The Front Row

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lotzman said...

Do you really care about this man raping little boys? Do you?? I'm just at the end of my rope reading these threads about hanging Jerry, put him away forever, etc. I normally don't like to get on my soap box, but I'm a proud Buckeye so I'm going to challenge you all as proud Buckeyes. If you genuinely care I encourage you to do something about it besides make yourself feel good by sitting behind a keyboard and spouting out hate. I'm not saying Jerry doesn't deserve it....if he did all this he certainly does and it sure does appear to be a very sad, dark, and true story. Take a second to read this perspective and let it challenge you in regards to what you do going forward.

I volunteer for an organization that takes in Franklin County Foster kids for a week of camp every year. We ask for and take in the worst of the kids....requesting to take the kids that usually get kicked out of camps or aren't asked to go. Through that organization I've had my eyes opened wide to what really goes on around me. I grew up in white picket fence land, had great parents, and was protected from most bad things this world had to offer. We go through an FBI background, extensive training, etc and when I first started I thought it was all just overkill...until I saw first hand how damaged most of these kids are. I was actually originally frustrated with all the training because here I was agreeing to give up a week of my life to stay at this camp and I already work about 70-80 hours a week running my own business. Anyhow to keep it short I realized from day 1 of camp why we received the training as one of the boys I was in charge of took his shirt off to swim and had a hand print on his back from apparently being struck. Another episode that stands out that week is one of the boys in our room woke up several nights at 2 or 3 coming out of a dream yelling....YELLING....please don't touch me, please don't touch me. At the end of the week that same boy was sitting beside me as some of the kids were going through their graduation ceremony (they would be too old to come back to camp next year). The kids on stage were crying because they realized how much the camp gave them hope....and it was over. This boy sat beside me and asked me why those kids were crying like little girls. In the moment I thought to myself....geez....we loved on this kid the whole week, played, had fun and he didn't get it. Then 10 minutes later as we got on the bus to leave I heard something behind me and it was this same boy with his head buried in the window balling his eyes out...and he was the tough kid at camp.

After that week I didn't care about working 70-80 hours a week....I was going to find time to do what was right for these kids. We started a mentor program and last week was the end of our first full year. I'm experiencing first hand kids having their lives changed.

Here is the challenge I pose to you. I've shared this story in front of many organizations and churches.....asking for money and volunteers to help support the camp. It amazes me over and over that because this is something that takes a level of commitment....it is crazy difficult to find people that are willing to give up their time or resources. I get that obligatory "pat on the back" so many times and "hey...what you are doing is great", but rarely does anyone put their time or money where their mouth is. It is frustrating to the point that as a "Christian" I want to throw up when I see the response I get when I go to churches....because I get more response from the secular world. Anyhow that is just me being frank. The absolute point here is that you aren't wrong for hating what Jerry did....but there are Jerry's everywhere and more importantly there are abused kids everywhere. It is an epidemic that goes under the radar. We can either help these kids now....or pay the taxes for all the prisons they will end up in because of how jacked up they become. I would love to share more about this camp and if you want to know you can PM me, but that isn't my goal. My goal is that you would take that feeling inside you that hates what Jerry did and let it inspire you to do more than spew out words behind a keyboard. Go spend time with your kids, volunteer to be a baseball coach, be a big brother / sister.....just do something to make a difference. THAT is what will drive folks like Jerry out of our communities and protect these kids.

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waufbri1 said...

" THAT is what will drive folks like Jerry out of our communities and protect these kids"

That is a passionate and emboldening speech. People like you are what keeps the ebb to the flow of nastiness. Unfortunately, I think your conclusion is drawn from more misguided hope than pragmatism.

According to the rules of the predator/prey relationship, at least one of these two things must happen:

1. predators become so abundant there is not enough prey so they either move on or cease to predate

2. there is no prey available

And I am not sure there is much that can be about #2

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