Silentlambs
Press Release October 2, 2002
125
Sex Abuse Victims From 22 States Deliver Hundreds
of Stuffed Lambs to International Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses
First Ever March for Jehovah’s Witness Child Rape Victims Worldwide
First Ever “Courage” Awards Presented on Front Steps
William
H. Bowen of
Benton
KY
,
traveled to
Brooklyn
,
New
York
,
to participate in a protest march on Friday September 27th at the
Home office of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 125 abuse survivors delivered hundreds
of stuffed lambs for victims around the world as a symbol of innocence lost.
The
march started at
Pierrepont
Place
and
Columbia
Heights
and proceeded down
Columbia
Heights
to Jehovah’s Witness Home office at 25
Columbia
Heights
at the front entrance. Adults
molested as kids by Jehovah’s Witnesses and advocates spoke out and demanded
a church hearing to investigate possible criminal cover-ups by the
denomination’s leadership for Jehovah’s Witnesses the Governing Body.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters locked the doors and ignored the
protest made up of several Jehovah’s Witnesses in good standing from across
the country. When asked to
comment they invited press behind locked doors and made statements to the
effect that the victims were liars and the problem did not exist.
William H. Bowen of silentlambs had asked in a letter written
June
7, 2002
for a meeting with the Governing Body (leadership) to present evidence of the
extent of the problem. When he
attempted to use the intercom at the front door, they turned the intercom off
and refused to answer the door. Victims
of abuse attempted to deliver little stuffed lambs from abuse victims from
around the world. Headquarters
refused to accept delivery and denied abuse survivors the right to do so when
Headquarters summoned the police to charge anyone who left lambs at the front
door with littering. Participants
left lambs stuck in a chain link fence across the street much like mementos
left at ground zero from the 9-11 disaster.
William H. Bowen presented the first “silentlambs courage” awards
for those who “exhibited courage above and beyond the call of duty in the
interests of protecting children.” Twelve
awards were presented with the first going to Corey Pandelo/Holloway
the first abuse survivor to speak out to the media about her molestation.
Her mother and
father,
Barbara and Carl were also recipients as they were disfellowshipped for
speaking out in her behalf. Victoria
Boer of
Ontario
,
was awarded for going through trial in the last two weeks suing Watchtower of
Canada for mishandling her abuse as a child.
Well over 100 Jehovah’s Witnesses were present in court each day to
support the Watchtower’s position against her.
Ted
Jaracz current Governing Body member was accused
by one abuse survivor of molesting her as a child when different ones
volunteered to speak. Kimberly
Norris an attorney of
Fort
Worth
Texas
announced yet another lawsuit filed in
Oregon
,
making seven in the last two years. There was also five support Groups for
abuse survivors from the
New
York
area. www.keep-our-children-safe.com
Tina Alfano-- www.toysofhope.org
Melissa Dokofsky-- www.savethechildren.dyns.net
Kerry
Strait
—SNAP,
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, David Cerulli
– Child Protection Advocates, Dan Dugo.
This
is the first public event ever for child rape victims of Jehovah’s
Witnesses. According to William
H. Bowen founder of silentlambs, “Elders have threatened abuse survivors
across the country for speaking out about abuse.
Today Jehovah’s Witnesses leadership exhibited cowardice and zero
Christianity when faced with Jehovah’s Witness abuse survivors.”
Contact:
www.silentlambs.org,
William H. Bowen: 270-527-5350