City Attorney Employs Hate Hoax to Avoid Facing Angry Citizens

Hate hoaxing is a technique used by “marginalized” groups to acquire political power. But even those who have already achieved power find hoaxes useful. For example, hoaxes can help bureaucrats avoid facing the wrath of voters:

Former Petersburg [Virginia] City Attorney Brian K. Telfair asked a city employee to buy a prepaid cellphone that he later used to make a phone call to himself — a call that Telfair told police was made by an unknown “redneck” caller who made racist threats to the mayor and two other city officials, according to court records.

The phony call led to the abrupt cancellation of a Petersburg City Council meeting in February 2016 after city officials received word that residents were upset about high water bills and other financial issues plaguing the city, according to court records related to Telfair’s pending misdemeanor criminal charge of lying to police about the supposed threat to city officials.

A large crowd had been expected to turn up at the meeting, pitchforks in hand, torches blazing. So Telfair hatched his scheme.

Telfair told a Petersburg investigator that the caller threatened to “kick (the) ass” of then-Mayor Howard Myers, then-City Manager William E. Johnson II and then-City Finance Manager Irvin Carter. Telfair claimed the caller also said, “We’re going to come and get your f—— n—– asses and throw your n—– asses in the street during the meeting.”

The same ineptness that had presumably played a part in enraging the public also screwed up the hoax:

A Petersburg police investigator determined that the email canceling the meeting wasn’t sent out until 4:21 p.m., which was 17 minutes before Telfair received the supposed threatening telephone call at 4:38 p.m., police said in court records.

Please welcome Brian Telfair, who now works for a law firm, to the Hate Hoax List.

Hat tip: Liberty Daily.