“What the hell is happening to us?” Luis Viera Warns Against Bigotry

TAMPA — Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera issued a public statement Tuesday condemning what he described as a disturbing rise in bigotry and religious intolerance, particularly against Muslims, in political and civic discourse.

Viera, who represents District 7, expressed alarm over rhetoric that he said once would have been unthinkable in mainstream conversation but now appears increasingly normalized.

“What the hell is happening to us?” Viera wrote in a post that called out lyrics from a song promoted by political leaders that says “going to a Mosque, gonna throw some rocks,” as well as public remarks telling immigrants to “go back to the Third World.”

“These are racist, ugly and bigoted,” Viera said. “No matter your political affiliation, we have to stand strong against sentiments like this.”

The councilman cited a 2016 attempted firebombing of a mosque in New Tampa as a reminder that hateful rhetoric can incite real violence. He warned that such acts are no longer met with widespread shock, but instead risk becoming “part of our culture.”

As the nation approaches Independence Day, Viera urged a recommitment to American values of pluralism and acceptance. “When we say that America is an exceptional country, it has little to do with our physical might, but the sentiment of our heart,” he said.

Viera’s message was also a call to fellow Christians, asking them to reflect on how attacks on Muslims and other religious minorities are viewed by newcomers to the country: “Debate and attack political ideas — not the religious faiths of so many good people.”

The statement follows a broader national conversation about political rhetoric as Donald Trump’s second term brings a return of themes like hatred and xenophobia that defined his first term a decade ago.