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Editor’s Note: BJN has received several letters related to this topic in the last day or so, and so rather than publish them separately, I have taken the decision to publish them serially here in one long post so that readers can most conveniently follow the entire thread in chronological order.
May 28, 2025, 3:15 pm
Dear City Council,
The DSA Liberation Caucus has joined the “Free Elias Rodriquez Organizing Committee” that the unofficial domestic terrorist group Unity of Fields started.
As I am sure you are aware, Elias Rodriquez is the individual who murdered a young couple last week in DC because they attended a Jewish event. Rodriquez did such because he hates Jews and Israel and is now being glorified by groups like the DSA and Unity of Fields. In fact, Unity of Fields is calling on people to “bring the war home” and start murdering people like me across the country (see their X account for all their alarming material). This trend is obviously deeply concerning to me as a proud Jew living in the USA.
I know some of the council are members of DSA and have been endorsed by them.
Personally, I would think a public statement that you do not stand with DSA Liberation Caucus and condemn its message is necessary.
Thanks,
Elise Mordos
May 28, 2025, 4:07 pm
Thank you, Elise.
In 2024, Boulder DSA wrote the following in their Voting Guide:
“To ensure fascism is defeated in the United States, the Democratic Party must commit to [e]nd military and financial assistance to Israel as it perpetrates a genocide in Gaza, apartheid in the occupied West Bank.”
In 2021 they endorsed Nicole Speer and Lauren Folkerts for Boulder City Council.
In 2023, they endorsed Nicole Speer and recommended voting for Taishya Adams in their voting guide.
In 2023, they recommended voting against Tara Winer and Tina Marquis.
I concur with Elise Mordos that any council member affiliated with Boulder DSA should issue a public statement refuting the message of the DSA Liberation Caucus in support of Elias Rodriguez.
Sincerely,
Rachel Amaru
May 28, 2025, 10:01 pm
Council Members Must Condemn DSA’s Support of Antisemitic Violence
Dear Council Members,
As a Boulder resident, a committed civic participant who regularly attends council meetings, and someone who deeply values this city, I am writing to express my shock and deep concern over recent developments surrounding the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and its affiliated Liberation Caucus.
Last week, a horrific antisemitic double murder took place in Washington, DC. Elias Rodriguez, the alleged perpetrator, targeted two young people, simply for being near the Capital Jewish Museum and assumed to be Jewish. They were, in fact, Israeli embassy staffers and on the verge of engagement. Their lives were taken in cold blood, and there is no ambiguity about the motive.
What is even more disturbing is that the DSA Liberation Caucus, along with the extremist group Unity of Fields, has aligned itself with the so-called “Free Elias Rodriguez” campaign, openly glorifying a hate crime and a killer. This isn’t a policy disagreement. This is an embrace of violence, and any association with groups that legitimize or excuse this behavior should be publicly and unequivocally rejected.
I believe members of this council are DSA members or have received endorsements from the DSA. That is your right. But with that affiliation comes responsibility. If DSA will not draw a moral line around murder and antisemitic violence, then it falls to each of you to do so yourselves.
The people of Boulder deserve to know that our elected officials stand firmly against hate, no matter the source or political affiliation.
Silence, in this case, reads as complicity. If you continue to be affiliated with this organization, the very least you owe your constituents is a clear statement denouncing this specific action and the DSA caucus’s alignment with those calling for more violence.
This isn’t about partisan politics. It’s about basic decency, safety, and the values we hold as a community. I urge you to make your stance clear—loudly and publicly. As has been proven, lives may depend on it.
Sincerely,
Aaron T. Brooks
Boulder Resident
May 28, 2025, 10:01 pm
Dear Rachel, Elise, Aaron, and members of the Jewish community,
These murders are heartbreaking. I am so sorry for Sarah and Yaron’s families, friends, and coworkers, and for the fear and concern this has caused within your community. Especially as you are continuing to mourn the lives lost on October 7 and advocating to free the hostages still being held by the terrorist group, Hamas.
600 days. It is so much.
It is abhorrent to hear of any support for violence and extremism. I stand firmly against such actions and rhetoric.
The Democratic Socialists of America condemned Yaron and Sarah’s murders and rejected the statement of this “Liberation Caucus.”
The Boulder County DSA is not a member of this fringe caucus. The Boulder County DSA knows I do not share anti-Zionist views and that I do not support BDS.
Antisemitism has always impacted your safety and sense of security. I know it has grown locally, nationally, and globally since October 7. Please be assured that, although I strive to keep my focus as a Councilmember on local events, I am here to listen and work alongside you to address any concerns you have about my actions as a Councilmember or the work we do as a Council.
As Mindy knows, my office hours are always open. I would welcome conversations, especially about how to heal the pain and division in our community.
-Nicole
Nicole Speer, Ph.D.
Boulder City Councilmember
Pronouns: she, her(s)
May 28, 2025, 10:25 pm
Dear Nicole,
Thank you so much for your kind and heartfelt response. I appreciate the time you took to write back, and I want you to know that your words, and your acknowledgment of the pain and fear felt in the Jewish community mean a great deal.
As someone who has been attending council meetings regularly for years before moving to Boulder and regularly since moving here, I have seen firsthand the commitment and compassion many of you bring to the work. I respect it and truly do appreciate it.
I also want to extend my deepest sympathy and respect to you and your colleagues for the outrageous abuse the council has had to endure over the past year and a half. No one deserves to be targeted, harassed, or screamed at for doing the difficult and often thankless work of public service. I am sorry you’ve had to go through that, and I admire the grace and steadiness you’ve shown under that pressure. It is to be commended.
At the same time, I have been disappointed to see the council not hold colleagues accountable to behaviors that many in our community have felt to be sympathetic to those that disrupt our council meetings, creating recesses that stop us from engaging in public government in person, make people fearful to attend meetings, and creating an atmosphere where getting to a place of healing is that much more difficult. It is actually fanning the flames.
Like you, I care deeply about peace, both globally and in our own community. And while we all understand that the Boulder City Council does not have the power to change events in the Middle East (at least most of us do), the escalating rhetoric and behavior we’ve seen in the council chamber have gone far beyond political discourse. It has created an unsafe, tense environment where fear and intimidation are becoming normalized, and that cannot continue.
This is where leadership, perception, and accountability intersect. In times like these, who we associate with, what we endorse, and what we remain silent about all send powerful messages. While I appreciate your clarification that the Boulder County DSA does not share the extremist views of the so-called Liberation Caucus, the reality is that most members of the public will not make those distinctions. The headline will always be “DSA supports murderer” and then “Councilmember X is a DSA member.” Even if unfair, that perception becomes reality, especially in today’s political and media climate.
My hope is that Council will begin to hold one another to a high standard of moral clarity and mutual accountability. This is not about partisanship or ideology, it’s about ensuring that the values of nonviolence, human dignity, and shared community are never in question. That is an obligation of a city council member and I am not sure all of the members of this council understand this.
I’m grateful for your openness and for the invitation to keep the lines of communication going. I believe deeply in the possibility of healing and progress, and I know that starts with dialogue like this.
Warmly,
Aaron (Brooks)
May 28, 2025, 10:25 pm
Nicole,
I appreciate your response and your clear distancing from the fringe DSA group.
I hope that Boulder DSA also publicly rejects the statement by the “Liberation Caucus.”
I also hope that any other Boulder CC members affiliated with DSA will issue similar statements.
It would be a very positive gesture if you shared your statement on the Hotline so other community members could see it and know of your stance.
Thank you again,
Rachel (Amaru)
May 29, 2025, 9:17 am
Hi Nicole,
I really appreciate the time you took to write back to us and for your thoughtful response. I hope that DSA Boulder issues a statement similar to yours. I think it is very important for the group (DSA and all chapters) and elected officials affiliated with DSA like yourself to condemn the Liberation Caucus’s support for Elias Rodriquez.
I also appreciate your comment regarding BDS and antizionism and your lack of support for both. I know you have voted in line with these views in the past, and this does not go unnoticed.
Lastly, I hope you can work with the council to address security concerns that some of us within the Jewish community with respect to attending council meetings in person. While you do not support Elias Rodriquez or violence in any form, there are individuals who attend city council meetings and reside in Boulder who do. We have no metal detectors or any similar method to prevent someone from bringing a gun, knife or other kind of weapon into the council meetings. You’ve been targeted before as have others on the council and members of the community. I really hate making the government building feel like a military fortress, but I am simultaneously deeply worried about something really horrible happening at a meeting that I do think can possibly be prevented. I am happy to discuss this more.
Best,
Elise (Mordos)
