SAN DIEGO – The woman who organized last weekend’s downtown protest against the city’s and county’s stay-at-home orders says she has been receiving threats on her life.
While she has been identified in news stories as Naomi Israel, she told San Diego Jewish World those are her first and middle names. Her last name, she said, is Soria.
She said that her attorney plans to turn over to the FBI the threats that have been made against her via Facebook. She sent along one message from someone identified as Rose Cruz, which asked:
“Why are you so ignorant and selfish? Don’t u see this is a contagious disease that is killing people all over the world? You are going to HELL! U deserve to get COVID 19 and die!!! Dumb shit!”
San Diego Jewish World inquired of Soria whether she was a member of the Jewish community, given the name “Naomi Israel” that had been reported in the media.
She responded that she is not Jewish; but rather “I am Mexican and Sicilian. My name Naomi means beautiful and pleasant and my middle name Israel means princess of God. My name is very biblical.” Jews typically translate the name “Israel” as meaning “wrestles with God,” based on the text of Genesis 32:29
Soria added that “I love Naomi Israel because of the power in my name.”
On her Facebook page, Soria said that she had learned she would be “arrested on Sunday for exercising my constitutional rights. I have attorneys ready and an entire team here to protect me but I need your help. Centers for American Liberty is assisting with my cause and has put up a way for you to help fundraise the money for my attorneys’ fees and any fees involved in this fight.”
She also wrote, “Just remember everyone, Jesus didn’t commit a single crime and was murdered. Keep me in prayer.”
Explaining her opposition to the stay at home orders, she said in a post on April 19: “87 people died in the past few days. We are going to keep people from working over 87 deaths? [with about 20 more question marks]. People are about to lose their homes, everything they worked their entire life for, over 87 deaths? Their homes, their cars, they will have to sell their things to get by, they won’t be able to eat or feed their children. People wake up [multiple explanation marks). They plan to keep us locked down indefinitely and send us stimulus checks so we feel better about entrapment. They are trapping us. Cornering us and have us right where they want us [multiple exclamation marks.] Cornering us and have us right where they want us [multiple exclamation marks] A $2,000 monthly check isn’t worth my freedom. Keep your fucking money if its just blood money. I want to work for my shit, not be trapped in my home, wishing and praying for the day I might see freedom again with petty change in my pocket that doesn’t even pay off or cover my monthly expenses.” {Where she wrote in capital letters, we italicized above[
Ken Stone, a reporter with Times of San Diego, reported on Wednesday that Soria was notified that she would face a $1,000 fine or jail time. She also announced another rally is planned this coming Sunday in Pacific Beach.
“Mark Meuser, an attorney with the Dhillion Law Group, told Times of San Diego in a phone interview that his group – led by Republican activist Harmeet Dhillon – would represent Israel over the constitutional issues he said were being violated and fend off any criminal charges that might be filed against her,” Stone reported. “’The Center for American Liberty also will cover Israel’s legal fees,’ he said.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
I applaud Naomi for the courage to challenge government in their trampling of peoples’ rights. Granted, there are several cities and states around the country which have a major covid 19 health crisis, and should not be opened up. But when you have cities who have not experienced a health crisis (ie Encinitas-34 cases, no deaths, Del Mar – 5 cases, no deaths, etc) and several other cities with similar non crisis conditions, why would you not open them up, with appropriate safety protocals in place, and let people begin the salvage their lives. People need to get back to work, business need to be allowed to function (with appropriate safety protocals) and our country needs to rebuild itself. Sure, there will be additional cases of covid 19, just as there will be more heart attacks, strokes, fatal car accidents, crime victims, etc, but with practicing safety protocals we can all function to improve our country’s present situation, which is quite bleak. To arrest an organizer of a peaceful protest, that the worst crime is people not practicing social distancing, is laughable. What about the hundreds of other protests by groups like Black Lives Matter, Immigration protests, anti-Trump protests, Occupy protests, and the myriad Political Correct crowd protests which feature rock throwing, property damage, public defecation, burning of buildings and police cars, etc, etc? Are the organizers of those protests arrested and held accountable for the actions of the criminals who commit these crimes? I think not. I applaud law enforcement for keeping things orderly, protecting and serving as they are paid to do, and recognizing a peaceful protest when they see one.
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In Naomi’s comments she cites 87 deaths at that time. The accuracy of that reported figure is questionable! The CDC has allowed (directed?) the cause of death to be labeled as Covid19 without an actual test. So these figures are of people that died WITH COVID19 not necessarily OF COVID19. I applaud her courage and thank her defenders!
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