WhistleBlowers in Animal Control

Whistleblowers have become viable contributors to the very fabric of Americana. They are the often unsung heroes of the mainstream – glorified in legends worthy of websites, books and even films depicting the dangers and pitfalls of endeavoring to affect change by exposing the underbellies of issues in question.

People enjoy these plain clothed heroes and flock to see them in action: Erin Brockovich, Andrew Breitbart, Michael Hastings, Edward Snowden, Frank Serpico, Aaron Swartz, Charlotte Iserbyte, Suchir Balaji— the list is virtually endless. Of course, a number of those listed even in this short list are no longer with us and most of those died under suspicious circumstances.

If you research their names or their stories, you’ll discover that very few – if any – of them ever set out in life to become one of those tentatively ‘notorious’ whistleblowers that willingly risk life and limb to right some nefarious wrong . Instead, they’re usually people that discovered sensitive information whilst employed and during the performance of basic, even monotonous jobs. Most of them stumbled onto knowledge they could not ignore. Similarly, often times they report feeling compelled to do something about something they perceived as wrong.

These did. Some of them paid with their lives. Such are the risks of becoming a Whistleblower.

This is the story of the woman who found herself at the center of a controversy that launched the Bullhead City Whistleblower. Online and off, Tammy Lafond of Bullhead City has become the nemesis of the sitting Bullhead City Council.

Lafond, 64, a long term resident and dedicated Las Vegas business owner, moved to Bullhead City primarily due to familial ties there. The expectation was to basically retire to the area but she set up a business that served even the most frugal of clients and focused on providing basic human needs. 

It was during this endeavor that she met Nena. Homeless from at least 2010, Nena was deaf and confined to a wheelchair when Lafond discovered her living on the streets and offered to hear her story. She discovered Nena was a Native American whose husband served in the military. When he passed, she lost her home. 

Compelled to help Nena in her plight and assist her in getting off the streets, Lafond set about the tedious business of navigating the city’s assistance programs and this, ultimately, was where she discovered what she claims to be evidence of corruption within the municipality’s administrative controls — including the misappropriation of funds intended to assist the homeless. Lafond then began deconstructing the administrative tasks pertaining to a wide variety of services, almost all of which seemingly bore evidence of improper oversight if not malfeasance. She continued to dig.

“The more evidence I uncovered, the more I found myself at the center of a very nasty fight,” Lafond stated. “It nearly culminated in an outright battle at a city Lowe’s and was defused only by Lafond’s refusal to leave her vehicle — but Nena, suffering from a psychiatric malady, was so traumatized by the event it took her months to recover. The incident only strengthened Lafond’s resolve.

Over the course of the last four years, Lafond has dedicated herself to helping not only Nena but many of the 19 homeless individuals still living in Bullhead City. The municipality has, essentially, legislated against homelessness, and now has a policy of jailing anyone persisting in living on the streets.

Lafond finds this legislation to be effectively anti-human and she has questioned, repeatedly, its legality as well as its anti-constitutional bias.

She has also taken issue with voting irregularities and is currently positioning herself to run for office. Her complaints have not gone unnoticed. Neither has her determination. Her outspoken complaints have resulted in what she says are repeated and targeted attempts to silence her. She has also filed documents and served the city with notices of her intend to sue them in an effort to hold them to what she says is some level of accountability. With so much at stake, LaFond plans to ensure things change.

“Even animal control is administratively failing the animal population in and around Bullhead City,” she said. They have closed the facility to those unable to pay from $35 – $150 to turn in animals to animal control. This has resulted in animals being dumped in areas around Bullhead City out of sheer desperation.”

“These people are already unable to provide for family pets only to be turned away when they attempt to rehome them. This is not acceptable and cannot continue. I welcome any and all voluntary assistance in working to save displaced pets throughout the area and encourage others to assist me in providing the necessary services for them and their owners until the city can be taken to task on their behalf,” she concluded.

This story is the first installment in a series of our new column, WhistleBlower News. Please feel free to contribute future story ideas and documentation for consideration herein. In the meantime, should you need an advocate, an ally or an author to assist you, we’re here — Just Whistle.