Letters: The real story is why Padilla wanted to question Noem, not his removal from the room

San Francisco Chronicle​

17-06-2025

Regardless of what one may think of Sen. Alex Padilla's actions during Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference, we should keep foremost in mind what elicited his reaction: Noem's statement.
'We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country.'
Noem is saying the Trump administration is attempting to use military force to overthrow the democratically elected leaders of Los Angeles and California.
Maya Angelou famously said, 'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.' Trump and his administration have told us many times: They want to overthrow our democracy and replace it with a dictatorship.
It is time the rest of us believe it and do everything we can to stop it. The controversy over Padilla is just a convenient side show to keep us distracted from the real danger.
Why wasn't Noem's statement the story rather than Padilla's reaction to it?
Jeffrey Kaplan, Berkeley
Dems' stance correct
Every Democratic politician he quoted denounced violent protest and property destruction. Meanwhile, our Republican president has pardoned those who attacked police and vandalized the Capitol.
I also have to ask, who exactly is initiating the violence in the current round of protests? I have seen video of a police officer in Los Angeles casually firing a rubber bullet at a broadcast reporter in the middle of her live report and heard reports of federal agents dragging people out of their immigration hearings. Is it only violence when Waymos burn?
Finally, I don't understand why Gavin Newsom should pay attention to how his words are received in some mythical rural heartland when he is right now the governor of the fourth-largest economy in the world.
Please, Joe, back up and look at the bigger picture; you are lost in the details.
Mary Mazzocco, Oakland
Keep the peace
Regarding 'Manny Yekutiel: When hate masquerades as protest, we all lose' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, June 13) and 'Will Democrats finally stop defending protesters who turn to thuggery?' (Joe Garofoli, SFChronicle.com, June 15): Manny Yekutiel and Joe Garofoli speak wisdom.
If those who attacked Manny's cafe were at the demonstration against immigration arrests on June 9, I doubt their sincerity in being there for a just cause. I suspect they are of the mentality of the Waymo burners, those providing grist for the right-wing social media, as are those with 'F— Trump' signs.
At the Hands Off demonstration on April 5, Indivisible advised us not to react to hecklers who benefit from videos they take of violence after they've incited it. Joe Garofoli reminds us of this.
What I saw at San Francisco's No Kings march was peaceful except for the ubiquitous 'F— Trump' signs, which seem trite, especially compared to the much more inventive 'No Faux King Dictators.'
Tina Martin, San Francisco
Better to unite
Regarding 'Forget the American flag. These are the flags to fly on July 4 to celebrate liberty' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, June 15): I disagree with Joe Mathews' suggestion. This country is as divided as it was during the Civil War. This is not the time to fragment and break up the union.
We must fight to preserve the United States of America as one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Here's a suggestion. No matter which side you're on, you surely know someone with the opposite point of view. Call them and see if you can't get them to agree that this country, for all its problems, is worth preserving.
Let's stop bickering and name-calling. Let's stand together for liberty and justice. Then let's get to work and work out the details.
Ted Tilton, Sunnyvale