Brandi Kruse
Politics • Culture • News
[un]Divided Newsletter: October 16, 2022
October 16, 2022
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Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday morning newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week.

 
100th episode
 
Tomorrow is the 100th episode of [un]Divided! Can you believe it? We’ve got a perfect guest for the occasion, so stay tuned.
 
 
Victory for Seattle’s International District
 
After pushback from Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) community, King County Executive Dow Constantine has scrapped plans for a homelessness complex in the neighborhood.
 
“Community members have shared their feedback about concerns in the Chinatown-International District and surrounding neighborhoods,” he wrote in a statement. “It’s clear that building trust and resolving underlying concerns will take more time before we can move forward with any added service capacity.”
 
 
The plan would have expanded an existing shelter run by the Salvation Army. Instead, that lease will remain in place as is.
 
King County’s about-face comes after weeks of pushback from the CID about what expanded shelter in the area could mean for an already worsening crime crisis. Asian American residents accused Constantine and other elected officials of using them for political “photo ops” then ignoring them when they come forward with concerns.
 
The anger of CID residents was documented extensively by Jonathan Choe, an independent journalist working for Discovery Institute – tasked specifically with covering homelessness. Choe joined [un]Divided on several occasions to discuss the community’s concerns.
 
Choe’s efforts to bring attention to the issue led to two high-profile clashes with Executive Constantine and his staff. On one occasion, Constantine rushed out of a press conference and down a private elevator to avoid answering Choe’s questions – telling him he is “not a journalist.” On a second occasion, Choe was blocked from entering a press tour of the existing shelter site.
 
If Constantine hoped he could stifle the story by icing Choe out, his calculation was wrong. Instead, scrutiny around the project intensified.
 
Seattle City Councilwoman Tammy Morales, whose district includes the CID, said she was “pensive” about the decision to halt the expansion, noting that the city is in desperate need of added shelter space. She did, however, make a woke-word-laden acknowledgment that residents were not properly informed or consulted about the project.
 
“The CID neighborhood has a high concentration of low-income immigrant elders who have experienced many government harms, both historical and ongoing,” the statement read. “The rollout of information around the proposed shelter expansion perpetuated the trauma that the CID community has experienced.”
 
This is where things get extra special.
 
Councilwoman Morales went on the blame JONATHAN CHOE. Yes, you read that correctly.
 
“This lack of transparency allowed for bad-faith political actors without ties the CID, such as a conservative think tank, to co-opt the narrative and cloud organic neighborhood resistance.”
 
WTF does that even mean?
 
Choe is one of the only local journalists to give a voice to residents of the CID. It seems to me that the councilwoman would be wise to remember whose crossed-out face her constituents plastered on their signs during protests.
 
 
More on this story on tomorrow’s podcast.

 
Debate disaster
 
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D) has officially bowed out of two debates against her challenger, Republican Tiffany Smiley. I happened to be sitting next to Smiley at an event in Bellevue when the news came down and, while disappointed, she seemed less than surprised.
 
 
Washington State Debate Coalition Executive Director Alicia Crank put out a blistering statement after Murray’s camp made its decision official.
 
“We are extremely disappointed to learn this afternoon that Sen. Murray has declined to participate in the Washington State Debate Coalition’s debates. This after declining our October 7th debate as well as weeks of silence from the Murray campaign to our October 25th debate. This final decision is unprecedented for the Coalition and is a huge loss for the voters of Washington state who deserve to hear from officials seeking national or state-wide office. Participating in debates every six years with a coalition of media outlets and partners from around the state is not an unreasonable ask and we’re disappointed that Sen. Murray feels otherwise.”
 
Unfortunately, the coalition has opted to cancel the October 25 debate altogether, rather than allowing Smiley to appear next to an empty lectern – which is what I have called for.
 
In explaining the decision, Crank told me several of Seattle’s major media outlets would not commit airtime to an empty chair debate, nor would Seattle University agree to host one.
 
The beauty of the debate coalition, which is a partnership of civic groups and major media outlets, is that it ensures debates are watched by the greatest number of voters and puts candidates in front of the state’s best and most knowledgeable journalists. If media outlets don’t commit to airing the debates, the whole system breaks down.
 
Enter KIRO 7 TV.
 
Behind the scenes, KIRO-TV was working to organize its own town hall-style event with the two U.S. Senate candidates, which the coalition says goes against its memorandum of understanding. In doing so, KIRO-TV gave Murray an out to avoid a high-profile, head-to-head debate against Smiley. Murray's official decison to decline the October 25 debate came just after Smiley agreed to the KIRO-TV event.
 
While the Murray campaign told the coalition it was working to confirm the October 25 debate, I’m told her camp was instead shopping around for a group that would hold something less formal (and therefore, less risky).
 
The KIRO 7 town hall in Seattle will be aired exclusively by KIRO 7, which is ridiculous. The station should be ashamed for giving Murray an out to skip the debate coalition event, and doubly ashamed for using the town hall to generate ratings for itself rather than ensuring it is seen by as many voters as possible.The Murray campaign claims it asked KIRO 7 to let other station broadcast the debate, to no avail. 
 
Both Smiley and Murray have also agreed to a candidate forum on October 23 in Spokane presented by the League of Women Voters.
 
More on this story on tomorrow’s podcast.
 
Mike Pompeo 2024?
 
I had the privilege this weekend of sitting down with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his appearance at the Washington Policy Center’s annual dinner in Bellevue. Pompeo delivered a keynote address, but not before answering questions from the crowd. I was asked to help facilitate the conversation.
 
 
In recent weeks, Pompeo has been laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential campaign, but when asked on Friday he declined to make anything official. If he were to run, Pompeo could be taking on his former boss, whom he stayed loyal to during his time in the administration.
 
Among the topics Pompeo was asked about by the crowd included the border crisis, the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the uprising in Iran, and how much assistance the U.S. should be offering to Ukraine (in his opinion, as many weapons as we can muster).
 
Had I been interviewing Pompeo (rather than facilitating a Q&A), I would have also been curious to hear his take on the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago, the January 6 hearings, and the prospect of running against Trump next year.
 
Overall, I found Pompeo affable and knowledgeable. I’ll certainly be working to get him on the podcast.
Oh, and did you know that in addition to being the former CIA director and 70th Secretary of State, he was once an assistant manager at Baskin-Robbins? Talk about the American dream realized!
 
Hey Miranda!
 
It was so nice to have my sister in from Miami this week for an in-studio edition of Florida Report. She came to an event with me on Friday and I'm pretty sure people like her more than me! I mean look at that hat, how could you not love her?
 
 
Have a great Sunday and thank you for supporting this mission to give common sense a comeback!
 

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I struggled with what to talk to you about tonight. 

Well, that’s not true. I didn't struggle with what to talk to you about – I struggled with whether I was brave enough to say what I wanted to say. 

When I'm invited to speak to groups, I don't want to offend anyone or be too controversial. So, I reached out to a few of your fellow party members to ask whether any topics were off limits or wouldn't go over well with the crowd. 

I got some good advice. 

Then I decided to ignore that good advice entirely.

Too much is at stake to be polite. 

As we sit here tonight, we are in the final battle of a war. 

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Pragmatism against idealism. 

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It's a war that began long before I moved here 15 years ago. It started silently and it was mostly waged in the shadows.

Most of us didn't even realize that a war was being fought. We were too caught up in our own lives and our own problems. ...

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EXCLUSIVE: When being a social media troll comes back to bite you – hard
If you simply can’t help but poke the hornet’s nest, at least make sure your own hive is in order first.
 

 

 

This story has it all. Politics. Conservative infighting. Social media trolls. Lawsuits. A fugitive from justice. Charges of sodomy. And a side of karma, served cold.

Let’s start with the basics.

On March 26, a 24-year-old named Tyler James Crowl was arrested at his dad’s house in Lakewood, Washington, for a warrant out of Oregon. The arrest didn’t make the news in Washington, which isn’t a surprise considering the alleged crimes weren’t perpetrated in our state.

Crowl was wanted out of Yamhill County, Oregon, on three counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and three counts of Sodomy in the First Degree. Both crimes are felonies. According to court records from September 2024, prosecutors allege Crowl “unlawfully and knowingly engaged in oral sexual intercourse with a child under 12 years of age” on multiple occasions and “did unlawfully and knowingly subject a child under 14 years of age to sexual contact by touching her vaginal area and/or upper/inner thighs” on multiple occasions.

While Tyler Crowl would have been a teenager himself at the time of the alleged crimes, Oregon state law says minors under 12 years old cannot consent to oral sex. And minors under the age of 14 cannot consent to sexual intercourse.

The details of Tyler Crowl’s alleged crimes are disturbing. But the way he came to be arrested in Lakewood is the stuff movie scripts are made of.

For those who frequent the bowels of political social media in Washington state, the last name Crowl might look familiar. Eric Crowl, known by the X handle @OutragePNW, is a well-known social media troll in conservative circles. His schtick is attacking Republicans who he deems not conservative enough. In full disclosure, I’ve been a favorite target of his for my reporting on former gubernational candidate Semi Bird. Bird, a Republican, was accused of stolen valor, on top of other documented criminal cases from his past. I found the accusations credible and important enough to discuss on my show.

OutragePNW didn’t like that one bit.

His online posts became so unhinged, not to mention defamatory, I informed my local police department that I was worried for my safety. We had officers at our home a couple times to check in.

1.png?token-time=1744848000&token-hash=08A8qzwyNh1P_xGdASRiY-hEB_Fkn0epz6V44aQtwaU%3DWhile I’ve had my share of social media trolls rile their followers up into a rabid mob, Eric Crowl presented a different kind of security concern – one worth taking seriously.

In 2016, Eric Crowl, then 39-years-old, was arrested in Portland with a cache of weapons including a rifle, shotgun, camouflage, police scanner, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Police there had been investigating Crowl for months, after they “noticed him videotaping police outside the bureau's east precinct, often showing up during shift changes and leaving after hearing his name over the police scanner he carried,” according to Portland station KGW.

Crowl was arrested and charged with attempted assault of an officer and unlawful use of a weapon. 

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While out on house arrest, he was accused of violating the conditions of his release by allegedly showing up – with his wife and son in tow – to the home of a federal inspector.

“Crowl and his family were described as ‘aggressively’ staring into the inspector’s open garage and duty vehicle,” according to Portland station KOIN. The federal employee said Crowl was wearing shorts and did not have his court-mandated GPS monitor on.

“The inspector believed the Crowl’s were acting suspiciously and/or conducting surveillance on his home,” according to court documents.

Crowl was rearrested and had his bail set at $1 million. In November 2016, he agreed to a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in exchange for three years of probation, KOIN reported.

So, what’s the link between Eric Crowl (@OutragePNW) and alleged sodomizer turned fugitive Tyler James Crowl?

Tyler is Eric’s son.

Usually, the misdeeds of family members of social media figures wouldn’t be something I’d jump to report on (regardless of how I felt about that particular person).

But in this case, it was Crowl’s obsession with trolling his perceived political enemies that led to his son’s capture. And that’s a tale too interesting not to tell.

On March 4, Eric Crowl registered a nonprofit with the state of Washington named the Pierce County Republican Party. He immediately started a Facebook page using the name and even held live virtual events on X titled “Pierce County Republican Pary – Media Availability.”

If that sounds weird to you, it is.

There is, of course, already a Pierce County Republican Party. It’s the Pierce County branch of the State GOP and has been active in local politics since at least the 1960’s.

So why would Eric Crowl want to troll his local GOP?

The Pierce County Republican Party and its chairman, Dave McMullan, have been favorite targets of Crowl’s social media attacks. McMullan was an early and unapologetic supporter of Republican Gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert, earning him the ire of the party’s right flank – and of diehard Semi Bird supporters like Crowl. Furthermore, the county party voted unanimously to ban Crowl from its biennial organizational meeting back in November – in part because of his conduct online.

What better way to make sure you're included than to register an imposter Pierce County Republican Party and put yourself in charge of it?

In response to Crowl’s filing, the legitimate Pierce County Republican Party made a filing of its own – in United States District Court.

On March 23, the PCRP filed a lawsuit against Crowl and his new nonprofit, accusing him of violating the Federal Trademark Act.

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The only thing left was to serve Eric Crowl with the papers at his home in Lakewood.

That job fell to Robert Parker, a local Republican who offered to help.

In advance of doing so, Parker told unDivided he thought it would be wise to see who else was living at the home. He knew of Crowl’s criminal history in Oregon and wanted to be prepared for what he might encounter.

A search of public records from the address showed a Tyler James Crowl was registered to vote there. Parker went into amateur detective mode. He put Tyler Crowl’s name into Google. Up popped a January 6, 2025, blog post from a small news outlet in Oregon. It was a list of outstanding warrants.

“Area law enforcement agencies are looking for the following people who have absconded from the law.”

On the list was “Tyler James Crowl, 23, wanted on warrants for first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse.”

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Unsure whether Tyler would be at his dad’s house, but armed with the information anyway, Parker went to serve the papers.

Sure enough, Tyler Crowl was the one to come to the door. Parker caught the whole thing on camera.

“Mr. Crowl?”

“That should be my father, but yeah, what’s this regarding?”

“That’s for him,” Parker said, handing over the notice of service in a manilla envelope.

“Ok … what’s it regarding if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s legal paperwork for him.”

A woman can be heard in the background saying “Tyler, don’t accept that.”

Parker leaves the documents with Tyler and walks away – only to promptly contact the Lakewood Police Department to inform them of the whereabouts of a fugitive from justice.

Within hours, Tyler Crowl was in custody and being held at the Pierce County Jail, where he is still awaiting extradition to Yamhill County, Oregon.

It is unclear whether the elder Crowl knew his son was a fugitive from justice. unDivided has reached out to prosecutors in Oregon to inquire whether they are investigating whether Eric Crowl knowingly concealed his son’s whereabouts.

A text message and email to Eric Crowl seeking comment went unanswered Tuesday. Crowl protected his X account (@OutragePNW) shortly after unDivided reached out for comment about his son’s arrest, limiting his posts to approved followers.

So, what lessons can be taken from this sordid tale?

For starters, don’t engage in sex acts with a pre-teen. That’s good advice for anyone.

Second, don’t be a social media troll. Also good advice for anyone. But if you simply can’t help but poke the hornet’s nest, at least make sure your own hive is in order first.

 

 

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Guest editorial: How Washington’s mental health laws strip parents of their rights
Couture: "Washington State Sen. Jamie Pedersen claimed that parents have had no right to consent or even be notified about their child’s mental health services since 1985. This claim is deliberately misleading."
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