The day they thought would never come arrived on Tuesday, March 19th, 2024, when the City of Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula YMCA received an unwelcome bit of news from a litigation team at the Center for American Liberty, representing longtime Port Townsend resident, Julie Jaman.
As reported by the national news website, the Daily Wire, the clock has run out on the YMCA’s and city’s dodging of responsibility for the debacle that ensued after Jaman was banned for life from the Mountain View Pool a year and a half ago.
Regular readers of the PT Free Press are familiar with the outrageous treatment Jaman (and eventually her supporters) faced in July and August of 2022. (Access our extensive reporting with the link following this article.)
According to the demand letter from the Center for American Liberty, “The City’s and the YMCA’s conduct violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution… and Washington law.” The letter was addressed to City Manager John Mauro, acting City Attorney Kendra Rosenberg, and Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO, Wendy Bart.
From the law firm’s website:
“The Center for American Liberty sent a demand letter to the YMCA and the City of Port Townsend on Julie’s behalf threatening imminent litigation if Julie’s lifetime ban is not immediately lifted. The City of Port Townsend and the YMCA punished Julie because of the content of her speech—because she spoke out after seeing a man in the women’s locker room. Julie deserves justice for the violation of her First Amendment rights and the emotional distress she’s experienced because of this ordeal.”
Though a relatively young enterprise, in practice since 2018, the Center for American Liberty is blazing trails as it defends parental rights, constitutionally protected speech and religious liberties. They’ve emerged as a powerhouse in the woke arena of coercive “gender transitioning” of young children and teenagers, including the now nationally-recognized ‘detransitioner,’ Chloe Cole.
Page one of Center for American Liberty demand letter
Setting the stage
The 8-page letter accompanies over 200 pages of duplicative public records, many redacted — communications between city officials, the YMCA and the public relations firm contracted by the city to manage the mess they’d created by refusing to even consider Jaman’s version of the episode, devoted as they were to ideology rather than fairness and accuracy.
The demand letter references the unlawful ban of Jaman, provides a bit of factual background, and swiftly moves on to “The Locker-Room Incident.” (The following are excerpted quotes. For legal reasoning supporting them, please read the entire eight pages.)
On July 26, 2022, Jaman went for a swim at the Pool. After she finished, she entered the women’s locker room to shower and change. There were no signs warning patrons that the locker rooms were open to members of the opposite sex. In fact, the signage indicated that the locker rooms were sex segregated.
While in the shower, Jaman heard a male voice inside the locker room. When she pulled back the shower curtain to see who was there, she saw a biological male wearing a female swimsuit. The individual—later identified to Jaman as “Clementine Adams”—was watching two young girls who appeared to be about four to six years old as they were preparing to use the toilet. Adams was not wearing any form of identification indicating an affiliation with the YMCA.
Jaman was startled by Adams’s presence in the women’s locker room and believed that she might be witnessing a crime in progress. Jaman asked Adams, “Do you have a penis?” Adams responded, “None of your business,” after which Jaman said, “Get out of here!”
Within seconds, YMCA staff member Rowen DeLuna entered the women’s shower area and began berating Jaman. DeLuna did not inform Jaman that Adams was transgender, that Adams was an employee of the YMCA, or that the Pool had a policy allowing individuals to use the locker rooms that aligned with their gender identity. Instead, DeLuna informed Jaman that her speech toward Adams was “discriminatory,” that she was “banned for life” from the YMCA because of her speech, and that she could no longer set foot inside the facility.
In addition, DeLuna told Jaman to leave or she would call the police. Jaman told DeLuna that she too wanted the police involved so they could investigate potential misconduct. YMCA staff called 911 and asked for the police to escort Jaman from the premises. A recording of this call reveals that the YMCA staff told the police that Jaman was harassing YMCA employees and belligerently refusing to leave. None of this was true.
None of this was true. It’s important to reiterate this statement from the law firm, and to highlight the effort by several operators within the city administration to carefully craft the narrative before it went public.
Example of redacted communications between the city and the public relations firm hired to provide damage control (page 31, Exhibit C).
More from the Center for American Liberty’s demand letter:
On August 11, 2022—in the wake of significant local and national media attention—the City released an official Q&A discussing the July 26 incident... In the Q&A, the City said — falsely — that Jaman had engaged in a “documented previous pattern of disrespectful behavior.” … The YMCA made similar false statements to the media.See Exhibit B (quoting YMCA’s statement asserting that Jaman had “repeatedly violated the [YMCA’s] code of conduct”). Despite multiple requests, neither the City nor the YMCA has explained this alleged prior misconduct.
Emails and other documents obtained through public-records requests reveal that in the weeks following the July 26 incident, City officials were intimately involved in responding to concerns within the community regarding operation of the Pool. This included what appears to be a coordinated effort involving Mayor David Faber, City Manager John Mauro, and City Councilwoman Libby Wennstrom, among others, working with the YMCA and Feary [sic] Public Relations — a crisis communications firm hired by the City — to develop a public response to the incident.
This public relations campaign included statements to the media, social media posts, the above-mentioned Q&A, and other statements by members of the City Council. See, e.g., Exhibits C–F. These statements labeled Jaman as hateful and bigoted and indicated that she had engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated the YMCA’s policies. None of this is true.
While the above brief synopsis mentions the YMCA’s denial of evidence for its mendacious claims of Jaman’s prior “disrespectful behavior,” it bears repeating here — none of the supposed documentation was ever produced. Julie Jaman asked for it again and again. It does not exist. It was all a fabrication.
Jefferson County resident Crystal Cox requested a copy of the contract with Fearey. The $3,000 charged by the crisis communications firm to run interference for city hall is now just the start of what it will cost taxpayers to deal with the city’s gross mismanagement of a sensitive situation.
The City and the YMCA Violated the First Amendment
The First Amendment prohibits the government from retaliating against individuals for exercising their First Amendment rights... Moreover, the government may not discriminate against speech exercised on public property based on its viewpoint.First, Jaman’s ban was in retaliation for her protected speech. When Jaman saw Adams accompanying two young girls in the women’s locker room and watching them while they undressed, she was concerned she was witnessing unlawful conduct.To be sure, the government may, in appropriate cases, take action to protect its employees from harassing conduct of third parties. But Jaman’s comments did not come remotely close to the line of losing protection under the First Amendment or otherwise justifying the YMCA’s response.By banning Jaman from the Pool based on her speech, the City and the YMCA retaliated against her for engaging in protected activity.Second, the YMCA engaged in viewpoint discrimination on public property and acted unreasonably in banning Jaman. The government engages in viewpoint discrimination when it allows speech favoring one side of a debate but not the other.
The City and the YMCA also violated Jaman’s due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Due Process Clause prohibits the government from depriving an individual of fundamental rights absent due process of law… Exercising First Amendment rights on public property is a protected liberty interest.The YMCA banned Jaman for life immediately upon hearing her object to Adams’s presence in the locker room. It provided her no notice of its locker-room policy or that such objection would be deemed a violation of the YMCA’s conduct policies.
The City and the YMCA also violated Washington common law. The statements that the City and the YMCA published about Jaman were false and defamatory per se, and the City and the YMCA acted in reckless disregard of the truth, at least.Further, the City’s and the YMCA’s coordinated public relations campaign against Jaman amounts to the intentional infliction of emotional distress… And both the City and the YMCA were negligent in various ways, including but not limited to failing to warn patrons that persons of the opposite biological sex may be in sex-segregated locker-rooms…
The City’s and the YMCA’s actions against Jaman were not only unlawful but also shameful. When an 80-year-old woman reasonably believes she is witnessing a crime against minors in a women’s showering area, the government’s reaction should be to gather all of the facts and learn what happened, not take sides in an ideologically charged debate.Moreover, the public records obtained since the incident show City officials and YMCA employees engaged in a sophisticated and coordinated public relations campaign to smear Jaman and make her appear to be bigoted and dangerous to transgender individuals. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is true that Jaman supports keeping women’s spaces reserved for biological women. But she does not harbor hate towards anyone based on their gender identity, nor has she ever engaged in harassment at the Pool or elsewhere. Yet that is exactly what the City and the YMCA have led the public to believe through their false and misleading statements.
“To remedy the unlawful conduct against my client, I demand the following: (1) the City and the YMCA lift the ban against Jaman; (2) the City and the YMCA issue a formal apology to Jaman for their actions against her; and (3) the City and the YMCA pay Jaman the sum of $350,000 for her emotional distress arising out of the incident.”
City officials and the YMCA CEO have until 5pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 to respond, or they can expect to meet Jaman, her local counsel Rosemary Schurman, and the Center for American Liberty — in court.
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To view previous reporting on this topic, go to our home page at the Port Townsend Free Press. Sixteen articles have been published covering this topic, beginning with the August 2, 2022 “Mountain View Pool Punishes Woman for Her Gender Expression and Identity.”
Annette Huenke studied International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to heading west, she was a manager for an Auckland-based international publisher of peer-reviewed drug information journals. In 1992 she moved to Port Townsend, opening Ancestral Spirits Gallery in 1993. She is past vice president of the Jeff Co EDC and board member of The Boiler Room. She researches, writes and wanders the forests around PT.
It is outstanding that finally the Port Townsend gov’t. will be held responsible for their horrifying response to Julie’s experience at the PT Pool.
Thank you Annette for responding to my comment suggesting the City and YMCA should have replied by now. I don’t want to go off on an idea that is wrong. Thanks for clarifying that the City and Y still have time to respond. Plus, perhaps they have responded to Julie’s law firm and that the next step is taking some time.
Don’t get me wrong, I am in total support of Julie in her struggle for justice and her fight against a completely radical, incompetent and misguidedly corrupt city management but….. Wouldn’t a judgement (with the support of the CAL) against the city mean that city taxpayers would be footing the bill for legal reparations, as well as supporting decisive politics? This can’t be the solution.
There must be a better resolution to this lawsuit. Reinstate Jaman’s rights to attend the pool, that solves everything. Port Townsend, apologize for making an ignorant, politically motivated mistake. Move on. It is as simple as that.
Oh, and….John, resign from city management. Take David with you. You two, and a majority of the city council, have proven to have no-confidence with the people in your ability to govern the fine population of Port Townsend. We should not offer power to liars and perverse political deviants who do not support the basic right to be a free, protected American citizen. That is one of the limited government charges, is it not?
Great! So much bad energy on the Olympic Peninsula I have a funny feeling that this is just the beginning of the veil being lifted….KARMA KARMA KARMA
I don’t think the financial hit on the YMCA will impact us taxpayers. Could the individuals in the city government who created this problem be sued individually?
If it costs the City/us so be it, look on the bright side, the city will have less of our dollars to waste on ugly art.
So, the tax payers are on the hook for a cash settlement? We pay the deductible and the premiums which will likely increase after a payout. Other than the expense to the taxpayers I say go get em.
Oh, the irony… Harmeet Dhillon – a magnificent atty and longtime Republican champion, and her powerhouse organization, will be obtaining justice for people that hate all she stands for, and delivering a much-needed spankin’ to the nuthouse that is liberal Port Townsend. I can’t quit smiling.
Completely agree…. just wish it wasn’t politics. Big smiles when Harmeet gets involved in little old Port Townsend. Wish the local government listened to its local population.
The city government and the YMCA stepped in it big time, if they were smart they would accede to M. Jaman’s demands, though so far they haven’t shown a lot of intelligence in this matter. If they choose to fight M. Jaman in court I hope they get their asses handed to them.
I’m tired of these Chicks with Dicks and their sick BS playing the system, enough already. Go Julie!
Bravo!!!
Yay. Yay. Finally the city and Y get a wake up call. May help curb the woke movement. At least, officials will have to think twice, or maybe just start thinking before woke acting (more reactive than just reacting). Looking forward to what ensues and so encouraged by Julie Jaman’s bravery in pursuing this.
May this pave the way for more suits against our city, health department and county for unconstitutional covid lockdowns and mandates.
Thank you again to Annette and free press editors for your dedication and hard work which is all unpaid.
Absolutely truth
Put in perspective against the $2,000,000 lost by Faber and others with the Cherry Street project, $750,000 in studies for the proposed over the top pool and golf course which contained fraudulent data, the lost revenue into the millions over 11 years due to damaging and discriminatory parking policies according to a study Faber dismisses, the no public input $1,200,000 concrete worshiping visitor center plaza, and other losses due to the corrupt power core here, $350,000 or increased insurance premiums is throw away money.
I was told Faber wanted more glass and glitz so the first less expensive pool proposal was re done with more bells and whistles. A member of that committee quit after experiencing the power plays. Please David correct me if this information is not correct. If correct what legal power does Faber have to demand the changes?
At what point is Faber, an attorney, held to at least some standards if not higher ones due to his supposed detailed knowledge of law?
Not clear why Mauro’s email is redacted here, but think long and hard about his closing – “Thanks Stephanie! Glad you are with us on this one!”
Who is “us” John Mauro, David Faber and complicit council? Faber/Mauro and company seem separate in Mauro’s mind than “We the People”. They all are sworn to represent “We the People”. Not divide.
Who does John Mauro really work for? Who has he repeatedly worked against? Is that a smile or a smirk? 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Words are important, and provide a clear record of wrong doing, but so far have little effect against Intellectual Dishonesty and Institutional Deviance. Thanks again Free Press.
For anyone inclined — donations to the 501(c)(3) that is representing Julie can be made at libertycenter.org/donate/.
From the CfAL website:
Your generous tax-deductible gift makes it possible for the Center for American Liberty and its nationwide network of affiliated attorney to defend the First Amendment rights and civil liberties of Americans in desperate need of help.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donation to the Center for American Liberty is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Absolutely great news. They need to be held accountable for their actions. Julie Jaman was treated horribly and our Mayor applauded the threatening treatment received at the Port Townsend women’s rights gathering. Thank you all for standing up for women’s rights.
I have not had anyone answer my questions about “Clementine” Adams.
Is Adam’s still employed by the the pool?
Has he had his transition surgeries, followed by two or more years of hormone treatments?
If the answer to number one is yes, my next question is WHY?
If the answer to number two is no, my OTHER next question is WHY NOT?
Too many people who self identify as women use this to get access to women when they are either vulnerable or helpless. This leads to crimes against women which are then swept under the carpet by ideologues.
“Lia Thomas,” AKA William Thomas, is another example of people taking advantage of transgenderism at the expense of normal biological women. Regardless of surgeries, hormone suppression, and a couple of hundred thousand dollars of medical treatments, a man will never become a woman. There will always be that darned old Y chromosome.
PT Free Press and commenters, thank you all for caring, thinking, and speaking up.
The public breakdown in common sense and intellectual capacity is churning our little seaside into a muddy mess.
The big issue for me is the loss of women’s rights, the need for females to have privacy and safety. But who is monitoring the dressing room when children are present? How are they kept safe from the criminal behavior rampant throughout the US?
Although the YMCA takes photos of all pool patrons and checks to see if they have been convicted of sexual crimes, what of the 95% of perpetrators, mostly men, who have never been caught?
I hope this case adds enough weight to force ‘thought leaders” (see Mauro’s resume) to retract laws and policies meant to perpetuate trans ideology and bamboozle people into accepting legislation slathered with D.E.I. justifications.
In this case she should be fully awarded. Your city officials need to be audited for how much money they made off these Olycap contracts when computing penalties.
Three cheers that this is getting a public and legal airing – I hope the sunlight proves to be an effective and determining disinfectant. Truth to power, Julie Jaman!
I wonder if the threat of a lawsuit was behind Heidi Greenwood’s departure as city attorney a few months ago. She always struck me as a level brain trying to stay afloat in a sea of bobbleheaded bureaucrats.
On trial too is WAC 162-32-060, which was rammed into law without the voice of the people. To Julie’s comment above, her action is about safeguarding the rights of women and girls – their privacy, safety and the integrity of their sexed bodies. WAC 1620-32-060 erases biology, denies the reality of sex and has made the cult of “gender expression” a legal right.
Thanks for the info regarding the departure of Heidi Greenwood as City Attorney AJ. I missed that news and wonder how many also have.
When one attends a council meeting do note that seated at center and elevated above everyone else are City Manager, City Attorney, and highest of all at center is the Appointed Mayor. Supposedly a “weak” mayor without any real power above any other council member. Supposedly.
Frightening to think John Mauro along with David Faber may be vetting a new city attorney that fits their agendas. As Sandoval and Stinson vetted Mauro.
Here is what Sandoval and Stinson brought here. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
https://www.porttownsendfreepress.com/2020/10/07/who-is-john-mauro-port-townsends-city-manager/
What sort of “public input” is Mauro planning regarding his choice for a new City Attorney?
Is it possible that the first act of a City Attorney with clean hands is to have Mauro charged for hiding bids for an affordable pool and other transgressions? Perhaps new blood might take a good look at Appointed Mayor Faber and free speech? This is a very important position. Will the new person continue to go along with ignoring laws, codes and oaths? Will the populace be largely unaware of the new person seated above all?
Be kind. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Get Real.
Great article. So taxpayer funds are used by high paid City employees to conspire to defame and slander a senior citizen?
Why are these characters still employed by the City Council? Time to limit public liability by re-deploying them back to the general labor Pool!
City council should volunteer to pay the $350k out of their salary. For misfeasance or dereliction of duty.
Readers may be interested in signing this new petition urging President Biden to prohibit the use of puberty blockers. It was started by Carrie D. Mendoza, MD on March 13th. She explains:
“As the Director of Genspect USA, I am deeply disturbed by the recent revelations from the WPATH Files. The shocking details have stirred us to action, and we believe it is time for a change in policy regarding puberty blockers.
England’s NHS (National Health Service) has recently announced a ban on puberty blockers for children at England’s NHS gender identity clinics. This decision was made due to concerns about their long-term effects and lack of substantial evidence supporting their safety. We believe that it is time for the United States to follow suit.
Puberty blockers are drugs that halt sexual development during adolescence. Their use in treating gender dysphoria in children is controversial due to health risks and ethical considerations.
We are not alone in our concern; many healthcare professionals share our apprehension about using such potent medications on developing bodies without fully understanding their long-term effects. A recent German systematic review points out:
“The available evidence on the use of PB [puberty blockers] and CSH [cross-sex hormones] in minors with GD [gender dysphoria] is very limited and based on only a few studies with small numbers, and these studies have problematic methodology and quality. There also is a lack of adequate and meaningful long-term studies. Current evidence doesn’t suggest that GD symptoms and mental health significantly improve when PB or CSH are used in minors with GD.”
The latest review on the impact of puberty blockers on neuropsychological functioning also highlights some grave concerns:
“There is no evidence that cognitive effects are fully reversible following discontinuation of treatment. No human studies have systematically explored the impact of these treatments on neuropsychological function with an adequate baseline and follow-up. There is some evidence of a detrimental impact of pubertal suppression on IQ in children.”
Therefore, we call upon President Biden to take immediate action through an Executive Order to ban puberty blockers in US pediatric patients with gender dysphoria until further research can conclusively demonstrate their safety and efficacy for use with transidentified youth.
Your signature will send a clear message that we prioritize children’s health above all else. Please sign this petition today.”
As much as I support this lawsuit for liberty, despise the City Council in all respects and hope it gets the beating it deserves, I confess to deriving no small amount of enjoyment and entertainment in watching a longtime, bigtime leftist being devoured along with her Council cohorts by the arrogant, ignorant, defective woke monster they created and tried to cram down on Normal Americans for many years. And I hope ‘Clementine’ the fake girl gets his just desserts for civil-rights abuses as well. Pass the popcorn!
more of this please… There are investigations all over the web doing this…
I appreciate this article and yet find the demand for a settlement of $350K to be disturbing. It sounds greedy and unnecessarily high. I appreciate that the article sheds light on Julie’s version of events, which I certainly hadn’t seen when the news first hit the PT Leader. But I also feel for the trans employee who seems to be getting bashed too. Gender dysphoria is real, and being transgender in America is extremely difficult, especially for male to female folks. Yes, too bad Adams and DeLuna didn’t have better tools to handle the situation more appropriately with Julie in the locker room. The listed alternative of providing more information in the moment are great ideas and too bad that didn’t happen at the time. Hopefully lesson learned from this. That said, I imagine Julie could have also handled things better at the time. So sure, ask them to lift the ban, provide an apology, change the pool locker room signage and require pool staff to identify themselves as staff, but $350K? That just seems wrong to me.
Hi Notso Nutso,
The actions and statements of the City and YMCA have not suggested in the least that they think they could have or should have done anything different or better. Julie endured many months of harrassment. The local media did zero actual reporting. They simply parroted the City and YMCA. Julie is fully entitled to the 350K if not more.
Take a gander at today’s PT Leader (which you can do for free on their website – I cancelled my subscription two years ago). In an article about Julie’s anticipated lawsuit, there is an accompanying photo spread. One photo shows the 9/3/22 arrest of the young man who, during the Let Women Speak rally in August 2022, had wrapped himself around the lower body of an elderly man who was part of the protective line in front of the rally’s speakers, yanked a shoe off one of the women speakers, and unplugged their audio gear, among other documented harassments and assaults. He was represented in court by Mayor Faber’s law partner, Sam Feinson, and released, I believe, without any consequence.
The Leader’s caption to that photo? “A supporter of Julie Jaman’s stance was arrested during the demonstration.” You can’t make this shit up, unless, of course, you are The PT Leader. In that case, you make everything up because you can’t be bothered to do any actual journalism.
Hi AJ. Thanks for being lucid.
I also canceled my Leader subscription. The Women’s Rights Rally where free speech was violently shut down as PT police watched from City Hall was called in the Leaders headline an “Anti Trans Rally”.
Police standing down by order of Faber/Mauro. Slippery slope for the Chief, starting with ignoring laws and codes regarding parking. Yeah, that again. Get it yet?
Also part of my stepping away from the Leader was the Bill Mann piece “Thanks Spreadnecks For All Our Covid Miseries.” Mann saying he was anxious to get his young grandchildren “protected”. Injected. Experimented on. Time has shown some flaws in that divisive little mind fart passing as journalism. No retraction seen or expected. Best wishes to Bill and family. We all make mistakes.
It appears the “new boss” that started as Leader editor several months ago has left after taking a look around and now a brand new “new boss” has also quit as editor in record time, saying she was not a “news hound”. Perhaps Rich Germeau syndrome is catching on. Never too late. Just say no.
The Leader’s duty as the fourth estate has been corrupted along with so much in PT for well over a decade. At least from the beginnings of the Fort Worden FWPDA on. When I do use some free views online I notice there are no longer any Leader comments. Some comments have been removed from archives over the years. No, you can’t make this stuff up. Now there is only the Leader’s view. Seems easy to correct in real time this most recent online “mistake”.
All of this is a microcosm of the macrocosm. Ongoing in tide pools and petri dishes large and small.
Orwell- ‘But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation even among people who should and do know better.’
Harvey, thank you so much for the comment. The Bill Mann idiocy is exactly why and when I cancelled my subscription. It’s beyond disheartening that the region’s paper of record is serving an ideology rather than presenting facts or seeking to investigate with objectivity.
AJ, one has to wonder to what extent our local newspaper’s total inversions of truth are intentional misinformation versus just sloppy journalism. The online version of that Leader article that I see does not include the photo, so we are posting a screen shot of the printed version here.
For anyone curious about the degree to which Alexander Zachary French tried his utmost to harass, disrupt and assault Julie’s supporters, see Annette Huenke’s detailed Dec. 5, 2022 article Celebrate Perversity! Mayor’s Law Partner Condones Assault, Disorderly Conduct. You can see a photo of the same arrest from another angle. It also includes excerpts from the police report about the charges, many other photos of the incident (including French planting his head in the crotch of a Jaman supporter who was trying to protect the event’s sound equipment), videos of French including police body cam footage, and his booking which included 1 count of assault, 2 counts of theft and 2 counts of robbery — all carried out against Julie Jaman and her supporters.
Who made the editorial decision to use that particular group of photos instead of images from the organized violent mob action against the women’s press conference on August 15th? That evening provided abundant footage to choose from to accompany an article about Jaman’s ban from the pool.
Julie Jaman had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/3 rally. It was a grassroots response by a variety of regional elements opposed to the woke agenda of inserting males into female spaces, men in drag teaching young children to twerk, and teachers talking to 6-year-olds about sexuality.
Perhaps the strategic journalistic choice to redirect the public’s gaze from the topic at hand with the sensational images of an entirely different affair came from the publisher, Lloyd Mullen, whose name as photographer appears below the 3” Enquirer-style trash reporting titled “September 3rd, 2022.” It’s hard to believe the new new newest editor had anything to do with it.
May I be so bold as to wonder if it was also Mullen’s wishful thinking that planted the deceptive caption under the photograph of the petty criminal, Alex French?
The Leader’s false characterizations about the entire episode was nothing but disgraceful, and the beat goes on. Is it any wonder that their staff turnover is so high, that they’re struggling to fill 20 pages of broadsheet newsprint each week?
After being presented with this information, the new Leader editor responded, “You’re right, the photo incorrectly identifies the side of the conflict the man being arrested is on. We will run a correction.”
The correction run by the Leader yesterday says:
That’s it, the entire “correction”.
What happened to “You’re right, the photo incorrectly identifies the side of the conflict the man being arrested is on” ? What side of the conflict WAS he on? Why was he arrested? Who is he? What did he have to do with the story about a potential lawsuit by Jaman? None of this is addressed in the non-correction “correction”.
• No actual identification of “the side of the conflict the man being arrested is on.”
• No context for the arrest. No clarification that the unidentified man (Alex French) was actually a Jaman opponent who had been charged with assault, theft and robbery of Jaman and her supporters at a city-permitted press conference.
• No acknowledgment that NONE of the photos displayed with the article were from that event that Jaman participated in, that she was not involved in organizing the protest the Leader chose to feature.
Carefully worded to dodge their journalistic responsibility to report the truth regarding last week’s photos — the barest acknowledgement of their error, continuing slanted reporting by omission and by misdirecting the focus.
Hidden History- 🙂
A few Leader editors ago which is a few months the short lived “new” male editor ran an editorial whose theme was “words matter”. He said he had a talk with staff regarding that important subject..
I had brought up to him in person and in emails how the women’s rights rally was called an “Anti Trans Rally” in a Leader headline.
Mis-Leading Words Matter.
I had also said that I could not edit down a 1300 word letter to city council to 300 words to fit the Leader’s short attention span format when asked to do so.
I did challenge him to write an editorial which contained the things I had communicated and other information which he said were well articulated and valid. A bit later the generalized “Words Matter” editorial piece appeared. There has been a total lack of editorials for some time.Then it seems he quit. Then a replacement quickly quit and said that a “newshound” was needed and she wasn’t it. Now the newest newest editor has shown how little “Words Matter” and how little having a newshound editor matters to current Leader leadership. Meet the new boss. Same leash as the old boss(es). Seems to be a recurring theme.
Like the City Manager if you take the job and stay status quo, you have a future here. Many residents don’t.
Be Kind 🙂 🙂 🙂 Get Real
It seems that THE BIBLE GODS WORDS are coming true in 2024…
Isaiah 5:20
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…
Who change darkness into light and light into dark…
Who change bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.”
I don’t like bullying. And for males to bully themselves into invading the only private spaces females have, is intolerable. There was no notification, no discussion, no due process, not even any FAQ’s!
But there were flags ~ as if anyone would know that meant a male (however they identify) might be in the female private space. For the Y to make that claim is pure crazy speak.
Yet we’re supposed to just submit to the orders with a smile.
Females have been pushed around by males (not all) for centuries, hell, we’ve only had the right to vote since 1920! How absurd that anyone would think we’re supposed to accept this intrusion with no questions asked!
I also take particular issue with the grotesque and calculated manner in which the City conducted itself around the female speakers at the Pope Marine Plaza. The City created a space for an angry and dangerous mob scene, instead of a space where people could learn from each other.
I naively expected that I could walk two blocks from my home and listen to opinions by women of diverse backgrounds without being attacked. You know, the whole First Amendment thing. I also naively expected that there would be informational booths ~ like at the gay pride events ~ so I could have conversations with folks.
Instead, a nightmare unfolded with our local government complicit in causing physical and emotional trauma to its citizens. Shame on them!!!
I hope for the day that Faber & Mauro, (Faburo), go hand in hand and sail off together into the sunset never to return to Port Townsend again.
Michelle- Thanks for all the time you have put in over the years attending public meetings from transportation to “city” business. It seems to me important to remember “the city” in this time period was Appointed Mayor Faber, unqualified trainee with great debt to repay for position not earned city manager Mauro, and now departed city attorney Heidi Greenwood. Smart move Heidi. The bobble head city council give the nod to “Fabro” as you call them, .
Annette in this linked article makes an observation regarding the person who was superficially held responsible for damage at the rally. Her edited insights are in quotes.
https://www.porttownsendfreepress.com/2022/12/05/celebrate-perversity-mayors-law-partner-condones-assault-disorderly-conduct/
“From the looks of things, Alexander French has zero experience with taking personal responsibility for his actions”.
Sounds just like Faber and now “Fabro” to me. As in the costly Ballard King irrelevant study Mauro (and Faber?) used, and the 2 studies hidden by Mauro (and Faber?) that showed an affordable pool option.Still waiting for an answer requested to Ben Thomas, and any council member. What price does Mauro pay for his deceptions? More examples available. Lots more.
“Restorative justice might advocate for French having to sit down and watch the videos taken on the afternoon/evening of August 15th, followed by all of the filmed denials of everything he’d done that day, and his subsequent defense and disavowal of it”……
This might do “Fabro” some good related to many “activities” since Mauro came on board under (over) Faber and the bobble head council
“What chance does this young man have to live an authentic, fulfilling life when the adults in his circle support his lies and misdemeanors with more lies and protection from accountability?”
What chance does Faber have to grow up and see his damages while being enabled by voters, Mauro and complicit council?
“It has been said that “every perpetrator was a victim.”
Seems “Fabro” also feel victimized by the Free Press shedding light on activities from streateries/parking to preventing free speech and much more.
Wade in any time here “Fabro”.
“What has happened in his young life that encouraged the sort of behavior displayed on August 15th? Why did so many of the people in that crowd support it?”
What motivates self described “degenerate” Faber to create piece by piece the well documented negative legacy he has? Losses into the millions. And feel entitled to continue? Perhaps being appointed Mayor again by council has something to do with it. He is officially encouraged and not censured.
“Is he on pharmaceuticals known to contribute to aggression, belligerence, the inability to consider consequences, thus always on the lookout for opportunities to go rogue?”
Perhaps the ‘city’s’ best option of a defense is to claim pharmaceuticals played a part, then step away from “Fabro”. Is the new city attorney just another “new boss’ like at the Leader? No changes seen so far. Anywhere.
Perhaps we have met PT’s next appointed mayor. That poor young man, correction person, who only laid down to be trodden upon seems to have all the qualities “Fabro” does. Zero responsibility. Zero ability in the big picture.
Alex French for Appointed Mayor. Stay the course.
Be Kind. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Get Real.
Harvey, I tried to email you back a couple weeks ago, but it kept bouncing back. I hoped it went through, anyway, but evidently not. I’ll try again. I wouldn’t ignore you.
I would comment more here about the topic, but I hope people can understand that given a lawsuit, most anything I could say here could jeopardize the public’s funds.
I should point out that I don’t believe the City has any urgent plans to replace the City Attorney. I believe the contract legal representation might continue at least through this year.
Hi Ben 🙂 🙂 🙂
The email address I use to send to City Council and others is and has been working fine. I see nothing from you at this time. Please do post any replies here. These are community issues and concerns. I speak up when I see no one is voicing perspectives that I see.
Faber (who has not replied to follow up questions I have posted here and sent to council and others) distorts things that I question as being “my” issues. They are everyone’s. Public concerns asked by an individual for all. Best to answer in this public forum. I would re-post them anyway so any flaws in my reasoning or yours and councils can be seen directly.
Does Faber understand his distortions or not? Is he deceptive and unqualified or acts deceptive and unqualified? Guess we have to look at his legacy to determine his abilities and motives.
Same with you, me, or anyone. Words are empty. Ask any Native American.
Also no response from Amy Howard questioning results from her trip to the “Civic Health Summit”. Among other things I had asked her was how open discrimination against all who are following 2 hour parking signs while insiders don’t have to is “Civically Healthy”.
Just because the city newsletter is now in full glossy color does not lend any more credibility to it’s content. Remember Ben that both Mauro and Faber didn’t use it to advise the public of the attempted change of city ordinance to make streateries permanent. All council voted to extend through Christmas for special interests. Minority interests inhibiting business access for the majority. Minority wins. Was that “KIND?” 🙂 🙂 🙂 Smiley faced inflicted damage.
There are funds for full color PR,.funds for Mauro’s irrelevant and hidden pool and golf studies and PR person, but no money for basic parking planning, education, and as a last resort enforcement. This has driven me out of town. Still in process renovating the building in Port Hadlock, which is devoid of corrupted city government to damage my business and customers.
I do question you saying you would never ignore me Ben. Seems you have ignored the slippery parking slope A clean hands Council follows laws or lawfully changes them. All council for 11 years now has ignored laws meant to keep Government from being arbitrary and self serving. Damaging on so many levels.
Is it not true that Heidi Greenwood has resigned as city attorney?
Looking forward to more of this healthy back and forth Ben. Follow up questions will follow your response. Now…. where are Amy and David’s replies? Civic Health, and “we need to shut down the historic district to cars like Bordeaux France” need further public discussion.
Watch this space for Ben’s reply. Thanks Ben.
Be Kind 🙂 🙂 🙂 Get Real
I was going to let this go and let Ben’s month and a half silence speak for itself, but the new city Newsletter rings of hollow smarm once again. This time from Ben Thomas. Junior council member.
There is also more down-home “my community’ stuff from less than neighborly Mauro who hides or distorts studies that don’t fit agendas. Using public money. Council approves of its employee’s methods. No question.
So, no reply from Ben from the April 1 comment where I followed up on his claim that he would never ignore me. That was April 1. Jokes on me. And you. At least I knew what was (not) coming.
I did get a down-home City of Port Townsend newsletter featuring Ben which prompts this follow up.
Seems Ben believes this is a village! Rhody Fest is near! Community! Civic Health! The new improved Comprehensive Plan is in the works!
Weigh in! Work Together! But expect to be ignored if you dare have questions or are not on board with established agendas.
Faber and Howard ignore questions. Ben has been schooled. He wants to graduate. Move up. Big pay position. How is that you ask?
Just learned Ben is going to run for County Commissioner. Guess his work here in PT is done. That was fast! And pretty damn weak.
Best of luck Ben, but sometimes who we wish we were is not who we are. No question! Enjoy Rhody Fest.
Situation Report: the YMCA has requested more time to respond. We will advise our readers as soon as we know more on the new deadline.
Many thanks for the update, Annette.
So did they meet her demands???
All we know at this point, David, is that the Y asked for more time to respond. As of last evening, we’d not heard back from CAL regarding how much time, nor what the city’s response was. Watch this space!
It seems suspect that the City and Y are still silent. They should have replied by now. Perhaps Julie is being played by our local “authorities.”
The Y has not been silent. They have asked for more time. We don’t know how much, but it is within the legal boundaries of the demand letter for them to do that. We don’t know what the city has communicated to the law firm yet. Let’s not mistake that for silence.
I’m so glad to see this case taking this direction! My sister left Port Townsend because of woke presence that pervades the whole area. That was just over a year ago. When she arrived here, she told us about this event. Shame on these people for destroying one of the most beautiful places in the country with this filth.
Situation Report #2: As it happens, according to WA state law, the city (and all governmental entities) have sixty days to respond to a legal claim of this nature. The YMCA has asked for a continuance until May 6th. More reporting as we know it. Thank you for your patience.
Situation Report #3: The YMCA has asked for an additional week to respond to the demand letter. New deadline is May 13th.
Article in PDN today says lawsuit is being prepared as they never heard anything from the City
That’s correct, Frances. The Y chose not to settle, and while the city’s deadline is not until May 19th, the Center for American Liberty is now preparing to file a lawsuit in federal court.
Harbingers for good outcomes are becoming more common with each week: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-15/california-district-to-pay-360k-to-teacher-who-was-fired-after-refusing-to-follow-transgender-policies?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email