That's him, on the left. Sonoma County's First Openly Gay Candidate for Sheriff. Image from http://foxworthyforsheriff.com/meet-jay.html

“I don’t believe any human is illegal.”

The quote, taken from Mr. Foxworthy’s mission statement, struck me as equally lyrical and revealing, as it underscored an insight into the role of language in dissociating persons from their own humanity and thereby forging the lack of empathy that fixes the basis for abuses in all forms. The more I read about Mr. Foxworthy, the more I was impressed.

Jay Foxworthy, pictured above with his husband and two children, would be Sonoma County, California’s first openly gay sheriff. Sonoma County is seated by Santa Rosa and is the farthest northwest of the 9 County San Francisco Metropolitan “Bay” Area. The significance of the Sheriff’s office there is grounded in the sobering aftermath of 13-Year Old Andy Lopez’s fatal shooting at the hands of a deputy who, naturally, was not charged and instead received a promotion from current Sheriff Steve Freitas, who is not seeking re-election.

Jay is seeking and receiving progressive support for his candidacy which includes a thoughtfully considered comprehensive vision for his role in serving the community. His five primary aims upon which he elaborates in depth are precisely suited for serving in the best ways one would hope to see in this Trumpian era of heightened abuse and tensions. They are:

-Immigration Enforcement that Rebuilds Community Trust -Reducing Use of Force with De-Escalation -A Community Approach for Homeless & Transient Populations -Diversity in Hiring -Modernizing Services in Sonoma County Detention Facilities

Jay has 22 years of experience working in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in San Francisco. Prior to that, he served in the Army under the onus of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and then emerged with a strong sense of activism, fighting for marriage equality, LGBTQI civil rights, and mobilizing against the fallout from California’s notorious Prop 8. He mentored hundreds of young persons and provided a visible public role model for gay & lesbian families, raising awareness on his channel. Having grown up closeted and gay in Pennsylvania with all of its accompanying shame and alienation issues, it’s impossible to understate the importance of this on young people today. In addition to understanding these issues firsthand, Jay attributes much of his incentive towards community building and edifying lives of others to his experiences as a child that was occasionally homeless and witnessed his mother’s mental illness and addiction from a young age. If one positive thing can be said for suffering it is that, as I’ve seen countless times, it has a persistent way of building character and awakening strong empathy. I was impressed with both the platform and heart of this candidate.

If you have a moment, please check out Jay in his own words on his website. I wish everyone a good morning and thank you for taking the time to read.