Vito Lopez, center, facing front, holds court in Albany’s halls of power. — Photo by Aaron Short.
Is Brooklyn Democratic Boss and State Assemblyman Vito Lopez pushing a lenient clergy abuse bill in order to curry favor with the Catholic Church, so that his pet organizations can more easily control the contracting of an "affordable housing" scheme near Broadway and Flushing? Aaron Short reports from around North Brooklyn and Albany.
On the Sunday before Holy Week, the most solemn period of the year for Catholics throughout the world, Father James O’Shea slumped back in his seat on the pulpit of All Saints Church in Williamsburg. He has prepared a sermon about suffering and the struggle to be faithful when the world turns against you.
|
|||
“Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. Obedience means to listen,” O’Shea said to a crowd of two-dozen parishioners during the 8 AM mass. “We must listen deeply to the word of God and listen to each other. A lot of suffering comes because we choose to love one another.”
O’Shea was not just preaching to his audience. Until November, he served as the Executive Director of Churches United, a coalition of Catholic parishes in North Brooklyn. During his tenure, the organization focused on advocating for housing more affordable for his flock in Williamsburg’s South Side neighborhood. That is, they did until Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn asked O’Shea to step down.
After the Diocese reconstituted the board of directors, appointing retired Bishop Joseph Sullivan its Chair, members of the original Churches United board formed a new organization, Churches United for Fair Housing.
Friends at Churches United for Fair Housing assert O’Shea was forced to leave because of his vocal opposition to the city’s rezoning plans of a 31-acre lot north of the Woodhull Medical Center known as the Broadway Triangle. They believe that he is afraid to comment on the record about his dismissal because Diocese leaders have threatened to transfer him to another parish out of the city.
For the past thirty years, multiple religious organizations, housing nonprofit groups, and local elected officials have fought over the development of the site, which once occupied as the headquarters of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Alliances between organizations have shifted over time, but a partnership forged by Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez in the summer of 2005 between the United Jewish Organization (UJO), Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, and the Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (RBSCC), which Lopez founded, and which has previous experience building such housing in Bushwick, now appears to be the most prepared to bringing the project to fruition.
Housing groups such as St. Nicholas NPC, Los Sures Community Development Company, Brooklyn Legal Services, and Churches United found themselves excluded from the negotiations and shut out of the development project. Three years of contentious meetings followed, leading to the dissolution of Churches United and O’Shea’s departure. The city is currently evaluating rezoning plans that will bring 1,895 units of below-market housing to the area in six- to ten-story buildings.
O’Shea and his allies may have reached their breaking point. The Diocese’s increasingly close relationship with members of the New York State Legislature, particularly Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez, has angered them. This week in Albany, Lopez reintroduced a bill, strongly supported by the Catholic Church, to amend the statute of limitations regarding criminal prosecution and civil action in child sexual abuse cases. The bill passed the Assembly Codes Committee by a vote of 18-1 on March 31. A rival bill, introduced by Queens Assemblywoman Marge Markey and advanced by the Codes Committee two weeks ago in an 11-8 vote, includes a one-year suspension of the statute of limitations allowing victims to bring civil actions against the Church, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.
The Brooklyn Diocese’s aggressive lobbying in support of Lopez’s bill has raised eyebrows in his district. Broadway Triangle Community Coalition (BTCC) leaders believe that the Brooklyn Dioceses splintered Churches United and pressured local priests to support the UJO’s and RBSCC’s control of the Broadway Triangle project in return for Assemblyman Lopez’s legislative efforts to block Markey’s bill from passage with his own, more lenient sexual abuse bill.
“The Diocese of Brooklyn has overtly leaned on the pastors and priests of all the affected parishes to back off any opposition from Vito with respect to the Broadway Triangle and support exclusionary control by Vito and the UJO,” said Marty Needelman, an attorney representing the BTCC. “The Church has no benefit to that other than payback to Vito for trying to stop the extension of the statute of limitation.”
Lopez’s allies are incensed by the suggestion, claiming Needelman’s press release is inflammatory. His office has refused to comment and Lopez himself said the matter was not worth addressing. Father Kieran Harrington, a spokesperson with the Brooklyn Dioceses, said the release “had no merit to it,” and that it was a desperate attempt by Churches United for Fair Housing to link the two issues together.
Brooklyn Assemblyman and Codes Committee Chair Joseph Lentol has supported the tougher Markey bill from the beginning and hopes to reach a compromise between the two bills in the Assembly in the coming months.
“[Lopez and DiMarzio] have a common purpose,” said Lentol. “They are both interested in affordable housing in Brooklyn. The Bishop needs affordable housing because if you don’t have any affordable housing, you won’t have any parishioners. Their relationship began in 2005 with the need for affordable housing on the waterfront. Everyone was on the same page.”
Today they are not. Public officials predict that the rezoning remains a year away but that the union between Williamsburg’s Hasidic community, Ridgewood-Bushwick, and local church groups may be the best chance for development to occur on the Pfizer site.
“The Triangle has been languishing for decades,” said Lentol. “If this deal fails, there may never be an agreement.”
Meanwhile, the competing sex abuse bills are set to square off in the State Assembly in the coming weeks. Both bills have similar provisions, with Lopez’s bill extending the statute of limitations by two years beyond the age of 18, legal adulthood.
Markey’s bill adds five years to the current statute of limitations and includes a controversial one-year window period for victims to recover damages from past instances of child abuse, which the Church opposes.
“Right now the budget and the MTA are all-consuming but it will likely come to the floor of the Assembly after those bills happen,” said Mike Armstrong, a spokesperson with Assemblywoman Markey. “What is different this time is that the Senate is in play this year.” The Senate this year is controlled by Democrats.
Markey’s office remains confident their bill will pass, claiming support within Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office and has promised to not remove the one-year window provision from its bill. Lopez noted that his draft has forty-five sponsors with support throughout the "progressive" community and that Governor David Paterson has also signaled his approval.
Legal advocacy groups have also begun taking sides in the bills, with Markey counting abuse victim’s organizations and trial lawyer attorneys in her camp and Lopez pointing to support from diverse groups such as Legal Aid Society, Jerry Lefcourt of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, and Norman Siegel, former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
“The imposition of a statute-of-limitation period is intended to lessen the possibility that a person is convicted because a person can’t adequately defend against charges that occurred in the past, when memories have faded, documents aren’t available and witnesses aren’t available,” said Steven Banks, Legal Aid attorney-in-chief, in an interview with the New York Law Journal.
The NYCLU originally supported the Lopez bill but has revised its position to oppose any extension of the statue of limitations. Marcy Hamilton, a legal scholar at Cardozo Law School who has written extensively about child abuse cases, is not surprised.
“The Lopez bill is intended to immunize the Church and is a very bad bill for child abuse victims,” said Hamilton. “There have been similar bills in other states, but I’ve never seen one as so brazen as to immunize the Church altogether. That’s one of the reasons it was killed in Committee.”
Lopez’s support from the Catholic Church is not in doubt. Earlier this month, Assemblyman Lopez addressed a convocation of Brooklyn- and Queens-based clergy leaders, asking for their support and to lobby against the Markey bill. According to several members who attended the conference, Lopez was warmly received and had a friendly rapport with Church leaders. In 2005, Lopez successfully introduced a comprehensive education tax bill, backed by the Church, allowing parents of public and private schoolchildren to claim an extra $330 per child credit on their state income tax. Last summer, at Lopez’s request, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio led a funeral mass for a victim of gang violence in a city park in Williamsburg.
What is puzzling is why Lopez changed his mind on Markey’s child abuse bill last year after supporting previous incarnations of the bill that passed the Assembly in 2006 and 2007. Over the past three years, the State Assembly passed Markey’s legislation but it never reached the floor of the State Senate. The previous Majority Leader, Joseph Bruno, did not allow any Democratic bills to come up for a vote and the bill died before it was ever introduced. This year, Catholic leaders believe they must lobby legislators more forcefully because they feared the Markey bill would have a strong chance of passing.
“[If the Markey bill passes], it will bankrupt the Catholic Church and it will take away from a lot of good institutions and programs that the Church provides, especially to the poor and urban communities,” said Debra Feinberg, legislative counsel with Assemblyman Lopez, in an interview with the Diocese’s Brooklyn Tablet. Feinberg drafted the original and revised versions of the bill. “Think about how horrible this would be, if this bankrupted the Church, especially in the Brooklyn area, people go there for everything, from housing to meals to all kinds of assistance.”
Lopez said that he began to fully understand the ramifications of the one-year suspension of the statute of limitations in 2008, when he first voted against the Markey bill. Sources in the State Senate believe that Lopez’s bill is a straw bill designed to draw support away from Markey’s legislation and ultimately defeat it. If Markey’s bill becomes law, Lopez can approach the Catholic Conference saying that he supported their interests but his bill was ultimately defeated. If Lopez’s bill passes the Assembly, his influence with the Archdiocese of New York will surely grow.
Sitting in a hallway outside the State Assembly chambers after the Codes Committee passed his bill, Lopez shared his thoughts about the process. He greeted Father Harrington and other members of the Catholic Conference who made the trip to Albany to watch the vote.
“Now there can be a dialogue between the two bills… so we can have closure on this issue,” said Lopez.
Closure is something that Father O’Shea wishes for as well. The circumstances surrounding his departure remain unclear and he will not speak publicly about his resignation. O’Shea is not involved with any housing lobbying efforts but he remains the pastor at Our Lady of Monserrate.
Rob Solano, Executive Director of Churches United for Fair Housing, asserted O’Shea was forced to leave because of his vocal opposition to the rezoning of the Broadway Triangle. He and other coalition leaders believe that O’Shea is afraid to comment on the record about his dismissal because Diocese leaders have threatened to transfer him to another parish out of the city.
The Diocese’s lobbying efforts regarding the sex abuse bills may change his mind. Two weeks ago, the Brooklyn Diocese arranged for four buses of Jornadistas, Hispanic Catholic youth evangelists, to travel to Albany to lobby Assemblymembers to oppose the Markey bill. More than 150 Jornadistas personally visited the offices of state legislators after writing and emailing them over two weeks.
“We were told by our Catholic pastors that the Broadway Triangle was too political, that we must keep a separation between Church and state but turn around and support Vito Lopez Bill and then send four buses filled with children to Albany,” said Solano. “Why can’t these pastors stand up and fight to maximize affordable housing?”
All of this political activity has troubled long-time parish leaders who prefer the intentions of the Markey bill to bring to justice colleagues who preyed on children without impunity and finally end this troubled era of the Church’s history.
“DiMarzio doesn’t know what’s going on,” one pastor said, refusing to be identified. “Allowing Vito to save you is the wrong move. He doesn’t give a damn about the Catholic Church.”
Albino Luciani April 3rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker for daily vetted & verified reporting on the USCCB (Unremoved Sexual Criminal Cabal Bishops) like Bernard Law, Edward Egan, Roger Mahony, Noberto Rivera, Francis George, Theordore McCarrick, Sean O’Malley, and the Roman “La Cosa Nostra” Curia, with members like William Leveda, Raymond Burke, George Pell, Tascio Bertone, Angelo Sodano, etc.
Essentially, the Roman Catholic Church Curia are proven, and heavily documented, aid & abetting, enabling, perpetrating, racketeering, obstruction of justice, perjuring, defrauding, felonious pedo cult.
The Curia’s motto remains ISAIAH 28:15!
The Curia are a clear & present danger to all children.
To date the America Curia alone has diverted & stolen well in excess $4.8 Billion laity offetory plate dollars adn squandered or sold off laity paid for assets, to protect only themselves through a scorched eath policy of lawyering-up.
The Curia Are Morally Backrupt Several Time Over.
At least one can believe The Devil in His stated goals; you can believe NOTHING coming out of a cardinal’s or bishop’s mouth.
THE SOLUTION? “STOP DONATING LAITY” as St. Peter Damien correctly asserted.
St. Paul to the Ephesians, 5:11, notes: “Do not deal in fruitless deeds of darkness, but expose them!”
Edmund Burke reminds each of us: “The only condition for the triumph of evil is for good men (or women) to do nothing!”
Fiat Lux & Veritas!
Albino Luciani,
MURDERED POPE,
Not Smiling, From Heaven
julia April 3rd, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Am very greatful that others are on to the dynamics of church and state politics in New York State. (am convinced it is the same collusion in California and probably many other states where the church has a stronghold on state and federal authorities and their institutions)
It is good to know that people who see cearly and are not afraid to confront this criminal activity are speaking out.
Many thanks..this is a time in history to demolish old patriarchal and matriarchal systems that revictimize humans and society while pretending to be doing god’s work..
(Rev.) James F Moran April 3rd, 2009 at 5:35 pm
It is well documented that children who are abused by “people in authority” (police, fire, clergy, Doctor, etc) can take 30-40 YEARS to be able to recognize that they were abused, be able to talk about it, and realize that they were injured by the abuse. The purpose of Law is to protect the common good. The Statutes of Limitations in many jurisdictions are so short that NO ONE is able to bring allegations forward once they are realized. in all fairness, extending the SOL as well as allowing a WINDOW for past victims to bring their cases forward would help provide a sense of JUSTICE to all victims of abuse. I encourage all NEW YORKERS to contact your legislators to push for the WINDOW and the extension of SOL’s to a reasonable time frame.
Sister Maureen Paul Turlish, New Castle, Delaware April 3rd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS SHOULD DO MORE TO PROTECT CHILDREN
It distressed me to read recently that religious institutions in New York are pooling their resources not to better protect children and give all victim/survivors of childhood sexual abuse access to justice, but rather to keep inadequate laws on the books which give more protection to predators than to their victims.
After reading the above article, it distresses me even more to think that there may possibly be collusion between the institutional church in Brooklyn and Assemblyman Lopez.
Both actions certainly fail the test of morality!
The sexual abuse of a minor is an egregious sin, a human tragedy and a major social problem that demands comprehensive solutions but, most importantly, it is a crime committed against the innocents. It has been accurately described by Cardinal William Keeler, the former archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland, as murder of the soul and the egregious nature of such crimes demands that there should be no statutes of limitation, period.
Childhood sexual abuse is a major epidemic going on in our country, a pandemic if one considers it in its worldwide proportions so it is hard to believe, in light of recent statements in this newspaper, that we continue to have churchmen representing various religious denominations who actually oppose the removal of statutes of limitation in regard to the sexual abuse of children.
It is unconscionable that any church or sect would hold fast to a belief that sexual predators and abusers should not be held accountable along with their enablers and that they would support the present accommodation in law that gives more protection to individuals who have been accused of the sexual abuse of children than to the victims themselves.
Window legislation, as it relates to civil statutes, is the single most important factor in holding sexual predators and any enabling institutions or individuals, if they exist, accountable whether they are religious denominations, hospitals, schools or scouts.
In the case of New York, a one year civil window just to gain access to the courts is the barest of minimums and yet religious leaders oppose it.
How can the Catholic dioceses of New York state deny the rightfulness of extending statutes of limitation in regard to the protection of children?
This is not a matter belonging to what our church calls the “deposit of faith,” and leaving aside the matter of mortal sin for the moment, the sexual abuse of children is a matter of criminal behavior, not to be relegated to the venial status of a lesser weakness.
On the basis of what is known today about the obstacles impeding a victim’s ability in coming forward, present laws covering the sexual abuse of children are totally inadequate.
Why isn’t the archdiocese distributing postcards for the members of the Catholic community to sign and send to their legislators in Albany to support the complete removal of statutes of limitation going forward in regard to the sexual abuse of children, criminally and civilly?
Why isn’t the New York Catholic Conference lobbying to protect children as would befit the Holy See’s signatory status to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child?
Window legislation is not “anti” any particular religion or institution but it is anti-rapist and child molester.
It is pro-child.
It forces records, if they exist and have not been destroyed, to be made available in a court of justice and hopefully into the public venue as well.
We know that pedophiles, rapists, molesters and child abusers come from all walks of life and that the sexual abuse of children happens primarily in the home so it is patently unconscionable for religious denominations and their leadership to protect and enable sexual predators by refusing to support changes in the laws that would hold both the perpetrators and their enablers accountable.
No child ever deserves to be raped, sodomized, molested, abused or trafficked across state lines or international borders for purposes of sexual exploitation. Such acts, especially when committed by a parent, family member, doctor, teacher, trusted minister, rabbi, imam or priest are crimes and the perpetrators should be treated as the criminals they are.
The Orthodox Jews and the Roman Catholic hierarchy should be coming together to better protect our children from these vicious individuals and those who may have protected them.
Is it about money?
The outrageous claim that Assemblywoman Margaret M. Markey’s bill A2596, known as the Child Victims Act, is “designed to bankrupt the Catholic Church,” as claimed by Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference is simply beyond the pale.
Such disinformation promulgated by the institutional church is as disingenuous as it is outrageous.
One needs to keep in mind that in 2007 the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to a 660 million dollar settlement, the church’s largest payout to victim/survivors of clergy sexual abuse while also paying millions of dollars to their own lawyers, lobbyists and to the California Catholic Conference to oppose settling. At the same time the archdiocese built and paid for a magnificent new cathedral that any city in the world would be proud to showcase and they did it without ever mentioning bankruptcy.
In the gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus says, “”whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea,” (18:16).
Where is it found that Jesus said justice for a child was dependent on the price tag?
Nowhere!
No, the real issue is not money. The real issue was and still is about the exercise of power and the abuse of that power. The bishops of the United States promised accountability and transparency in 2002 but have they been conscientious in delivering on that promise?
Investigations and grand jury reports in a number of major jurisdictions have shown that the answer is a resounding “No.”
Even the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has yet to release priests’ files which were part of their 2007 settlement and was ordered by the courts.
In all good conscience, I would strongly encourage the faithful Catholics of the Archdiocese of New York and of the entire state to support criminal and civil laws that are as strong as possible in holding accountable the sexual predators of our children and any individuals or institutions who were complicit in their protection.
The proposed legislation (A2596 and S2568) by N.Y.S Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, D-Queens and N.Y.S. Senator Tom Duane, D-Manhattan, is both comprehensive and a solution that will go far to help reduce childhood sexual abuse.
The good people of Brooklyn and the entire state of New York must stand up and speak the truth and that includes priests like Father JamesO’Shea of All Saints Church in Williamsburg. There must be more priests of integrity in New York beside this one man.
Where are you? Why aren’t you standing with all the People of God, all victims of childhood sexual abuse who will be helped by the passage of the Markey Bill and especially all victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests of our own dear Church.
__________________
Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Sister Turlish is a Delaware educator and victims’ advocate who testified before the Delaware Senate and House Judiciary Committees in support of Delaware’s 2007 Child Victims Law.
E-mail Sister Maureen Paul Turlish at:
maureenpaulturlish@yahoo.com
Kay Goodnow April 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 pm
This isn’t news! This is the way the institutional corporate Roman Catholic Church has behaved for centuries. It’s all about money, which is power. If the sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults is allowed to continue undisclosed, the church must be taxed as the corporate entity that it is and must be prosecuted for criminal activity. Anything less is obstruction of justice and violates the message brought by Christ.
Dresden April 4th, 2009 at 9:04 am
This is some slimy grossness – which is all about the money – the right to bring civil actions against the church – and Lopez has chosen the Church’s side. Grooooooss.
john cross April 4th, 2009 at 10:30 am
A very well researched article. I develop subsidized and market rate housing. Journalism that examines the politcal machinations and influence surrounding affordable development is long over due. Congratulations to Arron Short and BushwickBK.
fred April 5th, 2009 at 10:07 am
john cross i would like to contact you can you post contact or email
Bob Lambert April 5th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I am awaiting the outcome of Markey Bill. I have been abused by a Brooklyn Diocese priest many years ago. It has taken me down a long path of divorce, alcoholism, numerous jobs, and many unpleasent thoughts and memories. Not to mention it has taken away my religion.
I approve of this bill not so I might have a chance to gain some sort of settlement with the Diocese. It is to make the persons who were in charge of the Diocese at the time ( Bishop Daley ) held accountable for their inactions, even though they knew that this priest was preying on children.
Father Justice April 5th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Stop! Both the Lopez and the Markey bills are eminently UNFAIR and detrimental to our children!! New York State’s public schools, where more than ninety(90%)of all child sexual molestations occur are basically exempt from any prosecution and/or lawsuits. Both propsed bills must be scrapped for a combined universal bill that would make public schools, churches, parochial schools, all teachers, and all administrators equally responsible and equally vulnerable to prosecution and/or lawsuits for the longest period possible. The claim that either the Lopez bill or the Markey bill will at least protect some of our children is unacceptable. We must protect ALL of our children.
Rabbi Asher Lipner, Ph.D. April 5th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
On April 21, there will be a large group of child victims advocates having a day of lobbying in Albany for the passage of Margaret Markey’s Child Victims Act. The groups participating incluce SNAP- Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, The Jewish Board of Advocates for Children and Survivors For Justice (Orthodox Jewish Advocacy Groups)among many others. We need volunteers for a show of force to outdo the Catholic teenagers who lobbied for Lopez. For more information please contact me at lipnera@gmail.com or call Professor Marci Hamilton at 212-790-0215.
burger April 5th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I did some research, and the above article seems to suggest that the Lopez bill does not extend the statute of limitations, but it does. It extends the current statute of limitations, but it doesn’t completely suspend the statute of limitations for one year. That provision is what people like the ACLU and the Legal Aid Society really object to.
As for the charge that the two issues are connected and part of a conspiracy, that is just a desperate attempt by the opponents of the Broadway Triangle plan to stop the development of affordable housing at any cost.
Marty Needelman April 5th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Very well done. I have to get you in touch with the leaders of Hasidic Jewish groups who are fighting this battle also, particularly Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg.
Vito depends on operating below the radar screen on this kind of stuff. By putting a light to what’s going on, you inhibit his and others ability to get away with it, both re the Markey bill and also the Broadway Triangle. The City’s acquiescence to the exclusion of most of the major housing groups from Williamsburg and Bed Stuy in the planning and development of the Triangle, reflects Mayor Bloomberg’s under the radar screen sacrifice of integrity for political ambition, which I kind of thought was not his approach to things. Guess I was wrong.
learntospell April 6th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Ouch!
Jeremy Sapienza April 7th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
burger (who usually posts as “sup”): this is a “desperate attempt…to stop the development of affordable housing at any cost”? Every character in this story is someone involved in “affordable” housing development on some level or in some capacity. A bit overboard there in the defense of your Godfather.
Bobby Michaels April 7th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Great Article!The Next time the Catholic Church should try taking adults to Albany not kids and see what kind of response they get.
Edwin April 7th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I think you need to get your facts straight about who went to Albany. The majority of people who went to that trip were adults. I know because I am an adult and I went to that trip. I bet you are for that bill. That bill is only for money hungry politicians and lawyers who want money in their pockets. The youth will not only be affected by this but adults who go to youth activities and other programs that the church offers. Maybe you spend the life of those who go those youth groups and other activities. Lets see how the news of this bill hits you and how it will affect you. You would feel the same way we do. So the next time you want to run your mouth off get your facts stright and then come back with a better comment.
Professional Alternative April 7th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Yeah, especially religious wacko kids like the Jornadistas. Their website reads like a modern-day crusade. And I mean that in the original, literal sense.
Luis V April 8th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Edwin….
maybe you are technically right that there were mostly adults on this particular trip. I don’t think that is what people are reacting to. I think the issue is that these minors were brought on this trip in the first place. Essentially you are arguing that some sort of cap should be put on assessing a personal loss so that other kids can have play time. That just seems bizarre. Especially since the organization in question has a track record of systematically covering up abuse. Why would you want your children to spend more time in such in institution?
Separately, as Jeremy noted. Every player listed in this article is interested in developing low income housing (just their own version of it). So its really not a question of gentrification so much as separate non-profits battling it out for state funds. Its really unfortunate that these supposed “non-profits” are behaving in such a self centered way.
Jasmine April 9th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Great Comment!! Wacko kids…. why, because the Jornadistas are dedicated to do something positive in this world? Once again, get your facts straight! Jornadistas, yes members of a Catholic Youth and young adult movement, are dedicated to bringing God’s love to the world, by…SERVICE!!! Serving not only Catholics, but any person in need.
Why did we get involved in lobbying around this issue: the Markey Bill, which titles itself the Child Protection Act; is not an ACT that seeks to protect all children, rather it would only address victims of PRIVATE institutions. A true act that should be titled a Child Protection Act should seek to address the rights of children both in private and public institutions. Check your statistics….the majority of children attend public not private CATHOLIC schools, so where do you think you would find more instances of ABUSE??? Why would it be okay to ONLY change the law for those who are involved in private institutions..and leave children that are abused in public institutions with only 90 days from when the abuse occurred to make a complaint of the abuse? How does that make sense?
As for your attacks on the CATHOLIC CHURCH; sadly it is true that there have been atrocities committed by those who we trusted, and that some in the church had been involved in covering this up. But does this mean that it was every single priest: NO!! Does this mean that it was every single CATHOLIC: No!!! So why the Catholic “hating”?
And yes the passing of a bill with a “one year window period” woud be disastrous, …in this time where social services are so desperately needed…and the Catholic Church DOES provide numerous social services to those in need. and have you asked yourself why this bill is being backed by trial lawyers?? Oh becasue they really care for these victims…..right.
Unfortunately…. horrors such as child sexual abuse happen in families, schools (private & public), churches (of all denominations), and in all cultures. That all victims deserve for their voice to be heard….this is the point!!! Seeking a bill that would do this most effectively is what is necessary….not one that just addresses a certain group of victims.
As for the teens that did have the opportunity to accompany the majority of young adults, what an amazing experience it was for them. For them to know that they can take part in lobbying, that they too have a voice in this government, and can become involved in this way with whatever issue they have passion for and they research…. why not encourage that!!
So how about instead of spewing hate…..put yourself into action…and continue to fight for the rights of ALL….. victims of abuse, the poor, the marginalized, the sick, the vulnerable, those who suffer and the list goes on and on.
Maggie E. April 9th, 2009 at 8:05 am
It is a shame to see how the affordable housing issue some how got linked to the Markey bill. I think the comment made by the executive director of the churches united for fair housing, Rob Solano, “We were told by our Catholic pastors that the Broadway Triangle was too political, that we must keep a separation between Church and state but turn around and support Vito Lopez Bill and then send four buses filled with children to Albany,” said Solano. “Why can’t these pastors stand up and fight to maximize affordable housing?”, is a misconception.
Solano, was obviously misinformed on the reason why the YOUNG ADULTS went To Albany. As an adult that attending Albany we went to speak about the unfairness of the Markey bill. The Markey bill does not apply equally to all similarly situated institutions that deal with children. The proposal is framed as an amendment to the CPLR only, it affects only businesses and not-for-profit organizations like the Boy Scouts, summer camps, and religious organizations like the Catholic Church. It does not contain an amendment to the Education Law or the General Municipal Law as would be necessary to apply to the institution that deals with more children than any other – public schools.
We are concerned about the sex abuse victims, but the Markey bill only targets private institution victims, so what about the Public institution victims? have they suffered any less…
The issues concerning the affordable housing should stick to it’s political battle and leave other issues out of it.
Maggie E. April 9th, 2009 at 10:39 am
As far as the “Wacko kids” comment, Are you serious?! is your statement in any way suppose to help. It is individuals as yourself that continue the negative attitude of idiocy that never lead to any actual physical challenge to take action for anything. Instead of trashing the Jornadistas, an organization that you know nothing about, indulge youself in researching the facts about the Markey bill or look into the affordable housing issue…And actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Bobby Michaels April 9th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Maggie,
Public institution victims? Have not suffered any less but Markey’s bill handles a far higher point..
Do you see a public school teacher as you do a priest?
As a young Latino growing up my family raised me to respect priests and hold them to a level of respect like no other and would never compared that to a school teacher. They hear you confession, your inner most thoughts, they advise us every Sunday on how to live our lives and were taught to believe that they will know the right answer. It was unheard of growing up to hear anyone even accuse a priest of sexual misconduct. So considering all of that intense relationship, do you still think that the bus trip to Albany should have had anyone less then 18 years old? There was plenty of teenagers with young adults I don’t deny that, but think of the sensitive issue a sexual legislation has and what if one of those kids that went to the trip has been sexually molested by a priest, what kind of message is the “j” movement giving? Now I also think that the J movement is a great thing and I have alot of friends who are part of the group and went to the Albany trip and confirmed for me that there were plenty of visible teenagers among the group and agreed that it was not the best decision to bring anyone younger then 18 to a sexual bill topic.
Affordable Housing
The fact that buses mostly from churches in Vito Lopez district who has an incredible relationship with Father Rick of Saints Peter and Paul and Father Tony of transfiguration Church. Those Pastor have opted not to get involved in the Broadway Triangle but have decided to get involved in this sexual bill, and support Vito Lopez bill not just argue against Markey’s bill. I think it’s a fair question when pastors are asked did you not get involved in the Broadway Triangle because that will mean you are directly going against Vito Lopez and you need him to help you with the sexual legislation.
FYI: Affordable housing isn’t a political battle it’s a life battle.
Elizabeth April 11th, 2009 at 3:16 am
To Bobby,
Just to clear the facts about the buses…Yes the buses left from Vito Lopez’s district but people from all over Brooklyn and Queens were on those buses, not just people from Lopez’s district.
Ray Cash April 13th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
I am no expert in New York State Assembly politics, but I get the feeling that this is the last chance that so many victims in New York may get to redress the horrible crimes that were committed against them. I think that what Assemblyman Lopez is doing at the behest the Catholic Conference is unconscionable. Some legislators who supported the Markey bill the last 3? times it was introduced may now jump ship to the Lopez camp because of the financial and political power or the Catholic Church. What legislator (except perhaps the bravest and most decent) would want to be on record as having supported the Markey bill if it ended up costing the various diocese in New York millions? Catholic votes number in the millions, and most don’t understand what really happened. Their eyes haven’t seen nor the minds comprehended the terrible cover up that was worse (if that seems possible) than the crimes that permanently scarred so many young Catholics, driving many of them to abandoning their religion, depression and even suicide.