Shortly after I shared a link to my post about Rock Harbor Marketing, Nextdoor informed me that my account was temporarily suspended due to public shaming, which is a violation of Community Guidelines.
They informed me of a comment where I was highly critical of an individual who personally targeted me on the platform under the false presumption that any critical comments I’ve generally made about residents or issues was somehow a coded attack on them. I had also been critical of the same individual for spreading misinformation about a political candidate I’m supporting. This person has no known affiliation to Rock Harbor Marketing.
As a result of my account being temporarily deactivated, I noticed some peculiar activities on all social media platforms I belong to. Though none of my clients’ social media accounts were targeted, some of my occasional posts and comments on Facebook were reported for “spam.” No content was removed. Tweets sharing links to artwork I’ve designed and shared were reported for “copyright infringement” by an unknown license holder. No action was taken. Similarly, some of my posts on Instagram were reported. No action was taken. This occurred roughly around the time Rock Harbor Marketing (“RHM”) blocked me personally from accessing their social media pages. Additionally, I was blocked from accessing the personal accounts of Mr. Ford. However, none of this will prevent me from accessing any information required for further investigations. Therefore, their actions are perfectly legal albeit crass and unnecessary.
As a result of my account suspension on Nextdoor, I am unable to see any posts or comments. According to residents who have full access to the platform, I was informed my post about Rock Harbor Marketing was removed along with any comments anyone has made underneath my post. According to a Nextdoor community lead, who prefers to remain anonymous, RHM co-founder Travis Ford allegedly reported the post. However, it takes several votes from other leads and members of the review team to concur with the reporter for any post to be removed. If it’s true that Mr. Ford reported my post, that would coincide with reports that Mr. Ford had attempted to report, remove or censor individuals expressing criticism or concern about Morro Bay mayor John Headding, who may or may not still be a client of Mr. Ford’s marketing agency.
Instead of taking the opportunity to clarify their involvement with Mayor Headding, they’ve chosen to remain silent. Instead of Morro Bay Councilwoman Jen Ford committing to undergo ethics training, Rock Harbor Marketing has attempted albeit unsuccessfully to stifle concern and criticism of their operations. Instead of making the case on why they should continue leasing a space on City-owned property when their co-founder is now an elected official on the Morro Bay City Council, Rock Harbor Marketing prefers the people to not discuss or debate the matter in a public forum.
Mayor Headding has not yet publicly commented on his relationship with Rock Harbor Marketing or addressed their conduct, but I am looking forward to when he decides to do so.