LET FREEDOM RING!
I just watched a Canadian TV news report on the freeing of Neil and Ferdi, then read citizen responses, including one that said this will follow them the rest of their lives. It is our job as teachers and writers and defenders of children and decent human beings to make sure that doesn't happen. So my post:
The language used to describe Neil's, Ferdi's and the cleaners' predicament has always caused me great dis-ease. I was fortunate to be a visiting author at the Jakarta Intercultural School last year and was even invited to go to the courthouse with some of the teachers and parents to look at the conditions. As well as being an author, I spent thirty years of my life working as a therapist with abuse and neglect families and as the chairperson of my city's Child Protection Team. In other words I spent a good deal of time keeping bad guys away from kids through therapy work and court testimony. When I hear a news person say, in this case, "There wasn't enough evidence..." I feel something close to rage.
I've followed this case closely and written about it. There wasn't ANY evidence. There was NO physical evidence that the kids had been molested at all. There was NO evidence of ANY psychological harm and NO behavior indicating ANY trauma. This does not need to follow Neil and Ferdi, or any of the cleaners (and we don't want to forget that one was killed in custody). What will follow them will be their grace under the circumstances, their selfless behavior toward other prison while incarcerated, and the dedication and loyalty of the people who stayed with them. I believe there is no act of heroism that doesn't include standing up for yourself and all involved in this day's decision did that.
Chris Crutcher
[To read more about the court's reversal, click HERE.]
The language used to describe Neil's, Ferdi's and the cleaners' predicament has always caused me great dis-ease. I was fortunate to be a visiting author at the Jakarta Intercultural School last year and was even invited to go to the courthouse with some of the teachers and parents to look at the conditions. As well as being an author, I spent thirty years of my life working as a therapist with abuse and neglect families and as the chairperson of my city's Child Protection Team. In other words I spent a good deal of time keeping bad guys away from kids through therapy work and court testimony. When I hear a news person say, in this case, "There wasn't enough evidence..." I feel something close to rage.
I've followed this case closely and written about it. There wasn't ANY evidence. There was NO physical evidence that the kids had been molested at all. There was NO evidence of ANY psychological harm and NO behavior indicating ANY trauma. This does not need to follow Neil and Ferdi, or any of the cleaners (and we don't want to forget that one was killed in custody). What will follow them will be their grace under the circumstances, their selfless behavior toward other prison while incarcerated, and the dedication and loyalty of the people who stayed with them. I believe there is no act of heroism that doesn't include standing up for yourself and all involved in this day's decision did that.
Chris Crutcher
[To read more about the court's reversal, click HERE.]
