Unite Norman has reportedly collected enough signatures to force a recall for mayor in the city of Norman, though it has apparently fallen short of the number required to possibly oust two city council members.
So who is Unite Norman? A reportedly amorphous and diverse group of Norman residents make up this recall effort. Let’s take a look at three of its most public supporters:
Cannabis activist Norma Sapp has posted photos of herself in signature-gathering efforts on multiple days. Sapp has spent decades lobbying for legalized cannabis and has become a local celebrity known for making wild claims about the curative effects of the plant. Since COVID-19 struck this year, she has instead taken to sharing unproven conspiracy theories about the virus.
Former Oklahoma University professor John Scamehorn is another vocal proponent. Scamehorn was banned from working for the college 2016. In 2018, a number of former students accused him of sexual harassment. As of last week, he became internet-famous again after penning a Facebook screed in favor of repealing the 19th Amendment, which allowed for universal female suffrage. Well, there goes Sapp’s vote.
Co-founder Sassan Moghadam, a local real estate developer, also found recent internet fame after videos surfaced of him confronting a carful of teenagers who reportedly drove by a signature-gathering spot playing YG and Nipsey Hussle’s anthem “FDT (Fuck Donald Trump).” Moghadam tries to chock one of the vehicle wheels with a brick he is seen holding inside the car’s window in the video, but the driver backs over it before Moghadam hurls it at the reversing vehicle.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with citizen petitions, this one’s supporters are certainly suspect. With adults like this, maybe Norman would be better off taking a page out of the 1968 cult classic Wild in the Streets and dumping LSD in the water supply. It couldn’t hurt any more than the excessive levels of chronium-6 found in it, and maybe the grown-ups would at least relax if not act their ages.
