In a letter penned to Mayor Andrea Davis last month, local GOP leaders called on Missoula officials to denounce acts of vandalism and harassment they say occurred at the group’s booth at the Western Montana Fair this summer.
The chairman of the Missoula County Republican Central Committee (MCRCC) said their booth was vandalized by two people during fair hours, and claimed others harassed and intimidated its members working the booth.
At least one person was charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, in relation to the incident, according to Missoula Police Department records obtained by the Missoulian.
“As the elected leader of this city, it is imperative that you speak out and condemn such acts,” wrote MCRCC Chair Ryan Darling in the letter. “Silence in the face of harassment and vandalism sends the dangerous message that such conduct is tolerated.”
In an interview with the Missoulian after the letter was sent, MCRCC spokesperson Clancy Kenck said three people also vandalized a cardboard cut-out of Republican President Donald Trump at the booth by smearing lipstick on the silhouette and then ripping the figure’s head off.
In the letter, Darling wrote that the businesses who had sponsored the Republican committee’s booth had also experienced online intimidation following the fair. He said several people left negative reviews of the businesses.
“As a result of this targeted slander, one sponsor’s ratings plummeted from five stars to one,” Darling wrote.
The businesses included Family Dermatology, Windermere Real Estate, Skinner Sights, The Beauty Haven Company and blogging website Western Montana News.
Kenck said that since the incident, the businesses reached out to review websites and were able to get the negative reviews removed.
Troy Davis, the owner of Family Dermatology, told the Missoulian in a phone call there was a coordinated effort to discredit his company by submitting false reviews online.
He said while the fake reviews have stopped, his company was negatively impacted by them, including losing some customers.
“It was slander,” Troy Davis said. “The whole thing was disappointing.”
Brad Tschida, a former Republican state representative and realtor with Windermere Real Estate, told the Missoulian in an email that while the intimidation toward Windermere has died down, he worries about future aggression.
“I would say that while the attacks online have tapered off, there is no guarantee that there will not be any such future attacks,” he said in an email.
In response to the letter, Mayor Andrea Davis and Missoula County Commission Chair Juanita Vero each individually called on residents to respect free speech. Davis’ office is nonpartisan, but Vero is an elected Democrat to the county commission.
“It is a crisis that the civility of our American civic discourse has eroded,” Mayor Davis said in a statement to the Missoulian. “It takes each and every one of us to recognize this and treat everyone with dignity and respect.”
In the letter, Darling asked for face-to-face meetings with county and city leadership, and a public statement denouncing the behavior, including a letter to the editor in print and digital publications.
Vero, who serves as chair of the county commission, said she met with the MCRCC last month regarding the allegations, but said time limitations halted a discussion about a public statement.
She told the Missoulian in a statement that the county condemns all acts of violence and property damage and supports the right to free speech and free expression.
“We think the meeting and talking through these issues in person with the people affected is more productive, less divisive,” Vero said in the statement.
She added that the MCRCC is working with Missoula County Director of Lands Culture and Recreation Randy Arnold to implement some changes to the Western Montana Fair next year.
Vero said no specific changes were immediately available.
In her statement to the Missoulian, Mayor Davis said she opposes any form of harassment, intimidation and vandalism. She said the City of Missoula supports free speech and the right to disagree.
“I am disappointed and dismayed by the divisiveness that has overtaken our country,” Mayor Davis said. “I am alarmed that the chair of the Missoula County Republican Central Committee (MCRCC) reports vandalism and intimidating or harassing behavior from the public at the Western Montana Fair. The MCRCC has asked me to denounce these acts, and of course I do, just like I denounce the theft of Pride flags from our downtown businesses, coal-rolling a bicyclist or yelling at a 16-year-old retail worker for the sign in their employer’s window.”
Mayor Davis said if a person believes someone’s behavior crosses the line into intimidation, threats or vandalism then residents should ask for law enforcement help by calling 911.
Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian.
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