We now have one fall guy for Lilygate, Matthew Hardick. Good ole Hardick has taken full responsibility for the water gun event in Balboa Park. He managed to include the recovery community in his Facebook post admitting responsibility for the desecration of the lily pond.
“I’m in the recovery community so I’m always looking to build and develop safe, clean sober fun so people don’t have to go to bars and ightclubs… bringing a sense of what it was like when we were kids,” Hardick said. My friends in the recovery community were not pleased to be brought into this situation.
The police are not stupid. They should and will fully investigate who set-up the Facebook page for the event. Based upon the hierarchy of names that was so quickly deleted after the fiasco in Balboa Park, Hardick was the sixth person added to the Facebook event page.
The Facebook page was started by Ken St. Pierre. When St. Pierre set up the page Hardick was the sixth person that was added as an organizer because he was not driving the event.
I can imagine St. Pierre sitting in front of his computer and saying “who should I add to the list of organizers of the Facebook page?” You, Matthew Hardick, came in seventh. First was Ken St. Pierre himself. The next name added was Travis Meyer. Then Iriz Stone. Then Jennine Estes. Next Christopher Walden. Then Jim Honeycutt. And finally Matt Hardick, before Kevin VanWanseele and Corinna Lewis. That is the order of people added to the page. So I would assume that Hardick is the seventh person to get involved.
As I said the police are not stupid. They will fully investigate who arranged the Facebook page that went “viral” and it clearly was not Hardick. The police can also find out who invited people from the page first, second, third and beyond.
Hardick’s admission of guilt is not the end of the story, it is the beginning. I hope no mysterious money is deposited into his bank account to pay off the damage to the park. Hardick will soon be a felon if fully charged with felony vandalism.
Hardick is taking responsibility, which I applaud. However, there are many others who should be held to account. Until they step forward and admit their roles, this story is far from over. The Internet is a very unforgiving place. The truth of who, what, where and when is out there in the ether and the police will discover it.
Councilman Todd Gloria has suggested on his Facebook page that he hopes the other organizers will come forward so we can move on. We will move on when everyone who helped organize, promote and attended the event admit their wrong doing. That can so easily be done in the world of Facebook. Then the city can move on. Not one moment before.
So San Diego stay tuned. Paging Johnathan Hale, we want to hear your story about Lilygate from your mouth. It is clear that Hale promoted the event on Hale Media’s website. Hardick has said you were not at the event, but others have disputed that claim. Is there a picture of Hale at the event or was he asleep in Rancho Bernardo?
It will all come out in the end. We are just at the commercial break in this real life “Law and Order” episode. We think we know who done it, but I have a feeling there will be a surprise ending.
This is a bit harsh. More than 1,000 people showed up at this event. By all accounts it was way more than expected. Things happen. Should participants contribute to restore the damage? Sure. Should there be a witch hunt for all those who were there? No. This is going too far. It’s not political. This is not a “watergate” type of conspiracy and their is no evidence that this was anywhere near a criminal act. Calling it Lilygate may humor some, but frankly, it’s a bit offensive. More hyperbole than truth. It’s also a not so veiled attempt for one media publisher to continue the trash talk with his competitor. It’s time for us to be a community. We should stand against hate wherever it happens to show up. We can solve all of this with loving kindness and responsible actions.
This is political. This is our Watergate. There is no hate involved so don’t even try those Chick-Fil-A tactics. This is about the Mayor and the City Council turning our park and our city over to corporate interests, tourist industry interests, developer interests, special interests, political interests. Our so called “leaders” are turning America’s Finest city into America’s Sleaziest city. I’m sick of city officials sense of entitlement to what we the citizens of San Diego pay taxes to support. Balboa Park is not their private playground. It is not theirs to be sold. The corrupt and self-serving, self-interested culture has got to stop. We want our park back! We want our city back!
Whoever wrote this clearly has bias opinion on the whole story. This is not reporting, its conspiracy theorizing. Maybe the writer is the one who got a mysterious sum of money in his bank account to write this garbage.
Wow, you people are really crazed and deranged for continually trying to make this about Hale (and Demaio).
There is no credibility left with this trashy rag; it’s now just a childish, gossipy, facts-challenged blog with a creepy obsession and envy of Hale.
You knew a out the water gun fight in advance, so why don’t you report yourselves to the police?
FTards, grow up.
Who is this “Vickie”? Aka @angelonsite? Aka Union activist? Aka creepy Johnathon Hale stalker?
Pat- you are barking up the wrong tree, in the wrong forest, on the wrong continent! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Here is my beef with Johnathan Hale, aka John Wyckoff, aka Johnathan Hackett- I know one of the guys who he beat up when he got his restraining orders. That person is permanently damaged on account of their relationship with ‘Mr. Hale.’ I’m primarily concerned for the safety of Carl DeMaio. I also worry about the potential for destruction that a ‘First Lady Hale’ could reign down on this finest city.
Actually disregard everything I said above …… I love my community and I hope that all the organizers do apologize to San Diego. My heart goes out to the sober community for them trying to organize a safe event and then losing control.
My car was actually vandalized due to the droves of folks that came out for the Pride parade in SD this year. I supposed the organizers of that event should also pay for that, huh?
Sometimes bad stuff happens, even if people plan events responsibly with the best of intentions.
When the organizers set this up it was to have a harmless squirt gun fight. Not a “come to Balboa and wreck the lily pond fight”. Is it really that hard to see that it wasn’t they that were negligent? But rather the mass of drunk and not so drunk idiots that decided to jump in the pond. This is something that got beyond anyone’s control and not so easy to foresee happening. It’s so easy for people to jump on the bandwagon and point fingers and be so self righteous. Heaven forbid anyone should try to put together a good clean fun event in the future. Other media advertised this event more than Hale media. Why is no one going after them? Do we really need to be attacking the promoters, and supporters of our own community?
I can see that the coverup is in full swing, here and elsewhere. Sorry, you are trying to cover the sun with a finger. Lilygate is exposing the true nature of the “leadership” in this city, and that’s what has people outraged. First of all, it is clear Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio were in this up to their neck, they need to step down immediately. Second, a full investigation needs to be done to see who in the mayor’s office, the Park and Rec department, and the Police department knew about this event and why they felt pressured not to get involved, to turn their heads. Is it because they knew the friends of Gloria and DeMauio were organizing this event, is it because Gloria and DeMaio are on the City Council and make the budgetary decisions for city departments? I mean, how convenient that park security was all on the east side of the park for three or more hours, as Stacey LoMedico has claimed, and that the police were too busy downtown to send one squad car around when it was stated in the news that people had called the police department with their concerns. As to attacking promoters and supporters of the gay community, if those are the best you can do, you are in trouble anyway. No one should feel that they are above the law and entitled to special treatment because they represent the gay community. We’ve already got plenty of that going on in this City.
You hit it RIGHT on the nose! The scandal following the events at the Lily Pond is almost a bigger shame than what actually happened to the Lily Pond. Our City Officals are all in bed together and willing to create a huge coverup so none of them have to take responsibility or have their careers blemished. They are all trying to divert attention and spin the truth so they can sweep this under the rug…hopefully the public stands strong on this issue and demands that those responsible (including City Officials who were completely negligent) take the “accountability” that they all keep spouting the people responsible for this need to take. Knowing San Diego though that will never happen and our city will continue to do Dirty Backdoor Dealings and coverups for City Officials and the people close to them. Sickening!
What a bunch of Bitter Ignoramuses @ LGBT Weekly!! It appears you are hell bent on keeping some childish pissing match alive “no holds bared” towards Hale Media and anyone associated to DeMaio.
You state “The Cops are not stupid” more than once. Really? Not Stupid, REALLY? Lets ask some hard questions here. How is it that an estimated 1,500+ fun seeking revelers armed with water guns can converge on the Crown Jewel of City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Dept. and NOT draw the attention and presence of the ever vigilant proactive SDPD?
Why was the Fountain Drained?? This was NOT a spur of the moment gathering… the word had been out for days / weeks and WAS intended as a good bit of sober fun. I’m betting that had the Fountain been in its normal state, the pond would have never been touched, that’s not to excuse the fact that is was damaged but again… I ask where were the police and security? I completely understand how most of the revelers were unaware of the delicate nature of the pond. In a World where authorities put up a barrier fence or rope around a glass case containing something of value, the pond is left without even a 2′ rabbit fence and a few “Keep Out” signs. Again, that’s not an excuse, common sense “should” dictate you keep out, but like someone said about the pride parade damage.. people don’t always use their heads in these situations.
When you add up the drained fountain, complete absence of ANY police response to a crowd like this at MIDNIGHT and the almost spontaneous attack by Filner, this publication and others on Hale / DeMaio … hum? Let’s see, Police, City Workers, Union reps… ??? I’ve seen enough politics lately to easily believe some people could choose to sit back and wait… after all it would be a real shame if something like this became fodder for political agendas.
LGBT Weekly…. the general public isn’t that stupid either and you are quite correct… this might just have a surprise ending, but I wouldn’t be drooling quite yet, you might have to wash that face off pretty soon!
I can’t believe all the people on here sticking up for the events that have taken place. It’s so ridiculous…since when did being gay mean that you have to stick up for every gay person out there who is involved in WRONG DOINGS? I can simply not subscribe to that type of attitude.
Plain and simple…Ken St. Pierre organized this event. Ken St. Pierre is a former employee of Hale and a contributor the DeMaio’s mayoral campaign, and according to RELIABLE sources is a close friend to both.
What I want to know is why “Organizer #7” has taken the fall for this event when Ken St. Pierre is the culprit here. I checked out Ken St. Pierre’s Facebook page (before it mysteriously “disappeared”) and there were multiple comments from Hale on pictures, posts etc. But there is no link right? RUBBISH!
I am sorry but this Matthew Hardick is the CLEAREST definition of a patsy if I ever saw one. He’s being used for damage control for DeMaio and Hale, and quite honestly Councilman Gloria who is easily caught up in the “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” of the dirty dealings of San Diego politics.
Please tell me if Matthew Hardick hadn’t been planned to take the fall for Ken St. Pierre (who is affiliated with Hale, DeMaio AND Gloria) then why is it a day after the incident his entire Facebook was given a “facelift”. Yes that’s right. His cover photo went from scantily clad men at pride to a night view of the SD skyline, and his profile picture was changed from him shirtless in a pool staring into the camera to a picture of him with Bonnie Dumanis.
This is CLEAR to anyone with half a brain. It’s a crooked scheme by our crooked politicians to protect THEIR reputations as well as protect Ken St. Pierre from receiving any criminal charges. The formula goes a little something like this: find someone people will feel sorry for AKA “person in recovery” who was just trying to have fun at a (and this is laughable) SOBER event – Then have said person issue an apology that sounds strangely scripted and shows little to no emotion – Pay said person enough money to cover the damages of the Lily Pond and a little extra for his troubles – Fool the public into thinking it’s time to (and these are Todd Gloria’s words) “move on” – Now everyone has gotten what they want…The patsy (Matthew Hardick) gets attention, money and respect from the public for being so brave to come forward, The Lily Pond repairs are paid for, City Councilmen can divert attention away from themselves and their connection to Ken St. Pierre, Hale Media doesn’t have to take and blame and Hale and DeMaio get to protect their little pet Ken St. Pierre from getting Felony Charges or public embarrassment (and we all know Hale is familiar with FELONY CHARGES). Plain and simple…this IS a SETUP…a well planned and thought out setup…but a setup nonetheless and anyone who isn’t diving head first into DENIAL can see that.
Open your eyes people…this should be MORE than insulting to all of you…your elected officials are pulling the wool over your eyes and instead of demanding answers you’re all sitting back doing exactly what they want you to do.
Love your take on this, MJB. Prolly closer to the truth than we will ever know. The worst part of this is the mention of this somehow being a sober event. That is not accurate. Some sober people may have gone, but this was NOT a sober event.
I’m not ready to call James Hartline a ‘RELIABLE’ source, but it does appear that ‘Johnathan Hale’, Carl DeMaio and Ken St. Pierre are buddies.
Who is Johnathan Hale, aka John Wyckoff, aka Johnathan Hackett?
This indeed was a summer fun squirt gun water fight that was intended for some good fun.Did it get out of hand?Yes, was it planned that way? No.I strongly believe thee organizers had nothing but good intentions.