Exactly my thoughts when I read this. I’m pretty sure SS’s rights and duties were defined at the start, but what would I know?
Also, this quote: “The number of false reports and manipulation of the SafeSport process grows monthly.”. Citation needed!
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I’ll take, things they have no way of knowing for $1000, Alex.
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Any word on how the SafeSport town hall meeting in Wellington went?
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Well… been taking a break to deal with real life. Hopped back onto the forums and learned that someone from Horse Show Diva (user name “shark week”) has started a thread trying to figure out my real life name and solicited pms. They say the issue is “very important.”
How pleasant. Whoever it is can message me on these forums if they want.
It seems I have upset multiple people though. Which is interesting. I wonder which comment or thread put them over the top. I’ve actually been a bit more quiet lately. Hmmm.
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I wanna know who the “TOP people” in Washington are that support their BS.
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Andrew Weiner :lol::lol::lol: correction: Anthony weiner. Still hilarious :o
:lol::lol::lol::lol:
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Andrew Weiner?
Or Anthony Weiner?
Anthony Weiner would make sense …:dead::no:
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AfE also posted this public letter on Thursday, Feb 20, on their Facebook page…
Athletes For Equity In Sport Inc.
10130 Northlake Blvd
Suite 214-171
West Palm Beach, FL 33412
AthletesForEquity@gmail.com
Athletesforequity.org
February 20, 2020
Dear AES member,
The U.S. Center for SafeSport continues to come under pressure for mismanaging its mandate to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct in our sport. This mismanagement consists of SafeSport’s faulty investigatory and disciplinary process.
As a result, SafeSport has embarked on a campaign to gain the trust of athletes and other stakeholders via town hall discussions. These town halls are being held in cooperation with the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sports under SafeSport’s jurisdiction.
Tomorrow, February 21st, in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), SafeSport has scheduled an on-the-record town hall discussion for 11am at the Wellington Club, 3400 Equestrian Club Rd., Wellington, FL 33414]. This town hall will take place during ongoing competition at the 2020 Winter Equestrian Festival.
Representatives from SafeSport and USEF will be present and available to address whatever concerns we have regarding SafeSport. They will answer our questions about the changes it is making to protect our community. This includes protection from continued exposure to sexual predators as well as ensuring that our legal rights are protected should a member be accused of sexual misconduct.
Here are just a few of the key questions that Athletes for Equity in Sport (AES) hope to have addressed during tomorrow’s open discussion of these important issues.
- On February 5th of this year, the Center for SafeSport’s director, Ju’rese Colon, testified before the Senate regarding S.2330, the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019. This bill attempts to give athletes more control over the policies and procedures employed by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and SafeSport.
What is the Center’s understanding of how that proposed legislation would impact its procedures and policies, and what is SafeSport’s view of the pending legislation?
- As part of her testimony, the Director stated that increased funding would be required to support SafeSport’s efforts. This raises the following questions:
Ӣ Is SafeSport planning to expanding its efforts?
Ӣ In what manner is SafeSport hoping to broaden its scope of activity?
Ӣ How much additional funding would be required?
Ӣ For what portion of the additional costs would the USEF be held responsible?
- Also during Ms. Colon’s testimony, the Director laid out rough data regarding the volume of claims it has handled along with some basic information regarding the disciplinary actions taken against people involved in the Olympic movement.
Could you please break out the number of complaints that specifically involve claims of sexual misconduct, as opposed to those involving claims of verbal abuse, abusive training practices, and bullying?
-
It appears that as many as 85% of the complaints made to SafeSport do not result in disciplinary actions. Since we know that evidence of abuse can be difficult to gather, is it SafeSport’s policy to leave these files open in the event further evidence comes to light, or are such files closed for good?
-
Given that such a large number of cases have been deemed not actionable by SafeSport, has the Center found that any claims have been made in bad faith?
If so, what does SafeSport do with such claims? Is the case simply closed as being without merit, or does SafeSport investigate further the circumstances that motivated the claim?
- One of the major fears associated with SafeSport claims arises from the danger to an individual’s reputation and business as a result of false or malicious claims. Redress for such claims — libel, slander and other related tort actions — would normally be the jurisdiction of the civil courts. However, it would seem that SafeSport has a vested interest in ensuring that its process is not abused by individuals bringing claims falsely and/or with malicious intent. This begs several questions:
Ӣ First, of the approximately [insert number here] non-actionable cases to date, has the Center been able to determine if any of those claims were intentionally made falsely and/or maliciously? Or does SafeSport abandon the investigation short of reaching such a determination?
Ӣ Second, if SafeSport has indeed determined that a claim was made falsely and/or maliciously, what actions has the Center taken to discipline that claimant?
Ӣ Third, could you please clarify whether or not threatening an individual with a claim to SafeSport in order to extort a specific outcome from that individual is in fact itself a violation of the SafeSport Code?
- There recently have been reports of SafeSport decisions that were reversed in arbitration. We can assume that the Center devoted a great deal of time and money to defending these decisions.
Does SafeSport view reversed decisions as a defined standard to which all subsequent cases must conform — i.e., much as judges adhere to legal precedents — or does the Center take a different view of these reversed cases and their effect on future decisions?
- Please share any plans to review and amend current SafeSport procedures, policies, and practices to ensure that the Center continues to evolve into a more effective service provider to the sports under its jurisdiction.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport was created to work for us, the participants in Olympic sport. Its purpose is to keep our athletes safe and promote an environment in which athletes can thrive and achieve their best results.
As stakeholders in this effort, it is incumbent upon each of us to be engaged in the process and assist in making SafeSport better for everyone. To that end, Athletes for Equity believe it is crucial for the Center to develop fair and comprehensive procedures that will ensure that it is successful in carrying out its mandate.
We believe that an open and transparent discussion of SafeSport issues will help guide the Center toward a process that is just and fair to everyone within its jurisdiction.
Please note: This town hall was originally scheduled for February 28th. Unfortunately, the date and time were changed with little notice given to USEF members.
That change, as well as scheduling tomorrow’s town hall to take place during active competition at the Winter Equestrian Festival and therefore at a time when many USEF members will be unable to attend, seems to indicate that SafeSport is not interested in reaching a large portion of our community.
Regardless, please make time to attend tomorrow’s town hall if at all possible. Help us press SafeSport and USEF representatives to address on the record those questions listed above along with other important questions you may have.
Thank you very much for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Diane Carney
President], Athletes for Equity in Sport
AthletesForEquity.org
Facebook: Athletes for Equity in Sport
Athletes for Equity in Sport - GoFundMe
In other news… AfE publicly posted this to Facebook on Thursday, one day before the SafeSport Town Hall.
Speaking of which, does anyone know if USEF is going to post a link to that Town Hall and Q&A like they did for others?
Here’s the most recent letter that I’ve seen, for anyone who is curious and following this… all copied content is italicized. This one is different in that they are BN publishing an open letter to their own membership it seems…
[I]Athletes For Equity In Sport Inc
February 20, 2020
Dear AES member,
The U.S. Center for SafeSport continues to come under pressure for mismanaging its mandate to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct in our sport. This mismanagement consists of SafeSport’s faulty investigatory and disciplinary process.
As a result, SafeSport has embarked on a campaign to gain the trust of athletes and other stakeholders via town hall discussions. These town halls are being held in cooperation with the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sports under SafeSport’s jurisdiction.
Tomorrow, February 21st, in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), SafeSport has scheduled an on-the-record town hall discussion for 11am at the Wellington Club, 3400 Equestrian Club Rd., Wellington, FL 33414]. This town hall will take place during ongoing competition at the 2020 Winter Equestrian Festival.
Representatives from SafeSport and USEF will be present and available to address whatever concerns we have regarding SafeSport. They will answer our questions about the changes it is making to protect our community. This includes protection from continued exposure to sexual predators as well as ensuring that our legal rights are protected should a member be accused of sexual misconduct.
Here are just a few of the key questions that Athletes for Equity in Sport (AES) hope to have addressed during tomorrow’s open discussion of these important issues.
- On February 5th of this year, the Center for SafeSport’s director, Ju’rese Colon, testified before the Senate regarding S.2330, the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019. This bill attempts to give athletes more control over the policies and procedures employed by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and SafeSport.
What is the Center’s understanding of how that proposed legislation would impact its procedures and policies, and what is SafeSport’s view of the pending legislation?
- As part of her testimony, the Director stated that increased funding would be required to support SafeSport’s efforts. This raises the following questions:
Ӣ Is SafeSport planning to expanding its efforts?
Ӣ In what manner is SafeSport hoping to broaden its scope of activity?
Ӣ How much additional funding would be required?
Ӣ For what portion of the additional costs would the USEF be held responsible?
- Also during Ms. Colon’s testimony, the Director laid out rough data regarding the volume of claims it has handled along with some basic information regarding the disciplinary actions taken against people involved in the Olympic movement.
Could you please break out the number of complaints that specifically involve claims of sexual misconduct, as opposed to those involving claims of verbal abuse, abusive training practices, and bullying?
-
It appears that as many as 85% of the complaints made to SafeSport do not result in disciplinary actions. Since we know that evidence of abuse can be difficult to gather, is it SafeSport’s policy to leave these files open in the event further evidence comes to light, or are such files closed for good?
-
Given that such a large number of cases have been deemed not actionable by SafeSport, has the Center found that any claims have been made in bad faith?
If so, what does SafeSport do with such claims? Is the case simply closed as being without merit, or does SafeSport investigate further the circumstances that motivated the claim?
- One of the major fears associated with SafeSport claims arises from the danger to an individual’s reputation and business as a result of false or malicious claims. Redress for such claims — libel, slander and other related tort actions — would normally be the jurisdiction of the civil courts. However, it would seem that SafeSport has a vested interest in ensuring that its process is not abused by individuals bringing claims falsely and/or with malicious intent. This begs several questions:
Ӣ First, of the approximately [insert number here] non-actionable cases to date, has the Center been able to determine if any of those claims were intentionally made falsely and/or maliciously? Or does SafeSport abandon the investigation short of reaching such a determination?
Ӣ Second, if SafeSport has indeed determined that a claim was made falsely and/or maliciously, what actions has the Center taken to discipline that claimant?
Ӣ Third, could you please clarify whether or not threatening an individual with a claim to SafeSport in order to extort a specific outcome from that individual is in fact itself a violation of the SafeSport Code?
- There recently have been reports of SafeSport decisions that were reversed in arbitration. We can assume that the Center devoted a great deal of time and money to defending these decisions.
Does SafeSport view reversed decisions as a defined standard to which all subsequent cases must conform — i.e., much as judges adhere to legal precedents — or does the Center take a different view of these reversed cases and their effect on future decisions?
- Please share any plans to review and amend current SafeSport procedures, policies, and practices to ensure that the Center continues to evolve into a more effective service provider to the sports under its jurisdiction.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport was created to work for us, the participants in Olympic sport. Its purpose is to keep our athletes safe and promote an environment in which athletes can thrive and achieve their best results.
As stakeholders in this effort, it is incumbent upon each of us to be engaged in the process and assist in making SafeSport better for everyone. To that end, Athletes for Equity believe it is crucial for the Center to develop fair and comprehensive procedures that will ensure that it is successful in carrying out its mandate.
We believe that an open and transparent discussion of SafeSport issues will help guide the Center toward a process that is just and fair to everyone within its jurisdiction.
Please note: This town hall was originally scheduled for February 28th. Unfortunately, the date and time were changed with little notice given to USEF members.
That change, as well as scheduling tomorrow’s town hall to take place during active competition at the Winter Equestrian Festival and therefore at a time when many USEF members will be unable to attend, seems to indicate that SafeSport is not interested in reaching a large portion of our community.
Regardless, please make time to attend tomorrow’s town hall if at all possible. Help us press SafeSport and USEF representatives to address on the record those questions listed above along with other important questions you may have.
Thank you very much for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Diane Carney
President], Athletes for Equity in Sport[/I]
:lol:
Yes, that one!
You know what should ruin people’s reputations? Forceable sodomy of minors.
And yet it didn’t, and hence safe sport.
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How embarrassing it will be for her if she asks those question at a public meeting. She’ll be laughed at (again).
If there isn’t a large turn out at the meeting it won’t be because people are busy at WEF, it will be because people just aren’t as freaked out about Safe Sport as Diane Carney seems to be.
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@Virgina Horse Mom. FYI - someone on HSD is asking about your identity…
people are creepy.
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HSD?
Thanks. A few other people gave me a heads up as well.
I find it interesting the person’s screen name is “Shark Week.” I guess that is something that might be interpreted as threatening? Or maybe it’s just a nod to the fact that whoever it is, lives in Florida.
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Anyone else seen this? Not exactly great PR for the sport…
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HSD?
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@Ghazzu - thanks for sharing. That article made my head hurt. What a mess. Peggy had good quotes though.
It’s too bad organizers can’t/don’t just decide to hire course designers who AREN’T registered sex offenders… ya know? There are other options.
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