The pressure on Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Bohn is intensifying as members of the community say he’s a racist and rally for his resignation in the wake of an offensive joke.
Controversy over Bohn’s divisive sense of humor and what’s seen as his tepid response to it peaked at the April 16 Humboldt Coumty Board of Supervisors meeting, where multiple community members demanded he set an example by resigning.
The focus on racism stems from a wisecrack Bohn made during a one-on-one conversation at a March 9 fundraiser in Eureka. An auction item for the fundraiser was a Mexican meal and when Bohn was told of its authentic content, he jokingly asked if the authenticity would motivate its consumers to hit the streets and “steal hubcaps.”
The remark has been confirmed because it was overheard and earlier this month, community organizer Renee Saucedo released a statement on it demanding Bohn’s resignation.
A rally preceded the supervisors meeting and many of its participants were in board chambers. During an open public comment session, Saucedo warned that use of language has social influence.
“An elected official made a joke about Mexicans stealing hubcaps – reinforcing the stereotype that Mexicans are generally criminals, gang members,” she said. “Why are comments like this exceedingly dangerous, supervisors? Because language, especially from public officials, becomes part of the local culture, which leads to discriminatory practices and policies.”
Other commenters described Bohn’s jocular allusion to criminal behavior as “extremely divisive,” “appalling” and “hurtful.”
Some spoke of the pervasiveness of racism and “white privilege.” An Arcata resident presented Bohn with a copy of the book “White Fragility,” subtitled “Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism.”
Other speakers linked the situation to what they described as Humboldt’s generally racist social environment and the unprosecuted killing of Humboldt State University student Josiah Lawson.
“I come to you right now as a black man in Humboldt County and there hasn’t been a moment where I felt safe,” said HSU student Isaiah Alexander.
He added that to uphold standards of integrity and character for county leadership, Bohn should make “a very, very, very difficult decision” and resign.
“I’m saying that because I don’t trust you, I don’t trust anyone here,” he continued as applause sounded. “I’m saying this because this is real. People like me are being attacked, people like me are dying and if you’re not going to do anything about it — then just get out of the way.”
Meg Stofsky, a member of the local NAACP branch, challenged Bohn to confront the import of his remark. “You used your white privilege, you thought you weren’t going to be heard — but we’re listening,” she said. “We understand where that came from, we’re in a white racist society. We can’t help that but we can help what’s in our hearts and what comes out of our mouths.”
Stofsky invited Bohn to join a “white fragility group” that meets monthly so that he can “come and explore how you have been infected” and allow his constituents to have “what they need – someone who isn’t blatantly racist.”
A member of the NAACP’s Legal Redress Committee that fields reports of discrimination, Stofsky described Humboldt County as “a racist society that lets black and brown people die on the streets.”
Kelsey Reedy, who chairs the county’s Green Party, said that racism holds sway in the county, even within HSU. She emphasized the context of Bohn’s role as a county leader and told him, “You’re being a Trump right now, Rex Bohn, and your apology needs to be redone because you didn’t apologize for what you did, you just apologized for the potential offense of it.”
She added, “You didn’t take any responsibility and you need to own that – resign or we’ll recall you.”
Bohn is chair of the board and as he called on Supervisor Mike Wilson to introduce the next agenda item, members of the audience called out, disappointed that there would be no response to what they had said. Bohn and Wilson explained that board commentary on non-agenda items is limited.
But the explanation fell flat and Charmaine Lawson, Josiah Lawson’s mother, stood up and demanded that Bohn respond to what had been said with a substantial apology.
When Bohn attempted to end the exchange by saying “thank you,” someone shouted out, “Stop saying thank you, be a human being with a heart and soul and say you’re sorry.”
“We’re adjourned,” said Bohn.
After a break, the meeting reconvened.
Okay, now what did Rex say this time? That guy’s a real man, a real rude man, reminds me of a Trump wannabe, probably his hero. There’s a word for those who think they’re funnier than they really are: obnoxious. (Have you noticed that Rex is always trying to make little jokes, spout one-liners, during the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meetings, is he trying to make boring government interesting, show he’s such a clever dude?)
Then here come the righteous virtual-signalers of political correctness from the North Coast Journal to the rescue, the attack dogs of the pronoun brigades nipping at Rex’s heels and shouting “Misogyny!” On the other side there’s good ol’ boy Rex, a frustrated comedian no doubt, from another time when men were men and the little lady better get that meal on the table at 6pm or else. Misogyny? I doubt that he hates women.
No, I’m not defending that lovable oaf, I just know that he’s with us, probably forever, and will keep being re-elected until his cows come home, if that yokel actually does have cows. (And please, no fat, ugly, glasses-wearing, old White guy comments, that would be wrong; don’t get down in the gutter with the hubcaps and breasts like the other dirty dogs.)
What to do about Rex? The dude has that pesky free speech with one of the biggest lecterns around, top ten most powerful in HumCo, so what ya gonna do? Is it imbroglio really the media’s fault? Without its reporting we never would have known about Rex’s gaffe, or as he calls it: Saturday. And can anyone honestly say that one example of free speech is more valid than another?
Of course being a politician, a public figure, is something else entirely but Rex won’t be stepping down in pseudo-shame like former Senator Al Franken, with his silly grin, who stopped pretending to feel up sleeping women in public on camera long before he was elected but was forced to resign because the humorless banshees, lead by Ghilabrand, had to demonstrate the sexual purity of the Democratic Party. He’s a man of the people, Eureka’s yearning masses yearning to pee free, and then he has to come in our faces with his impulsive attempts at humor?
Really Rex? Topless waitress and she wasn’t in on the joke? Okay, this has gone on long enough, it’s time for a Rex Roast, hopefully a Rex Sendoff, and he can wobble out to pasture after we’ve eviscerated him with our caustic tongues. Rex, our local anti-hero, somehow repeatedly reelected to grace the dais, when all he really wants is the opportunity to live his dream, to be a bottomless waiter at “Pachanga” or “Stars,” just one time. (Would there be anything scarier than a bottomless Rex Boner coming toward your table with a plate of foot-longs, when you just want to quickly eat your tacos and get home to your internet porn? Jeez, put a hubcap over that!)
We will roast you Rex, we will roast you good, and you can roast us too, in the grand tradition, and get it all out at once: The spicks, the wops, the rag heads, the floozies, the honkies, the dirty hippies, the watermelons, the riffraff, and then we can bring it in for a group hug lead by Natalie and Madrone.
A catharsis! I can see a very big group hug coming, why not? Get it all out Rex, my soon-to-be good buddy, you’re the man at the top and it’s time you bent over and took it like a man for all of us clueless bastards, for all of the obnoxious men, we’re so happy to point your way and say, “See? I’m not so bad with my stupid jokes, look at Rex!”
Yes a roast, an intervention, I can feel it coming. No, let’s not make light of the pain caused by motormouth Rex: the breasts, the hubcaps, the really bad shit he probably says to his good buddies on the daily, as all men and women say to ours, the unforgivable utterances of this unfiltered guy who gives us the joy of freudenschade.
To be fair, the guy is probably a good representative of his district, those knuckle draggers and wokesters who vote him in, as I’ve heard of a couple old-school favors he’s done with a phone call or two, cutting through the red tape to help a struggling citizen oppressed by the goons at the Planning Department. (Can you imagine any other Supervisor making those calls?)
What else can ya say, what can ya do, Rex is the skin tag that’s with us, he’s ours, there’s no cure, he ain’t goin’ anywhere, we don’t gotta love him, we just gotta share this world with him, as we fly on our magic carpet ride of free speech. (He will probably be invited to host even more community events as he makes everyone else look so good, even on the “apology tour,” which he will never take.)