San Jose city councilmember granted temporary restraining order against social media blogger
San Jose city councilmember granted restraining order against blogger
A San Jose city councilmember has been granted a temporary restraining order against a social media blogger. Councilmember Peter Ortiz says he felt he and his family were in danger after videos were posted, claiming he supports the sexualization of children.
SAN JOSE, CA - A San Jose City Council member has been granted a temporary restraining order against a social media blogger. Council member Peter Ortiz says he felt he and his family were in danger after videos were posted, implying he supports the sexualization of children.
San Jose City Council member Peter Ortiz says this isn't about punishing someone for criticizing the job he's doing, but it's about keeping himself and his family safe.
"These false accusations and implications that I’m supporting the sexualization of children, have already led to some of the respondent’s followers on social media to come after me and my girlfriend," said Peter Ortiz, San Jose City Council member for Dist. 5.
San Jose City Council member Peter Ortiz was granted a temporary restraining order late last month against Robert Saenz, the administrator of ESSJ Times. The social media blogger usually posts about the community and public safety in San Jose.
However, on Dec. 17, Saenz made a post calling Ortiz and another council member brown puppets, saying, "Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres do not represent the Latino and Mexican community at all, especially the majority of the community are against grooming our children."
"I represent my entire district. Whether you are gay, straight, no matter what nationality you come from, male or female. I’ve seen these attacks go nationally, and it’s our job to make sure that they stop, and this violence doesn’t enter the city of San Jose," said Ortiz.
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San Jose City Council unanimously passed a resolution last October in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Saenz says his posts are being misinterpreted, and he simply supports those who disagree with policies that teach children about being gay or transgender.
"Their voices are being hijacked. A lot of them don’t agree with what’s being shown in the schools and that’s OK. It’s just really not OK that a big part of the gay community has been silenced," said Saenz.
Ortiz says filing the restraining order was a preemptive move to protect himself and his family. Saenz now believes his freedom of speech is in jeopardy.
"That restraining order is him attacking my First Amendment rights. He’s attacking the opinion of all 66,000 who follow. As of right now, I’m just going to review my legal options," said Saenz.
The temporary restraining order is also supposed to restrict Saenz from posting any more defamatory statements about Ortiz. The order will be reassessed in court later this month.