CA - Dr. William Ayres for child molestation, San Mateo, 2007 #1

[Missizzy]

OnbekendeBron--I was very taken by your post concerning your fears of coming forward. You sound like a very bright and savvy person who has experience working in the field of law and LE. That's the point!! Rape, molestation, abuse cuts people off at the knees. You are well aware that your fears were misguided but that doesn't negate them.

I noticed that nobody's posting on this thread right now. Can I be so bold as to suggest that Dr. Johnson upset many of us greatly. I know that she upset me. To be so arrogant and uncaring about a child's pain takes my breath away. I'm a pretty smart and strong cookie but her words hurt. We all have to validate that we are tender in some places but must be strong enough to stand back up and brush ourselves off.

I'd like, once you are able, to address the action of you coming forward. I've brought this up several times. I'm intrigued by the possibility of using Craigslist and other venues to look for other victims of indicted or convicted abusers. Would you have answered an ad on Craigslist?

I've just put in a call to our local DA. I want to know just what they do with further allegations concerning a person. Let's take Silverman as an example, as I know his case well. He was a therapist in our valley who saw male children who were the victims of sexual abuse. He specialized in DD young boys and men. He masturbated many of them and destroyed their innocence further.

He was caught and pleased guilty to two counts (2!!). When he was brought to justice, he met up with a judge who decided to buck the state laws of minimum sentences (Measure 11 in Oregon) and give the guy probation even after his own psychiatrist testified that Silverman was a known pedophile. Well, Silverman fled to Israel where he hid for nine years. An appeal affirmed that his sentence must follow state guidelines. After a lengthy and very expensive extradition process with Interpol involvement, he was returned and was moved to prison in Salem last week.

I happen to know that there are many more victims. What can I do with that information? I've shared it with the DA. She says that they need reports from the men themselves. OK, how do I reach them? You've been down this path. I'd love some input and guidance. I'm seeking closure for some very compromised young men. How can I best go about achieving it?

PS On a lighter note, do you have a shorter screen name by which we might address you?

 

[OnbekendeBron]

I noticed that nobody's posting on this thread right now. Can I be so bold as to suggest that Dr. Johnson...

A couple of us noticed that Dr. J created an account, and were waiting for the other shoe to drop. I saw the post, but then had to run to a long meeting.

Pretty much a re-hash of the usual drivel looked like... Did I miss some fireworks? I see that the post is gone now.

My biggest issue with Dr. J is that she feels that people should blindly act in their daily lives on the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" (In fact, she holds the common misunderstanding that PEOPLE are compelled to follow this stricture by the US Constitution.) She doesn't understand that "innocent until proven guilty" is nowhere to be found in the constitution, and more specifically that the constitution does not say that WE have to provide for due process... it says that the federal government itself is required to provide for due process. "Innocent until proven guilty" is a common juror admonition, and ONLY in criminal trials. (Civil trials are much more mushy, and under reasonable accusation, the defendant is expected to make reasonable effort to prove that they are "not guilty.")

So why does this bug me? Because ADULTS are discriminatory. And they should be. An ADULT will ACT to protect their family and friends if someone seems to be dangerous, regardless of the person's criminal status. They do NOT blindly give EVERYONE the benefit of the doubt because they are an official, or because they are certified, or licensed, or friendly looking, or wearing a uniform. And most of all, ADULTS don't assume that someone is NOT dangerous because it's the politically correct thing to do. This is just a silly, juvenile way to look at the world.

Am I saying that we resort to violence or force? Nope... not at all... But if that big famous doctor seems weird, or if people are saying that the dude is dangerous, we take a step back. We don't leave our kids alone with them. We don't invite them to speak at our event. Is this fair if it turns out that the guy is innocent? Nope. Welcome to having graduated from Kindergarten!
Her other big hot button is complaining anonymously. She wants to make sure that if a person is falsely accused, that the accuser gets run through the ringer. I understand that sentiment, and it's a fair position to take... If she had been anonymous on her blog, then she wouldn't be dealing with cyber stalkers on the level that she is now.

BELIEVE me, when you speak out against pedophiles, the weirdoes come out of the woodwork in droves to defend the practice, so I'm as anonymous as possible online. (It doesn't seem to occur to Dr. J that someone might be anonymous in public, yet still have gone to the police. )

Sometimes you go to the hardware store and buy a box of light bulbs, and when you get home, one of them is pretty darned dim. I guess you just throw it out... probably not worth the trip back to the store.

Ok... climbing off my soapbox (and no I'm not a constitutional lawyer.)

On the topic of posting to craigslist:

I PERSONALLY would never have answered an ad on craigslist, or anywhere else for that matter... I'd have assumed that it was some kind of weirdo or perhaps the defense, or some kind of trap/scam. However, in my case I did see similar advertisement type postings before I found discussion about ayres on message boards. It DID make clear to me that there were others out there, and that there were possibly going to be some repercussions coming to ayres. So, while I would never have responded, it did start the ball rolling. I would say it definitely won't hurt, and in fact is probably very much worth the effort, even if there are no direct responses. So I definitely think it's the right starting point.

Your call to the DA to find out what they do with further allegations is a good start. In fact, since this discussion started on this board, I've been intrigued with the idea of presenting some kind of "So you want to contact the police..." kind of primer... The cops will have you come down, there will be one or two people in the room, they will ask you to begin describing why you're there, they will ask you what happened, the will take some notes, the will ask you if you're willing to testify, etc.. etc...

I've never been in any kind of trouble with the law, but the guilt associated with this kind of crime is extreme. Calling the police for me felt like what I imagine it would feel like if I had (actually) committed some kind of heinous crime, and no one knew about it, and I was turning myself in. Knowing what would happen next would have been a big help. (I still don't know what's going to happen next... It's excruciating.)

Shorter screen name? Well, I'll probably be tipping my hand... you can call me DS. :waitasec:

 

[kbl8201]

onbek im sorry you had the displeasure of reading that garbage.

my head nearly exploded reading it

 

[OnbekendeBron]

onbek im sorry you had the displeasure of reading that garbage.

my head nearly exploded reading it

I was anticipating somewhat worse... I've seen her stuff before, though...

I could show you stuff from others that would make your eyes bleed. Just shrug her off... It's cool that you guys "take out the trash" here though..

 

[Mercyneal]

Actually, a very legitimate Ayres victim -himself a therapist- came forward because he saw a "Looking for Patients of Dr. Ayres" on Craigslist. (The ad did not say "Victims")

This victim testified at the first trial.

Additionally, a police detective named Frank Fitzpatrick who was molested by a priest named Father Porter placed ads in newspapers that said "Do You Remember Father Porter?" with a photo of the priest. Many victims responded. Fitzpatrick actually got Porter to admit on tape that he molested children and Porter was arrested. Very cool story here:
http://survivorconnections.net/flfvsporter.html


http://survivorconnections.net/flfvsporter.html

 

[believe09]

I have been working hard to use the word Patients in my postings...if you see anything different, let me know so I can fix it.

Thanks for you perspective On-it is incredibly helpful. WS does not tolerate too much in terms of rants like DR Johnsons-fwiw I was watching her for most of the morning waiting to see what she would post....if it was in fact her. I did receive some confirmation that it was likely actually her, but I am glad the post is gone in the off chance it would have intimidated those who were pondering coming forward regarding any of these cases....

And then again, we have KBL too.

 

[kbl8201]

oh i ranted yes........but if i said what i really thought i wouldnt be able to post what im posting now....or ever again

 

[Missizzy]

I'm going to ignore the post above and publicly thank everyone for being so darned classy and moving past rudeness. It's just amazing how much good work we get done on this site without yelling and screaming, isn't it?

I'm still very interested in methods of reaching out to past victims of known abusers. Nothing would make me happier than to be a stepping stone to closure for someone. I'd really like to flesh out the idea of using Craigslist for this purpose. As I said, I have a call into the DA to see how I would do this legally. I'll be keeping everyone posted on this.

You know something just dawned on me. I've always assumed that people who did not like me are reading my words on WS. I comport myself accordingly and never have to worry about being shouted down. I tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

 

[kbl8201]

"Mr. Congressman, on the advice of counsel, I respectfully and regretfully decline to answer the question based on my constitutional rights."

:innocent:

i decline to comment cause id get banned if i do :dance:

 

[Texas Mist]

I came to "websleuths" out of curiousity because my blog was getting the occasional hit from this thread. I came back to check links this afternoon, and saw that my post (#156) was deleted (anticipating that it might be, I saved the text for possible revision and publication on Housecalls).

I see that I continue to be quoted out of context (which kind of makes my own head explode). There's clearly no point in hanging around. It does resoundingly demonstrate why there are so few doctors in the medical blogosphere who are willing to write about this topic.

Everyone is not your enemy.

And/so my account will be deleted. My sincere apologies for making anyone's eyes "bleed".

It's policy of Websleuths that posters who put themselves forth as doctors, attorneys, etc. be vetted via the owner, Tricia....you can email her here:

[email protected]

 

[kbl8201]

lol good luck texas mint

 

[Missizzy]

Ms. Mint: We're just ignoring her and hoping that JBean will show her the door. I, for one, will be very interested in the revisions she makes in her post before she adds them to her blog. At least she didn't scream this time. That's an improvement.

And DS (thank you, that's easier), I appreciate the honest feedback concerning coming forward. You are right on the money concerning adults having choice and children lacking it. Sadly, I haven't been able to maintain anonymity so I just live with it. My children, much more sadly, have had to do the same. In some ways, it has been cathartic but never easy. You are correct in the mere discussion of pedophiles opening the doors to the asylum. My my my.

 

[Mercyneal]

As I said, there have been numerous postings on Craigslist about Dr. Ayres since 2004. The victim who was found through the Craigslist posting testified in the first trial.

There have been tons of news stories on the Ayres trial. All you have to do is write "Looking for former patients of Dr. Ayres" and post a news link and say that they should contact the Boston PD. The Boston PD info has been posted all over the internet.

As a matter of fact, I saw an Ayres post on Craigslist yesterday.

It's not that great at fleshing out victims, however. The best way is through the media. Through TV especially

 

[believe09]

TM, thank you for keeping us on the straight and narrow. We really need to stop responding until we are assured that she is indeed THAT Mary Johnson...which would take Tricia's approval...ah well.

Moving ON, lol-I like the idea of getting the word out. I would like to keep the pressure on in the Boston area...I remember atty Mitch in the NECN article mentioning his 147th Geoghan victim calling from FL. Given that the age range of patients for Ayres would be around 55 yrs plus, I wonder if it makes sense to concentrate on posting in areas where people might have transitioned from after living or growing up in Boston??

 

[Mercyneal]

Believe me, it's Mary Johnson.We've had tons of experience with her.

 

[Mercyneal]

Believe09, you said: Given that the age range of patients for Ayres would be around 55 yrs plus, I wonder if it makes sense to concentrate on posting in areas where people might have transitioned from after living or growing up in Boston??
__________________

The victims could still be in Boston or they could be anywhere. There is a victim who was molested by Ayres in California who now lives in Rhode Island. One has no idea where some of the Boston victims are now.

BUT some of these potential Boston victims might have parents or siblings who still live in the area.

 

[Missizzy]

And remember, the men victimized in California can be much younger. My son saw Dr. Ayres in 1991. He's now 24.

I haven't posted this comment before as it's so sad. When I spoke to my son about Dr. Ayres, he said that, "Mom, my years in foster care were so messed up. I was hurt and touched by so many people it all just kind of runs together." He then went on to tell me some new info I hadn't heard about a child being abused at the Oregon State Hospital.

Of course, I had to look that one up and lo and behold, sexual abuse of several young girls was uncovered at Ward 40 of the Oregon State Hospital during the time my boy was a patient there. Two committed suicide. Listen to the children. They were there.

It truly is a Pandora's Box.

 

[Missizzy]

I just looked at Dr. Johnson's other blog:

http://www.awhitewall.com/

Is this woman still practicing and seeing children? I worry about this level of anger and vitriol. It's pretty scary when you superimpose that on what is expected from a pediatrician....maybe a little tenderness.

 

[OnbekendeBron]

And remember, the men victimized in California can be much younger. My son saw Dr. Ayres in 1991. He's now 24.

I haven't posted this comment before as it's so sad. When I spoke to my son about Dr. Ayres, he said that, "Mom, my years in foster care were so messed up. I was hurt and touched by so many people it all just kind of runs together."

At the trial last year (and the upcoming retrial) The in-statute guys are right in that 20ish age range. I wish I had been that strong when I was that age. I can't imagine where they got the strength to come forward at that age. It's so extraordinarily impressive. Sounds like your son is that strong too. I can barely discuss the stuff with my parents and I'm in my 40's. I feel like I've got a long way to go, and these young guys are already well on the way...

Makes me feel old and tired

I know that there are a good number of the ayres victims out there just quietly watching, reading what they can, and never speaking a word. And I know that they're all over the place. I hope they'll be able to speak up some day. I think it makes a difference. Sometimes it seems worse, and angrier, because you're actually facing it. (And making people uncomfortable in talking about it in that lecturey tone... ) But I think that holding it all in is much more insidiously destructive.

 

[Missizzy]

I don't do this very often but I'll post it and then take it down tomorrow. DS, if you want to know how proud I really am go to the following link:

http://www.crimevictimsunited.org/news/2007/linsday.htm

This is our testimony before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee while we, Crime Victims United, and the AG were lobbying for a new Victims Protection law which pertains to Post Conviction Relief in 2007. Every child sat with me and my husband as I testified and then my son stepped forward (under the glare of the TV cameras) and spoke. Scroll down to the very bottom and you can listen to the audio of his short speech.

This son is not the one who is now 24. This son was 17 at the time of the testimony and has survived horrific PTSD and a suicide attempt. When I waiver, I think of his strength and keep going. By the way, he was adopted from San Mateo County too, in 1991. There wasn't a dry eye in the room when he sat down. Our bill got a pass that day and is now a law.

Not that I'm overly proud, but this young man is pulling a C+ average in his Criminal Justice classes at a Community College and is a state ranked soccer player. All this with being born at 32 weeks and addicted to crack cocaine, having tremendous learning challenges, being blind in one eye, and enduring horrific sexual abuse and the ten years of trials and appeals.

The human spirit can be be stronger than anyone can imagine. This young man is the most gentle soul I've ever met. His abuse hurt him to the core but he's digging out and finding his way. I'm so proud to be his Momma.