AR--Arkansas Catholic officials must do outreach in abuse case
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016
Statement by Bill Lindsey of Little Rock, Arkansas director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (501-993-7933, [email protected])
Arkansas Catholic officials should aggressively seek out anyone who might have seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by a Catholic teacher.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/feb/02/substitute-teacher/?f=news-arkansas
Erica Suskie has been arrested for allegedly molesting a boy at Catholic High School.
In nearly every case, church officials do little or nothing to help – and instead sometimes hinder – the investigating and prosecuting of child sex cases. Catholic institutions, however, have many ways they can prod victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call police and prosecutors. But they rarely use these resources to make sure child molesters are kept away from kids.
We call on Arkansas Bishop Anthony Taylor, and every Catholic employee, to spread the word about the charges against Suskie. We urge them to ask others, especially current and former students and staff at Catholic High School, to call 911 if they have any information or suspicions about this teacher or other child sex crimes or cover ups in Catholic parishes or schools. We beg them to use church bulletins and school mailing lists and parish websites in this outreach effort.
We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by Catholic employees or cover ups by Catholic officials will find the strength to call police, expose wrongdoers and protect kids.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Former Catholic High substitute teacher charged with sexual assault
By Jaime Dunaway, February 2, 2016
A former substitute teacher at Catholic High School for Boys surrendered to authorities Tuesday on a charge of sexual assault in the first degree, prosecutors said.
Erica Suskie appeared in North Little Rock District Court on Tuesday morning and entered a plea of not guilty, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Scott Carroll said on Twitter.
Suskie was with her husband, former Arkansas Public Service Commission chairman Paul Suskie, at the brief hearing.
The Suskies were . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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