Following a second
statement by the Chesterton Town Council, 3rd Ward Council member Robert
“Bob” Allison says he has formalized his resignation with the Porter County
Clerk as of 3:16 a.m. Friday.
The Tribune
was reliably informed Thursday that Allison attended a scheduled executive
session of the Town Council Wednesday night, though he had indicated plans
to “resign effective immediately” on Sunday, May 31 after he came under fire
Saturday for comments he made on a Facebook video.
Allison confirmed
that he attended the meeting in a phone call with the Tribune early
this morning. He reported he walked into the meeting Wednesday intent on
“continuing to move forward” on the Council after “the threats had stopped”
and he received an outpouring of support from people who urged him not to
resign.
Allison said he
received threats against himself and his family after he commented “Get the
snowplows out” and “straight blade ‘em” on a Facebook Live video of
protestors who blocked traffic in Hammond Saturday. He said the threats had
died down during the week, but started up again when the Council released
their second statement.
“One of the calls
told me not to go to sleep last night,” Allison said.
He said “the police
are well aware of the threats,” but did not clarify if he has filed an
official police report.
Allison would not
say who contacted him in support--even when asked off the record-- but said
many of them were Town employees and local businesspeople who cannot stand
up for him publicly “for fear of repercussions.”
“I have heard from
many, many people, even council people and department heads, not to resign,”
Allison said. “I’m talking about people who just in my six months of service
have been impressed with what I’ve accomplished.”
Allison cited his
greatest achievement as retaining Chesterton Police Chief Dave Cincoski
after Cincoski was criticized for his handling of the Nicole Gland murder
case. “One of the previous council members had drug his name through the mud
so bad that he was like I am now, defeated, but he’s a damn good man,”
Allison said. He named giving a voice to the 3rd ward and supporting local
business as other accomplishments.
The Town Council’s
Thursday statement denounced Allison’s apparent “refusal to live up to his
word” following his Sunday resignation. “We want the public to know that we
do not have the legal authority to remove Mr. Allison from the Town Council.
If we had this authority, you can be assured that would be the first order
of business at our next Council meeting,” the Thursday statement from the
Council reads.
“Once again, all of
us, individually and collectively, denounce Mr. Allison’s statements from
last Saturday and reiterate our firm belief in the right of peaceful
demonstration and redress of grievances. Also, once again, we call on him to
honor his word and do what is in the best interest for Chesterton by
formally resigning his position as a Town Council member, as he said he
would,” the statement continues.
This morning,
Allison described the outrage against him as “a staged stunt”, orchestrated
in part by the Council, and said, “If they consider me a bad apple, I’m not
the only one.”
Allison’s initial
resignation came after comments he wrote on a Facebook Live video drew
hundreds of shares and outraged replies. The video depicted a May 30
demonstration in Hammond where hundreds gathered to protest racism and
police brutality following the May 25 killing of George Floyd.
Demonstrations of
varying size and volatility have taken place nationwide and in several
Northwest Indiana communities since white Minneapolis, Minn. police officer
Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. Two
autopsies have since ruled Floyd’s death a homicide and Chauvin has been
charged with second-degree murder. Floyd had been suspected of passing a
counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store.
Allison commented,
“Get the snowplows out!” and “Straight blade ‘em!” on the video of the
Hammond protest Saturday and later tried to justify the comments in an
apology post by saying that he had a friend who was stuck in traffic behind
the protestors who was unable to get to work.
Allison dismissed
his comments as jokes but admitted they were “insensitive”, “unwarranted”,
and “in poor taste” in the apology that has since been deleted, along with
his official Councilman Facebook page.
“Anyone who knows
me knows I have devoted my entire adult life to public safety and care for
EVERYONE. I would NEVER invoke or intentionally harm anyone. The comments
were not serious in nature and in poor taste. They were meant as a joke to
my friend and in no way serious. This is not a reflection on me as a
Councilman, nor of the Town of Chesterton as a whole. Again, my apologies to
anyone that was offended,” the post said in part.
Allison said he
deleted the apology due to his receiving threats and not because he was
taking it back. “My apology stands as is. I’m not a racist and never have
been. I’ve only ever helped people in my life.”
“I’ve dedicated my
life to the Town of Chesterton. When the pager goes off and tells you
there’s a crash on 94, it doesn’t tell you if the person is black or white,”
he said, adding that his first lifesaving award as a firefighter was for
saving a black woman from choking. “Would she say I’m racist?”, he asked.
This reporter asked
how Allison would feel if the people who’ve threatened him turned around and
said they were just joking. He answered: “I’m understanding that people are
frustrated. The people that have threatened me, if they were credible, they
wouldn’t have told me.”
When asked if he
sees why people would think that he condones violence based on his comments,
Allison said, “You can take anything anybody said and twist it.”
When asked if he
sees how people who saw his comments, who may have had loved ones
participating in the protest, may have felt threatened the same way he feels
now, Allison said he didn’t, and added, “It’s June. Do you see any snow
plows out?”
When this reporter
reminded Allison that there have been documented cases of protestors
murdered by motorists who ran them over, Allison cut her off and asked,
“with snow plows?”
Allison has found
himself in hot water over social media comments before. In a Tribune
candidate questionnaire published April 23, 2019, Allison was asked the
following question and tasked with answering in 75 words or less: “On March
12, 2018, you appeared before the Town Council to apologize for comments
which you posted to social media on the subject of employee wages. Those
comments you characterized as ‘insensitive, unwarranted, and unfair.’ Why do
you believe you have the temperament to serve on the Town Council?”
Allison answered as
follows: “I made a promise and commitment to myself and supporters that I
WILL NOT engage in mud slinging or negativity. I respectfully request the
same. An apology was given and accepted, let’s move the town forward, not
backwards.”
This morning, this
reporter asked Allison if, from the outside looking in, he would think that
someone who’s made poor judgment in social media writings more than once was
a fit leader for the Town. He responded, “It depends how well you know them
and know where their heart is.”