White Was Right?

For four years, the legacy media in Yakima has mounted an unprecedented attack on City Councilman Jason White. From the Yakima Herald Republic to the Governor’s office, organizations have lined up to attack this denizen of District 2. How did this singular man cause such a ruckus?

PRE-ELECTION

In 2017, White decided to act on his desire to benefit his community: Yakima’s District 2. Having no experience running campaigns, he approached Mary Lopez, lead organizer of OneAmerica.

OneAmerica is the largest immigrant advocacy program in Washington State, alleging to promote equity by empowering grassroots leaders. Rather than help White, Lopez and OneAmerica treated him with what he described as prejudice. He was questioned about his ability as a white male to represent an 80% Latino district. White replied that character, not race, should be the only deciding factor when electing a representative.

After White officially declared his candidacy, OneAmerica endorsed the opposing candidate, Pablo Gonzalez, a pot shop owner. The Yakima Herald then began what would become a pattern of bigotry, with White alleging that he was asked loaded questions during their interviews. Despite the Herald and OneAmerica, White won a landslide victory in November, accruing 73% of his district’s votes.

THE BEGINNING

White’s supporters note that he quickly honored his campaign promise to interrupt “business as usual.” He altered city meetings by instigating council debate, encouraging public comment, and insisting on frank discussions. To the chagrin of several disinterested and self-interested parties, he teamed up with Bruce Smith at the Yakima Business Times to enable a popular vote on the Plaza Project. Despite intense media advocacy, Yakima residents eventually voted “no” on the plaza.

In August of 2018, the city council became focused on the Northside Alley Paver project. While everyone had been preoccupied with the plaza, $400,000 in federal grants for the Paver project had been mismanaged. Brett Sheffield, the City Engineer, notified the council that the Paver project would need to be removed from the city’s Transportation Improvement Plan. The main constituents that would be affected were those who lived within Districts 1 and 2. With the prompting of White and councilwoman Dulce Gutierrez, the Paver project remained on the Transportation Improvement Plan and has continued to receive funding.

White then supported the repeal of Yakima’s pit bull ban. While the majority of conservatives supported the ban, White voted against it. When offering an explanation, White articulated a “liberty alone” conviction, explaining citizens should take “personal responsibility” as it’s not the city’s job to micromanage.

ICE FLIGHTS

White drew fire again in July of 2019 when members of the city council attempted to prohibit Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights from landing in Yakima. Current federal law provides that ICE flights can land in Yakima for the deportation of illegal immigrants.

White argued that preventing immigration law from being enforced was an injustice to the immigrants of his district, whom he described as “law abiding citizens.” He elaborated on his position using social media, stating on Facebook that suspending ICE flights was a “disservice to the 200 people that get their citizenship in Yakima every year.” White went on to declare that he “does believe our immigration system is incredibly flawed, but any attempt to block ICE flights is lawlessness.”

White received backlash from then Councilwoman Dulce Gutierrez, activists Mary Lopez, Sam Johnson, Rocío Carrión and their various affiliates. Johnson runs an advocacy group for the abortion clinic Planned Parenthood, as well as Keep Yakima United, a political action committee. Carrión is the executive director of “I AM Empowerment,” an organization that supports illegal immigration, among other things.

Shortly before this incident White spoke out against several council members, including councilwomen Kay Funk and Dulce Gutierrez, who wanted to prevent H-2A workers from being housed in the city of Yakima.

An H-2A visa lawfully allows a foreign national into the U.S. for temporary agricultural work. These agricultural workers are legally entitled to housing. Funk and Gutierrez argued that housing H-2A workers in the city would put stress on an already burdened housing market, alleging that these temporary workers “already have entitlement(s)” that are not enjoyed by legal and illegal Yakima residents.

White’s position is that law-abiding citizens and legal foreign workers alike should be protected by the civil government.

DIGITAL BLITZKRIEG

White continued to spar online with the same handful of people throughout 2019. In these debates his opponents employed a tactic called “digital blitzkrieg” – an onslaught of negative media aimed at a person or organization. This is carried out via coordinated attack groups, bots, and fake social media accounts. The attacks are designed to poison a target’s reputation.

In White’s case, the blitzkrieg was carried out by only a few people. Certain individuals would compose messages targeting White and then share them on multiple platforms to craft a narrative.

The danger of digital blitzkrieg is that, while it comes from a small group, the public perceives it as overwhelming consensus. A handful of people can then influence the community at large with false or slanderous narratives. White has proven adept at combating these types of attacks, even going so far as to defend his constituents against them.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

An example of White defending his constituents from “digital blitzkrieg” took place in June of 2020 when a small, family-run coffee stand in Yakima was targeted by Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Sip on 1st was started in 2016 by Yarithza Aguilar. Aguilar is a Hispanic female, and all of her employees are Hispanic. On June 2nd, 2020, Aguilar posted a black square on her business Instagram page in solidarity with #blackouttuesday and the black community. The comments section started out affirming and encouraging, but soon grew caustic.

Aguilar was accused of not being supportive enough to BLM and was labeled “racist” for having worn a Native American costume on Halloween in 2018. Several people demanded that Aguilar make a donation to BLM and post the receipt on social media.

Growing up, Aguilar was taught that if someone donated to a cause, bragging was unseemly. She posted that sharing such information publicly “would have gone against how her parents had raised her.” Aguilar’s accusers rejected this explanation and began threatening her. When she still refused to publish a receipt, various BLM activists began to direct racial slurs at Aguilar and her immediate family, calling for an all-out boycott of her business.

One organizer by the name of Ricky Acosta called for people to “Vandalize the [expletive] outta their business.” Another protester declared that they would “burn that [expletive] down.” Acosta agreed and outlined a plan to carry out the threats. All those interested were to meet at Walmart on June 5th at 5 p.m. and then head to Sip on 1st. Acosta’s posts were shared over 500 times.

The boycott had an immediate effect on Aguilar’s business, and her usually steady flow of customers slowed to barely a trickle. Shaken by the threats, she went to the Yakima Police Department to file a report of the incident. Because no crime was in progress, little could be done. She pondered closing until things blew over.

Aguilar then contacted her City Councilman, Jason White. White visited Sip on 1st on June 4th and hosted a Facebook live stream. He shared the details of the boycott and threats. The response was almost immediate, with Yakima residents lining up around the building and down the street to buy drinks, donate cash, and offer words of encouragement.

On June 5th, a group of about 30 local citizens arrived to support Sip on 1st. They peacefully demonstrated their First and Second Amendment rights. Acosta and the BLM protesters never showed up. When the Yakima Police Department eventually contacted Aguilar to see if she wanted to press charges, she declined.

According to Aguilar, three news publications stopped by her shop on June 5th, the day of the protests: KIMA, the Yakima Herald Republic, and La Voz.

KIMA gave Aguilar their questions in advance. Aguilar’s response was telling:

“We declined the interview. They wanted to say negative things about the police department. They wanted to know my story to create their own story. We didn’t want any backlash.”

Aguilar said the Herald wanted proof that a connection between Yakima’s BLM protests and her harassment be established beyond what was available online. “They wanted to do an article about BLM,” she stated, “and I just wanted it to be over.”

Aguilar said during her interview with La Voz, “They wanted to know ‘how did I feel about having Jason White’s support if he bashes on Hispanics?’ I said, ‘Look at me, I’m not a white person. If you really had that kind of judgment on somebody [for being Hispanic] you wouldn’t go spend your own free time to do something for them.’ When you have somebody that cares enough to make your problem their problem, it’s awesome! It’s a community.”

*See our full article on Antifa here.

COVID-19

White has repeatedly spoken out against Governor Inslee’s corona virus mandates on his personal Facebook page. He declared the governor a “tyrant” when it became clear that “15 days to slow the spread” was becoming an indefinite decree. Because of the state’s shutdown, city council meetings took place virtually, but public input was muted.

Real public comment at in-person council meetings was suspended from March 2020 to July 2021, though legislative decisions continued to be made. Constituents were instructed to email and call their individual council representative with their concerns, comments, and protests. There is evidence to suggest that the questions and comments of many Yakima citizens may have been intentionally ignored during this phase of the pandemic.

White actively proclaimed the entire situation to be unconstitutional. His position being that a functional democracy does not include making legislative decisions behind closed doors. He therefore began live streaming council meetings, which he would attend at City Hall alone. When this was ignored by the local media and the council, White began a boycott protest, reasoning that if the people were not allowed to attend or comment virtually, then the city government was illegitimate.

White even went so far as to post the following on Facebook: “In light of my protest to not participate in city council meetings, I will be donating my take home pay of $1,000 to purchase and deliver necessary items to those in need. Please reach out to me if there is anything you are in need of. Vitamins? I will get them for you.”

His protest intensified when the Yakima Herald Republic chose to obfuscate the reasons for his absence, framing the boycott as a petulant abdication of his council duties. White refused to back down, describing the council meetings as “unessential” and an “infringement of rights.” His intentions were successfully misconstrued by local media and the boycott was ineffective with a startling number of Yakima citizens unaware of his stated reasons for boycotting.

TRANSGENDER

On April 1st of 2020 White vocalized his support of legislation preventing gender dysphoric men from participating in female sports. He outlined his position in a Facebook post:

Thank you Idaho for having the wearwithal [sic] to stand up and not allow boys to compete against girls. I’m all for identifying however [sic] you please. Heck, my hybrid Honda identifies as a Pruis [sic] and I’m okay with that, but it’s still a Honda.

The left considered White’s comments “hate speech.” Yakima Pride, a nonprofit organization allegedly representing LGBTQ+ practitioners in the city, did not accept White’s explicit tolerance of transgenderism. Their president, Cristina Ortega, stood in front of City Hall and declared that White, “[d]oes not respect nor care about them [transvestites] or their safety.”

Ortega further demanded that the mayor and fellow city council members respond to White’s “hurtful and discriminatory behavior.” Yakima Mayor Patricia Byers responded by stating that “White’s opinions are his own.”

The Yakima Herald Republic soon called for White to “step down over misinformed, hurtful comments,” and later expanded on Ortega’s video, alleging that White was “discriminating against transgender people and abusing his public office to spread hate.”

White refused to change his position and, to this day, believes that male athletes shouldn’t compete in women’s sports.

*See our interview with Jason White on transgender legislation here.

CENSURE

In the wake of White’s Facebook posts regarding COVID-19 and transvestite athletes, the city council voted to censure White. The stated reason for the censure was the “reckless, frightening, and dangerous” behavior for alleging that COVID-19 could be managed without a lockdown and “engag[ing] in abusive conduct when he shared disinformation” by holding the opinion that male transvestites should not compete against women or girls.

A censure is stronger than being verbally reprimanded, but it requires no further action. This lack of consequence renders the censure legally pointless and the equivalent of being denounced. The censure passed in a 5-2 vote, with White and Councilwoman Dr. Kay Funk dissenting.

In April of 2019, White was the only dissenting vote when Dr. Funk was censured by the city council for “untimely, inappropriate, and embarrassing remarks.” Censure is provided for in Section K of the city council’s Rules of Procedure. At that time, The Yakima Herald Republic opposed Dr. Funk’s censure, arguing that it was a clear violation of her right to free speech.

In Funk’s memo about the adoption of Section K in 2018, she called it “counterproductive” and said:

"Suppression of opinion of elected officials would seem to have little place here, particularly because council members have no independent executive authority, so damage from their actions is limited."

Furthermore, in Dr. Funk’s rebuttal of her 2019 censoring, she stated that, “This censure procedure was added to the council Rules of Procedure last summer. I thought that it could lead to trouble because it has no objective criteria, and I voted against it.”

While the Yakima Herald Republic protested Dr. Funk’s censure, the publication condemned White, calling for his resignation when his censure was proposed. The paper went so far as to publish an editorial in an attempt to explain away their double standard, asserting that the First Amendment didn’t apply to White as it had Funk.

It should be noted that Funk is a registered Democrat and was endorsed by the Herald. White is a Libertarian and has endured exclusively negative coverage and commentary by the Herald.

RECALL

In the midst of the censure, Liz Hallock, a lawyer and pot shop owner, attempted to petition a recall against Jason White. A recall must demonstrate that the politician violated their oath of office or committed some act of malfeasance or misfeasance.

Malfeasance or misfeasance in office is “any wrongful conduct that affects, interrupts, or interferes with the performance of official duty.” (RCW 29A.56.110) Malfeasance in office is the commission of an unlawful act – an intentional violation. Misfeasance in office is the performance of a duty in an improper manner – more akin to a mistake.

Hallock was initially unable to file her petition because she wasn’t a qualified voter of District 2. In an apparent snap-decision to legitimize her petition, Hallock enrolled District 2 resident David Briggs.

The summarization of accusations, as presented by Joe Brusic, were as follows:

White and his lawyer, Zach Stambaugh, were then required to submit a response to the accusations:

On May 27, 2020 an official hearing took place with the Hon. Bruce A. Spanner presiding. Judge Spanner was called in from Benton-Franklin due to his prior relevant experience and to avoid small town bias. Judge Spanner dismissed the allegations as the accusations did not meet the legal threshold to move forward with a recall.

When the Rain Shadow interviewed White’s attorney, Zach Stambaugh, he stated:

“She [Hallock] failed to assert any set of facts which would meet any of the standards required to get the [recall] out to petition. She also asked the court to set aside the statutory signature process and make up an electronic signature collection process on the spot. It was incoherent. She didn’t make any attempt to follow the rules and made mostly emotional arguments. The judge gave her chances to try and assert facts, and she couldn’t.”

*See our interview with Jason White on his recall here.

EXPOSING THE DIRTY TRICKS

For some time, a piece of paper called Project NightFlyer has been circulated throughout Yakima. According to their website, “Project NightFlyer aims to equip the average layman with principles, tactics and tools to effectively inject truth into our community.” The author(s) of Project NightFlyer are anonymous, and they appear to distribute their pamphlets randomly.

White happened to receive a copy of the NightFlyer titled, “The Dirty Laundry of the Yakima Politicians.” The flyer referenced public records to describe city councilwoman Soneya Lund’s alleged plans to blackmail Mayor Patricia Byers and other members of the community.

Upon receiving the pamphlet, White posted on Facebook: “Oh yeah...I forgot to add blackmail to the laundry list of malfeasance committed by Soneya Lund. Plenty of hard evidence, including audio. She could just resign...I prefer her stay around and allow ALL of it to come to light. Time for some vindication.”

The audio White was referring to was a recording he would later post on Facebook. The recording is of a conversation between councilman White and councilwoman Lund following White’s censure. The following is a transcript of White’s phone call on April 22, 2020:

Jason White: This is bull [expletive]!
Soneya Lund: I did support it [White’s censure]. Do you want to know why I supported it?
JW: Why?
SL: Because I got a phone call from A Way Home Washington who is about to write the city a check for $2.5 million for youth, to end youth and young adult homelessness. And they were thinking about...they were wanting to pull it.
JW: That’s fine. I’m not for sale.
SL: No, it’s not about being for sale.
JW: Yeah, that is. That’s the definition of being for sale.
SL: I want you to...I want you to be able to...you can say whatever you want to say!
JW: I know I can.
SL: But at the same time, we have to be able to say, “Okay, we don’t agree with that,” [White’s comments on transvestites in Idaho sports, and resisting the governor’s Covid mandates] and that’s it.
JW: Well, that’s up for the public to decide. If people want to say they agree with it, that’s great. If they don’t, they don’t. If they do, they do. Move on. Take each situation as it comes because each situation is its own situation.
SL: Right, right.

The NightFlyer and White’s Facebook posts began a new wave of negative publicity.

NEWSTALK KIT 1280

The attacks kicked off with an interview on NewsTalk KIT 1280. The news radio station brought councilwoman Lund on their morning show where the host, Dave Ettl, provided Lund an unprecedented platform to attack White. Throughout the course of the interview, Ettl disdained White’s attempt to censure Lund on July 6th, ignored mounting evidence of possible corruption, and questioned the legality of the recorded conversation White had posted.

Ettl failed to ask Lund about the validity of the NightFlyer’s allegations and refused to address the public record referenced in the pamphlet. Lund asserted, without evidence, that she had been maliciously targeted by White and that she was a victim of “harassment.”

Lund also asserted that, after the text of the messages became public knowledge, she was approached by a suspicious man who told her, “Jason says hi.” She then took legal action, seeking a permanent restraining order. The court granted Lund a temporary restraining order: most courts will grant a temporary restraining order while both parties are summoned to a hearing. Her allegations went unchallenged by KIT, and Lund’s attempt at a permanent restraining order, as well as her claims of harassment, were later dismissed.

After the interview, NewsTalk KIT 1280 published an opinion piece titled, “It’s Tricky. Talking About Dirty Politics Without Spreading Mud.” The article, and several subsequent opinion pieces, refused to elaborate on the evidence of blackmail allegedly conspired by Lund and Deccio or the cabal of political activists described in the messages. Instead, KIT insinuated that White was blackmailing Lund. One article argues that White may be guilty of committing a gross misdemeanor - or and of breaking Washington’s two-party consent law by sharing the phone call between Lund and White.

KIT’s grasp of two-party consent is tenuous at best. According to RCW 9.73.030(2)(b), communications that “convey threats of extortion, blackmail, bodily harm, or other unlawful requests or demands” only require one-party consent. It should be noted that White denies recording the conversation, only admitting to sharing it.

THE PUBLIC RECORD

After making several public records requests, the Rain Shadow’s reporters discovered the following: These messages were, in fact, exchanged. On March 4th, 2021, images of the exchange were officially submitted to the public record by Verlynn Best, President and CEO of the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce. The messages themselves were exchanged on February 1st. of 2021.

The messages appear to be between Yakima City Councilwoman Soneya Lund (District 5) and Xander Deccio (Janice Deccio, his wife, is currently running for District 4). In them, Lund allegedly assures Xander Deccio that she can prevent Yakima Mayor Patricia Byers and Verlynn Best from “attacking” candidate Deccio and use her “dirt” to forward a political ambition that includes securing council seats for Deccio in District 4, Wallace in District 6, and a then unknown woman in District 2.

Candidate Deccio eventually confirmed on KIT 1280 that her husband did exchange these messages with Lund, but asserted that she “doesn’t know Lund.” She also described the text conversation between her husband and Lund as a continuation of a phone conversation she had with Lund earlier in the day. Deccio’s claims are difficult to accept as the messages imply that the Deccio's were aware of Lund’s alleged “dirt” and her plans to use that leverage to blackmail several influential members of the community, helping Deccio secure a council seat. Janice Deccio has asserted that the text conversation was carried on without her knowledge despite the apparently obvious continuing nature of the exchange.

An email containing the messages was circulated within city management. This included Bob Harrison (City Manager), Sara Watkins (City Attorney), and later Patricia Byers (City Mayor).

Verlynn Best also emailed Soneya Lund for an explanation of the messages. Lund claimed, “I don’t even have messenger!” and “My account was hacked or someone opened a messenger account in my name, I don’t know which.”

FOLLOWING THE MONEY TRAIL

Less than a month before White and Lund’s April 22nd phone conversation, the Yakima Herald Republic reported that three local homelessness organizations collectively received $2.4 million dollars from the state, $2 million of which went to Rod’s House for a 20-bed shelter in Union Gap. Lund was listed on the governing board of Rod’s House at the time; she has since become the board president.

A Way Home Washington, the organization referenced in Lund and White’s recorded conversation, is a state partnered nonprofit co-chaired by Trudi Inslee - Governor Inslee’s wife. This foundation is particularly focused on assisting homeless youth who suffer from gender dysphoria or surgical sex reassignment. Any money from A Way Home Washington would likely have gone through the Yakima County Homeless Coalition, which is responsible for distributing most of Yakima’s homeless funding. Lund serves on the Coalition’s executive committee, constituting a potential conflict of interest.

In the leaked April 22nd phone call between Lund and White, Lund alleges that she voted to censure White in order to secure a $2 million grant that she believed was going to be pulled if White’s personal Facebook comments went unpunished. Specifically, if the city council failed to punish White for asserting that Governor Inslee’s Covid response was nonsensical and that male transvestites shouldn’t compete against female athletes in organized sports.

In the message exchange between Deccio and “Lund,” Lisa Wallace was the favored candidate. Wallace served as interim executive director on the board of Rod’s House before campaigning. This presents a possible motive for “Lund” preferring Wallace over Sam Johnson of Keep Yakima United. Lund allegedly stated in the messages, “Sam isn’t electable.”

EDITORIAL

In a feat of unprecedented political efficiency, and at the expense of his reputation, White has revealed the inner workings of our city governance to the public. He has lawfully advocated for and protected immigrants, local businesses, and women. Of Yakima’s many elected representatives, he alone protested the tyranny of an overreaching Governor. This took guts, grit, and profound courage.

In an attempt to silence him, Yakima’s media machine did everything it could to destroy White, running a bloody smear campaign with naked prejudice. Their calculated deception has done permanent damage to White’s reputation. These institutions, especially the Herald, were sometimes caught deceiving their readers in an attempt to manipulate the civil government. But did these institutions manage to snuff out White’s voice of dissent in Yakima?

Nope.

We, the silenced majority of Yakima, have watched White and others like him suffer at the hands of cowardly men, and many of us have been inspired by White’s uncompromising veritas. Though most of us come from different backgrounds and disagree on a host of issues, we hold one thing in common: disgust. We are disgusted with the American Aristocracy and its machinations, with myopic partisans who seek to “race blame” and strip neighborhoods of their goodwill.

And what will happen when we, the silenced majority, finally forbid the nonsensical whimsy of tyrants?

Yes, we will be systematically slandered by legacy media, by once trusted institutions like KIT or the Herald. Anyone who refuses to bend the knee will face this machine. But beyond that – on the other side of the attacks – we will gain a community of allies. People we may never have known before. People across the street from where we live, struggling to pay the bills and raise their kids. People who know something is terribly wrong. People who will take action on that knowledge and, pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, lead their communities in civic disobedience.

Jason White stands out in Yakima as the first grassroots leader of his generation and one of the founding members of a rapidly expanding voter block. At his encouragement, the silenced majority is finally reengaging in the political process. We, the so-called “blue collar” independents have begun to take up the timeless cry of, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”

While the Herald is on the front line of punishing this majority and any of their representatives, they are not alone in their ultimate objective: the total subjugation of American citizens. But instead of quashing the upstart, they made him a martyr. Thus, in it’s feud with Jason White, the legacy media failed...and failed spectacularly.