Michelle Ugenti speaking at FreePac, hosted by FreedomWorks, in Phoenix./Gage Skidmore/Flickr
By Erasmus Baxter | Phoenix New Times
State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita is questioning the fairness of Twitter’s policies after a local sports announcer was able to harass her for months from an anonymous account, while she was suspended just days after she revealed his true identity.
Even those bitterly opposed to Ugenti-Rita, a Scottsdale Republican who has pushed legislation critics say would make it harder to vote, agreed that the troll, Josh Miller, had crossed a line in his political criticism by hurling misogynistic abuse. For example, in a post that was less egregious than some, Miller spewed, “Resign you dumb nazi whore.”
Publicly exposed, Miller deactivated his Twitter accounts and resigned his 17-year gig as the in-stadium announcer for the San Francisco Giant’s spring training. He had also been employed as an announcer at Desert Mountain High School, which has opened an investigation. Scottsdale Unified School District spokesperson Nancy Norman said that Miller had submitted his resignation Monday.
