Blog#79—8/16/21
HEROES PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE
By
Richard Davis
Shock. Sadness. Anger. Those were some of the emotions that grabbed me as I read the account by Mindy Haskins Rogers in the August 11 issue of The Commons of Brattleboro. She told the story of alleged sexual abuse by a former Brattleboro Union High School English teacher, Zeke Hecker, and the years-long cover up of his behavior.
We hear about sexual abuse nearly every day and we have come to realize that not enough abusers are ever brought to justice. You only have to look as far as a former president to understand that the deck is stacked against the abused.
Silence is one of the best weapons that abusers have. Sadly, there are too many examples of child sexual abuse, including that of the Catholic church.
Silence has protected priests and it is understandable that victims do not come forward for many years after the abuse.
When the silence is broken the healing process can begin. But the wounds of sexual abuse never completely heal and people feel the pain every day. Some end their lives because the pain is too much to bear.
Survivors who come forward and tell their story are heroes. But when they do so they take a risk when telling their story. All whistleblowers risk a lot when they go public with their stories and there are a lot of factors that have to be considered when they present their story to the world.
I have had a number of occasions in my life when I have come forward as a whistleblower or have counseled people who have considered going public with their story. People look to columnists to tell their story and I have had many people ask me to tell their story.
Whenever someone contacted me about something that they felt should be exposed or made public I would always tell them to consider the risks and benefits. No matter now bad a situation may seem you have to think about protecting yourself from the consequences of making public statements.
If the issue relates to a work situation, a whistleblower has to realize that there is a good chance they will lose their job. Whistleblowers also have to think about the legal implications of their disclosure and make sure they don’t open themselves to a lawsuit. Exposing the truth can be a difficult and complicated process.
Taking all of these factors into account makes me realize that Haskins Rogers has exposed her life to enormous risk. It was stated in the Commons that she consulted lawyers and that she spent a long time preparing her public statement. But there will be people who react against her disclosures and I hope she can prepare herself for some backlash.
From the accounts of Haskins Rogers and Jeff Potter, editor of the Commons, it is clear that Hecker has made a mess of his life and the life of others. With this August 11 outing there will no longer be any place for the abuser and those who protected him to hide.
The law may not be able to help the victims of Hecker’s alleged abuse, but light is a disinfectant. Those who shed that light are heroes because they are putting their own lives on the line when they try to help others.
