Parks lists examples of targeted bullying

Calls on OPA members to support amenities, fund-raising events

By TOM STAUSS Publisher

Ocean Pines Association President Doug Parks wants OPA members to know the extent to which food and beverage venues operated by the Matt Ortt Companies have been targeted.

“Their tactics have been to bully and threaten organizations and entertainment providers from having events at our Yacht Club. As an example, because of the harassment that was going on the in the community by this group the Ravens Roost organization decided to move their planned fundraising event from the Yacht Club to another location,” Parks said in a statement read at the March 18 Board of Directions meeting.

He said the recent Veterans Memorial Fund-Raising event was disrupted by this group as the planned entertainer backed out from performing. Actually there were two cancellations, the second one just hours away from the scheduled event.

vigilante group run roughshod over our community. By their actions and social media posts, they have demonstrated they care nothing about Ocean Pines and will go to whatever lengths it takes to disrupt our community and our livelihood.”

In response to Dubovsky, however, Parks said that while it “would be irresponsible” to ignore the potential affects of the anti-MOC campaign “we’re sincere in wanting a dialog.”

Parks’ March 18 statement appears in the Opinion section of this edition of the Progress.

Matt Ortt had to fill the entertainer slot with a deejay.

In perhaps the most brazen example of targeting to date, Parks said that organizers of the Foundation “were told if the event was held at the Yacht Club, that the Memorial was going to be vandalized.”

Parks said that the band that was scheduled to perform at the St. Patrick’s Day event at the Yacht Club backed out at the last minute “due to being harassed by this group. Do these actions convey a desire for justice or vengeance?” Parks said.

He urged OPA members to “talk to your friends, talk to your neighbors and talk to other Association members to let them know these situations are taking place and that this group is promoting a level of disruption to our community that at some point will affect us financially ... I ask the members of the Association to continue to support our amenities and fund-raising events as together we can maintain the things that make our community what it is for us.”

Knupp Foundation receives tax exempt status

The Gavin Knupp Foundation, established to honor the memory of the Ocean Pines teenager killed last summer in a hit and run incident, recently received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service indicating that it is a bonafide public charitable organization.

According to a letter from Stephen A. Martin, Director of Exempt Organizations for the IRS, this tax exempt status means that donors to the foundation may deduct their gifts on their income taxes.

“This letter could help resolve questions on your exempt status,” he wrote.

The foundation has raised $47,265 as of Feb. 21 with $36,842 resulting from the first Gavin Knupp Foundation Benefit held at Sinepuxent Brewing Company off Route 611 in October.

So far, according to reports, $8,244 has been distributed to lo-