Last Thursday, November 14, I went to the annual membership meeting of the Center for Community Growth in Indiana, PA where there was a surprising allegation of domestic violence. I went there expecting to hear a discussion of how to further develop the local economy in a sustainable manner and to cover an election for their board of directors. There was such a discussion but there was also a group of women who came to voice their grievances about domestic violence by a member of their board. You can see the first part of the meeting in the video below.
A group of women came to the meeting to speak out about board member Brandon Vick being reappointed to the board due to his history with domestic violence. I received this message from the victim that was vetted by her lawyer.
Vick was arrested twice (in 2021 and 2022) and, both times, charged with simple assault and harassment against his domestic partner. The first time, the victim dropped the charges and tried to repair their relationship. The second time, the victim did not drop the charges, but allowed Vick the opportunity to go through the Domestic Violence Diversion Program so that he could retain his employment as an IUP economics professor and outside funding, despite the fact that his attack left her with a broken collarbone and concussion.
When the women spoke up against Vick being appointed to the Board, Gerald Smith – the co-founder of the Center and Vick’s close friend – kept interrupting the women and would not let them speak. After the meeting, Hess approached one of the women and told her that this was not the time or the place to discuss Vick’s history, and further protected him, dismissing the impact of his actions on the victim. The women continued to speak out, despite the attempts by Smith and Hess to silence them.
The next morning, I received a phone call from center codirector and Indiana County commissioner Sherene Hess. She told me that the board was concerned about this issue being made public. It turns out that the victim was someone I know. She prefers to remain anonymous. We have to report on what happened. She blogs on narcissistic abuse here.
Vick was reelected to the board at the meeting in spite of the women’s objections. The second part of the meeting is presented in the video above.
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