Friends of Justice

[Note: Friends of Justice is a personal blog. I speak only for myself.]

September 28, 2020

Dave Olson, Editor
The Salem News
300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 107
Danvers, MA 01923

Dear Editor,

My name is Robert Chatelle and I live in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Since its founding in April of 2002, I have served as Executive Director of the National Center for Reason and Justice (NCRJ), an advocacy group for people falsely accused or wrongfully convicted of crimes against children.

A friend recently forwarded to me a flyer for an exhibit at Salem’s Peabody-Essex Museum, entitled “The Salem Witch Trials 1692.” The flier concludes:

“The victims of the Salem witch trials had complex emotions, fears, and doubts just like we do,” said Dan Lipcan, head librarian at Peabody Essex Museum’s Phillips Library. “To empathize and understand their experience emboldens us to speak out against injustice and cruelty in our own time.”

Sadly, the Peabody-Essex has not always boldly “spoken out against injustice and cruelty in our own time.”

The Daycare Panic of the 80’s and 90’s was in many ways a replay of the Salem witch hysteria. In January of 1997, Carol Hopkins of the Justice Committee had arranged a seminal two-day conference, Day of Contrition, that was to take place at Peabody-Essex. Presenters included DA (now Judge) Alan Rubenstein, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; internationally renowned psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Loftus; journalist Debbie Nathan, the first to write critically about the hysteria; Mark Pendergrast, author; Professor Frederick Crews, University of California, Berkeley; Donald Connery, author and former Time-Life correspondent, Dr. Richard Leo, the leading expert on false confessions; and (by videotape) playwright Arthur Miller and author William Styron; and many others. Also attending were many victims of the hysteria.

Unfortunately, word got out and true believers in daycare sexual abuse complained to Peabody-Essex. Their response was far from bold. At the last minute, they told Carol Hopkins that she and her presenters were not welcome at Peabody-Essex.

Fortunately, the Hawthorne Hotel stepped up and the conference went on. Alliances were formed and many of us are still fighting for justice. The National Center for Reason and Justice, for example, grew out of discussions that occurred at that conference.

We appreciate that Mr. Lipcan has worked for Peabody-Essex for less than two years. We are optimistic that he means what he says about speaking out against cruelty and injustice and we wish him success.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Chatelle
Executive Director, National Center for Reason and Justice

CC: Dan Lipcan, Carol Hopkins, Day of Contrition presenters and attendees

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