Anne Geggis
Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book is calling for colleagues on both sides of the aisle to condemn profanity-laced “threats of violence” on a voicemail message Sen. Victor Torres received at his office earlier this week.
The caller, identifying himself only as a Polk County resident, said Torres should “eat sh** and drop dead you son of a b**ch,” in a 58-second recording that contained 13 words that would not be printed in a family publication, as he ranted against Torres’ vote on gun legislation.
“What we don’t need is a bald-headed, f***ing, sp*c freak like you f***ing trying to take our guns away, trying to track us down here,” the caller said, after explaining he read about Torres’ vote on Feb. 21.
Torres was one of the three Democrats in the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance to vote against legislation (SB 214) that would prohibit Florida financial institutions from using a merchant code to track firearm and gun purchases. The majority of Republicans pushed the bill forward, however.
The caller assured Torres that AR-15s (assault-style weapons) are wanted by “normal people,” in this state.
“They keep n***ers and spi*s the f**k away from our homes, our business, from raping our wives and children,” the caller said.
Book said in a news release that such threats are going to be reported to law enforcement. She cited Torres’ long history of public service, from his work as a New York City cop to his time as a Representative.
“Diversity of opinion should never lead to threats of violence — period, the end,” Book said, characterizing the rant as “hateful, racist threats of violence.”
In a news release asking for bipartisan condemnation of the call, Torres lamented the polarizing legislation Republicans are writing that trigger the wrong kind of voter engagement.
“Republicans are jeopardizing the public safety of all Floridians by empowering these racist zealots with their divisive Hate Agenda,” Torres’ prepared statement said.
“The divisive, partisan political agenda emboldens this disgusting behavior — pushed by the Republican majority. The laws they write are fueling potential violent acts in the future, and neither myself, my family or my constituents will stand by and be victims.”
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said that it’s not just Democrats who get these sorts of messages. She herself has received “hateful, threatening messages,” criticizing the way she represents her constituents.
“Unfortunately, disturbing, hateful, and sometimes violent messages like this have become all too common occurrences impacting Senators from both parties,” she said in a prepared statement that also promised “consequences” for threats to safety.
“It is always troubling to hear that a Senator is being personally attacked for expressing their views. We should always be able to disagree without being disagreeable or threatening.”
Book said Democrats will continue to speak out.
“As Democrats, we will not be intimidated or silenced by unlawful threats of violence,” she said. “We have and will continue to voice our concerns on critical policy issues which shape the very soul of our state — from gun safety to women’s rights and defending freedom of speech, Black history, equality and more.”
Apparently, this person is not in favor of the migration to Florida that Gov. Ron DeSantis has pointed to as a sign of the state’s success.
“You’re a complete ass**le, should never have come down here — too many f***ing New York scumbag c**ksuckers like you f***ing moving to Florida and trying to take our rights away,” the caller said to Torres.
The caller ended his message with a challenge to “be a f***ng man, stand up, give me a call and we’ll discuss it, bye-bye.”
The callback number was not part of the clip offered to the media.
17 comments
SteveHC
March 2, 2023 at 4:38 pm
“What we don’t need is a bald-headed, f***ing, sp*c freak like you f***ing trying to take our guns away, trying to track us down here.” – Apparently that is EXACTLY what that imbicile needs. And more.
Arm The Homeless
March 2, 2023 at 4:54 pm
I see the GOP base is wrapped up in their tender fee-fees.
They’re super scared, and they should be, the future won’t be kind to them.
Paul Passarelli
March 2, 2023 at 6:05 pm
What I see is a Democrat who desperately needs to pander to the part of his constituency that I refer to as “Useful Idiots”, who is in fact just a Liberal Snowflake that can’t take a few harsh words of criticism.
When the Leftists issue actual threats that are far more explicit than merely just a handful of derogatory names, the media shrugs it off. But when they are butt-hurt, the person with the big mouth, and a bitt of impulse control is suddenly on the FBI’s ten most wanted list.
Sure, I agree that the fool from Polk County could have expressed himself with a bit more decorum. But Politica has historically been a full contact sport. Perhaps this Torres fellow isn’t ready for the harsh realities of a poor choice of vote.
Well Then
March 4, 2023 at 12:08 pm
“the person with the big mouth, and a bitt of impulse control is suddenly on the FBI’s ten most wanted list.“
Enjoy your time on it lol
Paul Passarelli
March 4, 2023 at 3:44 pm
My 1A rightts(*) will prevail. Why? Because my reputtattion is tthatt of a free speech defender. I can pointt out all sortts of tthings about TTorres, but absolutely notthing I’ve writtten rises above tthe level of someone calling him a buttt-hurtt crybaby. I don’tt ever physically tthreatten, and any objecttive investtigation will reveal tthatt tthe only tthing aboutt him tthatt I representt a danger to, is his reputtation. Butt he ruined tthatt himself already.
(*) I added a extra ‘t’s to this post for comedic effect. Anyone that’s read me for a while knows I’m a lousy typist. And I apologize for that.
Lex
March 3, 2023 at 9:15 am
First off, an AR-15 is just a modern rifle. It can have modifications that are illegal, but by itself it’s no different from a rifle from decades ago, just more accurate and more consistent. If the writer does not understand that then they do not need to be writing about guns at all.
Second, we all need to rachet down the rhetoric. We are getting too heated.
Third, the Second Amendment to the Constitution does protect our right to keep and bear arms. City-folk may not understand, why we have a right to bear arms, but we do. An armed citizenry is a bulkhead against tyranny and fascism.
And it would be really good if Democrats looked up the definition of fascism; they don’t seem to know what it means.
L
March 3, 2023 at 12:05 pm
I say we take all the guns, melt them down, and use that metal to erect a giant statue of Hilary Clinton.
Gosh
March 4, 2023 at 12:10 pm
I can tell who yo vote for lol
Ian
March 3, 2023 at 9:30 am
Sounds like the exact kind of guy I want owning assault weapons
Ocean Joe
March 3, 2023 at 9:42 am
I understand the presidential and vp candidates must come from different states, otherwise Trump and Desantis would be fighting over whose running mate this guy will be.
The gun war is over. The NRA won. The slaughter will continue.
Cry more libs, as that weasel in the wheelchair likes to say. Arm up.
You can no longer rely on the humanity of others, in the GOP world everyone is out to kill you. Over the drop of a hat. More guns for everyone. What could possibly go wrong?
Ocean Joe
March 3, 2023 at 9:44 am
And more “thoughts and prayers” since that always fixes everything after a massacre.
HellsBells
March 3, 2023 at 10:52 am
Not a fan of the constitutional carry that’s being brought forth in Florida (of all places), and although the language used in the call is racist and hateful, I did not catch any direct threats of violence. Unless Eat poop, and drop dead are now considered tangible threats. It just sounded like childish name calling to me. If I called the police because someone told me to go F myself, I’d get laughed at. I think this phone call would constitute harassment at best and even that’s shaky.
Paul Passarelli
March 3, 2023 at 11:07 am
I’ve actually received far harsher threats right here on FP!
I guess we’ll just have to disagree on Constitutional Carry, but we probably agree that elected Democrats are either bullies or wimps, or both
If we do
March 4, 2023 at 12:12 pm
If we bully you it’s because we know behind that all anger and tough talk all of you are soft. The few of us that do since democrats are so into diplomacy instead of giving you what you need.
Verdine Burden
March 5, 2023 at 12:05 pm
Yo Derek. You’re crank calling Sen. Torres too!?
A.E.R.
March 7, 2023 at 1:00 pm
This is no surprise coming from the criminal conservative crowd who’s only go-to is violence. As we all know, the uneducated low-brow are incapable of formulating any productive or coherent argument. Instead, they hate facts and are led around by their primal emotions.
Paul Passarelli
March 7, 2023 at 4:39 pm
All I’m going to say is that you’ve got that ‘violence as the go-to’ shit backwards. Democrats are the ones that burn cities when they don’t get their way.
Sure the guy who mouthed off into Torres’ phone could have been more sophisticated, but at some point even a saint has has enough of the bullshit from the other side.
Ciao,
Comments are closed.