“The only downside for us is if the message isn’t ‘heard’ and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it,” ~Graham Spanier February 27, 2001
Looks like the "downside" is about to be revealed.
Today, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz will be in Harrisburg for their preliminary hearing regarding the charges brought against them as a result of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.
Curley and Schultz were charged in November, 2011 and Spanier was charged November 1, 2012 with additional charges brought against Curley and Schutlz.
All three were charged with:
Endangering the welfare of children
Criminal conspiracy
Obstruction
Perjury
Failure to report child abuse
From Dr. Spanier's email above, they KNEW they were at risk for not reporting it - at the very minimum. I understand, more than anyone, what grooming looks like and how families, communities, hell even PARENTS can be groomed by pedophiles - but here we have in writing that they KNEW they had evidence of something happening that, if they chose NOT to report it, would cause them to be vulnerable at some later date.
And they did -----------------nothing.
Why it Matters
Because they chose to do the "humane" thing and not report Jerry Sandusky to proper authorities (allegedly) - additional boys were raped...
Like this young man -
((Descriptions may be triggering))
I remember his haunting eyes, how small he looked on the witness stand, the way his body shook with sobs as he told the packed courtroom how he was abused, how he hid underneath the pool table and in closets, trying to get away. How he finally told a school counselor, but they didn't believe him.
Count 1: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
Guilty.
Count 2: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
Guilty.
Count 3: Indecent assault
Guilty.
Count 4: Unlawful contact with minors
Guilty.
Count 5: Corruption of minors
Guilty.
Count 6: Endangering welfare of children
Guilty, as a course of conduct
And this young man
Victim #9-The 18 year old boy who looked so young and vulnerable as he took the stand. Who said he screamed for help when he was getting raped in Jerry Sandusky's basement, but no one ever came. Who said that he bled after his attacks, but took care of it himself. He tried so hard to be tough and get through it alone.
Count 41: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
Guilty
Count 42: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
Guilty
Count 43: Indecent assault
Guilty
Count 44: Unlawful contact with minors
Guilty
Count 45: Corruption of minors
Guilty
Count 46: Endangering welfare of children
Guilty, as a course of conduct.
And the countless others who may or may not be alive today.
Or who may be struggling with demons of their own -
Many argue that the perpetrator, Jerry Sandusky, the serial predatory pedophile is off the street - so why does it matter who knew what when and who reported what to whom? Everyone wants to point the finger at the "other" - CYS, DPW, The Second Mile, Dr. Dranov, Mike McQueary, McQueary's dad, Penn State - when the fact of the matter is - all of them failed. The question then turns to "why?"
Why would adults turn a blind eye to child sexual abuse?
Why People Don't Report Child Sexual Abuse
Statistics show that 1:4 girls and 1:6 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18. However, only about 12 percent to 30 percent of child sexual abuse cases are ever reported to the authorities (http://stopitnow.org).
Child sexual abuse is so heinous - the very thought of a child being raped by an adult makes people question what they actually saw or second guess what they know is true. If a child discloses to an adult inappropriate touching by a family member or friend, often times children are thought to have "fanciful" imaginations, or to be outright lying.
As Dr. Judith Herman writes in her book, Trauma & Recovery - "It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering."
The preliminary hearing has just begun - Mike McQueary was the first witness to take the stand -
7:42 AM PT: Tweets from McQueary's Testimony:
Onward State @OnwardState2m
McQueary said Paterno would talk to him in passing sometimes and say things like "God, (Sandusky) was a sick guy."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState3m
Mike McQueary: "Coach Paterno ? to be frank with you ? was great throughout the whole thing."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState8m
McQueary on police knocking on his door in 2010: "Right away I knew what it was about. There were rumors going on for two years."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState9m
McQueary: "Did I ever follow up with Mr. Curley? No. And I'm at fault for that."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState10m
McQueary: "I didn't handle this thing in a perfect way. I would point the finger at myself before I point it at anyone else."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState10m
McQueary on what Paterno said about the investigation post-2001: "Old Main screwed it up."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState11m
McQueary testified Paterno told him during their last conversation: "Get a lawyer. Don't trust Cynthia Baldwin and don't trust Old Main."
ExpandOnward State @OnwardState11m
McQueary said Paterno told him: "The University is going to come down hard on you. Don't worry about me. They're going to scapegoat you."
8:37 AM PT: “I told him I went to the locker room the night before, and I had seen coach Sandusky engaged in a very bad sexual act,” McQueary testified, adding he specifically called it a “molestation act with a minor.”
From time to time, McQueary testified he would have brief conversations with Paterno about the incident in the shower, perhaps once or twice per year. McQueary said Paterno would occasionally make remarks like, “God, (Sandusky) was a sick guy.”
http://onwardstate.com/...
8:47 AM PT: Harmon testified that he was not told about there being another reported incident involving Sandusky and a young boy in 2001.
Had he been aware, Harmon said he has no doubt he would have contacted the district attorney’s office to pursue an investigation.
“In light of the 1998 incident, that would have been sufficiently suspicious that there had been a possible child abuse given the fact that Sandusky clearly knew this was problem behavior,” Harmon testified.
Harmon will continue to testify after the break.
This is exactly why the 2001 incident (following this 1998 incident) makes it impossible for Spanier, Curley and Schultz to claim ignorance of the breadth of the problem.
http://onwardstate.com/...
11:52 AM PT: Ummmm - isn't this a cover-up?
"The 1998 incident was reported on the university’s daily public crime log as an administrative matter.
Harmon testified it was his decision, not Schultz’s, to use that terminology in an effort to shield it from media attention.
When asked how the incident would have been listed on the log, Harmon said it would not have included Sandusky’s name."
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/...
3:51 PM PT: 5 witnesses testified today, including both of Schultz's assistants, Harmon, McQueary and an IT guy from Penn State.
Hearing will resume tomorrow morning. I will post an update tomorrow.
Thanks,
Roxine
Tue Jul 30, 2013 at 11:22 AM PT: From today's testimony:
"In late October 2011, as the arrests neared, Spanier called a meeting in his office and slid a single sheet across the table to his top public relations handlers: a page full of platitudes and unconditional support for Curley and Schultz.
The statement did not mention Sandusky's victims or the scourge of child abuse, Powers' boss, Bill Mahon, pointed out.
"There was no indication of empathy or concern expressed," Powers testified. "He felt that was lacking."
Mahon slid the statement back to Spanier, who scribbled the lines that became the opening paragraph: "The allegations about a former coach are troubling, and it is appropriate that they be investigated thoroughly. Protecting children requires the utmost vigilance."
"With regards to the other presentments, I wish to say that Tim Curley and Gary Schultz have my unconditional support. I have known and worked daily with Tim and Gary for more than 16 years. I have complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations about a former University employee."
I will post a new diary at the close of the preliminary hearing which is expected to end today - detailing other pertinent details.
Thanks,
Roxine