Way back in 2015-16, Gary was late on filing paperwork, that was eventually filed for a campaign that never started and zero dollars raised. No campaign, zero dollars with nothing to report. Like any hit piece Eric Pierce wrote the blog post without full facts that the cannons of good journalism requires. It was a hit job.
The second thing Eric Pierce wrote about is a re hacking of a 2010 article written by the Whittier Daily News with incomplete facts but "sold newspapers". It is about when Gary was accused of "carrying a switchblade" by a Whittier PD officer who is the son of a city councilman. This occurred in 2010, after having diner at a restaurant and just after getting off work as a campground ranger (half in his uniform). Gary paid his bill and said farewell to his diner friends and walked to his car in the restaurant parking lot. After getting in his car he was rushed by the city councilman's son-police officer. Gary voluntarily acknowledged and surrendered his utility knife to the officer. Gary had saved lives with his utility knife as a ranger and was critical to his job. As the blog suggest, there was never any altercation nor any report of one but served as an excuse for councilman's police son to pull Gary out of his car while parked in the lot. Car keys not even in the ignition. Councilman's police son was waiting for him. Conveniently, the next day the Whittier Daily News wrote a scathing article describing Gary as a switchblade carrying ese. Soon after, but never reported by the Whittier Daily News and ignored by this political blog attack, Gary was vindicated with the court judged and prosecutor immediately dismissing the case and admonishing the Whittier PD and the Councilman's police son for "misinterpreting state law and for being suspiciously political".
The councilman's retaliation came as a result of Gary and his child safety parent group exposing the councilman's relationship with a two time convicted child molester that turned out to be his financial supporter and who he awarded a landscaping city contract to with the councilman knowing of his trespasses against children. Just before this time, the child safety parents and Gary produced a map of all molesters names and addresses for the "safe route to school" map with the councilman's molester friend on it. At the time, the child safety group was unaware of the councilman-molester relationship. The map was part of child safety training and given to local parents for children to avoid. Just after at a community event, the councilman approached Gary with scathing remarks about the "attack on a prominent family" (molester-city contractor) and spat on Gary's face. Gary was use to molesters on Megan's List making threats as a result of his child safety training. But a city councilman was a surprise that rose suspicion.
The issue snowballed when the Councilman awarded the child molester the opportunity to host the "Santa Sleigh" in the city which is an event primarily for children. The child safety parent group and Gary informed the city and the Whittier PD of the potential danger children would be in to no avail. Gary and the parent group attended the event and took pictures of the molester greeting and making physical contact with children. Tragically, it turned out he molested another child related to the event and which could have been prevented but the city and the councilman looked the other way. Another child violated. Gary has been conducting child safety training in the area for over thirty-five years and will continue regardless of political opposition or nasty misconstrued blog attacks. The incident and with pressure, the city was forced to legislate city ordinances requiring background checks on city vendors and Santa's Sleigh host homes for crimes against children. None of which the Whittier Daily News or the Greenleaf Guardian reported on.
The Greanleaf Gurardian and Eric Pierce wrote the political hit piece without looking into any actual facts. The intent of Eric Pierce is to portray Gary in a bad light during a campaign with old (2010) misconstrued information. Gary was judged for his politics, his endeavors to protect children and in exposing politicians that protect molesters. "I will not be deterred from protecting and empowering children and parents from bullies and child sex offenders. I'm sorry that Eric Pierce choose the later, said Sensei Gary Mendez".
