This story is awful to hear and to stomach. There is plain speaking about some of the sexual crimes committed against young boys in this blog. If you are a victim or survivor, are healing your PTSD of sexual abuse, please take care of yourself as you read this blog. Take breaks while reading, have phone numbers of support people you can call or a friend you can talk with especially if you are triggered by the information.
Who is Jerry Sandusky…?
If you’ve been following the outrageous story out of Pennsylvania State since this past November, you know that Jerry Sandusky former defensive football coach of Penn State, and who’s also the Founder of The Second Mile, has been indicted and charged with molesting, sexually abusing and assaulting young boys and engaging indecent behavior with minors.
One of the sisters of one of the victims is a Penn State student. She says they have a new word on campus. It’s called, “Sanduskied”. It means to have been one of the victims of Sandusky’s sexual abuse and assaults. This sexual abuse has a long history, allegedly coming to light in 1992. However as the story unfolds more victims are coming forward to tell their stories seeking justice for the criminal acts perpetrated upon them by Jerry Sandusky.
Based on the 33rd Grand Jury investigations released in 2010 the following are complaints charged against Jerry Sandusky and resulting in his arrest:
* 4 offenses of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse
* 1 offense of Aggravated Indecent Assault
* 7 offenses of Indecent Assault
* 1 offense of Criminal Attempt of Indecent Assault
* 8 offenses of Unlawful Contact with Minor
* 8 offenses of Corruption of Minors
* 8 offenses of Endangering Welfare of Children
Sandusky waived his rights to the December 2010 preliminary hearing and by that time he was charged 44 criminal counts in all. It will be about three or four months before we hear the sad story of what happened to a group of young boys in the care of Jerry Sandusky while on the Penn State College football facilities such as the locker rooms, through The Second Mile, and worst of all the basement of Sandusky's home.
It is said that Penn State Assistant Coach Mike McQueary, the then-graduate assistant for the Penn State football team in March 2002, literally saw Sandusky in the Penn locker room showers sexually assaulting a 10-year old young boy, maybe even sodomizing him as the child was facing the wall and Sandusky was right behind him. His lame excuse according to an email obtained by The Morning Call, dated November 8, McQueary said, "I did stop it, not physically, but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room." The result of McQueary’s disclosure to the college officials was to have Sandusky’s key being taken away. Yet to this day, in current interviews, Sandusky says he still has the keys to the Penn State campus.
How did they wash their hands of this muck and just walk away…?
The greatest fear of a victim is that he or she will be unable to escape the perpetrator. Many children think it’s only happening to them. However, the most shocking experience of victims is to learn that people not only know about the sexual abuses and assaults, but can be eye witnesses and do nothing! Let me ask again…
HOW DO YOU JUST WALK AWAY AND DO NOTHING!!!???
After listening to different news stories and reading different articles I have to ask myself this: In 1999, Sandusky retired as assistant defensive coach of Penn State. He was given status as professor emeritus, and awarded his own parking space, his own office, use of all the college facilities, including the locker room and shower facilities. What did Jerry Sandusky have on The Second Mile, Joe Paterno and Penn State so that instead of firing Sandusky and cutting off all ties, gave him the privilege of professor emeritus?
And given tacit license to continue abusing boys…
The folks at The Second Mile were told about the 1998 abuse and should have intervened on behalf of the children, done their own investigation and called child protective services. The mother made a police report. Two detectives listened in another room while the mother questioned Sandusky with a script of questions. They went to the home another time and with the disclosed information by Sandusky Detective Ronald Shreffler thought they had enough information to make an arrest. The now declared dead District Attorney Ray Gricar did not believe they had enough info and declined to pressed charges.
There is a rumor that many of the victims were children of color, mostly Black boys. Another rumor is that some of the children were pimped out to high paying donors. I guess for now these will be rumors until proven otherwise. However, there is a particular type of boy that Sandusky preyed upon. According to Jo Becker of The New York Times:
- He tended to choose White sic boys from homes where there was no father or some difficulty in the family, investigators said, and he drew them in with trips to games and expensive gifts like computers.
- Touching progressed incrementally, investigators said. “Lots of them reported that he’d first put his hand on their thigh while driving,” one person involved in the inquiry recalled. The shower was where he most often initiated more overtly sexual behavior.”
Is it possible that the more aggressive sexual abuse and assaults took place in the showers because any DNA or hairs from Sandusky to his victim would be washed away?
Let me see if I can find the words…
By March 2002, Sandusky was banned from bringing children on to the Penn State campus, yet when he did, everyone looked the other way. The Second Mile. It is the organization founded for “at risk children”, established in 1977 by Sandusky. Its insurance company is saying that it will not give money for Sandusky's defense. The question for The Second Mile is: Why didn't anybody notice the questionable behavior between Sandusky and the select child at whatever time he began being close to a specific boy? Do they not have meetings or workshops on “Safe Touch” ?
Fearful. Helpless. Terrified. Shame. Guilt…
Child victims tend to be shocked the first time inappropriate sexual behavior is made upon them by a trusted adult. Children tend not to know nor believe it is actually happening--at first and most times children do not know who tell afterwards. To further complicate the situation, there are children who do not have the words to express what has been done to them when it comes to reporting they are being sexually molested or anally raped.
The fact that a child knows she or he is trapped alone with the perpetrator and that perpetrator can and will do whatever they want to them is the nightmare that is left with them every time they escape that perpetrator. The sense of dread, the pit in the stomach and the body frozen with fear must find a way to endure the molestation and sexual assaults and abuse. Sometimes the child shuts down all their feelings.
The child will accept the circumstances and live with it as best he can. He will go into what I call an enduring mentality. He will enter into the hypervigilance. He may develop disassociation identity disorder. He may start thinking about suicide or homicide. One thing for sure, while the molestation is going on, and the abusive adult is in his life, he will come to dread the time he has to spend with the abuser and may even get physically sick.
Can the victims heal from this trauma…?
For the Sandusky victims, going to court may not be the hardest thing they have to do. They still have to heal what was done to them and learn how not to blame themselves. They will need to find ways to give back the guilt and the shame that does not belong to them. Survivors heal at different rates, in different ways, and in their own time. Nobody heals from this kind of experience without some support along the way. There are many therapies to choose from and hopefully these survivors will find therapist and counselors they can work with. The most wounding part of it all is that intimacy and sexuality, loyalty and trust, and love and fear are the core issues a survivor will be traveling on their healing journey.
And we are still not doing enough…
It is just plain wrong, indecent and heinous that people who could have helped these boys did not. Those people in power who knew about this did nothing to stop it. There are more than 25 million children each year, who are sexually abused and assaulted, and we have to do more than lament that we’re not doing enough to help them. We must continue to be proactive and present workshops and talks to children of all ages to know they have sovereignty over their own bodies, and make the same presentations to those who care and work with children. We need to continue to do outreach in ways that we are not doing now.
I have learned that justice rolls slowly at times, especially when speaking truth to power. Let us not make the mistake that there are powerful people and voices that did nothing no matter how much they knew about Sandusky molesting children. The knowing progressiveness of abuse of the boys did not come out of a vacuum; boys continued to be sexually abused and assaulted because those in power who knew about it did nothing to protect them from the pedophilia acts of Jerry Sandusky.
Justice is also a matter of time…
According to Cindy Boren of the blog, The Early Lead, the following is a list of future court dates for Jerry Sandusky:
- Feb. 1 is the deadline by which a request — from either side — for a change of venue must filed. This is also the date by which either side must file a request to bring in jurors from another county.
- March 1 is the date by which any other pre-trial requests must be filed.
- Sandusky is next expected to appear in court March 22 for a pre-trial conference. At that time it should be clear whether the parties are ready to set a trial date.
- April 5, the judge will hear arguments about pre-trial issues.
- The Patriot-News reports that the earliest the case could go before a jury is in the April/May term of the Centre County court.
However this case turns out, let us be sure that there is justice for these victims of Jerry Sandusky, and hold accountable those organizations that were notified of the sexual abuses of the boys...and did nothing.