On Open Doors, Warnings, and What Really Matters

The Situation

This past week, we had a situation where a local resident found the door ajar at the community center, which is temporarily housing city staff offices. This person did eventually call the authorities and ensure that the building was secured, but also walked through all of the offices, filming as he went, and subsequently posted the video to social media.

Staff investigated to determine how the door was left open and unlocked and discovered that there had been a miscommunication between a staff person and contractor. The city is currently fixing the doors at the community center in preparation for opening it for public use, so it is not hard to see how this might have happened. There appears to not be anything missing from the offices and the investigation concluded that no data breach occurred. Steps have been taken to ensure that this does not happen again.

Later in the week, Ashland Police officers visited this local resident to let him know that what he did was technically trespassing so that he would not enter like that should he ever encounter a similar situation. No charges were filed or citations written.

That’s it. Those are the facts that have kicked loose a vigorous discussion on social media. I have been approached by media outlets wanting comments and Ashland.news carried a story on the situation.

History of Security Breaches

This is the first time I have heard of a facilities security error like this during my 7 years on council, so this error is rare. But mistakes happen from time to time, and I am so grateful that this turned out as it did – with the building secure and no data breach or property damage. It doesn’t take much to imagine what could have happened if someone else had entered the building intent on stealing property or data - or damaging property.

Feelings Matter

It has struck me as I’ve thought about this situation that city staff who had their offices filmed and broadcast across social media likely feel violated in much the same way as someone whose home privacy has been violated. I keep personal photos and other things that have meaning for me at my desk, and I know how I would feel if someone entered my office, filmed it, and posted it to social media without my knowledge. I would feel violated. Our city staff work hard and everyone is doing their best – as people are across this community. They don’t deserve to have their workspaces violated.

The Bigger Picture

Our world feels like it is coming apart in so many ways that can make those of us who care about democracy, our fellow humans, and the natural world feel profoundly helpless. In times like this, it can be tempting to latch on and obsess about small local situations because that’s where it feels like we have some agency. We must resist that temptation and instead focus on the things that are harder, but actually need our attention.

Local institutions, including SOU, the school district, and the hospital are all undergoing transformational change. Economic disruption is upon us from actions taken at the international level. And the Constitution, rule of law, separation of powers, and our right to vote are all under attack. This administration is actively working to set up a system to pay traitors with taxpayer money.

There is no shortage of real things to be outraged about – and it is just true that those issues are harder to influence. But let’s be disciplined and put our focus on the issues that need our attention – locally, nationally, and internationally. Let’s put our attention to how to support SOU, the school district, and our local businesses. Let’s focus on what we can do to make our community and the world a better place. Here are a couple of articles/links about recent events that are helping us grapple with large issues locally:

Choosing Imagination event last Friday
Say Their Names Vigil last week
City of Ashland’s Strategic Planning process underway
As we move through these disrupted times, let’s be kind and thoughtful. Yesterday morning, I learned of the passing of a beloved community member who was a bright shining star in the lives of Ashland’s children for decades. He passed after a relentless illness that eventually took from him everything he loved. It reminded me how important it is to focus on the things in our lives that are truly important. This situation doesn’t feel like it rises to that level, especially given everything else going on.

My Read on the Situation

A mistake happened and it was addressed by a couple of community members who saw the situation and secured the building.

In the process, one of them made a poor decision to film staff offices and distribute the video. While I appreciate that he saw the issue and helped resolve it, our community could have done without the drama – and our staff could have done without the feeling of violation that they no doubt have after seeing their office spaces on social media.

The City did not press charges or cite the resident – which is appropriate. Nothing was harmed and the resident took action that secured the building. Now he (and everyone else) is clear about how to handle something like this in the future.

Thank you, Jim, Beth, and Marcus, for seeing this situation and securing the building.

Thank you, city staff, for understanding that sometimes residents make decisions that hurt and moving forward in spite of that reality.

Thank you, Ashland police officers, for helping a resident and the wider community understand the rules that govern our community.

Let’s move on.