Neighbor News
San Diego County Assessor Jordan Marks Not Attending San Diego Pride over safety concerns to Jewish community
Marks cites Pride Festival Headliner Kehlani who reportedly promotes hate speech and incites violence against the Jewish community
Jordan Z. Marks, San Diego County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder (ARCC) has withdrawn his office from the County of San Diego’s delegation participation in San Diego Pride’s weekend activities due to safety concerns for members of the Jewish community, an announcement said. He also has called on the County of San Diego to withdraw from participating.
Assessor Marks is joining a growing number of public officials, including City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego County Human Relations Commissioner and LGBTQ leader Nicole Murray-Ramirez, in urging the San Diego Pride leadership to change their festival headliner Kehlani to someone who does not promote hate speech and incite violence against the Jewish community.
The singer has publicly expressed support for Palestinians in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and has been accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric on social media.
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A statement from Jordan’s ARCC office said, “Kehlani’s hateful messages, including calls to eradicate Zionism and for an Intifada Revolution, are not only dehumanizing but they can also lead to real-world violence against Jews.”
The ARCC also said the FBI has documented and reported an increase of domestic terror attacks against the Jewish community as seen in Boulder, Col., and Washington, D.C. by assailants who echoed similar hateful rhetoric.
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Marks said, “As a Jewish leader and a community member that lost his uncle to a Palestinian bus bombing in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, I cannot support or feel safe attending any event where the headliner calls for a violent Intifada Revolution.
“As an ally and advocate for our LGBTQ+ community I will be supporting other community events that don’t put our community at risk of physical danger. I applaud the Jewish community leaders for standing strong for a safe and inclusive San Diego and offering alternative JPride events that celebrate the strong allyship we have with the LGBTQ+ community.”
