Reader wants all out-of-town protesters to go back home

OPINION — To the activists who have turned Surprise City Council meetings into a weekly spectacle, I have a simple message: Go home.

Most of you do not even live in Surprise. Yet you continue showing up at our council meetings, protesting outside City Hall, disrupting public comment and behaving as though you speak for the residents of our city. You do not.

There is a difference between passionate disagreement and outright disrespect. Unfortunately, the language, behavior and theatrics displayed by some protesters have crossed the line. Shouting, insults, exaggerations and misinformation have become the norm. One has to wonder: Do you know how to act in public?

Surprise residents are tired of the endless drama. We are tired of the exaggerations. We are tired of hearing claims that our city is unsafe when Surprise consistently ranks among the safest communities in Arizona. We are tired of watching outsiders attempt to create division while portraying themselves as victims.

Most importantly, we are tired of seeing our elected officials and city staff treated with contempt simply because they refuse to embrace the demands of activists who neither live here nor represent the majority of our community.

No one is denying your right to protest. The First Amendment protects your ability to speak freely. But free speech does not give anyone the right to be rude, disruptive or dishonest. Nor does it mean the people of Surprise are obligated to applaud your antics.

The actual residents of Surprise support our police officers, our city employees and our councilmembers. We elected them to govern, not to serve as props in someone else’s political theater.

Enough is enough. Stop the insults. Stop the misinformation. Stop the grandstanding.

And if your goal is simply to create chaos and draw attention to yourselves, perhaps it is time to take your show somewhere else.

The people of Surprise have had enough. Keep your insanity out of our city and let us get back to what we do best: building a safe, prosperous and respectful community.

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