Billionaire Fascist Elon Musk Calls for Imprisonment of Democratically-Elected San Francisco Official

Elon Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, called today for San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston to be imprisoned. In a tweet posted early this morning, Musk wrote “Dean Preston should go to prison.”

Preston, a democratic socialist and tenant attorney who has fought to stop evictions and prioritize affordable housing for over 20 years, has increasingly been under attack by billionaires, venture capitalists, and real estate speculators. Preston has successfully led campaigns to tax the rich that have raised hundreds of millions of dollars from big real estate and tech executives.

“These attacks are beyond the pale,” said Preston. “A billionaire calling for a democratically-elected official to be sent to prison for no reason is textbook fascism. Regardless, I will continue advocating for my constituents even if that makes billionaires uncomfortable and increasingly unhinged.”

This is the second time in a week that Musk has targeted Preston over otherwise noncontroversial legislation. Last week, following a hearing sponsored by Supervisor Preston on ways to limit car break-ins, Musk replied to a tweet from GrowSF Board Member Garry Tan, saying that Supervisor Preston should be “fired” and pledging to donate $100,000 against Preston.

The attacks follow a pattern of Musk lashing out at progressive leaders nationwide. On Tuesday, Musk targeted Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying she’s “just not that smart.” Earlier he made misogynistic remarks to Senator Elizabeth Warren after she called for him to pay more in taxes, saying she reminds him of “my friend's angry Mom [who] would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason.”

Musk’s latest tweet was a direct response to news coverage of Preston’s effort to bar armed security guards from unholstering their weapons to protect only property, introduced after the killing of Banko Brown by a Walgreen’s security guard for allegedly shoplifting $14 worth of candy. The legislation – which conforms San Francisco’s local law to state guidelines around when security guards can draw their weapons – was unanimously endorsed at a committee hearing this week, and is supported by even the most conservative legislators in San Francisco. 

“People can respectfully agree or disagree on policies, but this kind of toxic rhetoric – normalized by people like Donald Trump – undermines democracy and has no place in San Francisco,” said Preston.