CA--Victims blast LAUSD for "horrific tactics" in abuse case
For immediate release: Thursday, Nov. 13
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, western regional director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434, [email protected])
It’s disgusting that a lawyer for the LA Unified School District blames a 14 year old for the child sex crimes of a teacher. And it’s disgusting that California law apparently allows this.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/11/13/48034/lausd-argued-middle-schooler-can-consent-to-sex-wi/
Shame on lawyer Keith Wyatt, who attacked this wounded girl. And shame on L.A. Unified's top officials and California lawmakers for permit this kind of hard-ball victim-blaming.
KPCC reports that Wyatt argued that the 14 year old “bore some responsibility for what happened” and “introduced the girl's sexual history into the trial as part of their defense strategy.” Both tactics are appalling and mean-spirited. Again, school officials should be ashamed of themselves. They should fire and denounce Wyatt and those who approved this callous tactic.
The predator in this case is Elkis Hermida, who was convicted of lewd acts against a child and sentenced in July 2011 to three years in state prison.
We applaud this brave girl and her family. We hope these vicious tactics by LAUSD backfire and prompt more victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to publicly blast the district and pursue litigation against it.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 18,000 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]), Joelle Casteix (949-322-7434, [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
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