A Washington state county official defended the nomination of a convicted pedophile to an oversight board, dismissing concerns raised by a fellow board member over his background.
Shanee Colston, the co-chair for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) Continuum of Care Advisory Committee, defended the choice of convicted pedophile, 38-year-old Thomas Whitaker-Raven Crowfoot, saying she was “glad” and “people do change,” according to The New York Post.
Washington official ‘glad’ to support sex offender on homelessness board in heated meeting https://t.co/AQhOwEn41Q pic.twitter.com/I7YLA07ulj
— New York Post (@nypost) May 18, 2023
Colston’s defense came as objections to the nomination were raised by fellow board member and alleged victim of Crowfoot, Kristina Sawyckyj, who told the board she had been “inappropriately touched by the nominee,” local outlet Publicola reported.
Crowfoot was convicted in 2010 of harboring a 13-year-old runaway with whom he had a sexual relationship, the outlet stated. In 2012, Crowfoot was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl, pleading guilty to communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, a felony sex crime. Crowfoot was found to be living in a tent with a 17-year-old girl in 2018, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Dangerous’: Seattle’s Homeless Camps Keep Catching On Fire And Drug Use Is To Blame)
“We have a code of ethics on this board and Thomas Whitaker-Raven Crowfoot is a sex offender — repeat sex offender — and I have had bad experience with him,” Sawyckyj told the board, per The New York Post.
Sawyckyj’s concerns were immediately dismissed by Colston who argued that sex offenders were among the “most vulnerable” of people who struggle to find housing. (RELATED: Seattle Plans To Build A Homeless Megaplex In Its Chinatown And Residents Are Fighting Back)
“We can’t disclose people’s personal business here, right? Although that’s public disclosure, we have no right to out anybody in this space,” Colston said, according to The New York Post. “That’s just not OK, at all. I won’t stand for that as a co-chair. We’re not here to discover people’s backgrounds.”
Colston further threatened to mute and remove anyone who continued to object to Crowfoot’s nomination from the meeting, prompting Sawyckyj to leave.
“I’m telling you that you cannot talk like that in this meeting. I will not have that here!” Colston stated, according to Publicola. “If anyone wants to talk like that you will be muted and removed from this meeting. This is about equity. And everyone—everyone— deserves housing. I don’t care if they’re a sex offender! … This is an inclusive space, and we are equitable to all.”
Peter Lynn, the KCRHA chief program officer, has since formally requested Colston step down from her position as co-chair. Colston, Lynn argued, “shouted down” and shamed Sawyckyj for disclosing information with the board that was already available to the public. Ms. Sawyckyj was also shouted down by Chair Colston when she spoke of her experience being inappropriately touched by the nominee,” Lynn stated, according to Publicola.
“This unacceptable behavior by leadership of the [Continuum of Care] Advisory Committee has created a hostile environment for KCRHA staff and committee members,” Lynn wrote in his email.
“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], he continued, according to the outlet.