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“I don’t care if they’re a sex offender! ... I don’t care if they’re a criminal! I don’t care if they’re coming out of jail, prison. Everyone deserves housing!”
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The agency tasked with solving the massive homeless crisis in Washington state’s most populous county has asked a member of its board, tasked with handling federal grants, to step down after she screamed at a fellow board member who objected to the nomination of a new board member, who is a registered sex offender, and accused him of inappropriate behavior toward her in the past.
In an email to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority staff and board obtained by The Post Millennial, chief program officer Peter Lynn said he was formally requesting the Continuum of Care's co-chair Shanéé Colston to resign after she “shouted down committee member Kristina Sawyckyj for identifying that one of the prospective AC nominees was a registered sex offender, which is public information. Ms. Sawyckyj was also shouted down by Chair Colston when she spoke of her experience of being inappropriately touched by the nominee.”
The Continuum of Care board works to secure funds to address the homeless crisis from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Members also oversee annual funding requests and performance metrics for homeless service providers.
The nominee in question is Thomas Leviel Whitaker. According to court records obtained by The Post Millennial, he was convicted in 2010 of harboring a 13-year-old runaway whom he had a sexual relationship with.
In 2012 Whitaker was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl. He eventually pled guilty to the felony sex crime of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
Seattle police found Whitaker living in a tent in Seattle in 2018 with a 17-year-old girl.
According to the agency’s website, Whitaker AKA Raven Crowfoot is a “lived expert” at being homeless and was nominated to serve on the emergency food and shelter board to represent the LGBTQIA2s, American Indian/Alaska Native, Indigenous, the chronically homeless, and the domestic violence community.
The May 5 meeting video contains a trigger warning called a “Content Note” that reads, “Shortly after the hour mark, this video contains emotionally intense discussion of sexual violence and inappropriate behavior. Watch with care.”
Approximately 45 minutes into the meeting, board member Kristina Sawyckyj objected to the appointment of Whitaker saying, “He is a sex offender, a repeat sex offender, and I have had [a] bad experience with him,” adding that the nominee had touched her inappropriately in the past.
Another board member told Sawyckvj, a former Marine who is wheelchair-bound after being raped in the service, according to KING5, she should contact the police, and Sawyckvj replied that she had.
Colston, a peer counselor and "diversion coach" for the Department of Emergency Services (DESC), yelled at her, “We don’t do that here,” adding it was against board rules to “out” someone who was convicted of a sex crime. She continued “He’s here because sex offenders are another population that is vulnerable that don’t have housing,” and then threatened to put anyone who discussed it further on mute and remove them from the meeting. According to her bio, "The Theory of Change gives Shanéé power for her voice to be heard in spaces where normally, it isn’t."
Colston, who posts anti-police and BLM rhetoric on her Twitter account, continued yelling, “This is about equity, and everyone, everyone deserves housing. I don’t care if they’re a sex offender! I don’t care if they’re black! I don’t care if they’re indigenous. I don’t care if they’re a criminal! I don’t care if they’re coming out of jail, prison. Everyone deserves housing.”
Despite the objection, Whitaker's nomination was approved by the board, according to the Daily Mail.
In a statement to the Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, The King County Regional Homeless Authority said, "Nominations are made by the CoC membership. However, these nominees have not been confirmed. The full CoC membership had planned to vote on the nominees at a meeting on May 5, but that meeting was canceled due to concerns about the conduct of the Co-Chair, and she has been asked to resign." KCRHA did not respond when asked what the qualifications were for nominees or board members.
The news comes on the heels of revelations that millions of dollars for Seattle's "social housing" program are being overseen by trans activists, socialists, and "chronically homeless."
Lynn wrote in his email, “This unacceptable behavior by the leadership of the CoC Advisory Committee has created a hostile environment for KCRHA staff and committee members. I will be working with KCRHA leadership and our attorneys to determine the next steps to ensure the safety of all those involved in the [board].”
In an email to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority staff and board obtained by The Post Millennial, chief program officer Peter Lynn said he was formally requesting the Continuum of Care's co-chair Shanéé Colston to resign after she “shouted down committee member Kristina Sawyckyj for identifying that one of the prospective AC nominees was a registered sex offender, which is public information. Ms. Sawyckyj was also shouted down by Chair Colston when she spoke of her experience of being inappropriately touched by the nominee.”
The Continuum of Care board works to secure funds to address the homeless crisis from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Members also oversee annual funding requests and performance metrics for homeless service providers.
The nominee in question is Thomas Leviel Whitaker. According to court records obtained by The Post Millennial, he was convicted in 2010 of harboring a 13-year-old runaway whom he had a sexual relationship with.
In 2012 Whitaker was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl. He eventually pled guilty to the felony sex crime of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
Seattle police found Whitaker living in a tent in Seattle in 2018 with a 17-year-old girl.
According to the agency’s website, Whitaker AKA Raven Crowfoot is a “lived expert” at being homeless and was nominated to serve on the emergency food and shelter board to represent the LGBTQIA2s, American Indian/Alaska Native, Indigenous, the chronically homeless, and the domestic violence community.
The May 5 meeting video contains a trigger warning called a “Content Note” that reads, “Shortly after the hour mark, this video contains emotionally intense discussion of sexual violence and inappropriate behavior. Watch with care.”
Approximately 45 minutes into the meeting, board member Kristina Sawyckyj objected to the appointment of Whitaker saying, “He is a sex offender, a repeat sex offender, and I have had [a] bad experience with him,” adding that the nominee had touched her inappropriately in the past.
Another board member told Sawyckvj, a former Marine who is wheelchair-bound after being raped in the service, according to KING5, she should contact the police, and Sawyckvj replied that she had.
Colston, a peer counselor and "diversion coach" for the Department of Emergency Services (DESC), yelled at her, “We don’t do that here,” adding it was against board rules to “out” someone who was convicted of a sex crime. She continued “He’s here because sex offenders are another population that is vulnerable that don’t have housing,” and then threatened to put anyone who discussed it further on mute and remove them from the meeting. According to her bio, "The Theory of Change gives Shanéé power for her voice to be heard in spaces where normally, it isn’t."
Colston, who posts anti-police and BLM rhetoric on her Twitter account, continued yelling, “This is about equity, and everyone, everyone deserves housing. I don’t care if they’re a sex offender! I don’t care if they’re black! I don’t care if they’re indigenous. I don’t care if they’re a criminal! I don’t care if they’re coming out of jail, prison. Everyone deserves housing.”
Despite the objection, Whitaker's nomination was approved by the board, according to the Daily Mail.
In a statement to the Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, The King County Regional Homeless Authority said, "Nominations are made by the CoC membership. However, these nominees have not been confirmed. The full CoC membership had planned to vote on the nominees at a meeting on May 5, but that meeting was canceled due to concerns about the conduct of the Co-Chair, and she has been asked to resign." KCRHA did not respond when asked what the qualifications were for nominees or board members.
The news comes on the heels of revelations that millions of dollars for Seattle's "social housing" program are being overseen by trans activists, socialists, and "chronically homeless."
Lynn wrote in his email, “This unacceptable behavior by the leadership of the CoC Advisory Committee has created a hostile environment for KCRHA staff and committee members. I will be working with KCRHA leadership and our attorneys to determine the next steps to ensure the safety of all those involved in the [board].”
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