@Texarkana I don’t believe you are speaking only to the choir. People are reading this thread and using Facebook for information. TooManyBays started a thread about not understanding Safe Sport. I write out a long post here (eventually) to help her understand. I tried in that thread.
People want to be ignorant. They don’t want to know.
People are going after AK because she kicked it off for horse sports. I have always admired her and Eros. RIP Eros.
Just to lighten the mood, this is what I feel like we’re living in:
http://southpark.cc.com/full-episode…-catholic-love
That was from 2002, y’all. And NSFW. Jump ahead and watch from the 5:00 to about the 7:00 minute mark.
And no offense to anyone; I’m not making a religious statement. It’s South Park… their sole mission is to offend everyone and anyone by pushing the limit. But boy oh boy, some of our USEF members sure sound a lot like the cartoon priests at the moment…
I feel bad for Vanessa. Clearly mourning her friend and wanting to express her grief. She and her heartbroken friends end up being the vehicle for convicted child molesters and people with axes to grind to get their shots in.
And meaner!
I’m struggling to feel bad for her. That’s me though. As I’ve stated previously in this thread I had a friend and mentor get arrested by the Feds for a lot of heinous things involving the children, the youngest of whom was an infant. I deleted and blocked this person from my life the second I saw the news article.
Yes I went through a period of shock, but I NEVER would question the charges nor if he suicided, I’m not sure if he has or not, would I mourn him. What was he doing to even get on the radar? That is not someone I want to be associated with.
I feel the same same about Safe Sport. Yes safe sport found Tommy Serio innocent but I do not want to be around people, even if it’s not his fault, that would alleged such a thing. It makes me ask what is the culture like to incite such an accusation that was found false? His wife has clearly shown us.
ETA: All the threads about “I don’t understand Safe Sport” were before his suicide so I will not lump those people in reacting to RG’s suicide. They were hell bent on remaining ignorant before.
Just saw three eventers I admired posting their negativity on FB, then saw all the comments you expect “it was 30 years ago”, “she was 16 and he was 18”… blah blah blah.
Disappointed to see so many men not supporting Safe Sport. Lost some respect big time.
Carry on to the USEFs most recent post, and the same comments follow about “due process” “innocent until proven guilty” etc etc.
I really don’t understand how people are SO passionate about something they are SO wrong about and really have no clue how it works.
Do they really REALLY believe a National Sport Organization would ban someone for life over a relationship between a 16 and 18 year old??!! Like come on, have some bloody common sense.
This article is very informative. It acknowledges the important role of Safesport but does not consider the due process concerns trivial:
From the article: “That last detail, the lack of transparency, is a serious point of contention among SafeSport critics. There is no hearing for an individual accused of sexual misconduct, which means there is no opportunity to dispute the allegations until after the final decision is made. Only then can an appeal be lodged.”
Seems a bit too supportive of the abusers for my liking.
Lack of transparency? What gives people the courage to finally come forward and overcome their shame and embarrassment is the promise that they won’t be splashed all over the internet the next day. Plus, it’s not always the abused minor who makes the report. Anyone who knew about the abuse is required to report. And retaliation is real - it’s happening now.
And from Kathy Serio’s rant, it also seems that there is a hearing. I think as has been stated here repeatedly, people want a public hearing, which is never, ever going to happen. And they don’t really want that, because they want to be able to keep railing at this straw man.
That is not the case. There is no opportunity to dispute the allegation before a charge is made, but the accused certainly gets to present evidence before the final decision is made.
Then there’s this quote:
“That’s because SafeSport doesn’t follow due process of law like the U.S. judicial system. In fact, even if charges are dropped and the accused is acquitted in a court of law, SafeSport can still find that individual guilty.”
Which fails to recognize that a person found not guilty in criminal court can still be found guilty in civil court.
They also bring up the statute of limitations and says there is no statue of limitations for SafeSport but that state statutes vary. Well, some states do not have a statute of limitations, either.
I am on the verge of posting an annotated version of the SafeSport process graphic. I really should be grading lab reports but between this and the fact that there is a cat sleeping on my unknown key, I am not making much progress.
Thanks for a much-needed chuckle on this thread! Kudos to you and your cat. 
I would love to see such a graphic about the Safe Sport process. Maybe it would help clarify things for a few people.
There is no finding of “guilt” in a civil (or administrative) process. The finding in a civil context is one of liable/not liable. The same constitutional protections (right to counsel, right to a speedy trial, due process, etc.) do not attach in a civil context. In a civil context the burden is most often preponderance not reasonable doubt.
This blurring of concepts is part of the problem here. The SafeSport process is not a criminal process. It’s an administrative process. There are many forums where you can be administratively debarred separate and apart from any criminal determination. This is one of them. It’s true that there’s an overlap in the venn diagrams between what can get a person excluded and what can get a person criminally convicted but that overlap doesn’t make the SS process a criminal proceeding.
If you molest a child you can be both criminally convicted and voted off the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters. The fact that there is some overlap in the consequences of the conduct does not mean you are “innocent until proven guilty” or entitled to “due process and a hearing” before BBBS excludes you from your organization.
Someone posted it several pages back. It is very helpful.
I have attempted to get a response from the non existent moderator of the Chronicle Facebook page regarding the egregious comments on the Gage article. CHRONICLE IS ACTING IS TERRIBLY BAD FAITH . Stop allowing outright lies on your page.
Can we have a list of the people supporting the accused or making false statements in all this? With so many comments on the facebook threads, it’s really difficult to follow who is saying what.
I don’t have a lot of respect for an article that makes claims that can be invalidated by perusing the SafeSport website for less than 2 minutes:
https://safesport.org/files/details/109
After a person has been accused of sexual misconduct, the next step is:
“Intake process: preliminary information gathering and initial contact with involved parties. Interim measures may be imposed as necessary, and if so, Respondent may request an interim measures hearing at any time.” (bold mine)
Then the investigation begins and a decision is made. If they find there is enough evidence to hand down a sanction, you may request arbitration to dispute that sanction. People who were not sanctioned (like TS) never get to the arbitration process because they were cleared as a result of the intake process & investigation.
RG was beginning arbitration because all of the above had been completed and they determined there was enough evidence to warrant a lifetime ban, the most severe penalty. And my understanding from the SafeSport response plus the BT statement, additional reports were filed in the interim.
I am sure this process was horrible for RG and his friends & family. I am so sorry he took his life. My heart breaks from his friends and family who not only are grappling to process the allegations, but now have lost him from their lives.
Yet willful ignorance helps no one.
Just export it into a spreadsheet.
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