In this petition, we seek to get full access to the United States Department of Interior's Office of the Inspector General's Report on the suicide of Marlene Braun on May 2, 2005. An interim report came out a year and a half after Marlene Braun killed herself, but the supporting documents and testimony were never released and are being "redacted." Recently, President Obama opened presidential papers for review. The White House FOIA memo states that government "should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears." In addition, agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public.
Dear Mr. Secretary,
In May, 2005, the monument manager of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, Marlene Braun, committed suicide due allegedly to workplace bullying on the part of her field office supervisor, Ron Huntsinger, now the Bureau of Land Management's Science Coordinator. An investigation was conducted by the Department of Interior's Office of the Inspector General, and the 2006 report simply stated there were personality differences and a somewhat bad workplace culture. None of the testimony was released with that report, and the DOI-FOIA administration claims it is still redacting the testimony for release.
The Dept. of Interior has said it must protect the identity of people who testified.
In January, 2009, President Obama opened presidential papers for review. The White House FOIA memo states that government "should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears." In addition, agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public.
We the undersigned respectfully request that the full report with testimony be released to those who have requested it, including the Los Angeles Times and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, as well as The Living Trust of Marlene A, Braun.
