I’m Turning Point USA’s Top Activist in the Country, & I Quit this Shitty Organization
Image credit: Liberty Hangout, Twitter
The following is the resignation letter I handed into my bosses earlier this morning.
Dear Frankie O’Laughlin and Alana Mastrangelo,
After the events of the past week, I have decided that it is in my best interest to part ways from Turning Point USA and tender my resignation immediately. Over the course of the past year, I have put my heart and soul into representing this organization to the best of my ability on my campus, and I believe my dedication is accurately reflected in my position at the top of Turning Point’s leaderboard each week.
Before I became president last summer, Turning Point USA had zero footprint at Kent State University. In just a matter of one semester, I built one of the largest and most successful Turning Point chapters in the country, at one of America’s most liberal universities. Even in lieu of our safe space event last semester, I am still able to attract hundreds of students on campus to sign up for our emails, and express interest in joining the chapter. We have had an overwhelmingly positive effect on campus, and are not only the leading voice for conservative thought on campus, but one of the leading voices in the country. I have also built a team of dedicated activists that are willing to skip class to table with me, because they want to learn how to be as successful as I am at collecting signatures after I graduate in May.
Despite my hard efforts, I have been highly disappointed in the leadership of those higher up than me in Turning Point USA. I was embarrassed to have been left alone to deal with the aftermath of the safe space event, and even lied about by Turning Point national. You two approved the event but took zero responsibility to save face for yourselves. Not only did I invite you to attend our entire free speech week, but you even told me you would help me apply for a grant for the event. I was also made aware by other Turning Point chapters under your watch that you were fully aware that Young Americans for Liberty members were the ones who dressed up as children, and that instead of putting the blame where it belonged, you not only distanced yourself from the event, but you let my chapter face the consequences of online harassment. I am appalled that national headquarters lied about, and put one of their own chapters under the bus just so they wouldn’t upset another organization.
Not only did Turning Point refuse to accurately report on the facts of the event, but you assured us you would have our backs when we did receive this onslaught of harassment online, and from other Turning Point chapters. Instead, Turning Point not only did nothing about this, but invited one of the bullies to speak on stage at the Student Action Summit in Florida this past December. Meanwhile, I have been disciplined by Turning Point national and Charlie Kirk himself for defending myself against other Turning Point members who came after me. Strangely, these same individuals were allowed to criticize us free of charge.
Although I thought the safe space event was funny and have zero remorse for holding it, I took full responsibility for it when Turning Point failed to show any leadership. I had zero obligation to act in this manner, however my heart and soul were still dedicated to helping this organization grow as much as possible. With this, I swallowed my pride, apologized and moved forward in the direction that Turning Point wanted me to. Since then, I have worked tirelessly to make the event a thing of the past, and make Turning Point at Kent most remembered for the values we represent, rather than the event we held.
Looking to help the chapter move into a new direction, I have been eager to host guest speakers, and plan big events for my final semester of college. However, despite Frankie giving me the go-ahead to host the NRA at my campus all the way back in October, no headway has been made in getting them to Kent more than four months later. After asking Frankie if I could organize this event myself, he refused to let me do so. Still, all these months later, zero events have been planned for our chapter, and neither of you have offered us any help. You would think having one of the most active chapters in the country, and wanting to help Kent State get a better name for its chapter, you would be jumping at the opportunity to secure us big name speakers. Instead, you can’t even help us coordinate a single, menial event, let alone a speaker.
I have tried time and time again to reach out to the two of you to get an event scheduled, and neither of you seem to have the time to get back to me, despite it being your job to do so. Why are they paying you to help grow chapters if you can’t even answer a text? I get more of a response when Frankie wants to argue with me about why he is agreeing with people who call me a Nazi on Twitter, rather than getting the NRA to campus.
Last semester, Frankie told us we were not allowed to bring Kyle Chapman (the Based Stickman) to our campus since Turning Point wants to distance itself from the alt-right, despite him being a Constitutionalist Ron Paul supporter. Meanwhile, Frankie was liking tweets from notorious Charlottesville attendee and white nationalist icon, James Allsup.
Furthermore, you have been fully aware of the increasing levels of drama within our chapter, and offered to help mediate the situation back in December. As it has reached unbearable levels in the last few weeks, you two assured me you would handle the situation accordingly. Instead, you won’t take my phone calls at the times you tell me you want to talk to me, and can’t even so much as respond to a text yet again. You were also made aware of how this has started to affect my emotional health, and still refuse to take me seriously, and act as the leaders you are supposed to be. You had me believing you would have my back, but have instead left me alone once again. I did not have a choice to go to anyone else, and you assured me you would handle the situation.
As of right now, I am in disbelief at how I went from being so upbeat, enthusiastic, and passionate about this organization to being disgusted, frustrated, and embarrassed to have invested my entire senior year into an organization founded by a college dropout who hires some of the most incompetent, lazy, and downright dishonest people I have ever encountered. While Turning Point USA is a career for the two of you, for some of us it was a passion. Instead of recognizing this, you put your paychecks ahead of the principles you claim to represent, and turned your most dedicated activists away from your organization.
I am deeply saddened that Turning Point USA did not turn out to be the organization I thought it was, as it was once a dream of mine to work for you after college. In fact, Frankie told me back in August that he would help me attain employment after I graduate, and the same sentiments were shared with me at SAS by Emily Parry. This also turned out to be a lie, as Frankie’s position will no longer exist at the conclusion of the semester, and my current employment was nearly terminated due to further incompetence of the organization. Though Emily told me in December she would be calling me in May, she had the audacity to terminate my contract, before Alana did something useful for once and got me my job back for the semester.
However through all of this, I am thankful for something. I have realized how much of a shithole organization Turning Point USA is, and am glad I got out of this bullshit before I invested my whole life into it, let alone just my senior year of college. Now that I have a clear conscience and have no desire to continue my employment with Turning Point, I will have the time to find a real job, something I recommend for you. Maybe answering to business professionals rather than college dropouts, egotistic enough to put their face on stupid memes, will give you the leadership skills you desperately need for your positions.
Effective immediately, I will be stepping down from my position as the Chapter President and Campus Coordinator of Turning Point USA at Kent State University. I expect to be paid in full for my hours worked, since the organization is also too incompetent to multiply 10 by 12.50 every week.
Maybe after this is published on Liberty Hangout and Occupy Democrats Logic, to audiences that reach 17 million people on a bad week, I too can be verified on Twitter like you, Alana.
Good riddance,
Kaitlin Bennett
P.S. If you need a safe space after everyone hears about this, I still have the diapers.
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In an exclusive interview with former Congressman @WalshFreedom, who is on @TPUSA Advisory Council, he told us he loved @TPUSAatKent‘s anti-safe space event, with a man in a diaper pic.twitter.com/k10JycJ8rm
— Liberty Hangout (@LibertyHangout) February 12, 2018
