Local Liberal Blogger Allegedly Threatened With Legal Action for Posting Pictures of Drunken College Republicans

Zatcoff in the Michigan Daily

My friend Mark had his excellent site taken down because he wrote about the child pictured here.

Normally, this would seem kind of petty, but reading about it reveals that the whole situation bordered on the absolutely ridiculous.

Justin Zatkoff allegedly picked a fight with his friend, who beat him severely. He then allegedly went to the press and claimed that “liberal thugs,” specifically members of the pro-affirmative action and human rights group, BAMN, beat him in retaliation for his membership in a conservative campus organization. Now, all this is hearsay. I can only speak to what I’ve read on the internet.

The story made the local and national news, not because was actually beaten by liberals, but because he lied about it. For those of us who remember 2008, this brings back fond memories of Ashley Todd, the young lady who claimed that black people beat her for supporting John McCain. Turns out, she did it to herself.

Now, Zatkoff is pursuing a JD at University of Detroit and interning at the office of a federal judge, who happens to have the same last name. Zatkoff is busy attempting to hide his embarrassing history. Good luck with that. Zatcoff, on top of the beating, has been featured in the press for a number of other things.

My friend Mark awoke yesterday to find a letter from Zatkoff’s lawyers (or Zatkoff himself) and his site completely blocked. Apparently, Mark is not allowed to use the picture featured in the screen capture above (which is entirely fair use), despite the fact that it is widely available on news sites and blogs all over the internet. While the legality of Zartkoff’s (alleged) heavy handed use of law office letterhead is questionable, Mark is now soliciting people to draw him one by hand.

It would be funny if it weren’t so incredibly pitiful. Both Ashley Todd and Zatkoff specifically and egregiously used race baiting tactics to… well, truthfully, I really don’t know why. The events didn’t play out well for either of them. Regardless, it’s a sad state of affairs.

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Note: Everything in this post is based on hearsay and may or may not be true. I am merely reporting things as I read them and as they were related to me.

About Pete Larson

Researcher at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Lecturer in the University of Michigan School of Public Health and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I do epidemiology, public health, GIS, health disparities and environmental justice. I also do music and weird stuff.

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teacherpatti says : November 10, 2012 at 9:46 am
Sadly, based on the statements about his “strong arm tactics” in an attempt to “rise” to power, I think he will make the perfect lawyer. He will probably earn more in his first month at some huge firm than any of us will all year. (Reason number 5000 I couldn’t succeed in the law!!!)
william wallace says : November 10, 2012 at 9:57 am
What should be made available to the public is the beatings
that individuals have suffered while in police custody. What
should be made public knowledge is the numbers of people
whom die & have died in police custody such numbers total
in their thousands. Few if any police officers but brought to
account. If by a very rare event police officers are charged
with beatings / murder /they get the minimum of a sentence.

The restraining of individuals by police is continually being
used as a cover to carry out brutal attacks that resulting in
great suffering as injustice. The police force ever becomes
a breeding ground for very ill minded people whom having
freedom to freely carry out acts of murder acts of the most
appalling brutality // whom never being brought to account.