I wanted to comment on one of your recent posts but for some reason I was blocked from doing so on my android tablet. It is probably best that I didn’t as I was upset at the time. I saw Juan Ferrer’s sister’s comment and your reply and I truly feel sorry for her as I know she needs to support and believe in her brother. I am Douglas Anderson-Jordet’s sister-in-law. I wanted you to know that Douglas’ family also reads your blog for information about the case as we are all from Minnesota and can’t be in Arcata for the full proceedings.
I think an email to you personally may serve better for what I wish to share. The notion that Douglas was in any way homophobic or would willingly engage in physical violence is absolutely absurd to anyone who knew him! He was not a big or imposing man and he was alone on a dark street outnumbered 3 to 1 by much younger (and larger) people. He was going home and had to pass them on the street to get to his home a few blocks away.
Mr. Ferrer took Douglas’ life (a point Mr. Ferrer does not dispute) and now he and his attorney are trying to smear Douglas character in an attempt to invent a plausible defense. We find this particularly shameful. Douglas has a number of gay friends in Minnesota whom we have recently asked to contact the DAs office in case they can be of any help in the case. For your own information, the actual “offensive statement” reported to police by an objective witness shortly after Douglas was found dead was “Fuck you and your fat girlfriend”. That statement does not indicate to me that he even recognized any of them as gay – (nor would it have mattered to him even if he did).
For some reason it is important to me that you have a little background on Douglas as you watch the court proceedings. He was not the same as most of us, he was truly an extraordinary individual. At home in Minnesota he was a radio host whose program highlighted vintage vinyl records, a talented composer and musician beloved by the St. Cloud music community, fantastic chef, artist, writer and humorist. You won’t find a single violent, homophobic or hateful thing on his Facebook page or in any of his hundreds of songs or writings. Quite the opposite; he celebrated diversity and had many friends from all walks of life, including gay, fringe, and tattooed folk - he was even a moderator for the Huff Post because of his dry humor and ability to tactfully diffuse conflict. When the chef jobs dried up in St Cloud MN, he made ends meet working in a group home helping mentally challenged folks with their activities of daily living. He loved his work there even though he was barely surviving on the money it paid.
A good friend of his had moved to Arcata and told him of an open chef position at Abruzzi. Please bear with me as I share with you Douglas’ update for Mom’s weekly intranet newsletter after he was offered the chef position in Arcata, Ca:
July 22nd 2012 - Update – “A bittersweet farewell”
by Douglas Anderson
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Having lived my first 48 years in Minnesota I think it is fair to say that I am a “Minnesota Boy” and we all know that you can “Take the boy out of Minnesota, but…” oh well, you know the rest.
I have heard that coastal people are very impressed with our Midwestern civility and sense of fair play… and will never miss a chance to exploit these qualities to their best interests.
And so, I stab westward, like so many fortune seekers did years ago, prospecting my own kind of pay dirt: a fair wage at the profession I am trained in.
All of the campy symbolism aside, I leave my friends and family with mixed emotions … hope, fear, blah blah blah … but mostly HOPE … something that’s been in short supply for many people in the last few years, so I am happy to have it.
I am hoping to sneak in a luncheon with my folks before I “hit the dusty trail” and “Go west, middle-aged man.”
Douglas submitted the following with the photo of him below in December 2012 after he moved to Arcata:
“I have never been as thankful as I was this Thanksgiving. After two long years off, searching and worrying, I finally know job
security again.”
Douglas Anderson-Jordet
Chef & Kitchen Manager, Abruzzi
Arcata, California
It is our understanding that Mr. Ferrer felt victimized by the community in general and he had the knife with him that night because he wasn’t going to take it anymore. Douglas happened to be the unfortunate person to cross his path, and if it could happen to someone like Douglas, than it could have happened to any member of your community. The trial won’t bring Douglas back but hopefully it will end these despicable lies about him.
So…. we watch these painful proceedings from afar and wish we could be there each day. We do appreciate your updates.
Sincerely,
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