Standing Watch

A part-time US Census worker, Bill Sparkman, 51, was found hanged from a tree on September 12, 2009 in a remote section of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Southeast Kentucky. According to an anonymous police source, the word “Fed” had been written on Sparkman’s chest. While law enforcement officials are tentatively ruling the case an apparent homicide, no official position as to the cause of Sparkman’s death, nor the circumstances surrounding it, has been made (as of this writing). Sparkman’s truck was located near the crime scene, along with his laptop computer inside it. Sparkman’s body had already been decomposed when it was found.

Sparkman’s disappearance was reported to police when he failed to show up for work as a part-time teacher at a local elementary school by Gilbert Acciardo, a retired Kentucky State Police officer. “I told him on more than one occasion, based on my years in the state police, ‘Mr. Sparkman, when you go into those counties, be careful because people are going to perceive you different than they do elsewhere,’” Acciardo said. “Even though he was with the Census Bureau, sometimes people can view someone with any government agency as ‘the government.’ I just was afraid that he might meet the wrong character along the way up there,” Acciardo said. Acciardo said he became suspicious when Sparkman didn’t show up for work at the after-school program for two days and went to police. Authorities immediately initiated an investigation, he said. “He was such an innocent person,” Acciardo said. “I hate to say that he was naive, but he saw the world as all good, and there’s a lot of bad in the world.”

Lucindia Scurry-Johnson, assistant director of the Census Bureau’s southern office in Charlotte, N.C., said that door-to-door Census interviews have been suspended in Clay County, KY until the case is resolved.

The single father worked both as a part-time teacher at an after school program and for the US Census Bureau, which is overseen by the US Commerce Department. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke issued a brief statement to say that “Our thoughts and prayers are with William Sparkman’s son, other family and friends,” and remarked on how Sparkman was a shining example of the dedication and hard work of the employees of the US Census Bureau. Sparkman had worked for the US Census Bureau since 2003.

Sparkman’s death follows weeks of anti-government protests, as well as a marked increase in threats to harm or kill federal elected officials and employees.  Census workers in particular could face harm (if the current political climate continues or worsens), as Republican elected officials continue to make false claims about ACORN’s projected role in the census, and a few are even claiming the census will be used to “round up” Republicans and “place them in internment camps.”  At least one Republican House member has claimed that they will not complete the census questionnaire, and has advocated others do likewise (a violation of federal law since 1791).