IL--Victims blast Hastert & challenge his supporters
For immediate release: Thursday, April 14, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
We take issue with a number of claims by Denny Hastert and his lawyers. And we applaud Individual D for having the courage to speak in court about Hastert’s wrongdoing. We also applaud attorney Kristi Browne for representing a Hastert victim.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/feds-hastert-victim-sister-of-another-to-testify-at-sentencing/
In light of disclosures in recent days, we challenge those who’ve written the judge on Hastert’s behalf to reconsider their support of this deceitful predator. We also challenge his former colleagues, supervisors and students in the Yorkville/Aurora area to stop making public comment in his defense and start trying to find and help others Hastert has hurt.
We dispute the claims by Hastert’s lawyers that
---Hastert’s remorseful. He and his lawyers continue to use deceptive language like “episodes” and “incidents” that “involved” kids, instead of accurate language like “child sex crimes” that were “inflicted on kids.”
---“The additional general deterrence to be gained from a sentence of imprisonment would not be substantial.” A harsh sentence will give hope to crime victims and encourage people who see, suspect or suffer abuse to report it. A lenient sentence will discourage crime victims and deter people who see, suspect or suffer abuse to report it, thus enabling more predators to hurt others and fostering greater disregard for our justice system.
---A groin rub and a massage on a student by a teacher may not “qualify as sexual misconduct.” That’s baloney. It hurts victims of sexual violence to see child sex crimes minimized. And such callous comments also deter others in pain from speaking up, protecting others and exposing predators.
(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]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine of Chicago, national president member of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, bblaine @SNAPnetwork.org)
Victims praise judge for looking at recent Hastert deceit
For immediate release: Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, [email protected])
We’re glad a judge will consider Denny Hastert’s most recent wrongdoing – his attempt to frame a man he molested as a child – when he sentences the politician. This is the second worst crime Hastert committed, second only to his repeated child sex crimes.
Hastert told the FBI he was being extorted. He let agents listen in on a call with one of his victims, hoping that they would falsely conclude that Hastert, not the child sex abuse victim, was the one who was suffering and needed law enforcement’s help. Shame on him.
Had Hastert succeeded in his calculated deceit, a man who had been sexually violated as a child might have ended up in prison, falsely convicted of extorting money from a powerful politician.
So again, we’re grateful that the judge will look at this deliberate deception when pondering Hastert’s sentence.
No matter what the legal system does or doesn’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or cover ups by Hastert to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
(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]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Filing: Hastert lawyers question if groin rub amounted to sexual abuse
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, April 14, 2016
The federal judge overseeing Dennis Hastert's hush money case said he intends to factor in at Hastert's upcoming sentencing that the former speaker lied to federal authorities about being extorted over false claims of sexual abuse decades ago.
"That's not conduct that's 40 years old. That's conduct that's a year old," U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Durkin said at a hearing in the case Wednesday. "Among the aggravating factors in this case, that's a big one."
In their filing last week asking for up to six months in prison for Hastert, prosecutors said . . .
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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