Pot meet Kettle: Save Anchorage down a moderator in wake of Allard's 'Reefer-Gate' drama
A member of the politically active Save Anchorage Facebook group not only no longer holds her moderating title with the group but has since left the group altogether in the wake of what has now become known as "Reefer-Gate."
Eagle River resident Donna Schopp took issue with Eagle River Assemblyperson Jamie Allard's sharing of a post to the group this week, which contained a photograph depicting a black male lighting the jazz cigarette of a white male minor.
In public comments made to Allard's official/not official Facebook account on Thursday, Schopp accused Allard of being biased and called her use of such a photo disappointing. Schopp, who had deleted Allard's Save Anchorage post, also claimed that the photograph attached as part of Allard's post ran afoul of the group's rules. However, she provided her the opportunity to repost it without the picture.
Allard, seemingly unamused that a mere mortal moderator had dared to trifle with her post, somehow managed to get the post Schopp had told her violated the group's rules approved — assumably through a higher-ranking group administrator.
On Friday, roughly 24 hours after Allard's self-manufactured 'Reefer-Gate' crisis began, Schopp's name had disappeared from the Facebook group's membership roster and remained so as of this morning.
The reasons for Schopp's sudden departure from the group weren't immediately clear. It's conceivable that, in light of Allard's misinformation about marijuana and the cannabis industry in general, to say nothing of the photograph she used to gaslight an entire community — she might have felt out of step with the other members of the moderation team and decided to step down and away from the group.
It's also possible that Schopp may have recognized that Allard was not simply a member of the group but rather a de facto Save Anchorage moderator who could override Schopp's initial decision to delete her post and later opted to leave as a result.
Regardless of how it came about, Allard made sure to comment that Schopp was no longer a moderator, although noticeably left out that she had left the group entirely.
As of this afternoon, only four individuals — one of them a Wasilla real estate broker — remain listed as members of the group's moderation team in addition to the Reclaim Midtown Facebook page.
Donna, if you're reading this, send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.
