PRESS RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Mike Ference
412-233-5491
mike@ferencemarketing.comThe Last Call: September Protests to "Out" Local Abusers and Sympathizers
Pittsburgh, PA – August 16, 2011 – Well-known local activist Mike Ference
will stage a series of protests beginning September 11, the 10th anniversary
of 911 and targeting local institutions and individuals associated with the
abuse of children and young adults.
"For two decades I have called on certain institutions and individuals to
come forward and take responsibility for their roles — active or passive —
in child sex abuse," Ference explains. "This is the last call — if they
don't do the right thing in the next couple weeks, then I will 'out' them at
a series of protests where I will publicize incriminating details from my
22-year investigation of such cases. Abusers who have harmed children and
individuals who knowingly covered up the crimes will be named — I want
everyone in our community to know who the bad guys are."
Ference began his investigation in 1989 after his son was shot on a school
bus by a boy who then committed suicide. Although grateful that his son
survived, Ference was disturbed that an investigation into the shooting was
quashed or botched at every turn. Agreeing that the case had been
prematurely closed by the McKeesport police, William Scully, then Public
Safety Director in Clairton, gave Ference notes on the case and encouraged
him to continue investigating on his own. A central starting point was the
possibility that the shooter had been sexually abused by a local Catholic
priest.
Ference's initial investigation has inspired a lifetime of activism against
child sexual abuse and cover-ups. He has written extensively on the sex
abuse scandal within the Catholic church, amd has consistently emphasized
that such abuse can't happen without a lot of other community stakeholders
"looking the other way."
"This is the last call for the Pittsburgh Diocese and its syndicate of
dysfunctional sex freaks who have exploited children and teenagers for
decades," Ference says. "It's the last call for the hospitals and other
institutions who helped cover up crimes against innocent children. It is
time for elected officials and law enforcement to stand up and protect our
children instead of the Catholic church hierarchy, Sicilian mobsters and
corrupt political leaders."
The first protest is scheduled for noon, September 9, on the steps of St.
Paul's Cathedral in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Ference believes that
Oakland, Shadyside and the surrounding areas have been prominent spots for
Pittsburgh Catholic clergy to abuse children and teenagers.
Additional protests are in the planning stage. Ference says UPMC Hospital in
Oakland is a likely site because of its handling of a clerical abuse case
involving Greg Witkowski. He is also considering the police departments and
municipal buildings of McKeesport, Clairton, and West Mifflin, which were
all central in his initial investigation. District Attorney Stephen
Zappala's office and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette were also mentioned as
stakeholders who have been more interested in protecting the church
hierarchy than punishing abusers and defending children.
For more information on the September 11 protest or other upcoming events,
call Mike Ference at 412-233-5491, or email
mike@ferencemarketing.com.
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Ta.
412 298 3432 = cell
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