I'm not sorry for drawing attention to an accused abuser...

Remember when we all worked together tweeting to get Bob Garner, a man placed on the USA Gymnastics Permanently Eligible list due to accusations of him raping a 15 year old girl in the late 80s and early 90s, banned from the AAU? This was the guy who was a contact person for the AAU Tennessee state meet.

Well, as of right now, I have received 10 emails from Jennifer Sawyer, the individual who was set to run the meet along with Mr. Garner. Ms. Sawyer is frustrated with me due to the fact her meet was no longer sanctioned by AAU after my post was brought to your attention. She claims that he did not commit these crimes... Maybe he didn't. But, I'm not sorry that I posted about it.

Here are the 5 reasons that I refuse to apologize:

Gymnastics Wallpaper

1. He's on the USAG ineligible list. 
Yes, USAG is USAG, but with fewer than 100 people on the ineligible list, I have to believe that USAG would just arbitrarily stick someone on the list.

2. I've read the case notes. 
I've read the case notes, and although Mr. Garners conviction was overturned, it was overturned on the basis of an unlawfully obtained tape by the survivor's mother. Mr. Garner's lawyer argues about her "consent", something that's not obtainable by 15 year old in the state of TN.

3. Statistics aren't on his side. 
I work for a domestic violence/sexual assault crisis center for a living. I'll admit that it gives me a bias. But on average, studies say that less that 6% of abuse allegations are false. Additionally, very few sexual assault/abuse cases even make it trial. While it's quite possible that Mr. Garner falls into both of those very small categories, how likely is it? Honestly? 

4. Parents should be informed. 
I don't know if Mr. Garner committed this crime. Admittedly, I've never met him. But what I do know is that if I were a parent, I personally wouldn't want someone even accused of a crime of sexual abuse around my daughter, certainly not in a tight leotard without having an extensive amount of experience/trust with that person. I certainly wouldn't want that man spotting my child. It's not Ms. Sawyer's decision to make if he's safe. Parents should be able to make an informed decision after doing their own research.

5. He's STILL fucking coaching. 
If you google the names of some of the other people on the USAG permanently ineligible list some of them are leading successful lives. They're sales people, business owners, but they sure as hell aren't working with girls in leotards. Ms. Sawyer has informed me that Mr. Garner is still coaching in her gym, although he's been deemed ineligible by both USAG and AAU. What kind of message does that send to abusers?

Like I said before, I don't know if he committed these acts. There are likely only 2 people in the world who really truly do. BUT, people should be informed of the allegations.

Keep yelling until someone listens

I'd like to share with you an email I received earlier this afternoon in response to Wednesday's blog. 

"Dear Bekah,
As you may know, one of our staff members saw your blog regarding Robert Garner, and shared that information with me. We quickly determined that Mr. Garner was on our “Ineligible for Membership” list, and took immediate
action:
 
- AAU learned that the event you referenced was sanctioned by a member club called “Champions Gymnastics Academy”. Although a different individual is the director of the event, the event flyer indeed lists Mr. Garner’s name.
 - AAU made the immediate decision to revoke the sanction due to Mr. Garner’s affiliation with the event operations.
 - I contacted the event director, Ms. Jennifer Sawyer, to advise her of the revocation. Ms. Sawyer did not answer, so a detailed message was left. I also followed up with an email notice of the revocation of sanction.
 - The event was immediately deleted from our AAU database and online “Find an Event” page.

In partnership with Ron Ferris, the AAU National Gymnastics Chair, we are preparing a notice to send out to our clubs. Mr. Ferris and all of AAU’s leadership and staff are deeply committed to setting and maintaining the highest standards of safety and monitoring in order to protect our AAU youth competitors. Our practices and procedures are constantly evolving and improving, and we look forward to the upcoming release of the AAU Task Force Report and Recommendations. Convened in December 2011, AAU’s Youth Protection Task Force and the Adult/Volunteer Screening Task Force are in the final stages of their work. Once their joint report is issued, we will
move swiftly to implement their recommendations.

Sincerely,
Jan Lyon
Compliance Director of AAU"


Thank you all for spreading the word. We can make a difference. Seriously, thank you, and if you shared the link, YOU are one of the people who made this happen. I hope that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling; it should. 


If you see something going on that shouldn't be, realize that change IS possible. Don't be complacent; speak up about it. 


Please sign the petition, if you haven't to demand background checks for all coaches who work with children in the US.