St. Peter Apartments and Scott Walker Recall

I expected the effort to recall Scott Walker to be ugly. There's been so much ugliness from the opposition since we elected him as the governor of Wisconsin.

For the Walker haters, apparently the end justifies the means. They'll do whatever it takes to overturn the November 2010 election.

Ruthless anti-Walker forces are targeting people living at St. Peter, a federally-funded housing complex for senior citizens and sight, hearing or mobility impaired persons.

From FOX6 News:

A tenant at the St. Peter federally-subsidized, low-income housing complex on the northwest side wants answers, after Scott Walker recall signs with intimidating and threatening language were posted in her building. The signs, which are almost entire inaccurate, warn tenants that not signing a petition to recall Scott Walker, will result in increased medical co-pays, and higher rent, saying they'll end up living in tent cities.

Joanne Halada contacted FOX6 after discovering the signs, which the complex has removed. She says someone knocked on the door to her apartment as well, with the same sales pitch. She says this message could be convincing when you're already barely getting by.

"I never voted for the man, but I never voted for all of this either. I was absolutely angry. There are so many people who are vulnerable. How many more buildings are they doing this at?" Halada said.

Joanne Halada has done a great service exposing this, and FOX6 deserves credit for highlighting the story.

Playing on the fears of vulnerable people and lying to them is unconscionable.

Halada says she's angry. I'm angry, too.

...The complex ownership group Metropolitan Associates removed the post, and told FOX6 over the phone that they don't allow solicitations, because they don't want their tenants feeling threatened. But when FOX6 visited the complex, there was a recall Walker petition posted, with a similar-sounding note and a phone number. FOX6 spoke with fellow tenant Valerie Stephonik, who says she put up the petition because a friend named James convinced her to do it. FOX6 called James, who said he only gave the petitions to Valerie, and denies putting up any signs, or targeting voters in low-income housing.

This really is awful.

I think it speaks to the desperation of some recall supporters.

Apparently, they believe they must lie and frighten people to convince them to join the effort.

Such tactics illustrate how morally bankrupt some in the Recall Walker contingent are.

Here's video:

 

FOX6 certainly bent over backwards to stress the notion that this case is an aberration.

"We have seen many people going about the petition process in a legal way throughout these few days."

That's not necessary. It seems to be a political message, supporting the recall, from FOX6.

Simply reporting the facts of the incident at St. Peter would have been enough.

When FOX6 reports on a homicide, is it normal procedure to end the story by stating, "we have seen many people going about their lives without committing murder throughout these few days"?