Dear Editor,
I’m writing today as both a concerned citizen and a mother of a special needs child who relies on DDD services, to call attention to the hypocrisy of Senator Hildy Angius.
Senator Angius has made headlines recently with her push for legislation that claims to combat antisemitism but dangerously edges into censorship. While hate speech must never be tolerated, her bill (HB 2880 and others like it) broadly redefines dissent as discrimination, opening the door to criminalizing free speech—something no true American should stand for. While she positions herself as a champion against hate, she uses that position to silence legitimate criticism and override constitutional rights. What she calls protection feels more like suppression.
But it’s not just her stance on speech that raises red flags. Senator Angius also sits on the Mohave County Board of Supervisors and serves on the county health board. During the recent funding crisis for the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities, she and others considered refusing to fund essential gap services for our most vulnerable residents. Families like mine, with children who depend on daily care and services, watched in disbelief as our community leaders debated whether our children were worth supporting.
It is hard to reconcile a public servant who claims to protect the oppressed while at the same time denying essential support to disabled children and adults in her own district. This kind of selective compassion isn’t leadership—it’s exploitation.
Senator Angius should be held accountable—not only for her attempts to curtail our First Amendment rights but also for her role in nearly abandoning the people she was elected to protect. Her actions show that for her, some voices matter more than others.
Holly Jaramillo
