Free Brunswick: No Apologies From Brunswick's Chief Richard Rizzo...Nor Anyone Else? What's Wrong With Our Leaders?

Brunswick's Harmful Facade

Brunswick's a beautiful town of vibrant history, not unlike many small towns across the U.S.A.. Justifiably, many love this town, its history, and people. One can go around life-long superficially cocooned within Brunswick. However, for others once the under belly's revealed one can never "un-know" it and that which once sparkled quickly fades. When window-dressings come down, it's a huge disappointment to say the least, and no Welcome Wagon is going to change that. The red pill moment.

There's a Mystic River quality in Brunswick, particularly in dynamics of connections including blood/family connections.

"...hairs remain toxic for a year or more, so people still can be affected in subsequent seasons..."

However, the facade's more enchanting here than fictional East Buckingham, and filming location of East Boston. With glowing autumn foliage in tree-lined neighborhoods and the college campus, a towering tribute in an 8-ft. bronze Joshua Chamberlain, Brunswick's a mix of old prestige juxtaposed with a Maine Street of wide "pool table" traffic snarls, an unfortunate number of pedestrian injuries and deaths, horrendous rashes for the unsuspecting as brown tail caterpillar moths' hair float down upon the mall (another story), a beckoning of fabulous shops, and eateries old and new but with woeful lack of parking. Its predominantly blue-collar neighbor, Bath, is hardscrabble, hardworking, unpretentious, and with its elegant Washington Street buildings and houses is also unabashedly proud of its shipbuilding history. Yet Bath's seemingly by far more real, down-to-earth - an antithesis of Brunswick.

Some say author Stephen King had Brunswick in mind when writing It; he'd grown up in adjacent Durham and worked as a janitor for part of one summer in the old Brunswick High School (torn down and replaced, planned obsolescence - yet another story). But for those fully aware of the ugly underneath, it's surely palpable. And just as hideous.

"Tina went to Durham Elementary School with me. There is a goat in every class, the kid who is always left without a chair in musical chairs, the one who winds up wearing the KICK ME HARD sign, the one who stands at the end of the pecking order. This was Tina. Not because she was stupid (she wasn't), and not because her family was peculiar (it was) but because she wore the same clothes to school every day." "Stephen King: How I Wrote Carrie"

Why do they hate me?
The eminence of local newspaper fame previously mentioned ( Qui Bono? ) appears to believe we - more particularly those in agreement with his points of view - as vastly improved and enlightened since the times of our forefathers and writers of the U.S. Constitution. As evidenced by what's happened to Chaz Wing and thousands of other students across the nation, it's hardly the case.

"Brunswick school officials responded Tuesday to an Associated Press story on sexual assault and bullying in K-12 schools that included an interview with a former student at Brunswick Junior High School who said school officials ignored his accusations of being bullied and sexually assaulted by other students."

"I don't want this to happen to other kids," said his mom, Amy Wing.

"From almost his first day of sixth grade in 2010, kids harassed Chaz about his weight and labeled him as 'gay'...Complaining to teachers and administrators at Brunswick Junior High School did not stop the abuse, he said....The bullying escalated to three bathroom rapes during seventh grade, according to sworn testimony by Chaz and statements he made to police, doctors, a child-abuse specialist and a state investigator. Fearing the bullies' threats, he said, he kept quiet about the sexual violence, sliding into depression and refusing to go to school. Finally, in October 2012, after his mom found him curled up in her bed, he confided through his tears, 'They hurt me.'"

A Nationwide problem

As evidenced by the AP article, it appears a clear case where child-abuse experts and examiners' conclusions went ignored. The AP article and Mark Waltz's statement indicates the school resource officer as investigator - did investigation include Mark Waltz's evaluation, a long-time, experienced BPD sexual assault investigator? Why would a school principal's conclusions carry more weight given he had no experience investigating sexual assaults? And since bullying is known sometimes as a precursor to sexual assault, why was the possibility ignored and then downplayed? BPD's Chief Rizzo, ultimately in charge, pursued no charges; did he and all officers involved also fail to provide reporting to the State's DHS of at least reasonable suspicion of sexual assault of a minor which occurred three times at the school? Lastly, one cannot help but also wonder if kidnapping charges were even considered given Chaz Wing's accounts in the same AP article.

"Common Victim Behaviors of Survivors of Sexual Abuse"

This is more than "disturbing" and no positive changes can occur in a community when adults continually fail to protect minors. Chaz Wing requested an apology and denial of such shows a complete lack of empathy. To Chaz Wing, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Please be well.

[Credit: Much appreciation to the authors of the AP article, for all your research and courage in bringing up the topic of sexual assaults in schools. We'll see positive changes when people begin to confront issues such as these and when communities demand truth. (Robin McDowell, Reese Dunklin, Emily Schmall, Justin Pritchard).]

Microcosm to Macrocosm - cognitive dissonance and communities' cover-ups to national and global truth about rampant child sexual abuse, child sex trafficking and violence against children:

Child sexual abuse... these actions break our trust, violate our communities and those most vulnerable, our children. Is Brunswick the only one? Sadly, no. Chances are great there are a number of pedophile predators within Brunswick who remain hidden and will never be charged. Could this be someone in your neighborhood? Yes, it's a ubiquitous problem, no community goes untainted, and child sexual abuse crosses all socioeconomic levels and includes even those in highest levels whom we trust.