Sac Bee Calls Out Group For False Racist Allegations Against Elk Grove Mayor
Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen made headlines in 2020 when she challenged then incumbent Mayor Steve Ly and beat him after an intense three month campaign. The election is indeed over. However, the harassment of the women who stepped forward with allegations of harassment has not ceased. Several groups have made it a point to, not only continue to harass the women, but to continue to spread falsehoods.
Last week a group called Elk Grove Hmong Americans unveiled a letter demanding for Mayor Singh-Allen to resign. They threatened a recall campaign if she refuses. The group says that Bobbie Singh-Allen is racist, having made statements against Hmong Americans. There is just one problem. Bobbie Singh-Allen isn’t racist. She merely beat their white knight in the Elk Grove Mayoral race and spoke out against harassment she and other women had experienced.
Harassment in itself is wrong, no matter what the culture. Steve Ly and many of his supporters happened to be of Hmong descent. Singh-Allen’s comments weren’t rooted in prejudice but in a desire to speak out and denounce harassment. Her motives were void of any tinge of racism.
As the Sacramento Bee article pointed out, unfortunately, this defamatory and slanderous tactic is not unheard of in journalism. Essentially, the strategy is to mislead the public and manipulate them into believing what you want them to believe. It is clear that the group Elk Grove Hmong Americans isn’t just out to make themselves heard. They are humiliated by the election results and determined to take down the woman who they see as having took down their white knight. However, as I think they will discover, it becomes a problem when you cross the border into harassment and when you use falsehoods in an attempt to prove your legitimacy.
For her part, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen confirmed that she is not resigning, or considering resigning. “
“It’s a shame when people can’t accept election outcomes and our decisive victory garnering the most votes for Mayor in Elk Grove History. Using the “racism” card is dangerous and desensitizes communities when tackling real racism in our country. The people behind this shadowy group are the same ones that used bull horns to prevent me from debating the former mayor, staged protests chanting “no justice, no peace” as they accused me of racism. Using slogans originating from systemic harm and racism endured by our African-American brothers and sisters to advance their narrative is wrong! Saying something over and over doesn’t make it any more true today than it did during the campaign trail. The few people behind these efforts are the same ones who target representatives of their own community throughout the country from Wisconsin, Fresno, to the Sacramento area. I am a strong woman that will not be distracted by hateful and false allegations. People see through it. Calling in during council meetings will not deter me from working hard everyday to serve Elk Grove. The Sacramento Bee called them out during the campaign and again now.”
Mayor of Elk Grove Bobbie Singh-Allen
“The allegations are completely unfounded.”
Sacramento Bee
“Shame on those who can’t tell the difference between bigotry and accountability — or who purposely conflate the two for political gain.”
Sacramento Bee
It’s okay to have different opinions among multicultural communities. Nobody expects politics to exist in a vacuum. Just as not all Caucasian Americans will support Trump and not all people of color will support Kamala Harris, you’re expected to vote for politicians whose values speak to you the most. Racism is still a cancer which pervades our nation and our community, while the road to equality is still being paved. However, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen isn’t one of the people perpetuating racism.
Mayor Singh-Allen, who immigrated to the United States from India at the age of 4, says that these defamatory tactics detract from real racism and real issues in the community. As we saw in the 2020 election and the mayoral debate debacle, people can usually spot dirty tactics from a mile away.
