CA--Roman Polanski Should Face U.S. Justice For 1977 Rape, Los Angeles DA Says: Victims respond
For immediate release, March 2, 2017
Statement by Joelle Casteix, SNAP Volunteer Western Regional Director, (949) 322-7434, [email protected]
In 1977, Roman Polanski was arrested on charges of drugging a raping a 13-year-old girl when he was 44. In 1978, he took a plea bargain to avoid a lengthy jail sentence. Soon after, he fled the country. Since then, members of the Hollywood elite have defended his actions by blaming the victim, calling her names, and praising Polanski’s “artistry” as a director.
But the fact remains: he pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a child—a child who should have been memorizing vocabulary words in middle school, not recovering from rape and character assassination by a powerful middle-aged millionaire.
We encourage the district attorney to use all means at their disposal to hold Polanski accountable to the people and the law.
Mr. Polanski has no moral authority in this situation. If he prefers to hide from the consequences of his actions, then he should do so quietly. We urge his defenders to remain quiet as well, out of respect for all victims of child sexual abuse.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. 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 in all institutional settings, including churches, schools, clubs, and homes. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact – Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [email protected]), Mary Ellen Kruger (314-962-0964, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected])
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