Why Is JOHN VENTRE Still Associated With MUFON PA?
By Tanner F. Boyle: John Ventre is the former State Director of MUFON for Pennsylvania—former being the operative word here. Ventre received nationwide coverage in 2018 when a particularly racist Facebook post prompted a sizeable exodus from the UFO research organization, one in which he decried Netflix airing a show “that promotes white genocide.” He included racist modes of thinking in his post that I was previously unfamiliar with, imploring readers to: “Google serotonin by race, IQ by race and violent crime by race and then compare that to the F’ing (sic) message the media portrays.”
As my late friend Jimmy Falun Gong would say, Ventre is damn near to the point of “busting out the calipers” when it comes to his nonsensical racism. Despite this history, John Ventre remains the main player and organizer for this MUFON chapter’s annual conference—much to the bafflement of some on Twitter. I have heard through the grapevine that he gives the organization too much money to be phased out completely, even though he was responsible for “a wave of researchers (…) distancing themselves” from MUFON. Continue reading Fear and Loathing at MUFON PA
On May 25, 2017, I posted the following information, which was picked up by the national media, leading the a lot of questions concerning MUFON and the organization's views:
MUFON's Most Recent Scandal...Racism!
Jan Harzan's statement
This post is for those readers who are not familiar with the recent scandal at MUFON. The following update is provided by Karyn Dolan:
Update on the MUFON scandal, since it's all over Facebook but I've seen several questions about it from people who are just now hearing about it. I'm not interested in trying to "take down" an organization or an individual. My stance on this is simply that someone made some incredibly harshly racist statements, and I was moved to object to them. The original post was saved as a screenshot and shared by several people including Lon Strickler, Anthony F. Sanchez, Ryan Sprague, and Mike Chalero.
A lot of other people objected, too, and several days after being notified of the situation, MUFON issued a formal statement disavowing any responsibility for anything "volunteers" post on their social media, and calling those who objected, "haters."
For the record, the person who made the objectionable statements is not just a volunteer, but a state director. And quite a few people, including myself, bristled at being called "haters" for objecting to viciously racist and ignorant comments. Those of us who were first to post have been dubbed "snowflakes" and "the gang of six." (Which, btw, is arguably the coolest thing I've ever been called. Hey Mom, I'm in a gang now!)
Now some heavy hitters in the field are beginning to weigh in. Nick Redfern and Kathleen Marden have posted today about the issue. And today, MUFON's official statement, and all comments on it, have been removed from the MUFON website.
Once again, I'm not interested in taking down any individual or organization. But I can't sit by and watch hatred being spread, without at least pointing out the factual errors in the arguments in the hope of bringing some semblance of reason to a discussion.
I'm not a member of MUFON, never have been, and probably never will be. It's up to members and potential members to decide whether they want to pay membership fees to this organization, and how they feel about what choices the organization makes.
It does seem that MUFON is at a turning point. If you feel strongly about this issue, whether you agree with MUFON or not, please do contact the organization at www.mufon.com and let them know your thoughts. Karyn Dolan
As of today, several high-profile members and state directors have resigned based on the original post and subsequent statements made by MUFON. Stay tuned...Lon
UPDATE: From Race Hobbs, Program Director of the KGRA Digital Broadcasting Station - www.kgraradio.com:
As of 9am CST this morning, with a heavy heart, I have made the decision, after 10 years of service to the organization of MUFON, I have tendered my resignation.
It is my intent to express my appreciation and admiration for the MUFON organization, and for the fine people involved; many of whom I have truly cherished working alongside over the years.
However, it is my feeling that MUFON leadership has shown a lack of proactive engagement regarding a recent incident involving Pennsylvania State Director John Ventre, and his personal views as expressed via social media. Ventre’s sentiments do not, and cannot be allowed to be misconstrued as representative of this organization, due to a fundamental lack of action on part of its leaders.
This is my sole reason for choosing to leave MUFON, and I remain indebted for the experience and opportunities I have been afforded during my period of membership. Race Hobbs
NOTE: MUFON UFO Radio has been removed from the KGRA Roster and they have just been notified.
UPDATE: There has been word that JV has been or will be removed as MUFON State Director today, but there is no official statement to my knowledge. But, it appears that he will continue as a member of the organization. In fact, the PA MUFON website states that JV is now PA MUFON Treasurer and Conference Coordinator. In other words, JV is still running PA MUFON, without the title. My blog post from today will remain. My readers are entitled to the information and actions of the past 10 days.
There has been a lot of pressure applied to the leadership of the organization, including the withdrawal of membership by several key members and contributors. I congratulate those who had the courage and the fortitude to stand up against racism and institutional bias towards others. Your level of dignity has been recognized throughout the UFO and paranormal community. Lon
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