Berkeley councilmember the latest local politician harassed out of his job
Image by Berkeleyside.org
Yet another Bay Area politician has experienced harassment and threats, prompting one more promising talent to check out of a local political career. Rigel Robinson (who became Berkeley's youngest councilmember at 22 years old when elected in 2018) just announced he's resigning from Council and ending his mayoral campaign, as reports Berkeleyside. He cites “perpetual” stress from getting harassed, stalked, and threatened by the public. Recently in SJ tells a similar story: councilmember Dev Davis stated she wouldn't run again for office after being aggressively protested and threatened with a bomb outside her home.
Berkeley mayoral candidate and Councilmember Rigel Robinson will resign from office and end his campaign this week, he told Berkeleyside on Tuesday, citing “harassment, stalking and threats” that he says have made continuing his political career untenable. …
Robinson became the youngest council member ever elected in Berkeley when he won the seat representing the student-centric district months after graduating from UC Berkeley in 2018, then cruised to re-election in 2022 without an opponent on the ballot. The mayoral campaign he launched last year counted endorsements from three of his City Council colleagues, along with influential advocacy groups such as the Housing Action Coalition and East Bay YIMBY, and a long list of politicians from around the region and state, including Attorney General Rob Bonta. …
In an opinion piece submitted to Berkeleyside, Robinson thanked supporters, council colleagues, legislative staff and city workers, but wrote that he is “burnt out” from his time in office.
“I have been in a perpetual state of stress and exhaustion for as long as I can remember,” Robinson wrote. “It is not sustainable, it is not healthy, and I need to make a significant lifestyle change.”
Reached by text message, Robinson said he has been followed and told to kill himself, and that concerning messages were taped to the door of his home and mailed to him. Robinson said he discussed his concerns with Berkeley police and considered seeking restraining orders “against multiple individuals,” but did not go through with the process.
“Generally, I have accepted this as simply being part of the job,” Robinson wrote. “But when these behaviors affect my loved ones, I have to draw the line. It’s time for me to prioritize my well-being and my family.” …
Councilmember Terry Taplin wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “The harassment & abuse public servants face is real. This toxicity should never be normalized.”
This article originally appeared in Berkeleyside. Read the whole thing here.
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