now-deleted Tweet, Mr. Musk used the antisemitic meme Pepe the Frog. If antisemitism is okay, then so is homophobia, misogyny, and racism. That may help Mr. Musk make money. But it can erode our democracy and destroy our country by dividing Americans against each other.
I ask other District Attorneys around our nation to join me in standing against hatred and bigotry by leaving Twitter. We proudly represent the People, all of them. As American prosecutors, we speak with one voice – against crime, violence, greed, and hatred. We don’t need 280 characters or a Billionaire’s app to say, “Bigotry has no home in the land of the free and the home of the brave."
The Office’s Twitter account will be deactivated on December 6, 2022. Those who wish to follow communications from the Office may follow it on Facebook or its website.
Several news sites have picked up the story, such as:
- The San Jose Mercury News
- Etc
Comments from his Facebook Page have been overwhelmingly positive. Here is one such comment:
100 percent support your action and position. Many of us are "on hold" as we wait for a suitable replacement. Socials have become a highly effective and convenient way to stay in touch with friends, with organizations and with current /breaking news events and the like. But they're only as valuable as they are #trustworthy #safe and #nontoxic. Unfortunately, at least for the time being, Twitter meets none of those qualifying criteria. I will let you and my social graph know when an alternative seems ready, safe, trustworthy and nontoxic, and hopefully a little fun, delightful and helpful. #values #integrity #takeastand
Full disclosure: I know Jeff Rosen as he was on the ballot for the first time in 2014 when I was also running for City Council. He gave me an endorsement for my campaign (as I did his). Also, his kids were in my kids classes at school together. I know him to have the highest character and integrity and quite frankly is a role model public servant.
I do hope that other DA’s take him up on his challenge to quit twitter as it turns into a 4Chan hate screaming match.