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Troopers: A report on alleged sexual assault & problematic behavior by MAASIN


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15 minutes ago, MikeD said:

 

Interesting question. In my own reading of the documents, the sexual misconduct allegation is the main issue that would have a potential legal impact. I am not an attorney, so that is just my take. 

As for the rest...a lot of it reads as griping by members who were disenchanted with their marching experience. That can happen to anybody for many reasons. For the Troopers, it seems like a "Have you stopped beating your wife" kind of thing. How do they answer griping without giving it credence...really, why would they even try. I don't have the negative feeling about their response others seem to have. 

I think most "whistle blower" programs even require to know the name of the source even though they're not published to the public?  I maybe wrong; again. that's why I'm asking.  Think it would make a great podcast.  I may submit my questions to their social media page.  😅  

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That's 90% a good press release.  They explain that they know of the allegations, they explain their process for dealing with them; all good.  They probably should have mentioned if the investigations had been completed.  But I've written enough of these in my day to know they should have taken the shade out of it before hitting the "publish" button.

(edited for clarity/brevity)

Mike

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I thought there was a zero-tolerance policy regarding these behaviors in DCI?

This happened in 2017-19.  Why did this take 18-42 months (depending on allegation) for this to come out?   Apparently it is still not resolved.  

Wouldn't it have been better if the accusations were made within the last few days, & the Corps were able to post a reply 'Yes, this happened to guard member.   Perp was kicked out that day, top leadership reinforced to members that (1) We will not tolerate this, & (2) Support the victim.  & similar words, point by point, w/r/t member treatment, sunscreen, food, injuries, etc.'

But nope, we get a vaguely worded Hoppy-esque response with the message 'contact out lawyer' at the end (hope they have money in the budget for billable hours)

Perception is reality. 

Either there is a zero-tolerance policy or there isn't. 

Actions speak louder than words.

Bad news never gets better with age. 

Why can't these people figure this out?

 

Calling Tricia Nadolny

 

 

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25 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I thought there was a zero-tolerance policy regarding these behaviors in DCI?

This happened in 2017-19.  Why did this take 18-42 months (depending on allegation) for this to come out?   Apparently it is still not resolved.  

Wouldn't it have been better if the accusations were made within the last few days, & the Corps were able to post a reply 'Yes, this happened to guard member.   Perp was kicked out that day, top leadership reinforced to members that (1) We will not tolerate this, & (2) Support the victim.  & similar words, point by point, w/r/t member treatment, sunscreen, food, injuries, etc.'

But nope, we get a vaguely worded Hoppy-esque response with the message 'contact out lawyer' at the end (hope they have money in the budget for billable hours)

Perception is reality. 

Either there is a zero-tolerance policy or there isn't. 

Actions speak louder than words.

Bad news never gets better with age. 

Why can't these people figure this out?

 

Calling Tricia Nadolny

 

 

I agree.  But I see issues for both organizations & DCI.  Also, MAASIN accepts donations but aren't set up with a 501c3.  I know you don't have to have one, but how are they going to be transparent was to donated funds?  Looks like they were just recently formed last year?  

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1 minute ago, keystone3ply said:

I agree.  But I see issues for both organizations & DCI.  Also, MAASIN accepts donations but aren't set up with a 501c3.  I know you don't have to have one, but how are they going to be transparent was to donated funds?  Looks like they were just recently formed last year?  

Again. Contact them and ask. 

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26 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I thought there was a zero-tolerance policy regarding these behaviors in DCI?

This happened in 2017-19.  Why did this take 18-42 months (depending on allegation) for this to come out?   Apparently it is still not resolved.  

A likely answer to your question lurks in this quote from the MAASIN website:

"We checked in with all reporters the Troopers could have reasonably contacted because they were named and found not all had been contacted for an investigation. While we understand that there was no way to contact the anonymous reporters directly, neither the law firm nor Troopers board made any effort to obtain their contact information from us or contact the reporters in any way such as having MAASIN mediate to maintain anonymity."

The purpose of having a third party investigate is to maintain anonymity.  The MAASIN statement offering themselves as a fourth party implies that third-party investigators cannot be trusted. 

Is it any wonder these investigations fail to find actionable evidence?

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16 minutes ago, keystone3ply said:

I agree.  But I see issues for both organizations & DCI.  Also, MAASIN accepts donations but aren't set up with a 501c3.  I know you don't have to have one, but how are they going to be transparent was to donated funds?  Looks like they were just recently formed last year?  

IDK about the funding of MAASIN, but one way organizations fight these-type allegations is to attack the messenger, not address the message.  Consider what happened to the coach at Penn State who reported Sandusky.

Edited by IllianaLancerContra
more better english
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29 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

A likely answer to your question lurks in this quote from the MAASIN website:

"We checked in with all reporters the Troopers could have reasonably contacted because they were named and found not all had been contacted for an investigation. While we understand that there was no way to contact the anonymous reporters directly, neither the law firm nor Troopers board made any effort to obtain their contact information from us or contact the reporters in any way such as having MAASIN mediate to maintain anonymity."

The purpose of having a third party investigate is to maintain anonymity.  The MAASIN statement offering themselves as a fourth party implies that third-party investigators cannot be trusted. 

Is it any wonder these investigations fail to find actionable evidence?

Clearly, The Troopers have a PR disaster on their hands per their statement & how the events have been handled.  I just hope our activity survives & all members are treated with the respect they deserve.    

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For those that aren’t aware, there have been a wide range of issues the Troopers have faced the past few years, which have increasingly become more severe.  
 

Why was law enforcement not contacted as soon as a member came forward as being sexually assaulted?  All Drum corps staff are mandatory reporters.   
 

I’m not sure how they will be able to recruit members until this is addressed. Many music teachers were reluctant to recommend them - and now, many are adamant that they will advise their students to avoid the Troopers.  
 

 

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