What Happens When You Ring a Reporting Bell and You’re Wrong?

This article contains political and other commentary which reflects the author’s opinions

Liz Chapman Mockler is a member of my favorite secret Facebook group, Maine: No Mask No Service. Group members routinely report businesses to the state (even when they are wrong), leave fake Facebook reviews for businesses they have never visited or interacted with, and otherwise harass small businesses. Liz Chapman Mockler recently made a post in the Maine: No Mask No Service group about The Depot Sports Pub in Gardiner.

Liz Chapman Mockler took time out of her day to perform a “sting operation” on The Depot. She called The Depot under false pretenses to find out whether the bar is open. As soon as they responded “Of course it is,” Liz Chapman Mockler who seems to think she has been deputized as the COVID police, responded with “Thanks, you will be reported to the city.” Thereafter, she spent more time telephoning the police, CEO and “you name it.” At long last, Liz left a message for Robert Long at the Maine CDC.

Liz Chapman Mockler just rang that bell while being completely uninformed about whether The Depot was operating within the COVID guidelines but that didn’t stop her calls to any official she could reach to report this small business.  Liz Chapman Mockler should know better because she is the sole proprietor of Dirigo News Service. According to her online resume, Liz Chapman Mockler also held positions with the Lewiston Sun Journal as a Bureau Chief, Regional Editor and reporter and with the Bangor Daily News as a staff reporter. One would think that someone with so much experience investigating stories, would have, at a minimum, researched the COVID guidelines and what constitutes a bar before initiating her sting operation. Additionally, her question “Is your bar open?” is vague at best.

After Liz Mockler Chapman’s call to The Depot, she posted again in Maine: No Mask No Service alleging that she received a phone call from a customer asking for a date. There is no evidence that she received a call from a customer in retaliation for her call to The Depot. In fact, she doesn’t know from whom she allegedly received a phone call. Liz Chapman Mockler is comforted in the fact that she “did the right thing” by ringing that bell but DID she do the right thing?

A third post on this subject was made by Liz Chapman Mockler in Maine: No Mask No Service.

After Liz Chapman Mockler called and harassed The Depot Sports Pub and called government officials to report this business, she makes this final post. BARS OK AFTER ALL. Read her posts again. Now read this post a full day later. BARS OK AFTER ALL.

I wonder whether Liz Chapman Mockler made any attempt to un-ring that bell by calling back any and all government officials she reached out to in order to make a false complaint against The Depot Sports Pub? I wonder whether Liz Chapman Mockler called The Depot back to apologize for her harassing and uninformed telephone call to the business? I doubt she did either of these based on this last post she made.

This is why I write these articles. People like Liz Chapman Mockler who ring that bell and who are completely wrong, cause damage to small businesses in Maine by making false complaints to Maine government officials. I forwarded Liz Chapman Mockler’s posts in Maine: No Mask No Service to The Depot and received the following response: “Wow thank you so much for forwarding this…we are open as allowed and totally within the governors mandates (masks, closing times, etc.)” The Depot Sports Pub did absolutely nothing wrong yet was vilified, harassed and reported based on the reporter’s own faulty knowledge of COVID guidelines and rules.

As always, if you have tips, story ideas or screenshots (by the way, Maine: No Mask No Service has removed approximately 200 group members who have done absolutely nothing that breaks group rules. In fact, they would be surprised at the identity of their leakers…they should think about the old saying keep your friends close but your enemy closer), please email me at mainejournalnews@gmail.com. Additionally, if you would like to submit an article for publication, please do so in Word format and insert any and all photos within the document.