Jun 2, 2017

"Pain manifests in different ways and that we should be taking this opportunity to educate and open a dialogue on issues, including racism"

"I interpreted the letter as a request to resign," Liz told me. " I drove to Sacramento last week to review NAACP bylaws with our chapters cluster director and he talked with Donn who said he did not intend for me to take his letter has a resignation request. Regardless. I'm communicating with my chapter's executive committee through the cluster director. Like you, I trust him."

There are very few people she trusts right now. In journalism, she said KHSU's Lorna Bryant "used to be that person but she has failed me phenomenally." Bryant is also a NAACP member.

With each organization she was involved with locally or in an area, she has a key person;  "in journalism, that is you," she told me.


Liz has thanked me a several times for being her voice in the last few months. Starting from the Patrick Cleary post I did last year to today.

Liz sounds great. "My faith is strong. I am taking some time out to get some perspective and work on future plans."


In the future, Liz  plans to share more information about a letter that NAACP and others wanted to send out regarding media coverage of the David Lawson case. She declined to sign it for many reasons; the First Amendment; the approach these people wanted to take to "check and control certain media" and in particular, because they wanted to use it as an opportunity to target "me, a journalist of color." Liz told others that "pain manifests in different ways and that we should be taking this opportunity to educate  and open a dialogue on issues, including racism.

I told Liz that I admire her for her selfless dedication to this community for decades. That I can relate to her experience of being targeted, suffering financial and other consequences for being outspoken in a small town as well as speaking the truth. I know full well the betrayal and the challenges of being someone targeted and smeared for not fitting in the box, especially by "communities" that should be supporting us.

Previous posts:

http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2016/12/liz-smith-expresses-disappointment-to.html?m=1

http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2017/03/liz-smith-executive-director-of-boys.html?m=1

http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2017/03/former-executive-director-liz-smith.html?m=1

http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2017/05/liz-smith-needs-our-help-please-reach.html?m=1


http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2017/05/liz-smith-found-in-del-norte-county.html?m=1





8 comments:

  1. I'm like Liz. These days it feels like John Chiv is the only person any of us can trust in Eureka, Humboldt County and even the world. Thank you for all you do. Have you thought about runnnning for Sheriff John? Youd be a good one

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    1. Thanks for the kind words anon. I like our current Sheriff, Billy Honsal a lot. And, I hope in the upcoming election, he runs unopposed.

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  2. you want him to run unopposed......do you even believe in democracy? disappointed

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    1. Yes, I want him to run unopposed. He has been Undersheriff, he has extensive law enforcement experience and local, with various agencies. He has the management skills for the job as well. He is the most qualified person for the job. Democracy is not having an opponent, just to have one. It is having the best person fir the job, not wasting money in an election having candidates just because you think someone should not run unopposed. Unlike you and several others in Humboldt, I don't throw around words like Democracy, freedom of speech, I actually understeand the definition and context in using those words. Democracy is my choice to express my opinion freely, vote for who I want without having judgemental anonymous commenters claim to be disappointed just because I dont think the way they do.

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  3. are you targeted or feel targeted because you are of Palestinian decent? You should not feel badly for that.

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  4. The word is descent, besides not knowing basic English, your assumption about my ethnicity is incorrect. And, I am not the only one targeted, locally, because of ignorance like yours.

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  5. oh....forgive my typo emission and assumption...i just did not understand why you feel targeted.

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    1. And you won't anon unless you take the time to understand, actually read what I and others experience daily, and do some research. You also will not understand, if you don't want to so now I have published two comments with the same basic ignorance from you. Curious, why you feel the need to be anonymous, if it is just a simple question.

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