Mayor Reed warns against normalizing political violence and rising cancel culture in national discourse
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Summary
On a podcast, Mayor Steven L. Reed criticized political violence and called out what he described as inconsistent approaches to free speech and cancel culture, referencing incidents including the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol and recent attacks on public officials.
Mayor Steven L. Reed used his podcast appearance to urge consistency in how Americans apply free-speech principles and to condemn political violence. “No one wants to see a life lost because of views and opinions of people,” Reed said.
He referenced the Jan. 6 insurrection and recent attacks on public officials as examples of political violence that should not be normalized. “You can't excuse that…You can't excuse someone ambushing an 80 year old man” at a public official’s residence, he said, and also mentioned incidents of shootings targeting elected officials.
Reed criticized what he termed selective enforcement of cancel culture and media or corporate decisions driven by profit motives. He discussed the case of a high-profile commentator and the response by a broadcast network, saying, “If ABC is canceling him…because they're really worried about this multibillion dollar merger…that is a problem,” adding that corporate-management decisions tied to government enforcement risk blurring public and private roles.
Reed said the country’s democratic norms are at risk if public institutions and private companies lose credibility and public trust: “Once people start losing faith in democratic norms, it becomes a lot easier for that democracy to erode and ultimately to die.” He urged citizens to lead by example and be mindful of rhetoric, especially from public platforms.
The podcast remarks reflect the mayor’s view and do not report a formal municipal action or legal analysis. Reed did not cite specific federal orders, court decisions or statutes during the interview.