DCist Martin

When I first wrote a post on Jonathan Rees for DCist last November, I never expected things would get this ugly. They have, and as such, I am forced to remove myself from this entire sordid affair. Before I do so, I think it's fair that I address some of the lies and misconceptions that have been spread by Rees and his supporters. 1) The Austermuhle/Brooks Conspiracy: I have met Sam Brooks once. We have corresponded now and then, but rarely on anything of substance. I have not worked for or expressed any support for his campaign. I profiled him on DCist months ago because he is the same age as many of our readers, but beyond that, I know little about his character and campaign to make a judgement on his candidacy. Beyond that, I don't live in Ward 3, so honestly, I don't much care who represents those who do. 2) The "Race Riot": Rees and his supporters have spent a good amount of time Googling me and making more of my past than really exists. Was I arrested in 2000 at a riot? Yes. Did I incite that riot? No. Was my arrest related to any violent or disorderly activities? No. Was I kicked out of Penn State for it? No. Did the student newspaper condemn my actions? No. Was it, as Rees has claimed, related to race in any way, shape, or form? Never. This may be the lowest someone has ever gone to attack me. I have no shame in admitting that I was arrested six years ago, pled guilty to a misdemeanor, and completed my community service succesfully. But for someone to insinuate or claim that my arrest was linked to a "race riot" tests the temper and the imagination. In emails back and forth with Rees yesterday, I asked that he either remove the claim or apologize for posting it. He did neither of the two, and instead hid behind the claim that my arrest record included mention of race. I doubt he had access to it because my record was expunged a year after my arrest. Beyond this, do I think one run in with the law six years ago somehow disqualifies my opinion or somehow proves that I would engage in alleged online attacks against Rees? Nope. 3) Other Parts of my Past: Rees also mentioned that I was a member of the Communist Party. First off, that's not true. As a young and impressionable freshman, I briefly joined the Young Socialists, for whom I did nothing and consequently left months after. I was never a member of the Communist Party, nor do I ascribe to the communist ideology. 4) My Opinion on Jonathan Rees: To be honest, when I first got involved with this, I was amused. Then I got annoyed when Rees and his aliases (all of whom we were able to track and link to Rees using the IP addresses the left on DCist) for posting insulting and provocative comments. Rees himself spent more time insulting me and my fellow writers than he did trying to defend himself against the claims that he was running a dirty online campaign against anyone who questioned him. Now I am just surprised. This is a small-time race for a Ward 3 seat, and I have never seen more mudslinging come from a single man than I have seen come from Rees. As much as he claims that he has been the victim of many attacks, I have yet to see any that were not a direct response to his sordid online activities. Mr. Rees, if I could propose anything, it is that you do what a political candidate should do -- focus on getting your message out the traditional way, instead of leading vicious attacks against people who dare question your means. I regret having gotten involved with this at all. I'll make this the last I say on the matter, even though I imagine Mr. Rees or one of his supporters will respond with more claims about my past or my character. If this happens, I may be forced to respond. If anyone has any doubts or concerns about me, email me directly and we'll deal with them. I am just sick of dealing with allegations such as those that I started a race riot during college. Martin Austermuhle Editor-in-Chief, DCist.com PS: Mr. Rees and those who support him: You are still all officially banned from commenting at DCist. Anything that slightly resembles Rees propaganda or advocacy will be promptly deleted.

No, Pam, Mr. Rees made up a supposed email I wrote him to try and back up his accusation that we are somehow aligned against him. He and I have sent emails, but the one above it not one I EVER sent.

Well, one thing is true of the above. I do also used my Yahoo account, and that's the one I have communicated used to communicate with Jonathan Rees. Than again, that email is completely fictional. I just checked my records, and I sent no email of that sort on that day. As has been noted, the return address is misspelled, something my Yahoo account would not do. And also, the time the email was sent was listed in normal time, 2:38 PM, even though Yahoo lists the times of emails in military time, hence if it were legitimate, it would appear as 14:38. Finally, why would I refer to Rees as "Rees" in an email to him? I am not that awkward with the English language. I would say "you," or "Jonathan," or "Mr. Rees." This really is the worst forgery EVER.

So how does anything in my record prove that I am a Nazi, Nikki?

Well, since you claim to have seen this police report, please quote the relevant sections concerning how the riot at which I was arrested was in any way racially motivated. Please, please, please provide these damning nuggets of information. Funny thing is, the article you link to says nothing of race being a factor because, well, because it wasn't. Care to respond?

Wow. Where to start? First, Nikki, you have yet to provide evidence as to your claim I was arrested during a riot that was racially motivated. Moreover, you have yet to prove that I engaged in any violent activities during that riot. And even more than that, you have yet to prove that my arrest for a non-violent misdemeanor has anything to do with my political views or activities. Start ponying up this evidence, please. As for the Young Socialists, I don't deny I was a member of the organization. My freshman year in college. More than eight years ago. For the better part of two months. Not exactly a smoking gun, now is it? Hell, if everyone's freshman year in college was the basis for the rest of their life, not many people would have reputations to speak of. Nikki, the ball is in your court. Start providing evidence to substantiate your claims.

Nikki, Care to offer evidence that my arrest -- a misdemeanor -- was in any way, shape, or form the product of anything racially-motivated? I await your response.

Ummm, how does an arrest during my junior year of college, a misdemeanor no less, impact my ability to offer commentary on DC politics, Jonathan Rees, or anything else? Hell, if making mistakes during college were reason enough to discredit someone and their opinion, not many people would ever offer any opinions.

I'd also like to note that it's interesting that "Officer" Magana is asking for the following: "...proper ID and also proof of what screen name they are using and IP provider." This is NOT information a police officer should be requesting outside of an official investigation. Officer Magana, I am under absolutely no obligation to provide you with anything, not even my name. You, on the other hand, ARE obligated to provide us with your name, rank, badge number, and so on. So, out with it. Badge number, please.

Huh. After reviewing the IP address used by Andrew Dice Clay, it becomes clear that that same address has been used for the following posts/posters: Angela Brannon Posted on: Jan 5 2006, 02:59 PM Posted on: Jan 5 2006, 08:45 AM Posted on: Jan 5 2006, 08:37 AM Posted on: Jan 5 2006, 02:52 AM Posted on: Jan 5 2006, 01:57 AM Posted on: Jan 3 2006, 09:23 PM Posted on: Jan 3 2006, 02:10 PM Posted on: Jan 3 2006, 02:01 PM MissGloverPark Posted on: Jan 4 2006, 05:27 AM Care to explain? Or, better yet, Officer Mangana, can you offer an opinion on this?

So, ummmm, "Officer" Mangana, does posting false information about someone's sexual orientation count? Because both Andrew Dice Clay and Jonathan Rees did, and I'd like to file a formal complain with you. That is, if you're who you say you are, and, I hate to say it, not a Rees alias. If you need the smoking gun, go here: http://www.dcmessageboards.com/index.php?showtopic=7394

I'm going to make sure and attend so I can meet MissGloverPark and Angel Brannon.

Tammy, What ANC are you a member of?

Tammy, You mentioned you knew MissGloverPark and Angela Brannon through your ANC. Which one is it? Martin Austermuhle Editor-in-Chief, DCist

What ANC is that?