Lion of Liberty plays age card; Second Ward's
Thornhill growls
COLUMBIA, 6/9/11 (Beat Byte) -- How to use monies
forfeited during criminal investigations appears
on the Columbia City Council's Monday agenda and has been the
subject of an ongoing battle between a Kansas City-based asset forfeiture reform
group, the Columbia Police Department (CPD), and Second Ward City Council
representative Jason Thornhill.
A Sunshine Law request from Americans for Forfeiture
Reform executive director Eapen Thampy (above left) late last month for "all
records of the creation, activity, and updating of the Facebook page titled Columbia Missouri Police
Department" is the latest development in the dustup, which started
over what else -- a Facebook page.
No Council for Old Men
Thampy's forfeiture reform group -- and a local liberty advocacy movement
that has opposed downtown surveillance cameras, supported First Ward City
Council candidate Mitch Richards, and recently
scolded his opponent, First Ward Councilman Fred Schmidt -- has
been defending a poll question on the CPD Facebook page asking viewers what they
thought the police department should feature on social media.
A second, Columbia-based liberty advocacy group, Keep Columbia Free,
posted the option: "An accounting of asset forfeiture funds,"
which went on to become the #1 most requested CPD Facebook feature.
But CPD public information officer Sergeant Jill Wieneke removed the option
on April 29, sparking an outcry that has lasted for a month.
The forfeiture fund option "was erased without comment," Thampy emailed the
Columbia City Council and reporters from the Columbia Daily Tribune and
this publication. "To my knowledge, no one used profanity or said anything
inappropriate, and asking CPD for an accounting of asset forfeiture funds is not
unreasonable. We understand CPD has their own vision about their outreach
efforts. However, this vision should not stand in the way of showing respect to
us humble taxpayers when we request transparency in government."
A few days later, on May 2, Thornhill (above right) disagreed.
"I don't see Facebook as the appropriate channel for that sort of request,
and suspect the CPD didn't intend it for that purpose," Thornhill emailed
Thampy. "I would encourage you and/or your group to seek out any requests for
information (be it an accounting of asset forfeiture funds or anything else from
the department) through regular municipal channels."
"I urge you to consider that when municipalities engage in social media,
those channels become regular municipal channels," Thampy replied May 6.
Then, things got testy. "If your generation is
uncomfortable with this, I am sorry," 20-something Thampy
emailed Thornhill, who is about 10 years older. "There is nothing that you can
do to slow the march of progress, and it is in your best interest to
adapt accordingly."
"While you are clearly an intelligent and well-spoken young man, it is
in your best interest to stay clear of personal jabs,"
Thornhill retorted. "Not once in any of my interactions with you...have I taken
the opportunity to assert something about the group or 'generation' that you
represent that became personal in nature. It serves no purpose
in what we do. Rather, it minimizes the seriousness with which you and your
points are to be considered."
The Cost of Freedom
An exchange between Thampy and Wieneke a few weeks later became testy when Wieneke said that gathering documents to fulfill the Sunshine Law request would cost Americans for Forfeiture Reform $289.17, billed at $27.92/hour.
"The poll constitutes a petition protected by the First Amendment to the
United States Constitution and is a public record governed under our Sunshine
Law," Thampy emailed Wieneke. "A violation, as you are aware, carries a civil
penalty."
Despite the dustup, Thampy's request yielded the desired result.
"I have located records pertaining to your request regarding yearly totals
of forfeiture funds (2007-present) and specific information about uses of
forfeiture monies/equipment," Wieneke emailed him. "These records totaled 58
pages."
Thornhill also had the last word.
"It is actually laughable that you suggest that 'my generation' is
uncomfortable with the usage of Facebook for social media and the like," he
emailed Thampy. "Perhaps you are unaware of my age - I'm not
75."
(Thornhill was in his late 30's last this writer checked).
Ageish is alive and well here! To suggest that a late 30ish or 75 year old person is uncomfortable with Facebook is stereotyping. I am over that "old age" and found this article from both email and FB. It is not trivial as the city changed its funding of senior transportation based on a lack of knowledge of the relative needs and provider services. Please do not stereotype by age any more than by other criteria!
ReplyDeleteJason Thornhill -- champion of the senior set and anti-ageism activist! That IS funny!
ReplyDelete