Veteran PTSD treatment advocates are demanding Supervisor Fletcher step down from office now rather than delaying his resignation until May 15.
“Nathan Fletcher needs to resign now, not in six weeks, not in six days, but today,” said Daniel Bickford, a 20-year Navy veteran.
“Scrap your plan to wait a month or longer to resign,” said Jason Gilbert, national chairman of the Disabled Veterans of America PAC. “Resign immediately. Otherwise, you’re giving the impression that you’re hiding behind PTSD for political reasons.”
On March 26, Fletcher withdrew from his run for state senate and announced he was checking into an extended inpatient treatment center for post-traumatic stress, trauma, and alcoholism. Two days later, he resigned as chair of the MTS board when an alleged sexual assault lawsuit came to light.
“Sexual assault is not a partisan issue. No one should receive a pass for sexual assault. Silence is complicity,” said Kate Monroe, a marine veteran and founder of the nonprofit, Vetcomm, which serves disabled veterans. “Supervisor Fletcher, you’re giving the perception that you’re A-wall, meaning you have abandoned your post to hide from taking responsibility and facing your accusers.”
In response to the lawsuit, Fletcher characterized the interactions as consensual and denied any allegations of sexual assault. He claimed the former MTS employee had attempted to extort him for millions of dollars before the lawsuit was filed. Due to the timing of his seeking treatment for PTSD, however, many veterans want him to clarify.
“Supervisor Fletcher, my fellow marine,” said Gilbert. “I say, brother, release a statement immediately clarifying that PTSD is never to blame for sexual assault.”
During the Monday news conference held outside the Registrar of Voters, Gilbert admitted his wife was a victim of sexual misconduct by former Mayor Bob Filner.
“When I first heard PTSD being correlated with sexual assault, my jaw dropped, and my eyeballs popped,” said Gilbert. “I was concerned that veterans with PTSD were going to hear that and say, ‘We’re not all sexual predators.’”
A sexual assault survivor, Monroe shared advice for other survivors hesitant to speak out as she once was.
“In this day and age, speaking out is protected, and you have every right to stand tall and bring your assault to light,” said Monroe.
CBS 8 reached out to Supervisor Fletcher’s office for a response and received the following response:
“The Supervisor is away receiving treatment and cannot respond now.”
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