Lamar Thorpe

By John Crowder

Lamar Thorpe, a candidate for the Antioch city council, continues to refute charges that came to light earlier this month that he was found guilty of disorderly conduct for “lewd and indecent behavior” by Student Judicial Services (SJS) at George Washington University (GW). The charges stemmed from an incident that took place in September, 2006, according to a University Police Department (UPD) Incident Report that was obtained by the GW Hatchet. Thorpe was a 25-year-old senior and serving as student body president at GW, at the time.

As a result of the SJS hearing, he was placed on one year of disciplinary probation. During that time, Thorpe continued at the university, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Women’s Studies and serving as a Presidential Fellow.

The third and final Hatchet article on the matter, dated August 17, 2007, all of which are still online, stated the following:

A female sophomore accused Thorpe and then-Vice President of Student Activities Richard Fowler of forcing her to perform oral sex and drink excessively in September 2006, a University Police Department Incident Report states. The report, which was filed on April 22, classifies the alleged offense as first-degree sexual abuse. Both Thorpe and Fowler have repeatedly said they are unaware of the alleged incident and of a case before SJS.

Thorpe…lost an appeal to overturn the disorderly conduct charge, according to SJS records. A sanction letter states that his punishment is one year of disciplinary probation until May 2008.

“Based upon various standards and guidelines as established by campus organizations, departments, administrators, and/or faculty, conditions of your probation may include exclusion from co-curricular activities,” the letter states. “Violations of the terms of Disciplinary Probation or any other violations of this ‘Code’ during the period of probation may result in suspension or expulsion from the University.”

…“Thorpe was 25 and the other three students were 19 at the time the complaint was reported to UPD, according to the Incident Report.”

The complete Gazette article can be viewed by clicking here.

Thorpe failed to respond to multiple attempts by Herald staff to contact him about this article. However, in a statement he released earlier this month on his personal Facebook page, Thorpe said, “In short, this student article, which was published nearly 10-years ago, is not true. Please remember that what you are reading is neither a news article nor a publication of George Washington University. The GW Hatchet is a student run publication nothing more, nothing less.” Thorpe also said that the “student online” newspaper, because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), is severely limited in its ability to make a full and accurate account. Later in the statement, he refers to the charges as “hearsay from almost 10 years ago.”

His complete statement can be viewed below.

The implication by Thorpe that the story lacked journalistic integrity, however, is disputed both by David Ceasar, the author of the articles regarding Thorpe, and by current editor-in-chief of the 110-year-old paper, Brianna Gurciullo.

“Everything we reported was accurate,” said Gurciullo, “you’ll notice there were no corrections to the story.”

Gurciullo went on to describe a particularly stringent verification process for the story about Thorpe. She said it involved sourcing things multiple times, dozens of interviews, and triple-checking everything. She said the paper’s staff had copies of the UPD incident report, information from Student Judicial Services, and a statement from a witness other than the alleged victim who filed the report. She also said that all interviews were recorded, and that their attorney reviewed the article prior to publication.

Gurciullo also said that the article was posted online because the story broke in the summer. According to Gurciullo, the paper appears in print only during the academic year, but articles are posted on-line year round.

Thorpe, however, continues to stand by his story.

“I appealed the decision, I won and on July 1, 2008, my student judicial record was expunged,” he said.

The Herald contacted GW in an attempt to verify the facts of the case, but was met with resistance from the university. Kurtis Hiatt, Associate Director of Media Relations for GW, responded by email, “In accordance with the federal privacy law and university policy on the privacy of student education records, the George Washington University does not confirm whether a disciplinary record exists or comment, discuss, or disclose information in relation to any current or former student’s disciplinary record with the University.”

Past Denials

Thorpe also denied the charges in 2010, while a candidate for the House of Delegates in Maryland. According to a news article on The Examiner website, he posted a video on YouTube (which has since been removed) in which “Thorpe attempted to blame the confusion over this topic on his opponents in the race.” The complete Examiner article can be viewed by clicking here. 

In another news article posted on the website for The Gazette in Gaithersburg, Maryland, also during his 2010 campaign, it states Thorpe “accused his political opponents of ‘misinforming the public by using a 2007 student article that maliciously stated false claims about me.’” and that he “could not recall the precise nature of the disorderly conduct charge and declined to discuss the matter further.”

The complete Gazette article can be viewed by clicking here.

Thorpe is one of eight candidates running for two seats on the Antioch City Council in the November election.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Antioch High School Bike Club Hosts Free Community Cycling Festival

On Thursday, October 23, the Antioch High School Bike Club (ABC) and Street Smarts 511 will host Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D – Oakley) and the Bay Area BikeMobile at a free cycling festival at the Antioch High Main Quad, 700 West 18th Street, Antioch. The event is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. with a range of activities including free bicycle repairs (courtesy of the Bay Area BikeMobile), a BMX stunt show, door prizes and free giveaways.

“This is an important community program that empowers individuals to practice safe and ecofriendly transportation options,” said Assemblymember Frazier. “BikeMobile has shown overwhelming dedication to utilizing transportation resources in regions where they are most needed, and I applaud Antioch youth for the positive contributions they are making to the local area through their public service.”

The Bay Area’s newest BikeMobile is on the move, out to fix bicycles in all corners of the San Francisco Bay Area. The repair shop on wheels is tuning up bikes free of charge for trips to school, to work and around the neighborhood. And the service goes way beyond fixing a flat — they help youths repair their bikes and keep them in good repair, teach mechanics and how to ride safely, and provide free refurbished bicycles and accessories when available.

“Our goal is to get people riding again and more confident about how to do repairs,” said Tommy Bensko of Local Motion, the company implementing the Bay Area BikeMobile program through June 2015.

The Bay Area BikeMobile launched in March 2014 with the help of a $480,000 grant from the Spare the Air Youth program, which is funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) with funds from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program. Since March, the Bay Area BikeMobile has repaired thousands of bicycles at dozens of events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. To see where the Bay Area BikeMobile will be in coming months and/or to schedule a visit, go to bayareabikemobile.org.

For more information about the Spare the Air Youth Program, a partnership between MTC and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, visit sparetheairyouth.org. MTC is the regional transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

Holy Rosary Church is having their Annual Health Fair on Sunday, November 2 from 8:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. There will be free flu shots, hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol screening. A local social worker will be handing out community resource referrals.

There will also be doctors, nurses, local chiropractors, dentists, and senior housing resource specialists helping the community answer questions. Support information for people facing unplanned pregnancies or mental issues will be available. Blood Center of the Pacific will be sponsoring a blood drive. American Medical Response will be teaching Sidewalk CPR. Spanish interpreters will be present.

Holy Rosary is located at 1313 A Street in Antioch.

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 55th installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort which involves active participation from The Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission; Neighborhood Watch Program; Volunteers in Police Service; community volunteers and the Public Works Department.

The 55th Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, October 4th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the neighborhoods surrounding Sycamore Drive. Volunteers should report to the Lowe’s parking lot on the Mahogany Way side.

Volunteers will receive instructions and the equipment necessary to accomplish the goal. The targeted area is within walking distance. Excluding inclement weather, future Neighborhood Cleanup events are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance.

Remember, cleaning up your neighborhood can make life better for your family, your neighbors and your community!