California Mayor Steps Down After Comparing Trump & His Supporters to KKK, Nazis
Auburn Mayor William Kirby social media posts cause backlash
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The mayor of a northern California city who compared President Donald Trump and his supporters to the KKK and Nazis is stepping down following a massive backlash.
Auburn Mayor William Kirby admitted that some of his posts against the president were over the top, according to KTXL-TV.
One post depicted a Ku Klux Klan member in a hood along with the caption:
"Good news for Trump supporters is that most of them already have masks."
Kirkby commented, "True."
The Mayor also wrote on another post to another social media user:
"If Hitler and everyone who supported him were removed from the face of the earth in 1939, the world would be a much better place. The same is more true of Trump and his supporters today."
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The Auburn Journal said Kirby had written on a repost of a story in the Atlantic under the headline, "The President is Trapped" saying:
"That right-wing coronavirus denier Boris Johnson just got hospitalized. Guess which 2 should be next!!!! And god bless all those evangelicals going to church in large groups…. There is no cure for stupid…. But they all vote for Trump anyway so it is ok…."
The California city Mayors posts caused so much outrage that he was forced to step down in the wake of his derogatory social media comments.
There are also screenshots of an online exchange was Kirkby aggressively tells another person:
"F*** off you right-wing nut case" and "you un-American Nazi clown."
Councilwoman Cheryl Maki responded to Kirby's remarks in a statement:
"I abhor the things that he has said and done, and I did not hear an apology from him tonight."
"It would be appropriate" if Kirby "would hand the gavel over to Vice Mayor [Matt] Spokely this evening and let him run the meeting," KTXL reported.
Kirby responded by saying, "No."
Kirby sent KDVR-TV the following statement regarding the situation:
I have spent 40 years of my life dedicated to serving Auburn as a physician and through my volunteer efforts.
Some people have viewed my posts, which were meant to be private and made out of frustration, as over the top. Some were, and I regret that.I want to share with you where my frustrations have come from. As a doctor I see nurses, respiratory therapists, other medical staff, first responders, and my medical colleagues as well as their patients dying unnecessarily because of the lack of preparation for the Corona virus, the president has put us all at risk.
I believe history will judge those who stood up against damaging policies and ideologies and those that did not.
The mayor of Auburn, CA is facing backlash tonight over controversial social media posts. One post appears to equate Trump supporters to members of the KKK. Mayor Bill Kirby has been a vocal critic of Pres Trump but community members say this crossed the line. Here's his response pic.twitter.com/6cr1Su1aN0
— Bridgette Bjorlo (@bridgettebjorlo) April 13, 2020
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Kirby argued he is not a Democrat but "a fiscal conservative that believes in equality for everybody."
He added that his posts were unrelated to his mayoral duties:
"[Facebook] is not a city site. It's a personal site. This has nothing to do with my job. I re-posted it. I think [Trump] is a racist, absolutely."
Councilwoman Maki told the Journal said he received "so many private messages on my Facebook account [about Kirby's posts] I haven't had a chance to respond to anybody."
"It's unfortunate our mayor is spending his time posting hate speech on Facebook when there are so many more important things at this time," Maki added to the paper.
"We talked to him [in the past]. He promised not to do it anymore, and he continues to post hate speech. It's divisive, unnecessary, and it's harmful to our community."
"He needs to make a public apology for what he's done. Referring to one side as KKK is unacceptable. It's hateful and wrong."
One of Kirby's long time acquaintance told KDVR:
"I don't necessarily support Trump, but anytime somebody feels like you like the policies of the president, then you're a racist, you're a bigot, you should die, and I think that's uncalled for."
