Seattle Official ‘Glad’ To Have Child Rapist Nominated To Taxpayer-Funded Housing Board

Posted For: 🇺🇸 Kari ⭐️ ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ

Seattle, WA – The co-chair of a King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) subcommittee blew up at a colleague who objected to having a convicted sex offender being nominated to serve on the board and declared she is “glad” about the prospect of having a child rapist on the taxpayer-funded panel.

The outrageous exchange took place during a virtual KCRHA Continuum of Care (CoC) Advisory Committee on May 3, KATV reported.

Committee Co-Chair Shane Colston was presiding over the meeting, which included approving prospective board members.

One of the nominations up for discussion was 38-year-old Thomas Whitaker – also known as Raven Crowfoot – who also happens to be a convicted sex offender with multiple child victims, KATV reported.

One of the CoC board members, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kristina Sawyckyj, spoke up to voice her concerns regarding Crowfoot’s background – to include alleging she’d personally had “a bad experience” with him, according to KATV.

“Can I say something? We have a code of ethics on this board and Thomas Whitaker/Raven Crowfoot is a sex offender – a repeat sex offender – and I have had a bad experience with him,” Sawyckyj told her fellow board members, according to the Daily Mail.

Colston immediately exploded and angrily accosted Sawyckyj, then staunchly defended the child rapist and his potential insight on how difficult obtaining housing is for sex offenders, KATV reported.

“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 yelled. “That’s just not okay, at all. I won’t stand for that as a co-chair. We’re not here to discover people’s backgrounds.”

Colston then said she would be happy to welcome Crowfoot, especially if he is a pedophile.

“Actually, if that’s the case, then I’m glad he’s here, because sex offenders are another group of the population that is most vulnerable – that don’t have housing,” she declared.

Crowfoot was charged with rape of a 15-year-old girl in 2012 and was subsequently convicted of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, which is a felony sex crime, the Daily Mail reported

According to court documents, he was convicted in 2010 of harboring a 13-year-old runaway whom he had a sexual relationship with.

Crowfoot was 25 years old at the time.

Police found him living in a tent with a 17-year-old girl in 2018, according to the Daily Mail.

Sawyckyj pushed back against Colston’s admonishment, and claimed Crowfoot had “touched” her in the past, KCPQ reported.

“He has touched me, so if there’s a meeting where he is at, I will not be there,” the military veteran said.

Colston furiously demanded that Sawyckyj stop talking and continued shouting even as Sawyckyj left the virtual meeting, KCPQ reported.

“As the co-chair I’m telling you that you cannot talk like that in this meeting. I will not have that here,” Colston yelled, according to KATV.

“If anyone wants to talk like that, you will be muted and removed from this meeting, board member or public or not!” she continued, according to KCPQ. “This is about equity – everyone deserves housing. I don’t care if they’re a sex offender, I don’t care if they’re black, if they’re indigenous, if they’re a criminal, I don’t care if they’re coming out of jail, prison – everyone deserves housing!”

KCRHA Chief Program Officer Peter Lynn called on Colston to resign in the wake of the bizarre outburst, KATV reported.

“KCRHA shares the concerns of our community about the nomination of a registered sex offender for the Continuum of Care Board, and does not support that nomination,” a KCRHA spokesperson told the news outlet.

“We agree that the behavior by the current Board Co-Chair in shouting down the board member who identified that the nominee is a registered sex offender was unacceptable, and we immediately asked the Co-Chair to resign,” the spokesperson added.

“The KCRHA is continuing actions to ensure safety for the board, staff, and members of the public,” the KCRHA spokesperson said.

Lynn told KTTH he has been working with the program’s attorneys and leadership “to determine the next steps” with regards to handling the matter.