Community Shelter Board’s Paid for DEI $702,829 - Taxpayer Funds Fuel for CSB’s: Thaddeus Billman’s Firing Exposes Hypocrisy - Part 3
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Community Shelter Board’s Paid for DEI $702,829
CSB’s $702,829 DEI Splurge Ignites Firing and Burns Billman at the Stake!
What I found was shocking, but not really. DEI has been seeping into every fabric of our Nation and that includes even non profits that help the homeless, from my own prior work experience and what had even transpired in Cleveland Ohio of a Police Officer named Quran, who for years on social media posted anti-Semitic remarks, praised Hitler posted hatred and he wasn't fired, I wanted to just reaffirm what I thought might be happening, DEI Hypocrisy!
On March 14, 2025, Thaddeus Billman, an eight-year employee of the Community Shelter Board (CSB) in Columbus, Ohio, was fired—not for his work, but for his words. This isn’t merely about a man losing his job over a YouTube channel. It’s about a federally funded nonprofit spending an astonishing $702,829 on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives while crushing Billman’s rights under a banner of "inclusion." It’s about CSB, fueled by taxpayer money and ideological zeal, aligning with CAIR-Ohio and The Columbus Dispatch to punish a man for exercising free speech.
President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order “Ending Radical And
Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” (January 20, 2025), which
CSB disregarded, exposing the cracks in their self-proclaimed mission and as of
today Human Resource Chief People (She,Her) is still listed on the staff directory
promoting DEI . Let’s dismantle this injustice step by calculated step.
The Financial Evidence: CSB’s DEI Investment
The numbers do not lie. Per CSB’s IRS Form 990 filings, they paid Nathan Smith a Consulting, LLC $245,142 from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and $457,687 from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024—totaling $702,829. Nathan Smith’s specialty? DEI, Restorative Practices, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), according to his website. CSB classified these as "STAFFING AND PROGRAM & OVERSIGHT SERVICES," but the timing raises eyebrows.
Sherrice Sledge-Thomas transitioned from a secretary (5 hours weekly, per the ( 990s, 990 Doc 1 & 990 Doc 2 ) to "Chief People + Culture Officer" by March 31, 2024. Her bio emphasizes leading “initiatives to enhance organizational alignment and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion” in CSB’s mission to end homelessness. While CSB claims to prioritize ending homelessness, funneling over $700,000 into DEI raises questions about their focus—housing the vulnerable or policing employees’ thoughts? Could it be the arrival of Sherrice and Nathan aligns suspiciously with Billman’s downfall?
CSB receives 41% of its funding from Federal sources, including the City and County as seen here. Enter President Trump’s Executive Order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” (January 20, 2025), which mandates the elimination of DEI programs across federal agencies, contractors, and grantees.
CSB spending $702,829 in the past on DEI while receiving federal funds isn’t just questionable, it’s on their past 990 form—the current 990 is not yet available to see if CSB forked out more cash from federal dollars for DEI.
With federal agencies now tasked to audit grantees for compliance, CSB’s could trigger more than raised eyebrows—it might cost them their federal funding lifeline.
The Chronology of Injustice
Thaddeus Billman, an operations administrator since 2016, ran “Reasoned Answers” on YouTube since April 2019—a fact CSB knew.
[Note: Updated with new information from The Columbus Dispatch, March 18, 2025, updated March 19, 2025.] "Last year, a complaint from a fellow employee prompted CSB to investigate his channel. As Billman revealed, “On Tuesday, Billman told The Dispatch that he believes CSB is lying, as he knows there was a previous investigation into his YouTube channel and its contents. The investigation was done last year following a complaint filed with CSB human resources by another employee. ‘At the time they told me they had hired a third-party lawyer who specialized in discrimination issues, that the lawyer reviewed the content and they didn’t find anything worthy of dismissal,’ he said. ‘They didn’t find anything that was highly problematic.’” Case closed—until March 2025.
On March
13, The Columbus Dispatch published "Community Shelter Board employee
under investigation for anti-Islam YouTube channel," claiming HR stated
they reopened the case due to the paper’s questions. CAIR-Ohio, after a prior
unsuccessful push to oust Billman, demanded his termination on March 14. That
same day, he was fired. The Dispatch’s March 18 article (updated March 19)
declared: “Columbus Community Shelter Board fires employee with anti-Muslim
YouTube page.”
Billman’s termination papers offered no reason; verbally, CSB cited a mismatch of "values." In plain terms, his Christian apologetics and critiques of Islam most likely didn’t fit their DEI mold. Níel Jurist, CSB’s Chief Communications Officer, told The Dispatch the investigation was “ongoing,” muddying Billman’s prior clearance to avoid scrutiny. This wasn’t a fair process—question, was a possible coordinated takedown fueled by possible DEI priorities and external pressure?
Thaddeus Billman: A Stand for Free Speech
Billman’s YouTube content—calling Muslims “crackhead clown individuals” and praising historian Robert Spencer—is protected speech. Pickering v. Board of Education (1968) affirms public employees’ rights to address public issues unless it impairs their work. Billman’s role at CSB? Data analysis—unaffected by his videos. He told The Dispatch on March 13, “I never brought up Islam at work,” and “My private views do not impact the work that I do.” CSB has no evidence tying his channel to job performance issues. Firing him for what he called "unpopular views" on March 19—“I believe I was discriminated against because I hold unpopular views”—suggests retaliation, prohibited under Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White (2006).
Billman’s a Christian apologist, not a bigot. His October
2024 interview with Spencer—a respected scholar who’s advised the FBI—stirred
CAIR, but it’s no offense. Titles like “Islam Must Die” (December 2024) are
bold, yet Cohen v. California (1971) defends provocative speech. CAIR-Ohio’s
Khalid Turaani claimed on March 19 that Billman’s content “alarms us all,” but
constitutional rights trump hurt feelings. Billman’s caught in CSB’s DEI
crosshairs, not a perpetrator of wrongdoing.
The Culprits: CSB, CAIR, and The Dispatch
CSB’s $702,829 DEI outlay is more than extravagant and with
41% federal funding, they’re subject to Trump’s now new 2025 EO, Billman’s
dismissal reflects this shift: stifle dissent, placate groups like CAIR.
CAIR-Ohio’s March 19 cheer—“CSB made the right decision”—reveals their
influence. After failing to remove Billman earlier, they seized this DEI
moment. Their past lawsuits against critics (e.g., the 2005 Whitehead case)
mark them as aggressors, not defenders.
The Columbus Dispatch played its part. Their March 13 piece
ignited the fire; the March 18 update stoked it, amplifying CAIR and CSB
without probing the DEI spending or Trump’s EO. Who prompted their focus on a
quiet data analyst? Their silence on these questions hints at bias. Together,
CSB, CAIR, and The Dispatch orchestrated Billman’s ruin, and their defenses
don’t hold up.
Justice for Thaddeus: A Path Forward
Billman might have a strong case. Wrongful termination: CSB breached Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) by firing him over his religious views without job-related justification. Retaliation: His post-Dispatch and CAIR dismissal, despite prior clearance, violates Burlington Northern. Defamation: CSB’s “we don’t tolerate hate” stance and Dispatch’s reporting imply falsehoods Ohio law penalizes (Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co., 1990).
Thaddeus Billman represents more than himself—he’s a beacon for free speech in America. CSB’s DEI excess, CAIR’s intimidation, and The Dispatch’s complicity should not go unchallenged.
You most likely should expand your knowledge and consider reading the following:
Unjustly Axed: Thaddeus Billman’s Unjust Termination at Community Shelter Board – Part 1 Targeted for Freedom - Life Ruined: Thaddeus Billman’s Battle - CAIR-Ohio’s Assault on Free Speech – Part 2
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