The more I hear about the Pacific Northwest, the more I’m good on ever checking it out. Everything I’ve been told by people who live in the region just makes it sound like white liberal hell. The fact that an elected prosecuting attorney in Washington state resigned from his job due to “racially motivated attacks” from the community only further reinforces the notion that the PNW might be RAF (Racist as fuck.)
According to Oregon Live, Okanogan County Attorney Arian Noma (R) tendered his resignation, with his last day expected to be Jan. 15. Noma is of Native American and Black descent and has served as Okanogan County attorney for two years. “I routinely received vile attacks about my race, ancestry, and even the color of my skin,” Noma wrote in his resignation letter. The letter also went into detail about a Facebook group that he believed was staging a racist, targeted campaign against him and his family, with photos of his personal vehicle uploaded to the page.
The Facebook page issued a rebuttal to Noma’s letter saying the criticisms weren’t due to race and that the pictures uploaded to the page were meant to depict his alleged absences from office. Yeah, so, here’s the thing. No matter what the reason is, taking pictures of someone’s home or personal vehicle and uploading them to the internet without their consent is gross and fucking weird.
Seriously, what’s going on in your life that following a county attorney and putting their data online seems like a healthy and productive use of your time? You literally have nothing else you could be doing? Read a book, learn to cook, play Persona 5. Sure, it’s a 100+ hour game but it’s certainly more productive than whatever this fuckery is.
There’s a difference between warranted criticism of elected officials and engaging in outright harassment.
In addition to the racist attacks, Noma also highlighted budgetary issues in the department. According to the Spokesman-Review, Noma alleged that his office is “woefully understaffed,” and budget constraints have prevented him from hiring more attorneys to help clear backlogged cases. Noma has declined to go into further detail about the reasons behind his resignation until it takes effect next month.
It’s now up to the Okanogan County Republican Party to forward a recommendation to county commissioners for who should be appointed to replace Noma. So far, only two people have applied, with Friday being the cutoff for applications. State law requires that whoever takes the position be registered to vote in the county they represent and have a license to practice law. So if you live in Okanogan County, have a law degree, and feel like being an elected prosecutor, here’s your chance.