A video circulating on Instagram is causing outrage. It shows a man, clearly under the influence, making obscene gestures and racial slurs at a couple in a Peterborough parking lot as he gets into the back of a white pickup truck with his friends.
Apparently, the man in the video bears the same name as the son of Huntsville Councillor Cory Clarke, who is adamant that that is not his son.
Clarke said he and his family have been harassed and no matter how many times he tells people the man in the video is not his son, many of those contacting him are unwilling to listen.
An email was sent out to all of Huntsville Council and copied to this publication by someone by the name of Tushar Sharma, who said they are a frequent visitor to the area and called for Councillor Clarke’s resignation. Doppler reached out to the person for further information, but they did not respond. In the meantime, Councillor Clarke has issued the following statement:
“This has been a very difficult time for my family. Over the last week my son Wyatt Clarke and myself have been harassed and threatened through social media platforms, phone, email, and text. I have received more harassing and threatening calls, emails, and texts that I can count. Some of these contained death threats and direct threats against my family. This started with an incident in Peterborough, where a young man with the identical name as my son was arrested. Somehow through social media, our family was falsely tied to this family and the incident in Peterborough. The police have opened an investigation and are actively looking into the harassment and threats that we have received. It doesn’t matter what job you do, or who you are, nobody should ever be subjected to harassment or threats against your family. That is absolutely unacceptable, and there is never any situation where this is right. I would like to thank the OPP for their continued cooperation with the investigation, and we hope to put this behind us as quickly as possible,” he stated.
Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock, on behalf of council and the municipality, also issued the following statement: “We are aware of a video circulating containing derogatory language and profanity. Comments on the video have falsely identified one of the perpetrators as the son of Councillor Clarke. Council and the Town of Huntsville take diversity and inclusivity seriously and we are very saddened how this matter has negatively impacted Councillor Clarke and his family.”
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I know how this goes. We had an incident many years ago. Serious, but corrected quickly. Today we have the digitally infected who do their best to spread lies and innuendo. This incident was dealt with to the satisfaction of the involved. Unfortunate it happened at all, but that’s life.
Hope everything is smoothing out for the accosted and the falsely accused.
But for the rest of the finger pointers, a gesture to you all. And for the individual who claims to be ‘Tushar Sharma’, also claiming to be a frequent local visitor, be a lamb and go to the OPP station on your nest visit to Huntsville. Show your face. Make your claim to them.
My parents always insisted we give the benefit of the doubt. Wait the story out, there could be more to come. And there was that old saw issued to visitors. “C’mon back. Don’t be a stranger.” But in ‘Tushar Sharma’s case, ‘G’wan!! Be a stranger!.’ Personal request.
And to the Clarke Family, hope it all settles out for you. All the best.
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I know this family and I am saddened to hear that a mistaken identity of Wyatt has reached the point to where individuals take it upon themselves to target the Clarke family!
These individuals need to take a step back, take a deep breath, listen to the evidence and apologize for their misguided reactions! Councillor Cory Clarke, nor his family, should ever be a target because of the position Cory holds within our town.
These threats have gone too far. Those uttering death threats must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.