Olympia School District Appoints Radical FTP Activist to Board for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Talauna Reed has a criminal history and multiple financial improprieties
On October 13, the Olympia School District board voted unanimously to appoint Talauna Reed to a vacant seat despite Reed’s divisive extreme rhetoric and criminal record. Either the board did not perform due diligence or they chose to ignore troubling facts. Reed is not qualified to serve and her ideology is not appropriate for Olympia schools.
Reed gained prominence as an activist in 2018 when her aunt, Yvonne McDonald, was found unconscious by an Olympia city employee. She was partially unclothed with a bottle of vodka in her purse and feces soiled tissues nearby. She was hypothermic and taken to the hospital where she died after receiving CPR. She had a history of bowel issues and chronic alcoholism. Her blood alcohol was .15%.
The postmortem report stated the cause of death was “blunt force trauma to the abdomen” along with complications from chronic alcoholism, including significant damage to the liver. There were multiple bruises of varying ages consistent with injuries sustained from falling. The report further stated her death was “attributed to blunt force trauma of the torso...consistent with a fall, though an assault cannot be ruled out.” According to lab tests, no evidence of sexual assault was found, including semen or male DNA.
Activists led by Reed, immediately positioned the death as a anti-black hate crime. Many false narratives were circulated including that McDonald had been raped and feces smeared on her naked body. Protests began immediately and continued for years with Reed and her supporters frequently berating the Olympia City Council.
The story evolved over time, first it was claimed that a city street sweeper hit McDonald, then that Medic One did not provide proper care due to McDonald’s race and later a conspiracy involving OPD, the City Manager, the City Council, the county prosecutor, Medic One and the coroner to cover up the facts of the case due to racism and white supremacy.
This reporter has reviewed hundreds of pages of primary source documents around the case, from OPD and the city as well as videos, social media posts, public statements and interviews with Ms. Reed and other family members. As I started breaking stories related to the case on social media I was told I could not report on the story due to being white. I have not fully written on the story out of deference to McDonald’s complicated medical history.
While there are legitimate concerns that OPD did not immediately treat the location as a crime scene, a thorough investigation was conducted including canvassing for witnesses, interviews and surveillance tapes. There was a review of McDonald’s phone records and history of previous welfare check calls initiated by McDonald and others, including a recent visit to the ER for a head injury related to a fall. There were no further leads.
Talauna Reed’s rhetoric and tactics were aggressive as she led a campaign of harassment against city employees, including the street sweeper and City Manager Jay Burney. She released the names of the Medic One EMTs who treated McDonald, calling them “corrupt.”
Reed has called the investigation “a gross parallel to that of the Central Park 5” missing the irony that she is the one making the false accusations. Despite no evidence of wrongdoing, the City of Olympia was pressured into an independent investigation which cost $50K and was not released to the public.
Reed is known for anti-police rhetoric as documented in video clips filmed by Miguel Lofland who published Antifa News Network and was involved in a September 4, 2021 shooting at the Olympia Transit Center. She has also been interviewed by Lofland and has local Antifa support, who helped spread the conspiracy theory about her aunt’s “murder.”
In a strident speech at the state capital covered by Katie Daviscourt of the Post Millennial, Reed said, “It amazes me how those pigs can sit over there to watch us peacefully talk about what we want [to] change in this state. It amazes me. And they don’t pay attention until we tear s*** up. So, before I get started, tear everything up in this f****** city until they do what we want them to do.”
Reed has repeatedly and consistently claimed her aunt Yvonne McDonald was “murdered” by the police for personal financial gain and to further her ideological agenda. In response to a 2019 Olympian article, Reed posted on Facebook, “The Daily Zero just released an article…I want everyone to know that they did not write it for our community. They wrote it for the corrupt and racist city leaders they answer to…it's also important to know that her NUMEROUS Injuries...the ones that killed her, are CONSISTENT WITH BEING STRUCK BY A VEHICLE and not falling…John Tunheim, Ronny Roberts, Detective Al Weining, Coroner Gary Warnock, Steve Hall, Henry Morales, Mayor Selby, Renata Rollins, Officer Jordan Reisher and Paramedic Quinn Gagnon and anyone who supports these liars FUCK YOU!....There is no doubt in my mind that my aunt died at the hands of the OPD, paramedics and this city's employee.”
She is advancing a conspiracy theory that OPD staged a crime scene showing “corruption and that they went to any length to protect someone rather than save a black woman’s life.” She has referred to former City Manager Steve Hall as “the devil” and claims “government officials are getting away with murder and terrorizing people.”
Reed’s actions have increased racial tension in Olympia as well as contributing to a false portrayal of OPD as racist. In this video, she castigates Mayor Cheryl Selby, whose has had her home attacked several times, including having it vandalized.
Additionally, Reed’s past raises serious questions as to her fitness for office. A Washington State Patrol criminal background check shows financial improprieties including unlawful issuances of bank checks. Records show Reed was found guilty and served a sentence for Class 3 felony theft in 2011 and while in custody in 2003 was charged with misdemeanor assault by the Department of Corrections.
In addition to the felony, Reed has had eight gross misdemeanor convictions, including two for domestic violence in 2003. A public copy of her background check can be found here.
Reed has also had multiple civil financial judgments against her including $174 in unpaid state taxes in 2012. Reed has five judgments for unpaid rent, the largest for $9140 incurred in 2019, another in 2010 for $1496 with the Pierce County Housing Authority, a third in 2008 was $2670, a fourth in 2004 for $1800, lastly $536 in 1997. A source reports Reed was allegedly fired for embezzling from The Olympian, but no charges were filed.
Reed filed for bankruptcy in 2003 along with her then husband Jason Martin and her attorney took out a judgment against her for $700.
On Facebook one of McDonald’s sisters, Sharon Smith, accused Reed of spending money raised for the investigation into McDonald’s death on meth and gambling. Her ex, Jason Martin, claims Reed “has very low morals and no integrity” and that their son “needs to be safely away from her, he has told me he is dying every day under her oppression.”
In her OSD interview Reed says her son left Olympia due to racism, later undermining her own story by speaking to him finding a football team that enabled him to get a college scholarship, an opportunity not available to him in Olympia.
In an OPD report, Reed suggested that McDonald’s sisters be investigated as suspects in the death, claiming one associated with drug dealers and a known “murderer.” Cell phone records obtained by OPD show arguments between the sisters and McDonald over their mother’s recent death but no threats in the texts. The records spanned several months but do not show much contact between McDonald and Reed, who claimed to be close to her aunt, calling her a role model.
This is not a single indiscretion but a pattern of poor judgment spanning most of Reed’s adult life. She has proven to intentionally misrepresent situations and is unable to manage money. Those are not qualities Olympia wants on its school board, especially as Reed wants control of a portion of the budget.
Reed is adept at code switching, altering her rhetoric to a softer approach when in a professional situation. She knows what her audience wants to hear and what flatters them. Her pitch in her OSD interview was a word salad of equity, representation and lived experience buzzwords coupled with vague proposals, all which involved spending money on layers of DEI administrative staff to serve the “marginalized” in addition to pursuing a Black Lives Matter agenda that the district is already committed to.
Reed, in her OSD interview states, “We need common cultural competency throughout the district..if this board is truly willing to work on developing this policy, I think by starting to diversify the Board itself is a good start. What I can do is offer my life experience and my expertise…and I can work with the Board with patience, because addressing white supremacy in a white dominant community is not an easy task.” She does not detail her relevant life experience other than her skin color, and patience is the opposite of what she has advocated for in her activism.
Reed showed her hustle when she ran for Olympia City Council in 2021, fielding a credible campaign. She has been working with Interfaith Works on homeless response and that is commendable. She has held holiday toy drives to honor her aunt.
It is hard, however, to trust that Reed will be fair and balanced in her work with the district. Her views do not reflect the majority of the community and there is concern she will not work for all students, given her anti-white rhetoric.
Her defenders will blame racism for the criticism presented in this editorial but Reed’s race is not relevant to this reporter. Where race does matter is that Reed is willing to position the unfortunate death of her aunt as a hate crime in order to incite racial tension. This has real world implications, costing the city thousands of dollars trying to pacify her with an investigation that she rejected before it was even completed.
Supporters of Reed will excuse her criminal record as the inevitable result of living in a capitalist society that systemically discriminates against black women. This denies Reed’s agency and responsibility for her actions.
Reed has proven to be effective in pressuring people and is on record saying she wants “to step up to the bat and and and hit it as far as I can.” A tenure on the board positions Reed for higher elected office. It is up to the parents of Olympia to decide if they want Reed in control of their children’s education. Comments on the OSD Facebook page were mixed, but with a greater percentage opposing the appointment.
Jason Rantz of KTTH reported that the board is defending Reed, “Despite the dangerous, vulgar, and unhinged rant, Olympia School Board Director Maria Flores, speaking on behalf of the board, is looking forward to working with Reed. The district would not confirm whether or not they vetted Reed to the point of being aware of the video. Instead, it sounds like they are impressed by the fringe activism, citing their appreciation of ‘her advocacy and experience working with underserved members of our community.’
“‘The content of Talauna Reed’s answers throughout the process, as well as her advocacy and experience working with underserved members of our community, raised her to the top of the applicant pool and was the basis for our decision. During the interview process she showed herself to be a committed and thoughtful advocate for the students of our school district. We look forward to working with her to address pressing equity and inclusion issues in our school district. We believe she’ll be an important voice and partner moving forward,’ Flores said in an emailed statement.”
On October 27th, Reed will be sworn for a one year term. She will be up for reelection in 2023, unless the board chooses to rescind their offer in light of new information and public pressure. It is imperative that concerned parents and community members monitor this board closely. The District can be contacted here.
Candace Mercer is an artist/writer/activist based in Olympia, WA. She writes on homeless response and political violence in the PNW. In 2021, she ran for Olympia City Council. She is currently working on developing a line of feminist art and writing on gender ideology.
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