Talauna Reed in Her Own Words: A Compendium
Radical FTP Activist with Antifa Ties Appointed to Olympia School Board
I am going to share several primary source videos that show what Talauna Reed really stands for. Her rhetoric is radical, often profane, anti-white and geared toward inciting racial tension. She has promoted an inflammatory conspiracy theory that the City of Olympia is covering up the “murder” of her aunt Yvonne McDonald, who died under suspicious circumstances in 2018.
This is not true. Here is an official summary of the $50K independent investigation of the investigation that Reed sought but will not accept because it does not fit her narrative.
It is important to note that Reed is adept at code switching. She presents a very mild form of herself when in political situations compared with her misinformation campaign around her aunt, her anti-white racism and her calls to Fuck the Police and to “burn it all down” when she is in front of activists.
Reed has ties to Antifa, in particular Miguel Lofland, who published Antifa New Network, which was designed to spread disinformation and inculcate mob “justice” against whatever targets he deigned to be RACIST FASCIST WHITE SUPREMACISTS. Lofland has interviewed Reed and was often her videographer.
CONTENT WARNING: Many of these videos contain explicit language and scenes that may be disturbing to the viewer.
Talauna Reed at the Capitol calling LE pigs and talking about burning the city down is at this link. 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.”
Here is a compilation of some of Reed’s more incendiary rhetoric.
You can find more of her rhetoric on the Justice 4 Yvonne website. There is also a Facebook page. Both have a lot of additional content.
Here is Talauna Reed calling City Manager Jay Burney to harass him about Yvonne McDonald. Reed showed up at countless Council meetings to do this in person.
Here is a longer video of Reed, Lofland and their crew harassing Jay Burney at his home. Nonviolent protest crosses a line when it goes to people’s neighborhoods.
Residents are subject to a chaotic situation, this is a common tactic of authoritarian intimidation by Antifa for that very reason, they want to unsettle people. It is domestic terrorism, designed to frighten neighbors and poison the well against the target in their community.
Here is a report from Puget Sound Anarchists of a similar action where they defaced Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby’s house. She has been a frequent target, Lofland in particular has been a key instigator in harassing her. Note the BLM graffiti.
In this podcast Lofland talks about another action at her house when Selby's daughter was home alone, terrified. Protesters have also targeted Olympia City Councilmember Clark Gilman, pouring paint on his vehicles.
This is Talauna Reed’s “letter” to Cheryl Selby.
This video is a compilation that shows how unhinged Miguel Lofland is. It hard to watch as he threatens private citizens and LE, telling them to commit suicide with their service weapon. Here is another version compilation. It's extremely graphic and hard to listen to.
This video shows footage of Antifa in action downtown. They are armed and violent.
The photograph below is a still from a video threat Lofland made against me when I was running for Olympia City Council. It was an introduction to his Antifa News Network podcast. Lofland frequently poses with guns and has crowdfunded for weapons.
In this video Lofland is interviewing Reed where she openly discusses the need to “infiltrate” positions of power and that she has been deemed “a threat to security.” The music in the background is Fuck the Police. Of course. Gotta be on brand.
Miguel Lofland was involved in the Antifa shooting of Proud Boy Tusitala Toese at the Olympia Transit Center on September 4, 2021. Five shots were fired in the middle of the center at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon as terrorized riders and drivers sought cover.
This video is an overview of the day. This shooting happened after Antifa targeted my campaign rally and video shoot at City Hall. Here is my reporting. The photograph below shows Antifa gathering in preparation to assault me.
Here is Miguel Lofland talking about the shooting.
This is who Reed is comfortable working with, a sociopath who lies. She gave an in depth print and video interview with Lofland during her campaign for Olympia City Council. The interview ran in the Cooper Point Journal, the video has been scrubbed from Lofland’s site.
Lofland claims he is not working for the Reed campaign in this video. While that may be factually true in that he is not being paid, he clearly has been helping her to get elected and supporting her conspiracy theory, see below. It does show a desire for the campaign to distance itself from him after negative coverage in the Post Millennial.
In an earlier interview with the Cooper Point Journal where she discusses her children and spreads more misinformation about Yvonne McDonald’s death.
Here is video of Talauna Reed speaking outside the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis, where she spreads falsehoods around her aunt’s death.
This piece from June 2020 is quite informative as it shows Reed speaking to a very friendly audience. She discusses her aunt’s death, she claims the City of Olympia knows who “murdered” her aunt but is covering up for them.
She attacks medics, the street sweeper and others. He speech starts at approximately 21:10. Note the crowd reaction and emojis from the stream to her hate speech.
She is also filled with anti-white rhetoric, saying she “doesn’t care about poor white people” which is troubling as that is her job at Interfaith Works as well as in her capacity with the Olympia School Board. This quote is at approximately 29:00.
Then Reed’s daughter speaks, showing the values that Reed has passed down to her, which is relevant as these will be the values she is bringing to the Olympia School Board. This is what she is role modeling for students.
BLAST demands removal of school resource officers in public schools, putting students at risk.. That is their #2 demand, Here Reed is speaking at a BLAST event once again promoting the conspiracy theory. Her speech starts at approximately 8:15 and she speaks of reparations owed, white supremacy etc.
This is Talauna Reed’s friend and campaign manager Darek Ball saying that the videos of Reed are taken out of context and that the connection to Antifa is misinformation designed to smear the candidate.
I have proven with these primary source materials that Reed does indeed have a close relationship with Antifa, who did tens of thousands of dollars in property damage to Olympia in the name of racial justice.
Here is video of Ball trying to connect concerned parents with the insurrection as a dirty smear campaign in defense of Reed.
If what I have presented does not convince you of the connection, here is a final piece. Lofland’s Antifa News Network published a zine about the Yvonne McDonald conspiracy which Reed posted on the Justice 4 Yvonne Facebook page, indicating approval. This shows Ball is not being accurate in his video.
Reed has shown herself to be a thief (here is my previous in depth report on her criminal record), a bully and a liar. The Thurston County Democrats are fine with this.
This clip shows Reed has the full backing of the Thurston County Democrats.
Reed intentionally lied from the dais at the last Olympia School Board meeting when she said her criminal record was simply for bouncing a $24 check for groceries. Nobody gets arrested for a bounced check, but they do if that check has been forged.
She neglected to speak of her numerous financial judgements, her dismissal from The Olympian for embezzling $5K or her record of domestic violence and assault while in custody.
Finally, here is a content analysis of her interviews with the Olympia School Board. The first image is here first interview, the second was her second. Notice what she does and doesn't care about.
Reed has leveled accusations of racism against the board as she runs for reelection. In this SURJ candidate forum, Reed claims other board members used a racial slur when discussing an alleged email from the public. The slur was not directed at Reed.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/3AMoeJfym-9-lzvymDY9Yks4cowqiNeN8HZsQDxYEyUdq21Xzd-jPMXzGtLEtaxdceCGk38YjZR2fTx1.vooNWLYTtoburs9_?fbclid=IwAR07IX8OvsXN8N-nVX0sJdNQQj7GvlqCtMX5cTA2pbHfZuSke3hN1I9GKSw&embedded_webview=true
Reed is not a suitable role model for children and in defending her, the Olympia School Board shows that they endorse the behavior I have presented in this compendium.
Are you OK with this?
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.