NY- Victims blast prominent school re: privacy violations
For immediate release: Thursday, August 8, 2013
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)
Shame on the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn and the board and staff of St. Francis Prep for trying to intimidate victims of sexual abuse and harassment.
For decades, judges, courts, prosecutors and lawmakers across the US have let victims of sex crimes and sexual harassment seek justice while protecting their privacy. A small number of ruthless defendants, however, insist on trying to force victims to disclose their identities. This mean-spirited and desperate maneuver is designed to scare other victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers into keeping quiet.
We believe and hope it will backfire. We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered crimes, misdeeds or cover ups by Franciscan Brothers – at St. Francis Prep or elsewhere – will find the courage to speak up, get help, expose wrongdoers, warn parents, protect the vulnerable and deter future misconduct.
Barbara Blaine, founder of SNAP, passed away on Sunday, September 24th, 2017. Her dying was sudden and completely unexpected. Words cannot express our sorrow nor are there words to express our gratitude for her relentless advocacy. She truly was a hero. There is an old saying, “well behaved women seldom make history”. Barbara made history and the world is a better place.
We have put together a tribute for Barbara Blaine to honor her memory. If you would like to contribute a memory, please send your favorite memory of Barbara to admin@snapnetwork.org
50 State AG Call for Grand Jury
Write a letter to the attorney general of your state. Demand, request, and beg them to impanel a grand jury.
Any investigation must be:
- independent of and separate from the church
- must have subpoena powers and ability to compel testimony under oath
Anything short of these criteria is a sham and whitewash.
In addition, write letters to the editor, make phone calls to politicians as they can apply pressure to keep them responsive to our demand. We need to make efforts to ensure that they follow up on what the state is doing to investigate these crimes.
The Attorneys General of forty states have inquired about the grand jury process in Pennsylvania. Let's get statewide investigations going in fifty states.
Current list of active investigations, associated hotlines, websites, and email addresses
Survivors can use to report their experiences.
Note to Letter Writers
Use your own words and style of writing. Cut and paste from the templates as you wish. Include your experiences, whether as a survivor or as a member of the community. And relate your letter to the state you were abused in or state now living in.
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