The MuckRock Assignment was interesting. I was amazed at how long requests lingered. It made you almost feel like someone was hiding something. I saw one that was rejected at first and the requestor almost had to make a case for why they needed this public record before it was finally released and completed. there were many that was outright rejected and the lamest excuse I read was because the person requesting was not a resident of the state.
When thinking about my FOIA request, I wanted to resubmit a request that was made to an agency regarding requesting threat assessments on a list of hate groups. That request was rejected because the agency communicated that the requestor was not a resident. I found myself hesitating because I feared what if I bring unwanted attention to myself because I am a resident. Would my putting this request is put a mark on my back? With that thought lingering in my mind, I decided to make my request about a cause that I really cared – water pollution in the state.