Westfield Rescue Squad President Thinks Pandemic Exaggerated – Westfield, NJ Patch

WESTFIELD, NJ — The man who heads the volunteer rescue squad in Westfield is being criticized for posting memes on his personal Facebook page doubting the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and also making statements that support the QAnon movement.

In the past few weeks, David Sloan, a Cranford resident who heads the all-volunteer squad, twice shared a since-debunked claim that only 6 percent of the people whom the CDC announced as coronavirus-related fatalities have actually died as a result of the virus. The false news was spread on social media and quickly shared by a few prominent politicians.

As of Tuesday, more than 200,000 Americans had died of the virus, with the death toll still rising in several states.

Medical professionals clarified that some of the other conditions people had when they died were also caused by the virus, such as pneumonia/respiratory failure, similar to when a person dies with AIDS but also has HIV.

Sloan said Tuesday that he didn’t realize the 6 percent claim was debunked after he posted it, but said he has spent years asking questions of government narratives and other institutions in order to get the truth. He said that over time, he has come to believe in experts outside the mainstream.

In the last few weeks, Sloan shared a meme saying that wearing masks is for “theatre,” as well as posts calling the pandemic a “hoax” and saying, “There is no pandemic.”

Sloan clarified in an interview that he believes some coronavirus precautions are important, such as hand washing, but that mask wearing by everyday citizens is futile if masks aren’t routinely cleaned. He also said the masks can cause breathing problems – an oft-repeated claim that groups like the American Lung Association dispute. (Sloan says he and the squad wear masks, but they’re more to prevent droplets from spreading.)

Officials have become concerned about theories that downplay the pandemic, because people may ignore precautions to keep from spreading it to others and because medical professionals have to take time out of saving lives to correct misinformation.

In the last three weeks, Westfield residents who’ve noticed Sloan’s memes — including posts referring to the pandemic as a “plandemic” — expressed concern in two threads on Facebook pages for Westfield, one of which ultimately drew 471 comments.

“I am seriously disturbed that an individual who I assume is in a position to be making policy and financial decisions about emergency medical services in this town is a QAnon conspiracy theorist and pandemic denier,” wrote a man in the discussion. “It’s all just a hook to get people involved in the QAnon crap and it is counterproductive to legitimate law enforcement.”

The cascade of comments came after an in-depth Sept. 3 article in TAPInto Westfield detailed Sloan’s views. The article was written because Sloan had just led a march of fewer than a dozen people in Westfield on Aug. 30 to raise awareness of child trafficking, an issue some say does not get enough attention.

Others say the issue is being amplified to make accusations against individuals during political campaigns, and may divert attention from anti-trafficking efforts.

In the TAPInto story, Sloan made reference to the QAnon movement, providing statements that appeared to support the movement’s theories. QAnon is “a conspiracy theory centered on the baseless belief that President Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the ‘deep state’ and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals,” Fox news reported in August.

The Anti-Defamation League published similar concerns that month, and included links to examples of violence they say resulted from people acting on the movement’s theories.

Sloan stressed, in a followup email, that his views on coronavirus and other theories are held independently of the Westfield Rescue Squad.

“I think it prudent to outline my specific role as president of the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad and how the Rescue Squad functions, to allay people’s fears,” he said. “All members, honorary and active members, have a say as to how the squad functions. The leadership of the Rescue Squad gets to make decisions so long as it follows the WVRS Rules and Regulations, outlined by a WVRS Constitution … the Rescue Squad is an apolitical organization.”

Sergio Guzman, the chief of the squad (Sloan is president), wrote a letter to TAPInto Sept. 10, apologizing for the controversy caused by the comments.

“We are an apolitical organization with one goal: to provide the highest quality Emergency Medical Service to the town of Westfield,” he wrote. “We respect the fact that when we respond to an emergency, the patient has trusted us with their life. I humbly apologize to each and every Westfield resident that was disturbed by the personal opinions of one of our members. I ask you to please not judge our organization by those opinions.”

Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle said this week, in response to the controversy, “The Westfield Rescue Squad consists of dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to assist our residents in need, with a long history of service to the community. Although the town has no oversight of the Rescue Squad in their capacity as a non-profit, volunteer organization, I share the concern of residents who stand on the side of science and condemn QAnon’s conspiracy theories.”

Brindle’s office said the mayor heard from concerned residents after the story ran.

In a prior TAPInto story on May 22, about how the squad was handling the virus, Sloan had expressed concerns about its seriousness, noting two-hour wait times in ambulances when people were brought to the hospital at the height of the crisis.

Sloan further clarified in his email last week, “I have provided emergency medical care to infected and symptomatic patients over the course of the current ‘pandemic.’ I do believe the (bio-engineered) virus is real and that people are suffering because of it, which is why I continue to be a frontline worker and care for victims of this crisis. However, due to dubious and dishonest practices, I do not trust the senior management of ‘authoritative’ medical institutions, e.g. CDC, NIAID, and WHO … the statistical analysis of COVID-19 is not consistent with a severe or deadly virus that is any more harmful than seasonal flu (influenza).”

The CDC says that as many as 34,200 people passed away of flu during the 2018-2019 flu season. People who pass away from the flu also can have other comorbitities, such as pneumonia.

Several Westfield residents responding to Sloan’s comments were concerned about quotes in which Sloan says that child traffickers sometimes drink children’s blood and that “QAnon delves into a certain satanic element within our power structure. [Traffickers] scare the victims to the point of right before they kill them. So, the blood is adrenalized because they’re in a fear-based state.”

Residents (and experts quoted in the TAPInto story) linked the comments to an old anti-Semitic theory, explained in the Anti-Defamation League post, that Jews drink the blood of children, a theory known as “blood libel.” The ADL has also linked some QAnon theories to blood libel, saying, “The belief that a global ‘cabal’ is involved in rituals of child sacrifice has its roots in the antisemitic trope of blood libel, the theory that Jews murder Christian children for ritualistic purposes.”

Sloan seemed unaware of the “blood libel” connection, saying in both in the original TAP article and in an interview with Patch that he doesn’t believe trafficking is confined to any specific religion.

Sloan, who used to work for the federal government, said he has looked into trafficking for many years, and that as with coronavirus, some details are hidden. He said he believes 80 percent of Congress, from both political parties, has some knowledge of trafficking but members look the other way.

Sloan’s remarks also come as US Rep. Thomas Malinowski, D-Union, whose district includes Westfield, Berkeley Heights, Cranford, Millburn, and Summit, held a Zoom forum on Friday with residents who have become concerned about local conspiracy theories, including related to coronavirus and QAnon. The forum included a representative from the ADL and drew more than 200 residents.

While the forum didn’t focus exclusively on the Westfield controversy, Malinowski referred to it and another area QAnon controversy in his invitation to residents. On Tuesday, he said, “I know people in the community are concerned. I hope it’s cleared up because it’s important that we have confidence that the people in charge of protecting us, and to know that they are basing their actions and decisions on facts and science.”

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