Officer John Marion: Im going to come there on my time and come bother you at work.
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  • Officer John Marion
"I’m going to come to The Stranger and bother you at work and see how you like it, how about that? I’m going to come there on my time and come bother you at work," Officer John Marion told The Stranger's Dominic Holden last October. "I’m sure your boss will love it when I just come in there and bother you while you’re trying to write your newspaper." Marion was found to have engaged in misconduct, but the finding was removed from his record by Interim Chief Harry Bailey, then, under public pressure, reinstated by Mayor Ed Murray.

This time, PubliCola reports, a Facebook user named John Marion took to the social network to call a local White Center business owner, who was complaining about the conduct of Seattle police, "pathetic."

Here's what happened: Last week, Cafe Rozella owner Ricardo Guarnero wrote a lengthy first-person account of his interactions in White Center with King County Sheriff deputy Steve Cox, who he described as a compassionate and hard-working policeman. But, Guarnero said:

After his death, things changed. We had to rely on the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for any assistance. Since, we were on the Seattle side of the White Center border, we had no choice on who was doing the law enforcement. Cox had given me his cell phone number, so anytime we needed help, even if it was just a bunch of hoodlums hanging out in front of our cafe, we would call and he would be there immediately. SPD insisted that if there was anything wrong we should call 911. The dispatchers at 911 are not in the habit of giving out the cell phone number of the Seattle police officer who might be on duty at the time. Plus, they would not dispatch unless you had a bona fide crime to report. Even then, they would only show up if they had two squad cars and four police officers. A simple traffic violation resulted in, at least, two squad cars, often more, treating the situation like a gangland style shooting. In sum, they had no organic connection to the community.

Marion and a few other people who also appear to be police officers commented on a Facebook link to Guarnero's post. One comment called Guarnero a "tard," and another, from Michael Stankiewicz (an officer by that name was singled out for praise in this 2011 OPA report), simply said, "Asshat." Marion called Guarnero "sad, pathetic, lost, and self righteous all at the same time."

According to an update on PubliCola, new police chief Kathleen O'Toole is disappointed by the comments. "It's unfortunate if these remarks have been made," she said via SPD spokesman Sean Whitcomb, "and it reflects poorly on the entire department." Whitcomb said the comments "likely" came from SPD employees.