Mrs. Anderson:
Thank you for replying to my Topic on William H. Conley, the Watch Tower Society's FIRST PRESIDENT. If not for your finding the "treasure" you described, we might not know this fact even today. And, contrary to what a later poster tries to say, Conley's influence during the founding of the WTS is not mere "trivia".
BUT, now to my reason for starting this separate Topic. You ended the aforementioned post stating that about a year after your "discovery" you became acquainted with the "child molestation" issue. This post is also prompted by your remarks as to how you were given free reign to perform research, but I take it from your remarks that you may or may not of always known everything the assigners knew when giving you your assignments.
THUS, you may or may not know about the 1993 JW Child Molestation Court Case I will relate, but I can't help but wonder if this 1992/3 Case was what prompted your initial assignment on the Molestation issue.
In 1993 (it might have been 1992), there was a prosecution in London, Kentucky of a JW named "George Vernon"* (now deceased), who was convicted of molesting one or more of the three children of a JW single mother. I believe that the prosecution was only partially successful; with Vernon receiving a sentence of only one year in county jail, including time served.
[*I believe that "George Vernon" is the correct name. I have always been terrible with names, even back then, and I sometimes confused "George Vernon" with "George Cox", since there were multiple families of both Vernons and Coxs scattered in several of the southeastern Kentucky congregations. This also causes me some doubt as to whether he was an Elder or MS. I have vague memories of his being a MS, but I won't rule out Elder.]
My recollection is that the single JW Mother was an elementary school teacher, (of all things), and that she had three children (possibly 2 boys and a daughter). At some point in the late 1980s, one or more of the children reported that Vernon (who had volunteered to act as a father figure to the kids) was "touching" them. The Mother dutifully reported this to the BOE, who questioned Vernon, who denied the allegations. Since it was the children's word against Vernon's (again: strong family ties throughout the circuit), the BOE took no action against Vernon. The Mother firmly believed Vernon was guilty, and raised the possibility of involving the authorities. The BOE, probably after consultation with the CO and/or Brooklyn, specifically warned the Mother that if she went to the police that she would be DF'ed for spreading a lie against a fellow JW.
As typical, word about this family's LIES about a faithful brother in the congregation soon leaked from the BOE of this small congregation, and the Mother and children were "marked" as people not to be associated with. Amazingly, the Mother took everything they threw at her, and still obeyed orders not to go to the police.
However, around 1991/2, one of the older kids (possibly the girl) finally told someone at her school about the molestation. The school did the proper thing and reported it.
The molestation was investigated, and eventually prosecuted in 1993(?). During it all, it is my understanding is that the Mother and the kids were "shunned" right in the KH. When it finally went to trial, the whole congregation turned out in suport of Vernon, and just like occurred in later trials, all the JWs sat behind Vernon and his lawyer, leaving a noticable amount of empty seating behind the Prosecutor. Some of JWs also offered testimony in Vernon's behalf. I don't recall the specifics, but Vernon got off lightly; again, only a year in county jail.
The Prosecutor was displeased with the outcome, and he blamed the strong support of the Congregation during the trial. He was so mad at the conduct of the local JWs that he sat down and wrote what he described as a lengthy letter of protest to Brooklyn HQ.
Barbara, I can't help but wonder if his letter, or possibly this Kentucky Case itself, was the initating factor of your own entry into this issue?
The JW Mother remained a loyal JW despite all this. By pure coincidence, most if not all of the BOE who had mistreated this family eventually left the JWs, became inactive, etc. As they gradually left, the new Elders and COs, etc. praised the Mother for her loyalty and told her that "see, Jah had corrected the injustice". It has been related that she is now a rock solid JW, who sees herself as a "martyr" for the cause. Unfortunately, her own children has not fared as well. After not only the molestation, but being isolated by their only "friends and family", the kids lives all fell apart. I understand that one or more fell into drug abuse, and is resulting lifestyle, etc. The Mother and elementary school teacher laments that all her children are now "God Haters", but then, she "loves Jah".
To: Barbara Anderson -- Re: Your First Contact w/ Child Molestation Issue
by West70 23 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
-
West70
-
Nathan Natas
I'll bet that the people who sacrificed their children to Molech thought of themselves as "God lovers," and their children found themselves to be "god haters." Is there any mystery about why this might be?
-
West70
I forgot a point:
When time came around for Vernon to get out of jail, the Mother (who was being shunned for her participation in the trial) approached the BOE about the fact that Vernon would soon be attending meetings, etc., and she raised the issue that her three children would be forced to be around him at the KW, as well as during other JW activities. She either hinted or outright suggested that Vernon should move to another Congregation.
I seem to recall that Vernon was from a different part of southeastern Kentucky, and he had family scattered in other counties.
It is also my understanding that the JW Mother is either originally from the London area, or at least had much longer ties there than did Vernon. At any rate, this single Mother had an established career in the local school system, and she just could not simply sell her home and pick up and move her three children to some locale where she had no nonJW family or friends.
Again, the BOE warned her that as far as they were concerned Vernon was an innocent man, and that he had been wrongly "per(pros)secuted". If she and her kids did not treat him as a "brother in the truth", they would be DF'ed.
And, despite the fact that Vernon had few if any permanent ties to the area, no career, and I think maybe only a rental mobile home or an old one on a rental lot, that if anyone needed to move, it was HER!!! -
RevFrank
"But whoever causes one of these litle ones who believe in ME to sin, it would be better for him if a millstore were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."(Matthew 18:6)
This scripture gives me peace and true justice on issues of child molestation.
-
West70
.
-
AndersonsInfo
West70:
I left Bethel Dec. 30, 1992. I continued to work as an outside researcher for the Writing Dept. until mid-1997 when I resigned. I began to learn about the sexual child abuse problem at the end of 1991. I was not privy to Legal or Service Department files on child abuse cases at any time and that's where the Vernon case would have been filed. Plus, from what you said it sounds like the case became public after I left Bethel.
It was within the Writing Dept. that I became aware of the scandal of men holding positions of authority within the congregations throughout the world who were confessed or accused pedophiles. The Vernon case exemplifies the type of handling that was common in those years when there was sexual abuse accusations. It was because of the extreme frustration of some Writing Dept. personnel that caused them to discuss the problem with me. I did not have an assignment from the Writing Dept. to research child abuse, etc., but worked with one Senior Writer to try to see what could be done to change the policies that allowed the "pedophile paradise" to continue. Because of our work, the Governing Body was made aware of just how serious the problem was and attitudes began to change, but not some policies, which continue until today.
The reason the Witnesses will deny that there is a child abuse problem within their organization is because they don't understand the policies which are obscure, ambiguous and confusing. The only people who begin to understand the policies are those who have had a child molested and find themselves in a confusing mess. It is a somewhat better situation now due to the negative publicity the WT has received which has caused them to make the elders more aware of their liability, and for this I'm grateful. But WT has a far piece to go before they get their act straightened out. I'm afraid that will only come when legislative action in every state forces the Watchtower elders and other like religions and their leaders to report all molestation, or that the WT organization instructs parents or care givers to bypass the elders and go directly to the police. When that happens, it will mean the two-witness policy used to judge criminal culpability by elders will be a thing of the past. The next thing to go must be the requirement that molesters engage in field service to prove their repentance. And so it goes!
Barbara -
West70
Hi Mrs. Anderson:
Thank you again for continuing to reply.
I provided so much detail above that I'm not sure it is clear why I thought that this Vernon Case might have gotten more than routine attention in Brooklyn. Such is due to the letter which the Prosecutor wrote to Brooklyn after the trial.
My recollection of his comments to me is that he was extremely upset over the organized behavior of the London, Kentucky JWs during the trial. My recollection is that he went to trial thinking he had a slam-dunk molestation case against Vernon, but that the testimony and courtroom behavior of the local JWs convinced the trier-of-fact (can't remember if judge or jury) to basically grant a compromise conviction, which in no way penalized Vernon what he deserved.
On one hand, I wondered if this letter might have woke up some folks back in 1993. I also wonder if such prosecuted Cases were such a rarity at that time so as to wake up some people? In other words, are you aware of any/many JWs who were being prosecuted for child molestation in the 1980s or early 90s?
PS: My best guess is that this trial occurred in the summer of 1993. A case like this takes time to go to trial. It could have easily been mid or even early 1992 when Vernon was initially charged. The initial report to school authorities, and possible CPS investigation could possibly have been as far back as sometime in 1991. It is conceivable that Legal was working on this when you were asked to do your work???
Thanks. -
avengers
It's appropriate to use the "enemy's" own weapons:
"With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird."
Revelation 18:1-3 -
AndersonsInfo
West70,
I was told that many loyal JW parents bring litigation against the WT Society over child abuse, but settle out of court and agree to a gag order. They don't want to "besmirch" Jehovah's name anyway, right? WT attorneys can offer as high as $150,000 to settle, I heard, but most times they offer a few thousand, and desperate parents, who need the money for medical bills and therapy for the child, often take whatever is offered.
Battered JW women also bring litigation against the Society when they do what the elders say and stay with their abusive husbands and end up injured. I heard of a very violent outcome when a loyal woman went back to her husband because the elders told her she had to. The husband broke his wife's leg. She sued the organization and settled out of court. Now you know why you don't hear of many civil lawsuits against the WT Society--because they never make it to juries.
Barbara -
West70
Mrs. Anderson:
There are no bigger monsters than those who destroy the lives of innocent children, and I do not differentiate between the pedophile and those who cover up the pedophile's crime so they can maintain their lifestyle. In many ways the WatchTower crimes are worse than what the pedophile did because post-crime they had the opportunity to help the victim, but often they chose to throw the victim on the junk heap.
That's what is so tragic about the victims in this Vernon case; especially the one brave soul that ignored the apparent threats of the loyal JW parent, and the apparent threats from Elders and possibly other WatchTower officials, and eventually disclosed the molestation to school officials.
The WatchTower will always be vulnerable to such. No "gag order" and no threat can stop a victim from intenionally or unintentionally disclosing the abuse to school or other public officials.
However, the problem is that the JWs are a CULT, and they exercise an extreme amount of control over their members.
The Vernon Case is NOT even the most outrageous instance of child sexual abuse in the same circuit as the London, Kentucky Congregation.
Later day, I will try to relate the account of a COVERUP of child sexual abuse which spans multiple JW Congregations, and required multiple BOEs to keep such out of the hands of Kentucky authorities. The WBTS probably has dreaded the day this coverup became public.