Jump to content

The Cadets and GH history of sexual abuse (news article)


Recommended Posts

One thing that bothers me about the YEA statement is this:

One of the many disappointments in this regrettable situation is third parties who claimed specific knowledge of these allegations failed to assist in bringing this to a proper resolution, offering instead to bury those same allegations if the board took preemptive action.  The investigation proceeded anyway.

Are they actually saying that the third parties OFFERED TO BURY the allegations if GH resigned???. Is that true?  Does that call into question the motivations of the third parties?

I am glad this all came out.  I'm also disturbed to think that if GH would have been ousted back in January, this might never have been brought to light.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Last year, Jeff Ream posted a link to a USA Today story about how instructors fired or even convicted for sexual misdeeds often continue to work by moving to other states. Jeff observed that one of the people mentioned in the article was employed by Cadets.

George Hopkins, whose DCP screen name is YEAguy, responded here. He said he and YEA's attorney were aware of this history.

That incident probably bears revisiting in light of yesterday's news.

Not enough eye rolls in the world for this . But He also responded to the group in a thread that was deleted (screen shot):

 

ju7Nbc2.png

 

As did Scott Lee Atchison (screen shot)

DGUyNnx.png

 

 

Edited by mingusmonk
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

 Absolutely. Any other Corps that had these incidents with rape ( either gender too ), sexual harrassment,  sex with underage minors, etc  needs to have this completely aired out, and if these people are still involved in DCI, they need to be shown the door too. This goes without saying. DCI should not be immune either from having a 3rd party investigation on what policies and procedures they had in place to prevent these things from occuring. Above all else, its the safety of everyone first and foremost that transends any musical. dance, percussion instructiion. I think we can all agree on this.

There should be some type of reporting mechanism to which the corps are accountable. Yet, that being said, putting the accountability components into the hands of DCI is the same as top-down government control. It simply will not be efficient. Especially when each corps in as independent entity. Consequences of violations can certainly come from DCI. But, given that DCI does not know how to run their organization efficiently, I don't have confidence in their ability to manage complicated accountability procedures. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/5/2018 at 11:43 AM, GUARDLING said:

In this case there are many older alumni who would love to take down Hopkins for various reasons  and wouldn't care what the subject was.

This really is not about older alumni wanting to take GH down for no reason. 

This is & has always been about removing a person from a position in which they have created a untrue persona in a position of power & self- created reverence, that also continually allows for fresh students, volunteers, etc, every year, which helps to keep people from bothering to report anything, as it's easier to just move on.

That & the fact that yet-to-be enlightened followers, will do their best to distance you from the activity that is our family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Tommeee said:

One thing that bothers me about the YEA statement is this:

One of the many disappointments in this regrettable situation is third parties who claimed specific knowledge of these allegations failed to assist in bringing this to a proper resolution, offering instead to bury those same allegations if the board took preemptive action.  The investigation proceeded anyway.

Are they actually saying that the third parties OFFERED TO BURY the allegations if GH resigned???. Is that true?  Does that call into question the motivations of the third parties?

I am glad this all came out.  I'm also disturbed to think that if GH would have been ousted back in January, this might never have been brought to light.

They cover that in the actual article. The victims were scared that coming forward could damage or even sink the organization they loved so much in their youth. They wanted Hopkins gone. They didn't want The Cadets to suffer because of what they did to them.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, liberty195759 said:

There should be some type of reporting mechanism to which the corps are accountable. Yet, that being said, putting the accountability components into the hands of DCI is the same as top-down government control. It simply will not be efficient. Especially when each corps in as independent entity. Consequences of violations can certainly come from DCI. But, given that DCI does not know how to run their organization efficiently, I don't have confidence in their ability to manage complicated accountability procedures. 

 DCI has an unusual organizational structure, imo. The Corps themselves are " DCI ". DCI really attempts to police itself, as it sees fit. There really is no oversight, arms length distance, governing body.  So I agree with you that such a structure has flaws that make accountability rather unique... as unique as its current organizational structure is, imo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, DCI-86 said:

I think people need to mindful that this behaviour has been endemic in many corps over many years, and as likely had happened at YEA, it’s been quietly swept under the carpet (until now....)

Think about other corps that had long term staff quietly disappear. It’s ironic that a number of corps are quickly publishing their safeguarding policies- as if to say “this would never happen to us”- except it probably has!!

If there is anything good to come out of this- it will be all corps cleaning house 

This happened in the scholastic end of things through the 70's and 80's, and into the 90's with how many band directors. Just quietly leave and nothing will happen, some did move to other programs, some also cut deals surrendering teaching certificates to avoid prosecution. Some just left and took other jobs, sometimes more lucrative.

In the 90's, that began to change. One would begin to hear of individuals being prosecuted, a fair amount of them doing time. Seeing newspaper articles about what happened, not hear it through the grapevine in whispers.

My guess is this coincided with various states enacting laws requiring schools to report incidents to the authorities as well as the public finally realizing how wrong it was.

What bothers me is that how many people involved with corps are linked with the scholastic end and would know this sort of thing. Maybe some houses will get cleaned as a result of this if they need cleaning. I hope so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, 84BDsop said:

You DO know that you can discuss one aspect of an issue without invalidating the rest, right?

My apologies ... I deserved that. After following this discussion for the better part of the day (12+ hours by that time) my emotions overflowed. You are absolutely correct, we can discuss your aspect of the issue independent of the rest of the issues. 

Edited by Jurassic Lancer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

IMO....the board has been enablers for a great many issues within the organization. constant staff turnover at the office...the Glassdoor reviews are brutal...stuff you see kids talking about on Reddit...hell stuff Hop himself has posted about people leaving and a myriad of other issues. They rubber stamped it all. Constant fiscal crisis...the list could go on.

I suspect that all the controversies surround Hopkins, both for changes he led that antagonized many in the drum corps community, and for the personnel turnover, may have insulated him in a way from these more serious allegations: "Everyone hates him, so they make up crazy stuff about him." But that's only a suspicion.

Edited by N.E. Brigand
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, mingusmonk said:

Not enough eye rolls in the world for this . But He also responded to the group and deleted (screen shot):

[...]

Thank you for finding those deleted posts by Hopkins and Atchison. (Did you save them at the time, or are they on the Wayback Machine?)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...