The lead photo was emailed to me, but I suspect it is an edit of this photo by Adventurous1984 on Reddit.
In December of 2022, a banner appeared on Santa Monica Promenade property on a building owned by homelessness incarceration advocate John Alle. The sign blared “Santa Monica Is Not Safe” and drew media attention to the Downtown area. The sign was replaced with more and more outrageous signs declaring the city “Santa Methica” or Mt. Drugsmore, calling for the replacement of then City Manager David White, and falsely claiming allegiance with LGBTQ+ organizations.
But after Alle’s preferred candidates were drubbed last November and White left of his own accord, Alle’s career as a signwriter has taken a turn away from Santa Monica politics.. “Santa Methica” has been retired and Alle’s newest banner takes shot at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass not for any specific policy but by having a family that dressed in nice clothing for a photo shoot when she first announced her campaign for Mayor.
“RESIGN KAREN NOW,” the sign begins. “MEET KAREN BASS’ FAMILY, DO YOU THINK SHE CARES ABOUT YOURS?” The posted includes a promotional photo the Bass campaign used of Bass with her children and grandchildren in 2022.
(Note: Bass’ original campaign website has been edited many times since 2022 and the original photos are no longer there. However, you can see other images from the photo shoot in these two stories from FOX 45.)
Early reviews of the sign were either confused, negative, or a combination of both.
At Reddit, where images of the sign appeared over the weekend, posters either guessed that the sign was trying to “other” Bass by using images of her multi-racial family or imply that because her family is financially well-off as demonstrated by the photos that Bass lacks empathy for other families.
Either way, the reviews are negative. The sign was panned as “rude,” “racist” and an “embarrassment.”
