CA - Trial to proceed soon in Sacramento, SNAP responds
We hope that this trial gets under way soon. Those victimized by Fr. Uriel Ojeda deserve to have a chance at justice.
We are concerned, however, that Fr. Ojeda remains free on bail as his case gets dangerously close to proceeding. At least three Sacramento predator priests - Fr. Gerardo Beltran, Fr. Jose Luis Urbina and Fr. Francisco Javier Garcia - are believed to have fled California after sexually assaulting kids. Given his youth, we fear that Fr. Ojeda also represents a flight risk.
We hope that the judge will begin this trial immediately and that steps are taken to ensure Fr. Ojeda does not flee like other Sacramento predators.
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
Showing 1 comment
Oh, it’s heartbreaking to me, to continue both reading and writing the word “hope” in many of these comments posted here, (both yours and mine). I honestly wish there were a way to insure that trials could and would go forward in a much more expeditious manner.
I suppose that if ever both the legislative and judicial systems of our government took the crimes of all pedophiles more seriously, then laws regarding their arrest and trials, might not allow for bail.
I believe that these crimes and such criminals should be considered in the same legal context as murder, for the expressed purposes of not granting bail and regarding the sentencing upon the finding of a guilty verdict.
And furthermore, I believe that our system of jurisprudence should consider pedophile abuse and rape and mutilation of innocent children tantamount to and legally equivalent to the crime of premeditated murder. I believe this should become the new precedent for purposes of establishing that there will no longer be any statute of limitations on crimes perpetrated by pedophiles; that a victim or victims be able to bring legal action and cause the putting on trial of any person accused of a pedophile crimes in both a criminal and/or civil court of law at any such time thereafter as such heinous crimes against humanity are and have been committed in this country.
I pray we will arrive at that stage of our legal system’s history, soon.
Thank you, for your consistent efforts.
Sincerely,
Lani Halter
Please Remember: Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:41 and Luke 17:2