Obama Not Welcome in Roseburg?

President Obama plans to meet in private with family members of victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting on Friday. In recent days, numerous media outlets have been reporting that the citizens of Roseburg do not welcome the President's visit and the issue has become a topic of considerable debate including here on ATS where a number of related threads have been authored.

I've seen quite a lot of matter-of-fact statements made I was curious as to what the basis of these statements was and so I did a bit of searching to see what I could come up with.

The most widely publicized quotes in opposition to the visit come from David Jaques, publisher of the conservative newspaper, The Roseburg Beacon, whose Brietbart interview I found covered at the following:

Brietbart - OBAMA NOT WELCOME IN ROSEBURG, SAYS LOCAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER
BizPac Review - Obama not welcome in Oregon town after politicizing murders, says publisher
Western Journalism - Roseburg, Oregon, Says Obama Not Welcome After College Shooting

A couple days after the Brietbart interview, Mr. Jaques appeared on Fox's The O'Reilly Factor (transcript source):

DAVID JAQUES: Well I think the President, first of all, is not welcome in the community. And that isn't just my opinion. We've talked to dozens upon dozens of citizens, some family members of the victims, our elected officials. And you may have a copy of — if you don't, I'd be happy to read from it on the air — that our Douglas County commissioners, along with our Douglas County elected sheriff who is very popular, and our chief of police all came to a consensus language about him not being welcome here to grandstand for political purposes and I'd be happy to read it or share it.

O'REILLY: Don't read it. But just encapsulate why they don't want President Obama to come.

JAQUES: Well, the bottom line, Bill, is that a number of people believe that when the President opened his press conference, we still haven't finished counting the bodies on the campus right behind me. We haven't identified whose children were killed and whose were not. And even at that same moment, he was saying, "Some people will accuse me of politicizing this issue." And he goes on to say, "But it should be." So he's not only acknowledged that it could be politicize, but was doing so deliberately.

So now he wants to come to our community and stand on the corpses of our loved ones to make some kind of political point. And it isn't going to be well received not by our people not by our families and not even by our elected officials.

I found the above interview covered in the following posts/articles (among others):

Brietbart - ROSEBURG TO OBAMA: DON’T ‘STAND ON THE CORPSES OF OUR LOVED ONES’
The Blaze - Roseburg Newspaper Publisher Delivers Brutal Message to Obama Ahead of President’s Plans to Visit Shooting Victims’ Families
The Gateway Pundit -
Roseburg, Oregon City Leaders: Obama IS NOT WELCOME to Come Grandstand at the Funerals of Shooting Victims
IJ Review - Obama’s Not Welcome: Roseburg Residents Have a Passionate Reason Why They Want Him to Stay Away
The Daily Caller - Oregon Community Paper: Obama Not Welcome After Politicizing Shooting
Infowars - ROSEBURG, ORE., RESIDENTS TO PROTEST AGAINST OBAMA FOLLOWING SHOOTING
Newsbusters - Not News: Obama's Planned Visit to Roseburg, Ore. 'Not Welcome' There

Next up we have the Facebook group Defend Roseburg - Deny barack 0bama, which has staged a protest to coincide with the President's visit. This Facebook group has been widely popularized by a variety of (many overlapping with the above) outlets: BizPac , Brietbart, Infowars, The Gateway Pundit, Western Journalism, Top Right News, Conservative Tribune, etc.

The Gateway Pundit quotes the group's page (link above):

The anointed one his majesty king 0bama and the White House have announced a Friday arrival in Roseburg, Oregon in the wake of Oct 1st’s horrific tragedy at UCC.

Polarizing as usual, Mr 0bama has insisted on politicizing the event as a conduit for increased executive orders on gun control via means of his pen, and his phone.

This blatant disrespect of the victims families, the community and the town of Roseburg, Mr 0bama’s administration is flying not just the 747 that is airforce one to Oregon, but a three helicopter team of Sikorsky’s that make up HMX-1, known as Marine one to travel to Roseburg at the taxpayers expense.

We need a lot of people. Please come show your support for Roseburg, not the little man who has no respect for the constitution.

It's interesting to note that the group's organizer, Casey Runyan, has a thing for using a zero "0" in place of a capital O when spelling "Obama" (including in the group's name and posts).

It's also interesting to note that Casey Runyan is from the town of Reedsport, OR, about an hour and a half away from Roseburg. In fact, looking at the profiles of the other seven people administrating the group, three of them are definitely from Washington, and though at least two of the others at least appear to be from Oregon, none of them can be conclusively demonstrated to be from Roseburg.

Casey Runyan's Ballotpedia profile can be viewed here. He was the 2014 Republican candidate for District 9 of the Oregon House of Representatives. Among the other administrators, there's a guy whose profile picture is him shaking hands with Ted Cruz, another one has a feed that is 90% full of support for Ron and Rand Paul. Then there's Kit Lange, who seems to be the most active on the page, who discloses this on his blog, The Patrick Henry Society (my bold):

What really stands out about this rally isn’t just the national distaste for yet another narcissistic move by the naked emperor. It’s the patriots who already left from Ohio to make it to Oregon by Friday to stand with the citizens of Roseburg. It’s the guy who, on his own, collected a few hundred dollars from patriots across the country to provide high-quality signs for the rally. It’s the hundreds and hundreds of comments from people in every state…prayers and support from Tampa Bay to Anchorage, Honolulu to NYC. People offering money and resources and skills to make sure that the event is safe, responsible, and sends the right message—namely, that Obama is not welcome in Roseburg, Oregon.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll point out that I am not a resident of Roseburg, or even Oregon. I live in truly enemy territory—the Seattle area. I am helping to organize this event because I believe in it and I have experience doing it. I cannot imagine what Roseburg is going through, and the idea that Obama would swoop in and make his grand appearance there, to use yet another tragedy as filthy, bloody currency in his quest for total control…it fills me with an emotion I cannot describe.

That's right folks, these are outside agitators. Somebody should really inform Brietbart who identified Casey Runyan as a resident:

On October 2 Breitbart New reported that Roseburg residents were rallying to the Second Amendment in the wake of the attack. One resident–disabled Marine Casey Runyan–said he carries a Glock handgun “everywhere he goes.” He added, “All my friends agree with me. That’s the only kind of friends I have.”

While it's clear that there's a lot of shenanigans going on and the typical disinformation sources are..ermm.. disinforming, it turns out, there is also good reason to believe that there are in fact many people in Roseburg who aren't thrilled with the President's visit nor his recent speeches about gun ownership and that includes some family members of victims and victims themselves. Here's what I found:

The Register-Guard out of Eugene, OR, has a fairly objective article.

Some Roseburg residents’ message to Obama: “Don’t bother” visiting

In an unscientific sampling of Roseburg area residents on Tuesday, more sided with Roberts’ views than with Foley’s.

Immediately after Thursday’s shooting, Obama repeated a call for more gun control. That did not sit well with some Roseburg area residents.

“We do not want him to come, and the veterans don’t want him to come,” asserted Patti Sciapiti, who said that her husband is involved with the American Legion in Roseburg.

“I don’t want him here because I don’t think it was proper for him to talk about gun control when the tragedy was just happening,” Sciapiti said from the parking lot at Mercy Medical Center. “He politicized it; he even said he politicized it. That’s just not right. ... He’s not welcome.”

One man who said he is a military veteran and provided only his first name, Dave, said he doesn’t plan to try to see Obama on the visit, calling him “a jerk.”

Rod Cotton, a lifelong resident of Roseburg, has lived in the neighborhood directly across from the UCC campus for the last 25 years. He said he doesn’t mind if the president comes to the community — an opinion different from many of his friends — but hopes Obama will narrow the focus of his visit.

Stacy Boylan, father of survivor Ana Boylan told Fox's Megyn Kelly

He said that he's spoken to his daughter and other family members and decided that they will not be attending the president's visit on Friday.

"On principle, I find that I am in disagreement with his policies on gun control, and therefore, we will not be attending the visit."

Jessy Atkinson and brother of survivor Cheyenne Fitzgerald was asked what he'd say to the President by CNN's Anderson Cooper (via Mediate):

Atkinson said, “Look where the problem really lies, and quit running the agenda––quit running the gun agenda. It’s not the problem. It’s mental health in America.”

In the same interview his mother (and Cheyenne's), Bonnie Schaan, said, "I feel that our children should be able to protect themselves somehow." Side note: Cheyenne is only 16 years old so while I have nothing but compassion for this girl and her family, the mother's comments might be a tad misleading. Also, it's worth dispelling another bit of disinformation. The college actually does allow some weapons on campus, in fact one man who has been interviewed repeatedly is Air Force veteran and student, John Parker Jr., who was carrying a gun that day though was apparently on the other side of the campus.

It's unclear from anything I've read whether the family of Quinn Cooper, one of the young people whose lives were tragically cut short, will be meeting with the President but in a public statement released last weekend, they expressed their opinions on gun ownership and their wish that their son's death not be used as part of a political agenda to advance gun laws (from IJ Review):

“We need to be able to protect ourselves as a community and as a nation. Please don’t let this horrible act of insanity become about who should or shouldn’t have a gun.”

This has grown much larger than I intended but I should include a few more items:

Gun store owner and resident, 86 year-old Carolyn Kellim, will probably not be attending any speeches. She's given more than one interview, but I'll excerpt from Brietbart :

Kellim refers to Obama as “executive anus” and says she doubts whether “he’s ever carried a gun.” She added, “I’m not sure he’s ever shot one … but he seems to think that they’re bad all the way through. They’re not.”

Nor will Jeramy Magallanes, resident and creator of the FB group Stay out of Roseburg which of course didn't go viral like the establishment backed group formed by the outside agitators... or will he?

In an interview with the local NBC affiliate:

Jeramy says as long as it’s not political, he’ll welcome the president with open arms.

“If he decides to show up and talk to community, I’ll go and listen to what he has to say,” Magallanes says, “if he brings up anything out of sorts as far as the family goes, or this tragedy that has happened I’ll turn my back to him.”

It's also not clear whether Chris Mintz, the hero who was shot 7 times shielding others, will be meeting with the President. Conservative councilman Chris Boise gave an interview with Fox News from which quotes have been excerpted by several outlets, in which he said:

Chris Boice: I was fortunate enough to go in and visit with Chris Mintz and hear his story and what an amazing young man, just an extremely humble individual. And, when I mentioned to him that the president is coming he was not real excited about getting involved in the political part of this thing either, but humbled by the fact that the president of the United States would be interested in coming to visit him… My understanding is he hasn’t spoken with anyone from the White House yet and he’s not really interested in doing that. I’m not sure where that stands as off this minute.

From that statement, it sounds to me like he will meet with the President but The Gateway Pundit (source of above) and others have framed it as a definite no:

Several residents spoke out against his visit to the community on Friday. One man told a FOX reporter something about Obama “kissing a sweet bippy!”

According to Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice, the Umpqua College hero does not want to see Barack Obama.

Finally, what about Commissioner Chris Boice? Weeeeeeelllll... from the Oregonian:

ROSEBURG — Douglas County Commissioners at an afternoon news conference Wednesday said they were looking forward to President Barack Obama's visit Friday as "his show of support" for the grieving community, regardless of their differences on policy issues.

"We know that our tragedy is an America's tragedy -- and a nation grieves with us as we attempt to manage through this difficult time in our history," commission Chairwoman Susan Morgan said in prepared remarks outside the Douglas County Courthouse.

She was joined by Commissioners Tim Freeman and Chris Boice, both of whom have publicly said the president should refrain from talking about gun reforms during his visit.

This comes on the heels of a release by the Roseburg City Council Tuesday, excerpted from local paper, NR Today:

The Roseburg City Council issued a statement Tuesday clarifying its position after the publisher of a local conservative weekly publication appeared on Fox News to tell the host that Obama wasn’t welcome here, suggesting he was speaking for our community leaders.

“Unfortunately, individuals have been claiming to be speaking on behalf of the city of Roseburg. Please be advised that any statements made by individuals other than our elected city of Roseburg officials, or our appointed City Manager Lance Colley and Police Chief Jim Burge are misrepresentations,” read the release.

Roseburg Councilman Steve Kaser was even more direct. “When I heard the interview I was appalled,” he said. “He didn’t speak for us as a council. He didn’t speak for Roseburg.”

Anyone who has stuck with me this long, thanks! I know this is a lot of links and excerpts and I probably should have laid this all out better, but I hope that there's enough information here to explain how I came to the following conclusions:

1. David Jaques doesn't speak for anyone but himself. His comments have been shoved in front of everyone as part of a right-wing media campaign that includes support for...

2. Defend Roseburg - Deny barack 0bama, a group that is being presented falsely by many in the media as having been organized by a local but is really the product of outside agitators.

3. At the end of the day, the President is going to show up and it seems to me that while a sizable number of people don't support the President or his stances on gun control, they're actually more than willing to welcome him to Roseburg provided he sticks to the plan, meets privately with those who want to meet with him and doesn't give any speeches about guns.

Wouldn't it be funny if Obummer had a press confrence and nobody showed up? Nah! Forget it. The Libs would just bus them in from Portland.

I have a lot of issues with the president...

If he shows up meets with the families and leaves without parading in front of the press I'll applaud him.

I just don't expect it, I expect to see him hold a press conference and continue to politicize it.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I have a lot of issues with the President myself, probably different issues than yours in most cases but even so, I'm hoping that he just goes and gives his condolences as well.

If I had to bet money on it, I'd bet that if he makes remarks to the press at all while in Roseburg, guns won't be a part of those remarks. The area is predominately conservative, with registered Republicans outnumbering registered Democrats 25k to 16k according to the Register-Guard.

That said, I do think that he'll be meeting in private with more people than the conservative media are leading their readers/viewers to believe, including Chris Mintz.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I lived on OR for about 10 years (my husband is from there) and while Roseburg is a bit of a conservative enclave, there are many liberal people there. I was confused when I heard that Roseburg apparently didn't want Obama to come there. Especially after I heard that the mayor and the city were welcoming him... So, I'm not really surprised to see this.

I'm sure Jaques and his buddies don't want Obama to politicize this, and pretty sure Roseburg doesn't want him to, either, and I have every confidence that Obama will respect that.

“... We wish to be clear that Mayor (Larry) Rich, City Council President (Tom) Ryan and the Roseburg City Council welcome the president to Roseburg and will extend him every courtesy,” the statement said.
...
City Councilor Steve Kaser, who oversees the southeastern quadrant of the city, said the comments by Jaques were upsetting.

“When I heard his interview I was appalled. He didn’t speak for us as a council. He didn’t speak for Roseburg,” Kaser said. “We’ve united around this thing. To have somebody like Mr. Jaques make this a political thing — this is a sitting president. I don’t care who he is. You agree with him or not, you have to show respect.”

Source

I said on one of the other thread, which got me a lot of flak from other members, that this anti-Obama push in Roseburg was a manufactured outrage that is using the death of these people to form a political protest against Obama.

They are no better than Obama potentially using this to politicize gun control.

Good work, by the way.

originally posted by: introvert
I said on one of the other thread, which got me a lot of flak from other members, that this anti-Obama push in Roseburg was a manufactured outrage that is using the death of these people to form a political protest against Obama.

Exactly. The conservatives used the situation to take a political shot at Obama, accusing HIM of what THEY were doing! Projection, much?

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Projection, yes. It is also my opinion that it requires a lack of integrity and personal honesty to criticize one, and not the other.

To play politics over the death of these people is simply wrong. No matter whom is doing it.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: introvert
I said on one of the other thread, which got me a lot of flak from other members, that this anti-Obama push in Roseburg was a manufactured outrage that is using the death of these people to form a political protest against Obama.

Exactly. The conservatives used the situation to take a political shot at Obama, accusing HIM of what THEY were doing! Projection, much?

Do you seriously think that it is only Conservatives who want to keep their 2nd amendment rights?

This is where Progressives are killing the Democratic party! Maybe I shouldn't have said anything and let you guys flounder in your misery!

The 2nd amendment isn't a Conservative thing! But hell, ya'll keep it up, this is popcorn making entertainment for those of us who don't kneel at the partisan alter!!!

a reply to: theantediluvian

Excellent post! Thanks for the leg work.

originally posted by: seeker1963
Do you seriously think that it is only Conservatives who want to keep their 2nd amendment rights?

I don't think that at all. I think you misunderstood my post. I wasn't referring to the 2nd amendment. I was referring to politicizing the situation. Conservatives politicized the situation, by making this big hubbub about Roseburg not wanting Obama there.

The 2nd amendment isn't a Conservative thing!

True, but being vehemently anti-Obama IS.

originally posted by: introvert
I said on one of the other thread, which got me a lot of flak from other members, that this anti-Obama push in Roseburg was a manufactured outrage that is using the death of these people to form a political protest against Obama.

They are no better than Obama potentially using this to politicize gun control.

Good work, by the way.

I don't think so. It is too easy for Obama to just say that he will comply with the wishes of the victim's families and not go. He'd win big points doing that, even some from me.

This kind of thing Obama has said now and in the past realy makes me sick.
he & they have a dead soul. and is evil. you can not blame the devil.
I am so glade that the world can See them for what they are.
just a small chance that this may change the world?
Or we will lose every thing!

a reply to: theantediluvian

Thanks AD. THis is the thread I wish I had had the presence to write yesterday. I appreciated your addition to that thread as well as your job in bringing this 'fraud' more fully into the light here.

I find that as you say the 'debate is orchestrated by a few individuals of strong rightwing beliefs who have been picked up and spotlighted by ''big time' media pundits of the same persuasion. What befuddles me is that so many can see it when this happens in regards 'the other side' yet are then so quick to 'not' see it when they agree with the position taken.

When I first heard that Obama was going to come here, my immediate response was,,Ohhhh please. Don't come Barack. Don't you know this place is a gun heavy community? Don't you know that Douglas County is comprised predominately of Republicans? Many here will not appreciate your gesture of support.

But then I did my own little 'unscientific sampling'. I found among my friends that some who are adamantly right wing were quick to parrot the defend Roseburg meme but many others were glad that Obama would visit so long as he did not make us a political football.

Yet it seems that a football is what we are becoming.

My concern is that I think that many people across the country are looking for a spark to ignite a general uprising against Obama, against the government and that this trip just might be that spark. While some here might think this way, I doubt that this meme is at all indicative of the vast majority of people here.

And now that you have done such a good job of presenting the facts, with links and a whole lot of research that I just did not have the mind for in my thread, of pointing out to people about those from outside the area who are doing what they can to manipulate this whole scenario I hope that this situation can resolve itself and that those victims who wish to meet the president are lifted by it and those who do not want to meet him can heal in their own manner.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic
One more time for folks that still do not seem to "get it". This is not about gun control nor the 2nd amendment . This is about politicizing a tragedy and trying to push an agenda . Let these people have time to try and recover. Then give your speeches.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: seeker1963
Do you seriously think that it is only Conservatives who want to keep their 2nd amendment rights?

I don't think that at all. I think you misunderstood my post. I wasn't referring to the 2nd amendment. I was referring to politicizing the situation. Conservatives politicized the situation, by making this big hubbub about Roseburg not wanting Obama there.

The 2nd amendment isn't a Conservative thing!

True, but being vehemently anti-Obama IS.

You may be confused. Obama clearly had a press conference and said this (A direct quote by the way)

"And, of course, what’s also routine is that somebody, somewhere will comment and say, Obama politicized this issue. Well, this is something we should politicize."

SOURCE: time.com...

......and thats when the other side drew their political line in the sand. A response AFTER Obama opened that door instead of just using that time to console the families and condemn the killer.

Face it, your buddy Obama started the political conversation this time, if you cant see that, well your comprehension skills need sharpening. Its in black and white, and by his own words.

Also the principle of cause and effect is very much in play here. The residents of Roseburg did not ask to have their children killed, they did not ask for Obama to politicize this, however they have every right to respond and show their displeasure showcasing how insensitive our supposed Leader is. But back to cause and effect.

Obama made the first remark politicizing this whole ordeal (cause).
Residents got upset and responded the way they did (effect).

A good leader would have seen that coming and simply been compassionate instead of falling to his ego and pressing his agenda.

As a citizen of Oregon, the most I've heard is that he is coming to Roseburg to speak with the families, but one family has rejected his request to speak with them due to the fact he hasn't made any laws against gun violence was what our local news station said.

originally posted by: phishfriar47

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: seeker1963
Do you seriously think that it is only Conservatives who want to keep their 2nd amendment rights?

I don't think that at all. I think you misunderstood my post. I wasn't referring to the 2nd amendment. I was referring to politicizing the situation. Conservatives politicized the situation, by making this big hubbub about Roseburg not wanting Obama there.

The 2nd amendment isn't a Conservative thing!

True, but being vehemently anti-Obama IS.

You may be confused. Obama clearly had a press conference and said this (A direct quote by the way)

"And, of course, what’s also routine is that somebody, somewhere will comment and say, Obama politicized this issue. Well, this is something we should politicize."

SOURCE: time.com...

......and thats when the other side drew their political line in the sand. A response AFTER Obama opened that door instead of just using that time to console the families and condemn the killer.

Face it, your buddy Obama started the political conversation this time, if you cant see that, well your comprehension skills need sharpening. Its in black and white, and by his own words.

Also the principle of cause and effect is very much in play here. The residents of Roseburg did not ask to have their children killed, they did not ask for Obama to politicize this, however they have every right to respond and show their displeasure showcasing how insensitive our supposed Leader is. But back to cause and effect.

Obama made the first remark politicizing this whole ordeal (cause).
Residents got upset and responded the way they did (effect).

A good leader would have seen that coming and simply been compassionate instead of falling to his ego and pressing his agenda.

I have to agree with phish.....the killer's name was not known and the number of dead and injured was still unclear and Mr O. was full bore demanding some more gun control legislation. His agenda is clear , let no tragedy go to waste.