A Native American re-enactor contends he was erroneously barred from Bushy Run Battlefield because of an alleged criminal incident that he said never happened.
In a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County, Todd Johnson of McKeesport contends a posting in early June on the Facebook page of the Penn Township historic site included a notification that he was not welcome at the park because of “indecent exposure and other serious accusations from committed re-enactors.”
Rob Nalley, a board member for the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society, the group that operates the park, said Friday he could not comment on the lawsuit or the allegations referred to in Johnson’s court filing.
“I was aware there was some incident and speculation, but I have no specific information,” Nalley said.
Neither Johnson nor his lawyer could be reached for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Johnson is of Huron Indian descent and participates in re-enactments at various historical venues throughout the region.
Johnson contends there is no basis for the posting by Bushy Run officials. The lawsuit states he has no criminal record and was never charged with nor convicted of indecent exposure.
“The posting was further understood by readers to imply that your plaintiff was a criminal and a pervert,” Johnson said in the lawsuit.
Johnson said that because the posting appeared on Facebook, which has a “worldwide audience,” he suffered upset, shock, mental suffering, emotional distress and humiliation. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
His court filing said Bushy Run never published a correction.
Bushy Run Battlefield, a 218-acre park, is run by a nonprofit board of volunteers at the site of the 1763 military engagement between British soldiers and Native Americans.
A two-day re-enactment commemorating the 256th anniversary of the battle is scheduled to begin at the park Aug. 3.
