Abuse victims to hold 4 news conferences in MO this week
Abuse victims launch four day, four city MO "outreach effort"
They start group for those hurt in Christian boarding schools
“AG & other officials must act now to protect vulnerable kids,” they say
Two survivors of childhood abuse will crisscross Missouri this week in what they’re calling "an outreach and education effort" to "help expose crimes against kids" in Christian boarding schools and prod officials to take immediate steps to "prevent more devastating harm to extremely vulnerable girls and boys."
They are:
Amanda Householder of California, a nationally-known survivor, activist, and whistleblower who, in a highly unusual civil lawsuit, sued her parents for severely abusing purportedly ‘troubled kids’ at the two now-shuttered Christian reform/boarding schools they ran in southern Missouri for years. The couple face a trial this fall on 100+ felony charges. (Amanda’s experiences have been profiled on Dateline, Rolling Stone, the Daily Beast, Dr. Oz and an Amazon Prime documentary and numerous media outlets), and
David Clohessy of St. Louis, the former long-time national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. (As a youngster, he and three of his brothers were sexually violated by a mid-Missouri priest.)
The events kick off on Monday, May 13 in St. Louis. The two, sometimes joined by other survivors and supporters, will also hold news conferences in Springfield on Tuesday, Jefferson City on Wednesday and Kansas City on Thursday.
The survivors will also
disclose both newly-filed and recently settled abuse lawsuits involving several of these facilities,
announce the formation of a new non-profit support & advocacy group for adults who suffered sexual, physical, emotional and educational abuse in ‘faith-based’ boarding/reform schools,
pass out fliers in several small towns near 'faith-based' institutions that house purportedly 'troubled kids,'
beg legislators, in the waning days of the legislative session, to "remove or reform Missouri's archaic, arbitrary and predator-friendly statute of limitations on child sex crimes,"
prod local prosecutors to investigate the facilities in their counties,
blast several politicians, including Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey,
urge "anyone who "may have seen, suspected or suffered any kind of mistreatment at these 'schools' to 'show courage and compassion by contacting law enforcement,'" and
meet individually with journalists.
At their kick-off event on Monday in St. Louis, the two will be accompanied by Doug Lay of Florissant, a Protestant survivor and whistleblower who helped expose child sex crimes at a boarding school in Mexico.
At the group’s news conference on Tuesday in Springfield, at least two other victims of boarding school abuse will also speak publicly for the first time.
Details of the events will be posted at SNAPnetwork.org (under "Media Events" &/or "Media Statements" &/or at DavidClohessy.com
For more information: David Clohessy: 314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com