靠谱的新媒体不多,请关注美国华人杂谈
编译 | 牧羊犬
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(图源:clickondetroit.com)
密西根州州务卿乔斯林•本森(Jocelyn Benson)表示,周六(12月5日)出现在她家门外的二十来名想推翻该州2020年总统选举结果的抗议者"越界了",并补充说,他们想"破坏和压制每个选民的意愿和声音"。
周六,一群示威者们聚集在本森家门外,并在脸书上进行直播,许多人大喊"停止窃选",并敦促她到外面来。
(当日示威活动的视频)
本森说,抗议活动开始时,她和4岁的儿子刚布置完圣诞装饰,准备看电影。
"你的邻居们不会睡不着觉的——你现在就得出来!"其中一名抗议者大喊。
密西根州警察局的Mike Shaw中尉说,他相信一些抗议者公开携带枪支。警方于当天深夜接近10时接到有人报警求助,声称受到滋扰,派人前往调查。过了不久,示威群众陆续散去。警方发言人表示,事件中无人受伤,无人被捕。虽然有部分人持有武器,但在密西根州现行法例下,只要是合法拥有枪械以及不刻意隐藏枪械,在公众地方持枪便不算违法。
拜登以2,804,040张选票,在密西根州赢得50.62%的选票,超过川普15.4万多票。11月23日,该州的选举结果得到认证。然而,川普总统的法律团队继续以“广泛的选民欺诈”为由,对结果提出异议。他的律师们尚未拿出任何证据支持这些说法。
密西根州政府网站公布的经认证的大选结果
图源:mielections
抗议活动是在密西根州众议院监督委员会听取了众多关于底特律市选举舞弊未经证实的虚假说法之后发生的
"他们高喊关于选举的毫无根据的阴谋论,在上传到社交媒体的视频中,至少可以听到一个人在她孩子卧室外高喊'你们是杀人犯'。”密西根州总检察长达娜•内塞尔(Dana Nessel)和韦恩郡检察官Kym Worthy在周日的一份联合声明中谴责了本森家门外的抗议活动,指出"这种类似暴徒的行为是对基本道德和体面的侮辱,"并补充说,"去别人家恐吓儿童和家人不是积极行动主义"。
下面是州务卿的完整声明:
"周六晚上,当我和四岁的儿子布置完家中圣诞节的装饰,他正准备坐下来看电影《圣诞怪杰》时,一群持枪人员站在我家门外,在黑夜中手持喇叭,大喊脏话和口号。
我一直积极倡导美国《宪法》中和平抗议的权利和重要性,然而,当集会的主要目的是恐吓正在履行作为民选官员庄严誓词的公职人员时,就是越界了。继11月3日投票结束以来的一个月以来,我们一直忍受着对我们选举的安全性和准确性的假信息的哄传和令人不安的组织行动,这次抗议是这些行动的延伸。通过公然虚假的新闻稿、纯政治性的立法听证会、虚假的法律主张和未能给出任何明确或有说服力的不法行为证据的所谓的"宣誓书",对这次选举结果不满的人们已经延续了一场前所未有、危险且令人震惊的运动,以削弱公众对我们州历史上最安全、最便捷和最透明的选举结果的信心。
在我家门外提出的要求是明确、响亮和具威胁性的。他们针对的是我作为密西根州首席选举官的身份。但聚众威胁实际上并不是针对我或本州其他民选官员。他们的目标是选民。通过暴力威胁、恐吓和欺凌,我家门外的持枪人员和他们的政治盟友试图破坏和压制本州每一位选民的意愿和声音,无论这些选民投票给谁。他们的目标是要推翻和颠覆选举结果,而选举结果是清晰明确的,这次选举是550万密西根公民共同参与的。
然而,他们的努力不会成功。因为我们的民主是强大的。人民的意愿是明确的。我每天都在我的工作岗位上,为所有选民服务,甚至维护那些在我家门外联合起来的抗议者的选票。我的职业生涯始于调查全国各地的暴力新纳粹和白人至上主义组织。底特律人Viola Liuzzo的照片,以及她遇害时所驾驶车辆的密西根州车牌复制品,挂在我的办公室里。我深知历史上那些致力于守护和保护我们民主进程的人们所承担的风险。不管是我家门外争吵不断和冲击视觉的威胁,还是充斥在我的社交媒体上的威胁,都无法阻止我、我的团队,或密西根州的1600多名选举管理人员完成我们的工作。
这项工作很简单:捍卫和保护每一位密西根州的选民、他们的选择和他们的选票。我将继续保护每一个公民的选票,因为无论一个人如何投票,或他们投给谁,他们住在哪里,或他们看起来像什么,他们的选票是我们民主的命脉。确保每张选票都算数,是我们作为选举官员工作的核心。它就记在我们宣誓就职的誓言中,当我们承诺拥护美国宪法和密西根州宪法时,这两部宪法都明确且突出地确立了每个公民的基本投票权。
在我的职业生涯中,我一直在捍卫和保护每个合格公民的投票权。这一承诺从未动摇,现在也不会动摇。我将继续作为密西根州州务卿,自豪地保护和捍卫每一位选民和每一张选票。"
该声明的英文文本也值得一读,我们也放在这里。
"As my four-year-old son and I were finishing up decorating the house for Christmas on Saturday night, and he was about to sit down to watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,' dozens of armed individuals stood outside my home shouting obscenities and chanting into bullhorns in the dark of night.
I have always been an energetic advocate for the right and importance of peaceful protest as enshrined in the United States Constitution, however, there is a line crossed when gatherings are done with the primary purpose of intimidation of public officials who are carrying out the oath of office they solemnly took as elected officials. The actions of these latest protestors are an extension of the noise and clouded efforts to spread false information about the security and accuracy of our elections that we’ve all endured in the month since the polls closed on November 3. Through blatantly false press releases, purely political legislative hearings, bogus legal claims and so-called 'affidavits' that fail to allege any clear or cogent evidence of wrongdoing, those unhappy with the results of this election have perpetuated an unprecedented, dangerous, egregious campaign to erode the public’s confidence in the results of one of the most secure, accessible and transparent elections in our state’s history.
The demands made outside my home were unambiguous, loud and threatening. They targeted me in my role as Michigan’s Chief Election Officer. But the threats of those gathered weren’t actually aimed at me – or any other elected officials in this state. They were aimed at the voters. Through threats of violence, intimidation, and bullying, the armed people outside my home and their political allies seek to undermine and silence the will and voices of every voter in this state, no matter who they voted for. Their goal is to overturn and upend the results of an election that are clear and unequivocal, and that 5.5 million Michigan citizens participated in.
But their efforts won’t carry the day. Because our democracy is strong. The will of the people is clear. And I will stand up every day in my job for all voters, even the votes of the protestors who banded together outside my home. I began my career investigating violent neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations throughout the country. A photo of Detroiter Viola Liuzzo, along with a replica of her Michigan license plate from the vehicle she was driving when she was murdered, hangs in my office. I am acutely aware of the risks borne throughout the history of those working to stand guard over and protect our democratic process. Nothing about the incessant and graphic threats made outside my home, or those that flood my social media accounts, will deter me, my team, or the more than 1,600 election administrators across the state of Michigan from doing our jobs.
And that job is simple: to defend and protect every Michigan voter, their choice, and their votes. I will continue to guard every citizen’s vote because no matter how one voted or who they voted for, where they live, or what they look like, their vote is the lifeblood of our democracy. Ensuring it counts is central to our work as election officials. It’s in our oath of office when we pledge to support the United States Constitution and that of the State of Michigan, both of which unequivocally and preeminently establish every citizen's fundamental right to vote.
I have spent my career defending and protecting the right to vote of every eligible citizen. That commitment has never wavered, and it will not waver now. I will continue as Michigan’s Secretary of State, proudly protecting and defending every voter and every vote."

据《华盛顿邮报》报道,密西根州多名民选官员因选举结果受到威胁和骚扰,佐治亚州、亚利桑那州、佛蒙特州、肯塔基州、明尼苏达州和科罗拉多州的民选官员也是如此。
上周,佐治亚州的投票系统负责人加布里埃尔·斯特林(Gabriel Sterling)就在12月1日举行的新闻发布会上,呼吁总统唐纳德·川普和其他民选官员谴责针对选举工作人员暴力言辞。“今天,格温内特县有20多岁的技术人员收到死亡威胁,今天还收到了一个绞索,称他应该因为叛国罪被绞死。……必须停止。”斯特林说。
密西根州务卿不是今年唯一一个寓所被抗议者盯上的民选官员。
今年4月,持枪抗议者涌入密西根州国会大厦,要求密西根州州长和议员们结束该州为限制新冠病毒传播的居家令。对州长惠特默(Gretchen Whitmer)实施的居家令不满的人们也在4月份聚集在她的兰辛家门口,而FBI在10月份侦破图谋绑架她的武装组织行动。今年夏天,反对警察对黑人男子施暴的抗议者也曾将洛杉矶、俄勒冈州波特兰、芝加哥、西雅图和圣路易斯的市长们的家作为目标。
如密西根州检察总长内塞尔作出的回应,公众应该以文明及民主的途径,合法地表达诉求和不满,而不应该去到当事人的寓所,向小孩子和当事人的家人作出恫吓。以抗议之名,行滋扰之事,应该受到公民和政府官员的严厉谴责。
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参考文章:

https://www.fox4now.com/news/election-2020/michigan-sec-of-state-says-protesters-who-showed-up-at-her-house-crossed-a-line
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/12/06/michigan-sos-jocelyn-benson-says-armed-protesters-gathered-outside-her-detroit-home/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/07/michigan-sos-benson-armed-protest/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/election-workers-threats-trump/2020/12/02/d3e14d78-34c2-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html
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