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An Olympia School Board move to appoint an outspoken anti-police activist and convicted criminal to fill a vacancy on the board caught many South Puget Sound-area parents by surprise, one mother told The Dori Monson Show Wednesday.

But now, parent Alesha Perkins told Dori鈥檚 listeners, the grassroots startup OSD Rescue is pushing back against the unanimous appointment of Talauna Martin Reed, the board鈥檚 first Black director.

Adding Reed to the five-member board of directors is proof that 鈥渁cademics have been abandoned in favor of ideology鈥� in Olympia schools, Perkins said.

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Perkins said she and other community members knew of Reed, 47, from her failed 2021 voter campaign to the Olympia City Council. During that race, Reed gained attention at a rally telling the crowd 鈥渇*** the police鈥� in a string of profanities she used while criticizing local officers providing security and crowd control.

鈥淚t amazes me how those pigs can sit over there to watch us peacefully talk about what we want [to] change in this state,鈥� Reed told last summer鈥檚 crowd. 鈥淚t amazes me. And they don鈥檛 pay attention until we tear s*** up. So, before I get started, tear everything up in this f* city until they do what we want them to do.鈥�

鈥淪he didn鈥檛 win that (city council) election, so I didn鈥檛 pay a lot of attention after that,鈥� Perkins said of Reed. 鈥淲hen I heard that she was being appointed to this school board vacancy, I thought it was a mistake. It couldn鈥檛 be the same person.鈥�

When OSD Rescue did more research, they found several of Reed鈥檚 criminal convictions 鈥� including a series of second- and third-degree theft charges stemming from a Thurston County embezzlement case in 2003; a 2010 second-degree theft conviction in Pierce County; a 2017 check forgery case at an Olympia-area Hobby Lobby; and a shoplifting arrest at a Target store that same year.

Perkins attended Oct. 27鈥檚 board meeting where 鈥� despite some objections — Reed was officially sworn in.

鈥淚 was so disappointed,鈥� Perkins said. She told Dori鈥檚 listeners that board president Maria Flores called parental objections 鈥渉ate鈥� and the board 鈥減roceeded to give us a lecture on white supremacy.鈥�

Prior to Reed鈥檚 appointment, Perkins continued, it鈥檚 not clear whether the board鈥檚 four elected members knew of Reed鈥檚 criminal history and Antifa connections or whether they just ignored them.

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Some opponents to Reed鈥檚 appointment noted that she is connected with activist Miguel Louis Lofland, who runs his own Antifa News Network newspaper and has provided videography for Reed and her anti-police rallies.

With no apparent recourse to overturn Reed鈥檚 appointment, Perkins said the parents鈥� group will now work to 鈥渇lip the three seats that are up鈥� next year. Reed鈥檚 appointment expires in December 2023; she will need to run for her seat next year if she wants to continue on the board.

While the board鈥檚 move to appoint its first person of color 鈥渁ll started with good intentions,鈥� Perkins said, now 鈥渨e need to get back to academics. Please, can we start getting back to academics again?鈥�

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