I just got off the phone with Robbi Roberson, a pastor who ended up being a main figure in the Wenatchee Witch Hunt.
The first thing he said to me was that he's been trying to tell people, what happened then wasn't just about one case that went wrong. He said, it's the mentality in Wenatchee. He insists it's still there. "If you're going to blow the whistle over here, you'd better have your ducks in a row, because this area--where it's the end of the road, and you've got the boy's club, and people circling the wagons..."
He said Wenatchee wants people to think this is a great place to live and raise your kids, and he called it "The Apple Blossom Curtain" where they conceal what really goes on behind the scenes. He said the only people in control are the "power elite", in the "upper echelon" and everyone else is their servant.
He said he believes I will lose my son unless I have private representation and/or change of venue.
His case was in Douglas County. Many of the cases were in Chelan County. Both counties sent innocent people to jail. Only one judge stepped down and both Judge Bridges, Judge Small, and Nakata were involved. The CPS workers involved disappeared from Wenatchee to take promotions within CPS in other towns, in Spokane, Ellensburg, and the coast. No one ever apologized. Paul Glassen, he said, was the only one to get an apology from City Hall, and that was part of a settlement deal. Kids involved became troubled, ending up in jail and prison, and some have committed suicide. Many were so brainwashed they were never returned to their original families and stayed with the out-of-home placements, while their parents were in prison for 6 years before being exonnerated.
Robbi said he couldn't afford his attorney, Bob VanSicklen, and that it was down to the wire several times where Bob almost withdrew because he didn't have the money. He said a few weeks before trial Bob was going to drop the case unless he could come up with $15,000 for a private investigator he needed to check into something. Robbi didn't have it. They'd mortgaged their house already and had been dependent upon donations from others. He said he came close to losing his lawyer many times. He had to have the money by the next day, or his lawyer was filing notice to withdraw. Robbi was sitting on the altar crying when a couple came in and gave him $15,000. They didn't know how much he needed, but had cashed in part of their retirement to give him $15,000. He called up his lawyer and said, "You're not going to believe this, but I've got it."
I told Robberson I was worried because I had no one to support me and said he must have had a built-in support group as the pastor of a church, because he'd helped other people and they would help him in return. I thought his support must have come from people in his church. He said, no, that no one they knew had helped them. His tone changed. He told me he'd made a comment to Geraldo about where their support had come from and Geraldo said it was somewhat inflammatory and did he want to repeat it? Roberson said he didn't mind and repeated that their support had come from "...the Jews, Mormons, and heathens--the christian community could let us go to the cross." One of his donations came from people "that hated Pentecostal people."
His most shocking discovery was that Wenatchee didn't care about the truth. He figured it was all about the truth, so when internal documents were revealed that showed what the truth was, he thought he could point to that. Instead of accepting the truth, CPS and others dug their heels in more. They were giving the media records that claimed kids had made allegations and yet the internal memorandums from doctors, counselors, and others, showed none of the kids had made disclosures to any of them. They had a meeting, and CPS and others ignored it. Either before or after, he said there was a reporter, Tom Grant, who was looking over Robbi's shoulder when he was reading the memorandums. Tears were running down his cheeks as he said, "Pastor...They're putting innocent people in prison."
Robbi replied, "That's right, but no one will believe me."
That was March 23, 1995. A few days later, on March 28, 1995, Robbi and his wife were arrested and thrown in jail, on a million dollar bail. He said the christian chaplain watched as a guard beat him up and then later lied and said he saw nothing. His attorney got surveillance that proved he stood by and watched. "They're corrupt," said Roberson, "People can't imagine how cruel they are in this town."
"Truth is not the ultimate weapon--it's not going to stop the injustice." Robbi said this realization was the most shocking, that people didn't want to accept the truth.
His daughter was 4 or 5 years old when the Douglas County Prosecutors put her on the stand as their witness. When she was there, she said, "If you want me to say what you told me to say about my mommy and daddy, a few minutes ago in that backroom, I'm not going to, because I know that it's wrong to lie."
Roberson said mouths dropped. The lawyers, the jury...to hear this coming from her mouth.
A little child shall lead them.
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2 comments:
My heart goes out to you and your son, was bad enough in salem, but seems like we never learn from the past.
Guess thats why they say those who fail to learn it are doomed to repeat it.
I came across this while researching the "Wenatchee Witch Hunt" due to recent negative contact with one of Perez's foster sons.(if there were more than one)
At the time I was wondering where the attitude he displayed came from, now I know.
6 degrees of separation always astounds me.
Lohocla
Lohocia,
Thank you so much for your message. Not only do I appreciate your concern and sympathy personally, but I am glad you have made a comment to inform others as well--you too know what the damages are from these things.
If you're reading, what kind of negative contact did you have? I'm sort of curious.
If you'd rather not say publicly, let me know and I'll give you my email address.
This HAS been very hard, just coming to grips with the irrational behavior and "investigative" techniques, aside from my own heartbreak and the necessity of having to "prove" myself to people who cannot be reasoned with.
I've tried. What's sad is that I'm only one person, and not very special, all on my own. All those kids and their parents who were affected in the Wenatchee witch hunt...those parents could have been in jail for a VERY long time, had not a reporter from Spokane (out of the area of course) taken an interest to break the story. No one from The Wenatchee World did anything. No one with any authority in Wenatchee did anything (that I know of), and if it hadn't been SO many people and SO strange, perhaps someone from Spokane never would have been interested either.
I mean, what if it had been only one pastor or family that was accused--if the numbers hadn't raised a red flag and been so bizarre...
It makes me wonder how many parents are railroaded--lose their kids and never find justice, ever.
I am extremely concerned with the entire system in Wenatchee. I'm sure things happen everywhere, but I do believe Wenatchee is unique in many ways.
And I would definitely like to see records or do a big FOIA on how many families are low-income in proportion to others. And migrants.
These pastors, they may have appeared to be "middle class" but CPS and Wenatchee even knew THEIR status, that they were PASTORS or poor, one or the other, and didn't or wouldn't have money to fight them.
It's scary.
I think the reason only lower income families are targeted are because of prejudice number one, and because they're easy targets, number two.
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