One of the trackbacks to Monday’s post on the newfound popularity of raping boys in America’s schools led me to a truly horrific story. A Rose City, Michigan boy was repeatedly raped over a period of three years by teacher Neal Erickson, who was eventually caught after photos of his crimes surfaced.
This is bad enough, but what tops it off is that not only did he gain the sympathy of many of his colleagues, but their staunch support and written pleas to the judge to take it easy on him. Ten of his fellow teachers – all female by the looks of their names – wrote letters asking that Erickson be forgiven for his “mistake.”
Keep in mind that these are public high school teachers, paid by locals through taxes, who have promised as a condition of employment to look after children’s interests. Apparently, however, if you’re a progressive high school teacher, sodomizing boys is no big deal. Just a regrettable little lapse in judgment, kind of like, say, not claiming tips on your income taxes.
Teachers take sides
That’s when [the boy's parents] learned for the first time that numerous teachers in the school district wrote to the court to plead for a lenient sentence for their colleague. They were shocked to see several teachers – and school board member Mike Eagan – sitting across the courtroom with the sex offender’s family.
“Neal made a mistake,” teacher Sally Campbell wrote to the judge, according to the Ogemaw County Herald. “He allowed a mutual friendship to develop into much more. He realized his mistake and ended it years before someone anonymously sent something in to the authorities which began this legal process.”
“I am asking that Neal be given the absolute minimum sentence, considering all the circumstances surrounding this case,” wrote Amy Huber Eagan, a teacher and wife of board member Mike Eagan. “I am also hoping that he can stay remanded to the custody of the Ogemaw County Jail and not be sent to a prison facility.”
“Neal has pled (sic) guilty for his one criminal offense but he is not a predator,” teacher Harriett Coe wrote, according to the Herald. “This was an isolated incident. He understands the severity of his action and is sincere in his desire to make amends. He has been candid and conveyed his action to his family, friends and co-workers.”
In all, 10 people, including seven WB-RC teachers, submitted letters of support for Erickson, most pleading for a reduced sentence. They included Campbell, Amy Eagan, Coe, Toni Erickson, Carol Rau, Marilyn Glover, Sandi Lee, Kathryn Weber, Kathleen Sheel and Kathleen Palmer, the Herald reports.
Fortunately, the judge didn’t buy it. For repeatedly sodomizing the boy and probably screwing him up permanently, he sentenced Erisckson to 15-30 years — not a high price for such a cruel crime.
As the father of a boy, I have to admit that it really disturbs me to see that teachers have such a hateful, dismissive attitude toward boys. When I see the picture of his poor father John Janczewski – far from a rich man from the looks of it – it fills me with hatred for these people. These are the same teachers who would go on about “rape culture” and “the patriarchy,” and lecture boys about the need to treat women with respect. I am certain of that. But here they are, covering for a vicious pederast who took advantage of humble people then spat in their faces. For those of us who don’t have the money to put our kids in private schools, these are the kinds of people who have authority over our sons. And they have the audacity to get up in front of a judge and say it’s nothing to rape our boys. What male teacher would ever do that? What man would cover for a teacher who was sleeping with a teenage female student, which, despite being highly inappropriate, is a far more normal and less damaging thing than anally raping a boy for years?
I thought about writing what I’d be tempted to do if I were that boy’s father, but on second thought I’d better not. Suffice it to say that I hope I never come face to face with someone attempting to diminish or justify the rape of my son. That just couldn’t end well.
