These are precarious times for some public officials. Social media has brought a new level of visibility to government. And with the ascent of online trolling, things have gotten downright scary.
San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon is just the latest example of a troubling trend. Last week, a man was arrested at SLO City Hall after knocking down a staffer in an effort to get to into her office. He was ultimately subdued by the City Manager Derek Johnson. Watch the incredible video here.
Police say the man had developed a romantic obsession with Harmon, who was thankfully not at City Hall that day. The timing of his assault is eerie. Just a few hours prior, Harmon had published a Facebook post about the barrage of “cruelty, rudeness, threats, sexism, stalking, body shaming” and other behavior she had been enduring on social media.
The city has increased security measures and filed a restraining order against the alleged assailant, Lannen Bowers.
Harmon isn't the only mayor to have experienced an ordeal like this.
“A recent study published in the academic journal State and Local Government Review found that mayors — women and men — face greater levels of physical violence and psychological abuse than those in the general U.S. workforce, with social media being the most common channel for that abuse,” the Los Angeles Times notes.
“Female mayors were not only much more likely to face some form of violence or abuse, but they were also more likely to experience abuse of a sexualized nature.”
California City News has reported on this phenomena for some time. While most of our gadfly stories involve harmless displays, there have been City Hall disruptions that feature racist and sexist antics, as well as death threats.
Local governments have had to walk a fine line between maintaining public access and assuring their employees’ safety. They will continue to do so. As the Harmon case shows, the risks can be enormous.