The Worthy Adversary

Tag: child sex abuse

  • Deadline Looming for Victims of Irish Christian Brothers

    There is little time left: Victims of the Irish Christian Brothers or victims abused at Irish Christian Brothers schools only have until August 1, 2012 to come forward and get justice in the courts.

    Last year, the Irish Christian Brothers (ICB), a Catholic religious order based in New Rochelle, New York, sought bankruptcy protection after more than 50 victims in Canada and Seattle came forward about the sexual abuse at ICB schools. The bankruptcy court instituted the deadline, otherwise known as a “bar date,” for all victims of the ICB and victims at ICB-run schools to come forward to the courts.

    The Irish Christian Brothers ran and currently run schools across the United States and Canada. For a list, click here or here. Although a school may be listed as “closed,” victims from those schools still have rights. In other places, like Los Angeles’ Cantwell/Sacred Heart of Mary, the Archdiocese booted the brothers and took over the school. Victims who were abused at Cantwell (where a convicted child abuser and at least two accused child sexual predators worked) before the ICB were kicked out also have rights in the bankruptcy.

    Other schools that were dens of abuse include Damien Memorial School in Honolulu; Palma School in Salinas, CA; O’Dea and Briscoe in the Seattle area; Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx (where Christian Brothers worked); Bergen Catholic in New Jersey; and Bishop Hendricken in RI; to name a few. Others are listed here.

    The Christian Brothers harbored men like Br. Robert Brouillette, who victimized children across IL, HI, NM, AZ and WA, until he was finally arrested in an internet child sex sting. He was eventually convicted of child pornography. The ICB also hid men such as Fr. Gerald Funcheon, who abused kids nationwide. Funcheon was then sent to Damien Memorial in Honolulu where he abused again. When he was outed, he was sent to Palma in Salinas where, you guessed it: he abused at least two boys.

    One the east coast, the perpetrator shuffle was in full swing, with men like Br. Charles Borromeo Irwin, Br. Ronald Alexius Howe, Br. Jerome Heustis, Br. Thomas Cuthbert Ford, Br. John Justin O’Connor, and Br. John Walderman were transferred from school to school after physically and sexually abusing children. Walderman and Ford were both arrested – Ford hid from the law and Walderman and his bosses kept mum on his arrest and so that he could continue working in schools. You can read more about how the ICB flew under the radar of police and prosecutors for years.

    The only way we have been able to learn about many of these men has been due to the bravery of their victims. Many of of these traumatized men and women tried to come forward sooner, but because of archaic statute of limitations in many states across the country, these victims had no rights. Now, victims are empowered and can make their evidence public to warn communities about the dangers these predators pose. But only for a short time.

    On August 2, the court doors will slam shut for many of these victims.

    Click here to learn more about the bankruptcy proceedings.

     

  • LAUSD Finds 600 Cases of Possible Abuse

    From The Daily Breeze:

    Superintendent John Deasy of the LA Unified School District “told principals at 900 campuses to scour 40 years’ worth of personnel files for allegations of sexual wrongdoing, inappropriate behavior, violence or drugs, and gave them until May 30 to complete the arduous task.”

    They found 600 possible cases and forwarded 331 of those to California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The number is expected to climb.

    That’s the good news.

    The bad news?

    Judith Perez, executive director of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, said principals were also committed to students’ safety, although she questioned the scope of the review.

    “Is it worth it to go back 40 years? I wonder,” she said. “The urgency would be active concerns, those within the statute of limitations,” she said. “Beyond that, it’s not clear to me why.”

    What are you afraid of, Judith? In a district with a staggering drop-out rate, perhaps the best way to keep kids in school is to root out 40 years’ worth of child molesting teachers. Just a thought.

  • Dissecting Dolan’s Apologists

     

    Documents recently exposed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee showed that NY Cardinal Timothy Dolan paid predator priests $20,000 to quietly leave the priesthood. Yeah, really.

    The response from Dolan? Cue the crickets. But that doesn’t mean that Dolan’s apologists have also clammed up. In fact, they have been very loud in defending Dolan, saying, “Well, at least he got rid of these bad apples.” If you want to read those articles, you can look them up. I really don’t want to drive traffic to them via my links.

    I am not going to rehash the same news you can find on a million other websites. I am also not going to restate the 9,000 fine points of the public safety hazard Dolan caused. Every point is painfully obvious to anyone with a soul. Instead, this post is about why the apologists are dead wrong.

    1) This ain’t the Wizard of Oz, sister. So quit trying to divert my attention.

    The Catholic League, Archbishop Charles Chaput and others always like to say, “There’s nothing to see here. Abuse is way worse in public schools. It’s a liberal conspiracy.” Here are my responses: Yes there is; Maybe; and Hell, no.

    Lady Justice carries a sword and scales. Do you know why?  So that she may not remove the blindfold from her eyes. Justice must remain blind, whether you wear the clerical collar or are a federal politician. What murderer could stand before the court and say, “Gee, maybe I killed one person, but look at Hitler. He killed millions.” It’s a ridiculous argument and should be viewed as such.

    I am going to give the apologists the same answer that my father gave me every day of my life until I moved out for good: “I don’t care what ‘everyone else’ is doing. You need to obey MY rules.” Dolan was WRONG. He BROKE THE LAW by not reporting abuse. He covered up for abusers. He must be held accountable. Period.

    2) If it’s okay to pay predator priests $20K, why didn’t you pay good and honorable priests the same amount when they choose to leave the priesthood?

    I know a number of former priests (and have talked to a couple before writing this. I encourage others to comment or contact me). I do not know a single good, honorable priest who was given a dime when they left the priesthood. A friend of my father’s and former LA priest Terrence Halloran (who reached out to me and has been an amazing and honest source of information and support), left the priesthood in 1967 because he fell in love. When I asked him, he said, “I didn’t even get paid for November 1967, my last full month in ministry.” He was also handed a bill (eventually forgiven by the Archdiocese of LA) for his education.

    Patrick Wall, a former priest and my friend and colleage (and according to the Official Catholic Directory 1994-1996 a judge/advocate for the Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul – you can look it up. In fact, I INVITE you to, because it will be subject of a later post) was also handed a bill for his education when he left the priesthood. It was huge and it was never forgiven. He didn’t say that he was leaving to become an advocate for victims. He didn’t molest kids. He was just sick and tired of covering up for child molesters. His first job outside of the priesthood was as a nurses aide in a rest home. Now, the church is trying to say that he was never a judge/advocate. But the OCD never lies.

    These two good and honorable men were forced to enter the secular world with no savings, no support, no slush fund, no “wink and nod,” no annuity. So quit telling me that Dolan did the right thing by paying predators off to go away.  Twice-convicted child predator Oliver O’Grady is set for life, so why did Patrick Wall have to empty bedpans to eat?

    3) This has nothing to do with politics

    Yes, the bishops are suing the Obama administration regarding the Affordable Health Care Act. That is their right and duty under the Constitution. And yes, many liberal voices have spoken out for victims against the cover-up of abuse … but so have conservatives. So let’s cut to the chase: Sex abuse and cover up are not about politics. I know victims who have been ardent supporters of the cause who worked in the George H.W. Bush administration, victims who are Republicans, Libertarians, unaffiliated voters, and conservative Catholics. Some of my own biggest supporters are the mega-conservative Catholics who attending Latin services. Don’t tell me that this is a liberal conspiracy. Just as many Republicans were sexually abused as Democrats. Yes, the leadership of SNAP leans to the liberal side. So what? My husband is a Republican. (And I love my husband much more than I love David Clohessy. Sorry, David.)

    4) Predator public school teachers get paid off all of the time. Why aren’t you going after them?

    Yes, predator public school teachers get paid off all of the time. And I hate it, so I fight against it every time I can. But the public sector doesn’t use God, moral authority, eternal damnation or excommunication via lynch mod to hide abuse. The Catholic Church must be held to the same “higher standard” that that they demand of their faithful. Especially when they use tax dollars.

    That being said, the public sector MUST be held to account. That requires money, political power, influence and connections. It means fighting unions and the status quo. Heck, the U.S. Catholic Church itself doesn’t have the money to expose sex abuse in governmental organizations. It’s a grassroots movement in its infancy. But the real change will have to come from the inside with victims coming forward and demanding justice …just like the real change in exposing sex abuse in the Catholic Church came from victims and Catholics.

    We can continue the discussion in the comments or on Twitter at #CardinalDolan

    Find me on Twitter @jcasteix

     

     

     

  • A Recipe for Child Protection: Add One Part Hero

    No one—I repeat: NO ONE— wants to get in front of television cameras and say that they were sexually abused. But when someone does, and does it in an eloquent, emotional and powerful way, that person changes the world.

    Case in point: Jessica Bohman

    Jessica Prater Bohman, age 6 five


    According to Bohman, her family members, and a lawsuit she just filed in Kern County Superior Court, Jessica was sexually abused by Foursquare Church youth minister Damon Young from when she was approximately 4 until she was 8 years old.  Damon was 14.

    But his young age didn’t stop Damon from admitting to abusing her and other girls at the church. (I hope to post a copy of the police report soon.) According to the lawsuit, he’d brazenly take Jessica out of church day care and molest her while her parents were at church services, even though, according to the lawsuit, Foursquare church officials knew he was acting inappropriately around the young girls. When I saw “inappropriate,” I mean that he would rub his crotch against little girls when adults were around. This is bad stuff. There is no question that the Young should have been immediately pulled out of youth ministry, the police called and the kids helped. But no one picked up the phone to report their suspicions.

    When Jessica had a sex ed class in junior high, she suddenly realized that what happened to her was very, very wrong.

    Jessica and her family came forward and told church officials that Damon had done things far more heinous to the girl than “crotch rubbing.” What did Foursquare do? Buried it and silenced Jessica. Foursquare officials didn’t report (as required by law) and conned the family into thinking that the right thing to do would be to put the girl in church counseling. Foursquare didn’t report Young after he admitted that he abused Jessica and other girls. The Foursquare church STILL hasn’t reported. Instead, just let him keep working with kids, and manipulated the Prater family into thinking that the church was doing everything properly.

    We’ve seen this before. Why? People want to believe that the leaders of the church where they worship God, baptize their children, marry their spouses, bless the dying, feed the poor and bury the dead are doing the right thing. We delude ourselves when we superimpose God-like morality to humans. (Just look at the recent, non-sex-abuse news out of the Catholic church for the latest in “delusions of morality.”) No one wants to think that their beloved priest, minister, deacon, reverend or bishop is the kind of person loves and protects child molesters over kids. It’s the classic “What would Jesus do?” moment in Bizzaro World.

    But Jessica did something that very few victims do. She came forward, used her name, and spoke publicly about the abuse. Her reasoning: there are other victims out there who CAN put Young behind bars. She wants them to know that it is safe and RIGHT to come forward. I can’t recall the last time I have seen such elegance and eloquence from a victim who is—at 29—still so young.

    Want to continue the discussion? Comment below or follow #FoursquareChurch

     

  • New Allegations of Abuse Against Bakersfield Foursquare Church

    NEWS EVENT: New sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit filed against Bakersfield church

     

    Youth minister admitted to molesting girls

     

    Yet church officials refused to report crimes to police

     

    To keep victim quiet, they told family “get church counseling”

     

    Group says “Come forward, report abuse, get help & call police”

    What: Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, child sex abuse victims and their supporters will announce a new sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit against a Bakersfield church. The lawsuit says that:

    — A youth minister sexually molested a girl,

    — He admitted to church officials that he abused girls,

    — He kept working at this church – and others – for years after, and

    — Church employees didn’t report the abuse and told the family to seek church counseling instead.

    Where: Outside of Kern County Superior Court, 1415 Truxtun Avenue (corner of Truxtun and Chester) in Bakersfield

    When: Tuesday, May 29 at 11:15 am

    Who: Victims of child sex abuse who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), including a California woman who is the group’s Western Regional Director.  THE VICTIM WILL BE THERE AND WILL SPEAK PUBLICLY.

    Why: Today in Kern County Superior Court, a 29-year-old child sex abuse victim at the Bakersfield Day Spring Foursquare Church filed a sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit against the church and Damon Young, the youth minister who admitted to molesting her and other girls at the church.

    The lawsuit says that Young repeatedly sexually molested the victim, Jessica Bohman, from 1987 to 1990 when Jessica was between 4 and 8 years old. When Bohman reported the abuse to the church in 1997, Young admitted to Foursquare officials that he abused Bohman and other young girls in his care.

    Bohman and her family say that when they told Foursquare officials about the abuse, they were told to seek church counseling and not call the police. The church also refused to report the abuse to law enforcement, as required by law. Despite admitting the abuse, Young was permitted to keep his church job and church officials didn’t warn parents. In 2000, when Bohman’s family members learned that Young was still working with children, they again reported the abuse to church officials, who did nothing to warn families of the danger.

    Bohman reported her abuse to law enforcement in 2010. Although Young admitted to molesting her, he served no jail time because he was 14 at the time the abuse occurred.

    Because Foursquare church officials chose to protect an admitted predator and never reported to law enforcement, SNAP fears that the others hurt by Young may be suffering alone in shame and silence. They also believe that this pattern of cover-up and deliberate failure to report may have allowed child sex abuse to continue and thrive at Foursquare churches throughout the county. They also hope that other victims will find the strength to come forward and report to law enforcement.

    Jessica Bohman is represented by Los Angeles attorney Anthony DeMarco (310) 927-9277, anthony@demarcolawfirm.com.  Copies of the lawsuit will be available at the event.

    Contact: Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, CA, SNAP Western Regional Director, 949-322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com

    Barb Dorris of St. Louis, MO, SNAP Outreach Director, 314-503-0003, snapdorris@gmail.com

    David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director, 314-566-9790, snapclohessy@aol.com