Randal Martin on the CAM/Jeriah Debacle

[steve-in-kville]

I found out in a hurry how "old school" some of our distant family was. Comments like "why did she wait until now?", "why did she have to tell a teacher?", stuff like that.

"Why won't victims agree to give an interview and share lots of details and names with our investigators?", asks an organisation like CAM.

Again, putting words and thoughts in peoples mouths that they didn't think or say, and painting everyone with a single paint brush. Could you stop this, please?

Ernie, I think its only fair to ask what your relationship is with CAM. Do you sit on any boards/committees there?

[steve-in-kville]

I found out in a hurry how "old school" some of our distant family was. Comments like "why did she wait until now?", "why did she have to tell a teacher?", stuff like that.

"Why won't victims agree to give an interview and share lots of details and names with our investigators?", asks an organisation like CAM.

Again, putting words and thoughts in peoples mouths that they didn't think or say, and painting everyone with a single paint brush. Could you stop this, please?

CAM reminds me of about every corporate setting I've been exposed to: when ugly issues rise to the surface, top management reacts by shuffling the deck. They move people around, give them a different office with a different view and with a different title on the door. Everyone else gets a pizza party all the while the big brass pats themselves on the back thinking they "handled it."

Kris isn't too far off with his brush strokes. Be nice.

[TruthSeeker]

I concur with Ernie when he stated:

"To many old orders, being willing to acknowledge in their newsletter that something really bad happened on the mission field is more transparency than they ever seen in their circles. And asking Anabaptist people outside of CAM to help them work through the matter is more than what they are familiar with. It is possible that some old orders experienced "healing" when they saw CAM being willing to publicly acknowledge what they did. To some, what CAM did is commendable and courageous."

Having established this premise I share my experience as a "vicarious victim" of being interviewed by CAM's investigative delegates (or whatever titles best accurately describe them)--

I received my first contact on a snowy Sat morning around 9 AM from an old order male representing a threesome who was just "trying to find out the truth" about the HH situation. When I pressed him to disclose whom they represented/were working for, he persisted in saying they were just a group of volunteers who, once they had divined the truth, would advise CAM/LL if HH should have ties with these entities going forward. They wanted to meet with me yet that day--before 2 PM as two team members needed to catch a plane.

No pressure!!!

I immediately dropped everything, rearranged my schedule and my fiance' and I met them for lunch at a local eatery. As I stated before on MN, two of them turned out to be HH's previous fellow missionaries, and the individual who had contacted me was a longtime proponent of CAM's and acquaintance of HH. Before ever interviewing me, the old order male who contacted me stated, "We know how you see this situation. We see it a little bit differently. Are you willing to hear how we see it? . . . We believe in headship!"

This same old order male was the point of contact who informed the HH family that a new team (don't know how a team can be new while retaining a former member) had, for CAM/LL, appointed an attorney to do the investigation. This lawyer collectively communicated by email with the accused, the alleged victim, and potential witnesses self-describing himself as follows:

I was primarily responsible for litigation and for the first three decades had a healthy diet of domestic and criminal defense cases in addition to civil litigation.

In both these areas predictably, I have dealt with allegations of sexual abuse. And in both areas, I have dealt with mental health issues. I have tried many jury trials to verdict including kidnapping, rape (and cases dealing with lesser charges of sexual abuse), and homicide cases. I have also been involved in matters of alleged sexual abuse in congregational settings including involvement as an advocate in an “ecclesiastical hearing” involving a minister accused of sexual abuse of minors.

My point(s)?
1) The fact that the contact person was an old order male did not increase comfortability for disclosure
2) My perspective wasn't valuable enough to offer respect for my schedule. My perspectives had been presupposed.
3) Bringing up investigators' personal perspectives on the case and views on headship is totally unprofessional during investigations of sexual abuse.
(BTW: does a "headship" view translate as: 'husbands/fathers are entitled to abuse wives/children?")
4) What victim wants to speak to a defense attorney who frames sexual abuse as "lesser charges?"
5) Why didn't CAM/LL exercise the customary business practice of, using company letterhead, notifying all persons to be contacted (particularly the victim), introducing any investigative persons, and the purpose of their appointment?

[steve-in-kville]

My point(s)?
1) The fact that the contact person was an old order male did not increase comfortability for disclosure
2) My perspective wasn't valuable enough to offer respect for my schedule. My perspectives had been presupposed.
3) Bringing up investigators' personal perspectives on the case and views on headship is totally unprofessional during investigations of sexual abuse.
(BTW: does a "headship" view translate as: 'husbands/fathers are entitled to abuse wives/children?")
4) What victim wants to speak to a defense attorney who frames sexual abuse as "lesser charges?"
5) Why didn't CAM/LL exercise the customary business practice of, using company letterhead, notifying all persons to be contacted (particularly the victim), introducing any investigative persons, and the purpose of their appointment?

So many questions here...

Why would an accused perp hire a team to investigate? Or did I misread that?

And... did this team talk to any one else?

[TruthSeeker]

Why would an accused perp hire a team to investigate? Or did I misread that?

And... did this team talk to any one else?

The Abuse Care Group functioning for CAM/LL to secure either an investigative team or an investigator recruited the attorney referenced in my prior post. It is my understanding that the first threesome "Truth Squad" spoke with HH and some other family members whose identity I will protect.

[Ernie]

"Why won't victims agree to give an interview and share lots of details and names with our investigators?", asks an organisation like CAM.

Again, putting words and thoughts in peoples mouths that they didn't think or say, and painting everyone with a single paint brush. Could you stop this, please?

Ernie, I think its only fair to ask what your relationship is with CAM. Do you sit on any boards/committees there?

I oversee one department and am part of committees within that department, but I have no involvement in boards, committees, or meetings related to the general governance of CAM. When I applied for employment at CAM, my application was at first rejected and only later was I "barely accepted". I only mention this to show my standing in the organization.

[Ernie]

CAM reminds me of about every corporate setting I've been exposed to: when ugly issues rise to the surface, top management reacts by shuffling the deck. They move people around, give them a different office with a different view and with a different title on the door. Everyone else gets a pizza party all the while the big brass pats themselves on the back thinking they "handled it."

I suppose this is possible, but I have seen none of this.

[Ernie]

I received my first contact on a snowy Sat morning around 9 AM from an old order male representing a threesome who was just "trying to find out the truth" about the HH situation. When I pressed him to disclose whom they represented/were working for, he persisted in saying they were just a group of volunteers who, once they had divined the truth, would advise CAM/LL if HH should have ties with these entities going forward. They wanted to meet with me yet that day--before 2 PM as two team members needed to catch a plane.

No pressure!!!

I immediately dropped everything, rearranged my schedule and my fiance' and I met them for lunch at a local eatery. As I stated before on MN, two of them turned out to be HH's previous fellow missionaries, and the individual who had contacted me was a longtime proponent of CAM's and acquaintance of HH. Before ever interviewing me, the old order male who contacted me stated, "We know how you see this situation. We see it a little bit differently. Are you willing to hear how we see it? . . . We believe in headship!"

I was not aware of this before. This is indeed unprofessional and very concerning.

[steve-in-kville]

Again, putting words and thoughts in peoples mouths that they didn't think or say, and painting everyone with a single paint brush. Could you stop this, please?

Ernie, I think its only fair to ask what your relationship is with CAM. Do you sit on any boards/committees there?

I oversee one department and am part of committees within that department, but I have no involvement in boards, committees, or meetings related to the general governance of CAM. When I applied for employment at CAM, my application was at first rejected and only later was I "barely accepted". I only mention this to show my standing in the organization.

Thank you for your reply. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful. Often times its best to know where a person is coming from when discussing issues such as this.

[Josh]

CAM reminds me of about every corporate setting I've been exposed to: when ugly issues rise to the surface, top management reacts by shuffling the deck. They move people around, give them a different office with a different view and with a different title on the door. Everyone else gets a pizza party all the while the big brass pats themselves on the back thinking they "handled it."

Yep - and those of us who have spent most of our adult life around elites in big corporations with much more wealth and power than we have, recognise this as soon as we see it. (The difference is that usually I would never make a decision to go up against organisations and elites as powerful as the people donating to and running CAM.)

I have frequently exercised my option to quit some place and go work somewhere else, or decided a client/customer wasn't working out too well, and started looking for a new one, and encourage them to find a vendor that was a better fit for them. When we talk about doing that with CAM, though, we hear about how doing so basically will make lots of poor people starve to death.