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SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon accused of stomping on freedom of speech

January 15, 2021

SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon

By KAREN VELIE

Under fire for blocking just about anybody who disagrees with her, San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon took her Instagram page down, put it back up with everyone unblocked, and is now taking it down again.

After receiving a Freedom of Information Act request, asking for a list of everyone Harmon had blocked from her social media accounts, the mayor announced on approximately Jan. 8 that she was getting off of social media to promote personal connectivity. Harmon then shut down her Instagram account. That lasted less than a week.

Harmon reopened her Instagram account on Jan. 12, with those she had blocked suddenly given access. Even so, a day later Harmon announced plans to shut the account down again.

“I’m taking a pause from all social media channels so that I can focus on key issues and the historic challenges we face and not on the negative and consistent vitriol I experience on social media,” Harmon posted on Jan. 13.

In response to the records request, Harmon provided an eight-page list with only 25 names on it, including Adam Montiel from “Up & Adam in the Morning.” It appears what Harmon sent was zoomed-in, incomplete screenshots that did not clearly show who all were blocked, with many accounts noticeably cropped out, rather than producing a simple and complete list.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2019 that the comment section of a public official’s social media page is a public forum, meaning they cannot delete the comments of those who disagree with them based on their First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Harmon has good reason to be concerned, Irvine Mayor Christina Shea is currently battling a lawsuit after she blocked a man from her official Facebook page because he had criticized her comments about Black Lives Matter.

Harmon blocked Montiel after he corrected her interpretation of guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During his Jan. 14 show, Montiel took Harmon to task.

“It’s true, she blocks people for literally just disagreeing with her, correcting her, or really, anything she wants to, and it turns out, that’s illegal,” Montiel said on his show. “If she can submit dishonest or incomplete evidence from her city phone and the city doesn’t catch it, what assures residents that anything that is requested of her can be perceived as truthful and complete?”


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Its the China way…..and some in the USA have fallen in love with the China way….


81

She’s the worst Mayor that San Luis Obispo has ever had & squashes & dismisses all voices who do not happen to agree with her.


207

said by almost no one in the last election. SLO is firmly left of left and it appears most residents are happy about that, sorry.


-73

Exactly.


-37

Yep, and she continues to put nails in the coffin once known as San Luis Obispo. What? Three more downtown businesses announced their closing up this week? I guess her Instagram status and self promotion is more important.


59

Her taking a social media break wont last, it is the only way she can stay relevant and self absorbed.


117

That pic though. It’s gold. She literally posted that with the caption, “still I rise”. The narcissism of this woman is next level. Floating on air?? This is how she sees herself. And apparently, illustrative of how she treats and regards her plebeians.


121

I’m not a Heidi Harmon fan, but it doesn’t sound like “stomping on free speech” as much as shutting her ears to free speech when it’s something she doesn’t want to hear.. All the same, seems well within her character to do.


10

No, thats pretty much the definition of “stomping on free speech”.


78

Can’t stand her, but who gives a rat’s arse who she allows on her personal social media accounts


-10

What is going on with that photo of Harmon?! Is she trying to levitate or something?


101

I sincerely hope she’s going to fly away!


86

Just look at that photo. It speaks volumes about her.


81

It’s Eva Braun and her roses, arisen from Hell! For the life of me I don’t understand why Heidi would choose to channel Hitler’s mistress with that rose in her hair and then complain about racism in SLO.


77

The one thing Heidi and Dan Dow have in common—they both love to ignore case law and block everyone on social media who disagrees with them.


-51

And the debauchery goes on……..


70

Such typical behavior for her. Harmon seems to have the emotional control of a 3 yr old. She shouldn’t be in charge of a lemonade stand let alone a city. It’s unfortunate for SLO that the typical voter is seemingly fine with Harmon’s infantile behavior.


119
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