2/17/14

South Dakota legislature obstructing justice for clergy crimes

Couldn't have said it better myself:
A bill in the South Dakota legislature that appears intended to give several dozen Native American childhood-sexual-abuse plaintiffs their day in court may do just the opposite. According to several legislators, Senate Bill 130 is supposed to fix problems caused by a 2010 law that retroactively blocked the Native lawsuits against the Catholic Church, which ran the boarding schools where the abuse allegedly took place. SB 130’s final sentence slams the door and locks it, according to attorney Michael Shubeck, of the Law Offices of Gregory Yates, in Rapid City; he and Yates have Native clients whose cases were terminated under the 2010 law. Letters between Church officials discussing the abuse were entered into evidence (several are seen here in connection with a recent South Dakota Public Radio story; please be forewarned that they include graphic descriptions of sexual crimes against children). A “travesty” was how Yates described SB 130. [Stephanie Woodard, Is South Dakota About to Give Some Childhood Sex Abuse a Free Pass? Indian Country Today Media]
South Dakota's embattled governor is apparently surprised that liberty and justice for all is merely a legend in his own mind.

The recent sale of Blue Cloud Abbey near Watertown seeks to pay for years of sex abuse at the hands of catholic clergy while taking millions in federal dollars violating the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Bad Man Clause.

Lobbyist for the Church of the Holy Roman Kiddie Diddlers is earth hater Jeremiah Murphy.




5 comments:

Bill DiThmer said...

If these people didn't enjoy the protection guaranteed by public office they would be held as complicit in the cover up of the crime.

It sure looks good for SD from the outside looking in. The HRKD bought and paid for these two pieces of legislation, not with money but with the continued enslavement of an aging congregation with knee problems and a father fetish. So much for real progress.

The Blindman

larry kurtz said...

Montana is embroiled in whether local prosecutors slow-walked violations of civil rights, Bill; and the US Attorney is threatening investigations. You can bet that Brendan Johnson has this stuff pass within view from his wheelhouse every day. Just a matter of timing my guess.

Thanks for stopping by.

larry kurtz said...

A bunch of Dems have signed on to this thing including Killer and Bradford: my guess is they are being held hostage on some other piece of work.

Anonymous said...

As someone who has followed this from the beginning I only can make one clear observation. After the Washington Post did a front page piece in 2002 on these claims I observed over 30 claims filed in other States successfully bringing resolution to the victims. Mr. Greg Yates is to be held completely accountable for the failure of these claims. Mr. Yates acting out of greed destroyed these claims by upsetting the Politiciians in South Dakota. Greg Yates does not have a clue as to handle the nuances of a fine line situation. His former clients should have sued him as one local politician almost stated in a interview. The Native Americans in South Dakota should stay clear of Greg Yates😘

larry kurtz said...

Thank you for your comment. Here is more about what you speak: SDPB.