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Dakota Communications political consultant Rick Taylor didn't like having his tactical memo exposed by the group fighting a Home Depot store in the Sunland area. So, in a not so brilliant move, he ensures more people will see his tactics — stuff like feeding and busing "supporters" to choreograph a show at Tuesday's City Council meeting and tapping a planning commissioner to work the mayor — by hitting organizer Joe Barrett today with a lawyer letter. Dakota wants the memo taken off Barrett's website and demands to know how he got hold of it. Barrett already appeared on "John and Ken" Friday on KFI — what is Taylor going for, becoming the object of national scorn in Jay Leno's monologue?
I didn't quote nearly enough of the controversial memo in Thursday's post. Here's more plus links to the whole thing and some of the juicier quotes from the lawyer's cease-and-desist demand.
And...
Here's where Taylor talks about packing the council chambers — free food! He tacked on a proposed budget: all this political theater was going to cost Home Depot about $24,000.
Lawyer Derek S. Yee's letter to Barrett tries to intimidate him with legal threats. Here's a sample:
We hereby demand that you immediately return the memorandum to Dakota. In addition, you are hereby placed on notice that your continued use and/or posting of the memorandum infringe on our client's rights and is in violation of applicable Federal and State laws....Additionally, we demand that you provide us with information on how you obtained the memorandum along with the names and addresses of all other persons or entities who are involved in the acquisition of the memorandum.
If we do not receive written confirmation by noon on July 30, 2007 that you have returned the memorandum, ceased display of the memorandum on your website, and ceased all other use of the memorandum, we will take all legal steps to protect our client's rights, including, but not limited to, filing a complaint for conversion, unfair business practices, copyright infringement, and/or misappropriation of trade secrets, to secure the return of the confidential document and a temporary and permanent injunctive relief requiring you to return the memorandum and refrain from using the memorandum for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to posting, copying, distributing, or disseminating the confidential memorandum.
Yee could use an editor.