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SLO employee discriminates via Facebook

December 28, 2011

By KAREN VELIE

A San Luis Obispo Police department administrative assistant called her fellow staffers names and told them where they should go after a department employee asked to have her photo taken off a Christmas tree for religious reasons.

The outburst was a surprise to some as city employees recently concluded a mandatory internet anti-harassment and discrimination course that focused heavily on social media. In addition, Assistant to the Chief Christine Wallace has also attended an anger management course.

“Hey assholes at my new job, GFY (go fuck yourselves),” Wallace posted on her Facebook page shortly after then Chief Deborah Linden told her photos were only to be used for department purposes.

Wallace did not respond to requests for comment through her Facebook account.

In early December, Wallace decorated a Christmas tree with photos of police department employees. After discovering her photo on the tree, an employee who does not believe in celebrating Christmas asked to have her likeness removed from the decorated tree.

Linden responded by sending out a department email on Dec. 16 noting the employee’s request and saying that in the future staff photos are to be restricted to department uses.

“The tree is intended as a fun decoration and there was no intent to make anyone uncomfortable,” Linden said in the email. “So, if you do not want your photo on the tree, please let Christine know and she will remove it.

“As a reminder, the employee photos on the G-drive are intended for use when a department need arises,” Linden added. “Photos other than your own should not be used for non-departmental purposes without the permission of the person in the photo.”

Wallace, who had recently been promoted from a supervisory position with the city’s parks and recreations department, posted her angry Facebook rant later that day.

The city’s Parking Services Manager Robert Horch responded in surprise to Wallace’s angry post.

“Wow……you ok?” Horch posted.

Before securing her new police department position a few months ago, Wallace was in charge of rentals for the city’s parks and recreation department. After several complaints from the public that Wallace was openly hostile during rental negotiations, city officials ordered her to take anger management classes.

Phone requests for comment placed through the dispatch line to Captain Chris Staley, the acting chief, were not returned. Calls to the non-emergency line at the police department are currently routed to a voice message that says Wallace is on vacation and will return calls after she returns on Jan. 3.


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In the corporate world she would have been fired for those same remarks, especially after recently attending mandatory Anger Management & Anti-harassment and Discrimination courses.


Classic, “Stupid Is As Stupid Says”


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Oh, please…At least she’s not smackin’ you up the side of the head with the butt of her pistol. That’s ’cause cursing is GOOD for you! Instead of keeping all that frustration and hostility inside when dealing with (pick your adjective and put it here) wo/men in her work place, she lets it out with a few descriptive and onomatopoeic words.


Remember what Lenny Bruce said about telling someone to go f themselves:

“Why should people be offended at that? It’s the nicest thing you could wish somebody.”


Curse words are often formed with bilabial fricatives, as with the words s–t, f–k, and “dam–t”. It is a physical release of a burst of air that is first compressed with the lips and then released after the sounding of the following consonant. Thus, cursing relieves stress, so you don’t have to knock the crap out of your loved ones!


Cursing on Face Page is almost an inalienable right, a First Amendment right of passage! Even the prophets curseth, as I’m sure Ted Slanders will tell you! Even the Bible sayeth “the man pisseth against the wall.” Google it, Ted, and bring back the cite. I know it’s true.


LOL! (That either means, “Laugh Out Loud” or “Lots of Luck” getting MM to tell you what that means.” Speaking of which….

Hey, BEE-ATCH!

You never did answer that question when I asked you!

Back to this Parks Dept. turned SLOPD pariah!… (What’s the feminine of “pariah”…?)…It sound like she popped her cork and lit off the firecracker prematurely, before New Year’s Eve….

WAY before New Year’s Eve, if the article is telling us Deb Linden was still in office.

As for Chris Staley, he’s the Biblical equivalent of a donkey! I swear, the guy never responds even when Deb Linden is telling him to do something as his superior officer. I think the guy gets promoted just for NOT responding. The only one who could do his job better than him is one of those wooden Indians they used to put outside the cigar store (or was it the barber shop?)


Nope, it was the cigar store…The little candy stripped red and white thing that was always moving and hypnotized the neandrothals into getting their hair cut–that is what you see outside barber shops. Which brings me to an interesting fact! The reason you see those red and white things outside barber shops is because centuries ago (don’t ask me which century), barbers were also medicine men before there were medical degrees, back when “bleeding” people was thought to help cure sick people.


Six degrees of separation! Medicine men and wooden Indians!


As for you, Christine, I don’t blame you for being human and letting it rip, during off-hours in a First Amendment forum. And you didn’t even spell the whole thing out! How politically correct can you be!?


You try and bring a little humanity into what has to be one of the most perverse work environments I can think of; it’s Christmas–a holiday even the heathens could relate to—; you put little pictures of your co-workers up to let them know they’re not forgotten. Even the assholes (whoops!…) are treated with equality and warmth, and what do you get?


Like Judge Judy says, “Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining.”


Here’s to you, Christine! Let’s hope we all get f–ked on New Year’s Eve! That’ll put us all in a better MOOD!


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Where exactly is the discrimination? Obviously Ms. Wallace used poor judgment in using Facebook as the venue for venting her frustration, but I don’t see the factual basis in this article for claiming, as Ms. Velie did on the radio, that the other employee (the one who aske to have her photo taken down from the Christmas tree) has a basis for a religious discrimination lawsuit. According to this very article, once that person made her preferences known, she was accomodated, and beyond that then-Chief Linden clarified the policy on the tree, and photos, and made sure everyone knew that they could have their photo taken down if so desired. Nowhere do we read that anyone’s beliefs were mocked or that any form of discrimination took place. Ms. Wallace in her Facebook posting did not single out the other employee by name or by specific reference to religious belief. She blasted (however intemperately) all perceived a$$holes at her new job. Now then, Ms. Wallace may very well be an extremely unpleasant person, but I see no documentation of any discrimination on her part in this article. What I see is a woman who used poor judgment, and is now being tarred and feathered online based on one article with a poorly-phrased headline. If she just moved over to the Police Department from Parks and Recreation, then presumably she would have had to interview for the new position. If so, then her past work history would have been examined. I doubt that she would have been hired if her work history was entirely negative. Some on here are claiming to have had unpleasant experiences with Ms. Wallace in the past, and perhaps they did, but I daresay that any of us could, if we looked honestly within, point to times in our own pasts when we reacted with less than perfect aplomb to some other person. I’m thinking glass houses here, people. Even if Ms. Wallace is a complete b!tch, is everyone else posting here so perfect, with such a sterling record of interpersonal behavior, that they are morally justified in savaging this woman now? And again, in relation to the claim of discrimination, I ask: Where’s the beef?


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Well Laugh, Ms Wallace may be intellectually capable of performing her job duties but what you don’t seem to get is that she obviously isn’t emotionally capable. I can assure you that emotional instability is a far greater concern in the work place than someone who might be less competent than expected. It’s easy enough to delegate work to more competent staff but what do you do about someone who isn’t able to comprehend or respect the individuality of their co-workers? That is what the problem is here, she interprets the slightest difference of an opinion as a personal assault.. THAT”S SERIOUS.


There is absolutely no reason to be upset because a JW asked to have her photo removed from a X-mas display that no one asked her to participate in to begin with. Any emotionally sound individual would not have taken the least bit of offense to that request. They would also have fully understood why Deb Linden sent out the e-mail, in fact, it was the professional thing for Linden to do. God forbid, I wonder what anger Christine would harbor if she offered you a candy and you said ,”no thank you, I don’t like peppermint” ? I’m serious……..


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You certainly raise some valid points, but I think you have missed mine. The headline to this article reads, “SLO Employee discriminates via Facebook.” This is the thesis statement, which is never supported by any documentation in the body of the article. As I said in my first post, Ms. Wallace used poor judgment, and she lashed out in anger (very intemperately, as I said) but those are different things than discrimination. That term has specific legal meaning in the United States. I’ve had to go through equal opportunity training enough to know that there is a difference between being angry and discrimination. If I say to Coworker A, “I think you’re a jerk.” then that is being angry. Not a good thing to do, not saying it’s OK, but it’s a whole lot different than saying to Coworker A, “Your religious beliefs/race/gender/sexual orientation/etc. MAKE you a jerk.” Now THAT would be discrimination. See the difference? The headline to this article states definitively that there was discrimination via Facebook, but that thesis is wholly unsupported by the text of the article. That is my main point, and one which I stand by. My secondary point is that any of us over age 15 has had moments where we let something get to us and we lashed out only to regret it later. Anyone over age 15 who says differently is not being honest. That’s called being human. We all might just remember that before we pile on Ms. Wallace without ever hearing another side of the story. I’ve had moments of anger that I’ve regretted later, but those moments don’t sum up my whole existence as a person. Anyway, thank you for contributing to the discussion, and have a Happy New Year, and if you don’t celebrate New Year, then be happy anyway.


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I understand your point, the headline is a bit sensationalized. I believe I can probably make the connection to the discrimination to the extent that it was Ms Wallace’s refusal to accept that an individual of a different religious persuasion objected to being “hijacked” into participating in what she considered a blasphemous act, ie: having her photo placed on a Christmas tree. This was in fact, the catalyst behind the “GO F Yourselves” that she wrote on her media site and everyone at work knew what it was about.


The truth is sometimes stranger than fiction but it is, what it is. JW’s have very strong beliefs about celebrating Christmas and it’s actually quite hysterical when I think about the , “where there is a will, there is a way” cliche! Leave it to someone with an anger management issue and a persecution complex to download a photo off the PD database of a JW and then place it on a Christmas Tree!! Something is bound to happen, not that I am suggesting that Wallace intentionally offended her JW co-worker or knew better. If it wasn’t this, it would have been something else, there is no winning here, not with a personality this flawed. However, in this case, ON THE SURFACE, it would appear that Wallace is “intolerant” to her co-workers religious beliefs.


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Cindy,


Where did the article state that the individual was a JW?!


Yes, the JW’s don’t celebrate Christmas, and they most certainly don’t have the cat climbing, needle dropping, and fire hazard Christmas Tree because of it’s pagan origin and man made tradition! When you think about it, the JW’s don’t celebrate anything!!!


Oh, and because of your silence to any further posts, thank you for finally coming to terms with your biblical ignorance above about the Christmas tree being HEATHEN in nature, therefore, we should not use it to celebrate Jesus’ Christmas! Jesus thanks you as well, praise!


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Ted, it’s important to remember that translation is everything when it comes to the bible. A period, a comma or most importantly, a single world improperly transcribed can change the entire meaning/interpretation of any paragraph (or worse) in these ancient books.


Some translations refer to a tree and others refer to wood cut from the forest. In any case, Jeremiah was talking about idol worship and no one worships a Christmas Tree.


I really don’t care what you think but carry on if you must.


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.

oto,


When Wallace cussed and used disparaging words, they used equal words within the bible, so this has set an example for her and other Christians to follow as well, has it not? We learn by God’s examples set within scripture in so many ways!


Regarding your “pisseth against a wall” scenario, one of the passages that mention this act is; “Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall”. (1 Kings 14:10- KJV)


Not only is the phrase “pisseth against the wall” mentioned above in the King James Bible, but our Christian God wanted to make a real statement, so He included it in five other passages as well!!! To wit: 2 Kings 9:8, 1 Kings 21:21, 1 Kings 16:11, 1 Samuel 25:34, and 1 Samuel 25:22!!!


I could mention other gross phrases and words within scripture, but I don’t want to be banned, even though they too are a part of our God’s FACTUAL word! :(


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I will be on the Bill Benica radio show on KYNS today at 1 p.m. to discuss this issue. Turn your radio dial to 1340 AM or listen live at http://calcoastnews.com/slo-talk-is-cheap-with-bill-benica/.


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Who is in charge of hiring and firing? The city manager. $221,500 salary plus perquisites.


Who hires and fires the city manager? The city council. $12,000 salary plus perquisites.


Who hires and fires the city council? You. $0 salary minus taxes and fees.


Who is performing best/worst here?


Council meets Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. The city manager and council will be there. Will you?


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Good statement SLORider!


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Any chance this person is connected to Wallace Group? They also seem to get away with pretty much anything and everything in this county :-)


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Excellent question.


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Karma is patient.


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I’ve had the misfortune of dealing with Christine. During the course of our conversation relating to a park rental, she actually balled her hands into fists – I thought she was going to hit me! And mind you, this was a routine discussion about rental details. I hope she gets the help she needs but I certainly do not want her representing my city.


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So let me get this straight…. we have the executive secretary to the Chief of Police who has complete access to perhaps the most sensitive and confidential files maintained in the City, who can’t control a temper tantrum outburst on Facebook because someone stood up for their beliefs and asked for a photo to be removed from her Christmas tree? Why would Katie Lichtig send her over to the Police Department in the first place if she had a history anger management issues? The other question that begs to be answered is did Robert Horch bring this to the attention of Lichtig as a manager since he is most likely mandated to do so, or did he just post his reply on Facebook to Wallace. Is all of this decorating and facebooking happening on my taxpayer dollar while they are being paid by the city? I’m calling the attorney general and demanding a full investigation and transparency of this issue. Since Katie Lichtig took control of the city, these things are becoming a daily occurrence. Thankfully we have Karen to bring some of these issues to light or we know they would be buried deep under some chamber sponsored Copeland development project by Lichtig, Dietrick, and friends, at the direction of city council.


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Sounds as though Christine needs to go into RE-HAB as well as start taking her meds again! We just gotta remember that this is the HAPPIEST TOWN in the U.S.! What’s Christine’s problem? She’s gotten herself a nice, secure cushie promotion, for THAT she should be VERY happy!


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Why would Lichtig send her over to the police dept. if she has “anger management issues?” Freud could not have come up with a better plan….Remember that Schick Program of the sixties that always ran ads on TV and claimed it could get people to stop smoking? After they collected their money from willing clients, they put them all together in a little room with no ventilation and had them smoke until they were sick of it. I’m seeing a parallel in their methodologies.


The question is, will Christine be working on New Year’s Eve? Let’s hope not! I have an anger management plan for this wicked woman! For all these wicked feminine high-earners with professional careers! I say we punish them! In fact, while we’re skewering the “unionists,”–Staley and Christine, that is–I say we get Christine to don those sexy motorcycle boots she stomps around in, put her on that fancy schmancy department motorcycle she’s always ticketing people on, and make her go out in leotards instead of that dumb blue uniform. YEAH! MAKE HER ACT LIKE A GIRL! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, CHRISTINE, YOU NASTY GIRL, YOU!


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oto says: “Why would Lichtig send her over to the police dept. if she has “anger management issues?” Freud could not have come up with a better plan….”


Katie is on the ball. Send the problem employee to the police dept and then let the new chief do some “house cleaning” as new bosses often do.


There is a saying in the city hall of Slo (and elsewhere):

Elected officials come and go, staff is forever.


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This is a no brainer people! this person has hate issues and she has no problem letting you know.

Social media…come on she wanted you to know! It would seem as if we were dealing with teenagers

who don’t get that social media CAN be used against you, in this case who knows… I would hope the

department would be smart enough remove this person because she posses a threat. Haven’t we

learned from the postal services issues in the passed? What else can we say other than the city is fully

liable if she SNAPS!


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The Dilbert Principle at it’s finest!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dilbert_principle


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Wow, she gets complaints from the public and they give her a job in the police department? That pretty much sums up what’s wrong with the government right there. Morons.


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Guess that’s the Gov. way. When in doubt, promote them.


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Funny. That’s exactly what I was thinking. She’s got anger problems, gets complaints from the public, is ordered to take anger classes so what’s the solution? Well, of course, promote her and move her to the PD so she can go off on her new fellow employees and create more stress in an already stressful environment by nature. Makes perfect sense.


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