All good things come to an end. This morning, I received an official email from Councilman Brown giving his reasons for blocking me on X; I have been a very bad person… so bad in fact that I need to be punished. I will no longer be permitted the exquisite privilege of reading on X how Councilman Brown is making a “better world possible”. Here is the esteemed statesman’s email in full:
Ken,
I wanted to reach out this morning to let you know that I have blocked you on Twitter.
I'm extremely disappointed that it's come to this. I believe, as I think you do, that public officials have an obligation to bear criticism in public and deserve intense scrutiny since they represent the will of their constituency. I am opposed on moral and ethical grounds to blocking constituents, and so this is not a decision I've made lightly.
Quite frankly, you're scaring me. I know you disagree with me about public health (aka vaccines, masks, the public response in 2020, and so on). I don't think either of us will successfully change the other's mind about that topic. I don't understand why this disagreement has caused you to attack
1. Me riding the wrong kind of bicycle
2. My mild depression which I take medication for
3. Personal low-effort Twitter posts from years ago
4. What I choose to do in my free time
I did my very best to try to hear you out and understand where you were coming from - over two hundred times I responded to your messages on Twitter.
You have posted, usually multiple times a day, on the majority of days since last April, about me.
You have written many spurious and bizarre articles about me on your private Substack.
I have been in office for three weeks, and have yet to take a substantial vote on any public matter.
Dozens of people have reached out to me cautioning me that your behavior seems "unhinged", "disturbed", "deranged", and so on - including people who are not my political supporters.
The combination of your apparent monomania about me and your frequent posting of second amendment references and memes has brought my wife to tears a dozen times now. I have thick skin and can tolerate your bizarre level of obsession, but when you start impacting my family, I have to draw the line.
I'm well aware of the lawsuits about blocking constituents on social media. I've reviewed the case law and think I'm well within my rights here. The reason blocking constituents on social media is seen as unconstitutional and illegal is because it would prevent constituents from weighing in on matters relating to them, or from seeing what their public officials are saying.
You've proven with your screenshots of my Facebook posts that you have no issues viewing my social media, and you're welcome to continue screenshotting me and complaining to the void about me by taking pictures and following me with your Bicyclopolis account.
I remain steadfast in my determination to provide you excellent representation and responsiveness. My cell phone number is in my email signature line, and I will continue to respond quickly to this email address.
I hope you get the help you need.
-- In love and solidarity,
Jesse
It’s a badge of honor.
Councilman Brown: Words scare me, someone comfort me.