CA--Victims applaud ESPN’s backing away from film re Sacrmento mayor
For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 13
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
We’re grateful that ESPN is distancing itself from a film that largely focuses on Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson but wish the network would have addresses the serious accusation of sexual violence against a teenager before or during the film itself.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/marcos-breton/article38838423.html
We’re disgusted by Johnson’s flippant and disingenuous dodge that “When you’re in politics, you take hits.”
The alleged crimes happened long before he entered politics. And it’s self-serving, deceitful and insulting to crime victims to equate an alleged child sexual abuse with a political attack.
Remember that then-16 year old Mandi Koba took a hard and brave step. She reported the alleged assault to law enforcement. Had police or prosecutors deemed her dishonest, she could have been criminally charged for filing a false report. And Johnson paid her six figures but insisted that she keep silent. Those are disturbing facts.
We hope that anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Johnson will find courage, speak up, expose wrongdoing and protect others.
And the rest of us should remember that we have a simple choice: We can make it harder, or easier, for victims of sexual violence to report predators. By publicly rallying around Johnson, we make it harder.
(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], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
ESPN postpones Sacramento film due to new focus on Kevin Johnson molestation claims
By Marcos Breton, [email protected], October 12, 2015
Monday night was supposed to be a festive one for Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. The Crest Theatre was showing a premiere of “Down in the Valley,” a documentary of Sacramento’s successful effort to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle.
In this ESPN narrative, Johnson is the star.
At the last minute, another video – this one made by the Phoenix Police Department nearly 20 years ago – caused ESPN to delay indefinitely its nationwide television release of the Sacramento documentary. This video, posted on YouTube last week, shows . . .
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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