2 weeks Ago By Evan Tuchinsky
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, too, is offensiveness. What disturbs one person may please another.
That’s a tricky tightrope.Boundaries of public palatability arose as a discussion point during Tuesday’s City Council meeting when a Chicoan commented about a banner displayed prominently by a local gun shop and training facility.“A friend shared a photo of a large, outdoor banner at Down Range that is deeply disturbing,” Margaret Swick relayed from the lectern.
“It shows a picture of California Governor (Gavin) Newsom — a silly picture of him — with a huge letter F, and you know what that means.“It is a threatening banner and a menacing banner with a target, of course.”Ordinarily, what a business puts out for people to see only concerns the city if it violates sign codes.
The matter at hand involved the Chico Police Department’s use of equipment classified as military-grade under Assembly Bill 481, which requires an annual review of CPD’s inventory and policies.The nexus for Swick: whether CPD and Down Range have “a symbiotic relationship” involving public funds.“Are any of our military equipment dollars being spent at that business? To train? To purchase or sell weapons? For gear or uniforms?”She concluded her remarks by asking, “Does the city of Chico really do business with a company that threatens the governor of California with violence? I ask that you clarify this situation publicly for all of us.
”Just for context, Swick is a founding member of CC4J — originally Concerned Citizens for Justice, now Concerned Community for Justice — who routinely participates in meetings related to law enforcement, including AB 481 forums and hearings. She’s served on PCAB — originally the Police Chief’s Advisory Board, now Police Community Advisory Board — and is an engaged, informed advocate for peaceable approaches to policing.Her comments on Down Range followed an assertion on the broader topic that city leaders “have prioritized fear and military weapon investment over investment in a better city.
”Councilor Tom van Overbeek referenced Swick’s uneasiness about Down Range’s banner in observing, “No one suggested there were Chico police officers shooting at a poster of the governor, and I would suggest that political idiocy is equally distributed in our society on the fringes. I go to Down Range quite a bit, and I’ve never seen anything like that.”In response to the questions she posed, Police Chief Billy Aldridge told me the department has “a direct-bill agreement with Down Range for uniforms and equipment related to officers’ gear,” for which the city gives each officer a stipend.
“Unfortunately, we are on an island in Butte County in terms of vendors who supply this type of equipment for our staff, so we use them regularly.”As for other pieces, he said, “We do not purchase large items from them, nor do we purchase any weapon systems from them. We do not use any of their staff for training, but we do, at times, utilize the indoor range when we are unable to get some time at our shared outdoor range with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
”I didn’t hear back from Down Range, so I’m unsure whether the owners view the banner as a political statement, a marketing campaign or both.As a Rorschach test, it’s succeeded. I see the target as part of the business logo, not crosshairs aimed at Newsom — others obviously view the design differently.
I also view the implied F-bomb akin to F-worded signs at protests: not my taste, yet part of free speech.Quoting this paper’s editorial on the recent Hands Off! march: “Censorship is a slippery slope. Whether we agree with every slogan and speech is secondary to our support of the right to express those opinions in the proverbial public square.
” (You probably figured out who wrote that blurb.)How do you see the ink blots?• • •The Quiz has taken on a life of its own. Last month, as a vehicle to deliver updates (and hopefully a few laughs) to readers, I created a list of multiple-choice questions as this column for that week.
Positive feedback prompted me to repeat the exercise a couple weeks ago, and I got even more enthusiastic responses.One particularly struck me. This reader called it “such a fun way to recap what has been happening in our town! I’m someone who dreads the ‘year in review’ published just before a new year begins as it is usually a reminder of all the bad things that happened.
But, if publishers followed your example, it would be interesting and enjoyable.”My boss agrees. So, this Sunday, we’re debuting a biweekly quiz — called, not surprisingly, The Quiz — that will alternate with Tanya Perez’s column.
I have ideas to keep it fresh. Let’s see where this goes!Reach weekend editor Evan Tuchinsky at [email protected].
