By Josh Resnek
Everett resident Wendy Poste has been fighting for justice since she was allegedly drugged and raped by an Everett firefighter who was on the state’s sexual predator list while he served and when she was raped.
This former Everett firefighter not only made it onto the list, but has since committed a second incident of sexual violence which he pleaded guilty to and is a part of the public record.
Yet he was able to work until retirement with the apparent full knowledge of fire and police officials here who have largely tried to ignore the harsh reality that Poste keeps bringing up to the public and city officials from meeting to meeting of the city council.
From the woman’s perspective, ignoring Poste’s pleas for justice is all wrong.
From the perspective of bureaucracy, Poste has a very low expectation that anyone in city government will pay heed to her.
In fact, no one in a position of responsibility has expressed anything publicly about her belief that sexual predators should not be allowed to serve on the police and or the fire department in Everett…or in any city.
She wonders how such a situation could have been allowed to exist here for so many years, with so many public officials knowing about the firefighter on the sexual predators list who allegedly raped her.
On the other hand, Poste understands political intransigence.
She knows that there are many who care but that they won’t stand up to change things for fear of upsetting the applecart here. When you come right down to it, how does the city explain away having a longtime firefighter serving in the department for so many years when he was on the sexual predators list?
Poste is asking and wondering at the same time, are there others? Is it acceptable behavior for the city to employ first responders on the sexual predators list?
This is a question worth pursuing and sooner rather than later.
How can such a situation be left to chance?