Berkeley, CA (Special to ZennieReport.com) – In a disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves through the East Bay community, Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett (who’s running for Alameda County Supervisor) received a postcard bearing hateful symbols and anti-Black and antisemitic messages. The postcard shown below reflects an alarming rise in targeted hate speech and threats towards public officials in the region.
Racist And Antisemitic Postcard Sent To Berkeley City Councilmember Ben Bartlett’s Home
The postcard, addressed to Councilmember Bartlett, who is currently a candidate for Alameda County Supervisor, featured a Celtic Cross, also known as Odin’s Cross, an emblem often co-opted by white supremacist groups. More alarming was the presence of a menacing message, “F— You N—r,” handwritten in bold letters, effectively turning the symbol into a terrifying representation of crosshairs.
Additionally, the postcard was laden with antisemitic propaganda, including images and rhetoric vilifying and promoting genocide against Jewish people, further compounding the abhorrent nature of this act. This personal attack on Councilmember Bartlett extends the troubling trend of hate speech from public forums to the homes of elected officials, indicating a dangerous escalation.
Postcard A Clear Attempt At Harassment And Intimidation
The fact that such vitriol, including content that promotes genocide, was sent to Councilmember Bartlett’s residence underscores not only a blatant disregard for the safety and privacy of public servants but also a chilling attempt to intimidate and silence voices of progress and unity.
The East Bay Community, already facing a rise in hateful disruptions aimed at public officials, is particularly shocked by this incident. The practice of ‘Zoombombing’ public meetings with racist and antisemitic commentary has affected numerous Bay Area cities such as San Francisco, Walnut Creek, San Jose, and Richmond. The direct targeting of Bartlett’s residence with hate mail adds a new and deeply personal dimension to this issue.
Racist And Antisemitic Actions Are America’s Problem
In addition to the problem of localized incidents of hate in the form of racist and antisemitic actions, the problem is nationwide, as well. According to a study by the anti-hate organization The Anti-Defamation League, or “ADL”, called “Campus Antisemitism: A Study of Campus Climate Before and After the Hamas Terrorist Attacks”:
73% of Jewish college students surveyed have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year alone. By comparison, 43.9% of non-Jewish students reported the same during that period. Prior to this school year, 70% of Jewish college students experienced at least some form of antisemitism throughout their entire college experience.
Of the non-Jewish students erroneously assumed to be Jewish, nearly half (46%) stated that they had been targeted based on their assumed Jewishness.
26% of students assumed to be Jewish by others reported being on the receiving end of offensive anti-Jewish remarks, compared to 8.7% of those not assumed to be Jewish. Since 10/7, the proportion of non-Jewish students assumed to be Jewish has increased from 7.2% to 12.7%. Of this group, 29.5% reported being the targets of offensive anti-Jewish remarks.
https://www.adl.org/resources/report/campus-antisemitism-study-campus-climate-and-after-hamas-terrorist-attacks
And at UC Berkeley, Jewish students recently complained of the very problem of antisemitism, and to the point of threatening to and then actually suing the university. But now, with the harassment of Ben Bartlett and his family, it’s clear that the same people responsible for such actions on campus, may very well have brought their hate to bear on local politics.
Councilmember Bartlett, whose work and candidacy have been emblematic of progressive values and community unity, could not be reached for comment before the time of publishing. However, the impact of such a hateful act resonates beyond individual targets. This racist and antisemitic action not only challenges the very principles of diversity and inclusion that the East Bay community stands for, it’s also just illegal.
The California Hate Crimes law makes it a criminal offense to use force, violence or threat to intimidate, harm or disturb someone else – willfully and due to their race, national origin, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, gender, color or group association. Delivering a note of hate to someone’s house counts as a violation of the California Hate Crimes law.
In Alameda County, California, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Hotline is at 510-208-4824.
In addition to local laws, the United States Department of Justice has outlined the different federal laws against hate in this web page: https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/laws-and-policies .
More Must Be Done To Stop Hate Crimes Like The One Done To Councilman Bartlett
Even before the horrible terrorist attacks by both Hamas and Israeli forces started last fall, hate crimes were on the rise. In 2022, California State Attorney General Rob Bonta said that nearly 1,800 crimes reported in 2021 reflected a 33% jump from 2020. “The epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat,” said Bonta. And that’s certainly the case in the matter of what happened to Ben Bartlett and his family.
SFGate Uses Google AdWords To Smear Berkeley CM Ben Bartlett
SF Gate and Hearst Corporation have gone too far in using Google AdWords to boost a four year old article against Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett. They did this via their own 46Mile online marketing organization.
SFGate has also worked to smear Matt Horn, the famed founder of Horn Barbecue. In that effort they used not one but five writers and even took Matt Horn’s Instagram photo from the fire damaged building without his permission.
The cost to pay the writers is greater than the ad revenue SFGate made on the articles. That means that Grant green-lit those to satisfy a client who wanted to take down Matt Horn.
Grant Marek, the Executive Director of SFGate must apologize to Ben Bartlett and Matt Horn and stop these antics.
He must also apologize to the Society of Professional Journalists, which outlaws this kind of activity.
All of this comes as Section 230 is being considered by the Supreme Court, today. Actions like Grant’s could wind up leading to the termination of free speech on platforms.