From the outside, the city of Avenal appears to embody every bit of its motto – an “oasis in the sun”. Approaching the community, passing through the dusty yellow hillsides of the Central valley, Avenal emerges with a sudden burst of green on the horizon.
Its small-town feel and quiet tree-lined streets offer respite from the bustling Interstate 5 about five miles away. But trouble is brewing here that has brought this lonesome city national attention.
In April, voters in the city of 13,500 people recalled four of five city council members, in what recall organizers said was a first in California. And, in another first, the city council members have simply remained in office.
For months, they have refused to accept the results, alleging that the recalls were improperly conducted, and have carried on holding meetings, overseeing city business and suing in an effort to invalidate the election. …
Prime example of why I don’t think America will improve any time soon. Even when you miraculously pull together a motivated and unified populace AND overcome bureaucracy, those in power can just… Disobey you?
It’s hard to disobey a guillotine, which is why the people in power suppress calls for violence.
They should stage protest with a guillotine and chant “the people have spoken, don’t make us speak again.”
I’m reasonably sure that a guillotine is protected speech.
Guillotines don’t look too difficult to construct. But I’ve never made one and could be underestimating it.
Heavy weighted diagonal blade on a rail system, rope to lift the blade, place for occupancy… Optional latch and release, maybe a basket to catch the byproduct.
I hope that once the situation gets resolved and those assholes get the boot (or maybe either way… why not), the residents of that town go class-action and sue the everliving shit out of those fuckstains. Like sue them personally, not as representatives of the government. Because they aren’t anymore.
Sue them for stolen wages, if they are paid, sue them for damages, sue them for any expensed food, lodging, or other resources, sue them for any contracts they signed or extended in the period they were unlawfully holding office, etc. get creative. Everything is damages as long as the will of the people is ignored, which by itself is damage.
Make an example of them. It’s absolutely something we the people can do, and I suspect California’s legal system would be… not the worst to do it in.
I don’t live in avenal. I’ve driven through it before but am unfamiliar with it’s local leadership.
A lot of city council meetings that I’m familiar with have an officer there in case of people (typically members of the public) try to commandeer the meeting. I have seen the officer remove a city council member from a meeting for making a show about a certain policy that they would not budge on supporting and wanted to prevent their colleagues from supporting.
Why wouldn’t an officer ask and make the council members leave the meeting and prohibit them from going behind the podium (or whatever set up they have)?
Does someone need to call the sheriff? The state? Newsome?
