Leniency to
Paul Shanley
…protesting
close to Shanley’s house is a vigilante movement said, VOTF’s Paul
Baier
Paul Baier of VOTF has an interesting comment at the end of this article. Interesting double standard: it seems that he’s willing to grant more leniency to Paul Shanley than to Cardinal Law.
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/prot12222002.htm
Provincetown
protest urges Shanley to leave
by
Franci Richardson
Sunday,
December 22, 2002
Victims
of pedophile priests joined gay activists in Provincetown yesterday to reject
the Vatican's claim that homosexuals are to
blame for the sexual abuse scandal and to call on the Rev. Paul Shanley to
leave town.
``This
has to do with justice,'' said Steve Lewis, 45, an abuse survivor who traveled
from his home in Lynn to the end of Cape Cod for the peaceful noon
demonstration.
``This
has to do with the rape and molestation of kids and young adults,'' he said.
The group of about 30 was protesting the months-old, hotly
contested word of the Vatican that sought to blame homosexual priests for the
widespread scandal that has rocked the church, forcing Bernard Cardinal Law to
resign.
``It
was to show a unity with the gay community so they didn't feel (the abuse) is a
homosexual problem that has to be rooted out,'' said Lewis, who 10 years ago
settled an abuse case for molestation by the Rev. Edward Kelley.
The
residents of Provincetown, which is known for its large population of
homosexuals, also want Shanley, who was arrested on charges that he raped four
Newton CCD students in the 1980s, to leave their quaint New England town.
Shanley moved to a Provincetown apartment after he posted $300,000 bail, raised
by a group of his supporters, two weeks ago.
The
bail was reduced from its initial $750,000, angering many of his alleged
victims and survivor groups.
Shanley's
niece, Teresa Shanley, said yesterday that there are many people in
Provincetown who, at a special meeting, said they believe it's his right to
live in town.
``He's
not been convicted of any crime whatsoever,'' she said. ``He has a right to
live where he wants. Should I try to stop them from protesting? Absolutely not,
because that's their civil right. That's exactly what it comes down to.''
Emily
LaGrassa, spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, agreed.
``He
hasn't been convicted of anything yet,'' she said of Shanley.
And
Paul
Baier,
founder of Survivors First, said he doesn't believe protesting in Provincetown is
wise for victims who want to make a difference.
``The
fact that many of us are frustrated that Shanley is out on bail doesn't give us
any right to move into the vigilante movement, and protesting close to his house is getting
pretty close to that,'' he said.