The Best Endorsement – Council Member Nadeau Doesn’t Like PoPville “discredits blog as not factual”

reader submitted photo after a shooting homicide in Ward 1 back in September

Thanks to a reader for recording and passing on:

Attached is an audio recording of the Safety Meeting held by Brianne Nadeau this past Tuesday. At the 57:16 mark, she discredits your blog as not factual and promotes Borderstan. I feel that both blogs represent the community well. What the majority of people took away from this meeting is “it is what it is and you should get used to it” and “I’m working on it”.

Update: thanks to a friend of mine for uploading to youtube – it’s a bit hard to hear so put the volume up as high as it goes.

Unfortunately I haven’t figured out a way to upload the audio here but I’ve listened to it and the claim is indeed on the recording. It is now my phone’s ringtone. So allow me to respond. I and the blog have been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of many accolades – most recently voted Washington Blade’s best local blog for 2015 last week. But let me say this accusation from Council Member Nadeau is by far the best endorsement the site has ever received.

So what is PoPville?

I’ve said time and time again that I am not Edward R. Murrow and have no desire to become some crackerjack crime reporter, personally on the scene with a pencil behind my ear. PoPville is many things. One of the things is a platform that provides the people a voice and a place to ask questions. Now nevermind the fact that approximately 3/4 of my crime posts come directly from MPD crime reports. Nevermind the fact that nearly all of the reader reported shots fired/shootings etc. are later confirmed by MPD. The important thing is that apparently the Council Member doesn’t want you to know what is really happening in your neighborhoods.

Let me tell you a quick story – on more than one occasion – I have emailed with MPD about reader reported shots fired. Please note that shots fired (vs a shooting when someone is hit) aren’t disseminated in MPD crime alerts (with the exception that I’ve occasionally seen them when there is property damage reported). On a few occasions they have replied to my emails that they have no confirmation of shots fired – then the readers email me photos of actual bullet holes and then MPD confirms. On more than one occasion this has happened. I’m not necessarily saying it happens because of malicious intent, I’m sure there are a variety of reasons. But it has happened to me, so take that for what it is.

The fact of the matter is that crime reported on PoPville is not some masochistic fantasy. I dare say I and most readers wish they would never see another crime post again. However, I am not going to ignore what is happening in our neighborhoods. I am not going to ignore the emails and tweets I receive after every shooting/shots fired or major crime that happens in Council Member Nadeau’s Ward. People want answers. They want leadership that listens to them. And of course people want the truth. It’s clear where people don’t get that but that’s what they get at PoPville – the good, the bad and the ugly. I pray for the good but refuse to ignore the bad.

Update from Council Member Nadeau’s office:

“Councilmember Nadeau is deeply committed to ensuring her constituents have access to all the information they need about public safety and other issues in the ward. In fact, the recording referenced in a recent POPville post was taken at a public safety meeting she had convened for constituents to receive additional information from MPD. The Councilmember was responding to a question about the best way to receive information about public safety. She referred the constituent first to the MPD Yahoo group, then indicated that her personal preference for local news was Borderstan, given their approach to reporting the news. She also noted that while POPville is a forum that posts information, it does not do reporting. I should note that the Councilmember’s characterization of the blog is affirmed by its editor in today’s post, although she was not given the opportunity to comment.”

Ed. Note: “the Councilmember’s characterization of the blog” as not being factual is not affirmed by the blog’s editor.

The Council Member’s office has a standing offer to comment.