I criticized Sacramento leftists for attacking mayor’s home. Some threatened to visit me

My previous column blasted black-clad activists for attacking Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s house and causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage while chanting the names of his children. It also called on Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, a democratic socialist, to break her silence and condemn the violent attack.

Unsurprisingly, the column drew virulent scorn from angry local leftists. They attacked me on Twitter, accusing me of racism, sexism and misogyny. Some even threatened to come to my house next.

“I mean where does Gil live?” wrote Zach Freels, a labor organizer for AFSCME 3299, on Facebook.

“Really I’d love to know,” replied Erica Kane.

Freels suggested visiting my home and harassing my neighbors on a Saturday morning.

“Count me in,” said Kane.

One woman, Joy Halstead, even went so far as to post an address online.

Despite the threats, I passed the weekend in peace. Sacramento Bee readers can rest assured I will never allow intimidation or threats to prevent me from covering the issues important to this community. Bowing down to local terrorists would only ensure an escalation of their tactics.

I will provide no such incentive. Threats will only intensify my commitment to exposing the violent political faction in our community. The raging vandals do not represent the majority of people in Sacramento. Nor do they represent the homeless population they claimed to be supporting with their violent outburst.

The major organizations serving Sacramento’s unhoused population issued statements condemning the violence. The board of directors of Loaves & Fishes, the city’s largest homeless services organization, said in a statement that it “utterly condemns” the attack on Steinberg’s home.

“Their methodology is unacceptable in our community as it would be in any civilized society,” wrote Loaves & Fishes President Amy Chatfield Cameron. “Compassion for the poor should not result in a lack of compassion for other members of our community.”

The Services Not Sweeps Coalition, an organization consisting of 100 groups and individuals dedicated to protecting the rights of the homeless, also decried the violence. The SNSC accused the vandals of using a sign that made it seem as if the coalition supported the attack on Steinberg’s home.

“The SNSC condemns the demonstration at the Mayor’s house, not only for its violence and vandalism, but also for hiding behind SNSC — making it appear that we were either behind, or somehow involved, in this action,” said the group in a statement.

Leaders from Sacramento’s Black community also held a press conference to denounce the violence.

“We stand here before you today in a show of unity today in the belief that protest coupled with violence is not the answer,” said Azizza Davis Goines, president of the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce.

Bee readers had a strong reaction as well. Many thanked me for taking on the issue and expressed shock at the activists’ destruction. It’s clear that the attack on the mayor’s home backfired on activists. The frightening episode generated sympathy for Steinberg and made people wonder whether such violence will continue to manifest in local politics.

Many readers asked the same questions: Why did the Sacramento Police Department allow the attack? Why was no one arrested? I will pose these questions to Chief Daniel Hahn in an interview next week.

I want to know why these groups seem to be engaging in violent protests with greater frequency in Sacramento and why police seem powerless to stop them. Another big question: Who are they? As far as I can tell from my attackers on social media, most of the people expressing support for the destruction at Steinberg’s home are angry, college-educated white people who identify as socialists.

One positive development: On Sunday, eight days after the attack on the Steinberg home, Councilwoman Valenzuela finally issued a statement. She expressed concern for the mayor and his family. While framing the attack on the Steinbergs in vague terms as “the events at their home,” she denounced violence in general.

“The threat of violence shouldn’t be the tool for social change any more than it should be a tool to prevent change,” she wrote.

In a sentence interpreted by some as threatening, Valenzuela wrote: “If we want what happened at the mayor’s house to never happen again … let’s focus on moving forward and getting our neighbors inside and safe.”

Valenzuela told me her statement does not imply a threat. Good. As she’s undoubtedly learning three months into the job, most Sacramento voters don’t see “anticapitalist violence” as a solution to the city’s problems.

This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "I criticized Sacramento leftists for attacking mayor’s home. Some threatened to visit me."