The McMartin Preschool child abuse conspiracy hoax and trial - HBO Movie

[cpwm17]

Last edited Sat Nov 2, 2013, 06:15 PM - Edit history (1)

I've long wanted to see this movie about the well publicized 1983 through 1990 McMartin Preschool child abuse scandal where adults coerced from kids hundreds of accusation against the preschool workers. I just found it on YouTube:

Due to the work of a selfish and unethical prosecutor and media, terrible judges, an evil child worker that claimed expertise that she didn't have, and the accusations of a mentally ill mother, workers at the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California went through hell.

Background:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/mcmartin_daycare/1.html

While the McMartin trial droned on, child sexual abuse fever gripped the nation. Parents began to wonder about daycare workers. Some of the professionals in the McMartin case even suggested that there was a nationwide conspiracy of daycare workers who were all engaged in abusing children. No one knew who they were and parents could not be too careful. It seemed that nearly everyone with a child in a preschool was afraid.

This shows the danger of what can happen when irrational conspiracies are promoted and none scientific thinking takes hold. Anyone with any common sense with proper knowledge of the evidence in this case should have know that these accusation were bogus. But this turned into of one of the longest and most expensive trials in American history.

[zappaman]

1. It really was a travesty.

People seem to have forgotten the "satanic panic" that swept the nation in the 80 and into the 90s.
This is a great book that I recommend...

http://www.amazon.com/Satanic-Panic-Creation-Contemporary-Legend/dp/081269192X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382631237&sr=1-1&keywords=satanic+panic

Will watch this for sure!

[TxDemChem]

3. I remember those times

They had "psychologists" saying that children had repressed memories of prior abuse and that there were hundreds of satanic cults throughout the country.

My dad would just shake his head and call it BS. I haven't looked at the link yet, but I recall an entire family bring suspected of sexual abuse and I think the daycare owner's son was convicted on flimsy evidence. Either way, I thought it was just terrible how that could so nonchalantly ruin innocent peoples' lives.

[cpwm17]

4. Ray Buckey was tried twice but had two hung juries

He spent five years in jail without bail. The prosecuting attorney apparently lied to keep him in jail.

Ray Buckey tried to sue but it seems that the very system that screwed him over said they were immune from lawsuits. He did win a case against one of the mothers that falsely accused him, but the judge reduce the jury award from one million dollars to one dollar.

Nobody was ever punished for this fiasco as far as I can see.

I remember that alleged claims of repressed memories of prior abuse were taken seriously. Also the pseudo experts ("psychologists&quot claimed that children don't lie about sexual abuse. The movie shows how the two malicious kooks that interviewed the kids operated.

[zappaman]

6. It's hard to imagine that people took a child seriously

when they asserted they had a sword run thru them yet miraculously had no scars.
That's just the tip of the bullshit iceberg...

[cpwm17]

5. I remember it a little bit

Last edited Fri Oct 25, 2013, 04:37 PM - Edit history (1)

It seems that the McMartin case is what you get when you mix crazy CT'ers that believe in such nonsense with junk science. The fact that they couldn't ever come up with any real evidence for the abuse apparently didn't adequately disturb the prosecutors. The case lasted from 1983 to 1990. That shouldn't be surprising since the JFK CT'ers have been at it for 50 years and they have exactly zilch to show for it.

[truebrit71]

2. And the local media were like sharks in a feeding frenzy...

...I was absolutely convinced that they were all guilty as hell...

[cpwm17]

7. Here's a case were innocents served long sentences: Fells Acres Day Care Center preschool trial

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fells_Acres_Day_Care_Center_preschool_trial

The main criticism of this case was directed to reliability of the information obtained from the children. The bulk of the evidence was developed through videotaped interviews conducted by Susan J. Kelley, a pediatric nurse. The children repeatedly told interviewers, including Kelley, that nothing happened to them, that there were no secret rooms, and there was no clown. However, the questioning continued and eventually the children claimed all these things happened. One police officer, John Rivers, said at a seminar that interviewing the children was "like getting blood from a stone." At one point, an interviewer told a child that the child’s friend had already testified that the clown had them take their clothes off. The girl being interviewed denied this happened, at which point the interviewer said that she believed what the child’s friend told her. Kelley also rejected alternative explanations for events and ignored the children’s denials of the abuse scenarios. The chief prosecutor of both of the Amirault cases maintained that "the children testified to being photographed and molested by acts that included penetration by objects ... the implication ... that the children's allegations of abuse were tainted by improper interviewing is groundless and not true.

[cpwm17]

8. Geraldo Rivera: Satanic Ritual Abuse & recovered memories

Geraldo Rivera, along with others in the media promoted this recovered memory B/S:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/geraldo.htm

This show had one novel guest. It is rare that a skeptic is allowed to appear on a talk show dealing with Satanic abuse. Jeffrey Victor, a sociologist and author of "Satanic Panic" (2) was a phone-in guest. He stated that SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) is based on a concoction of false memories, lies, misinformation, fantasy, distortion of reality, a few real events, hype thrown in, and sensationalism. He felt that Geraldo's show demonstrated this. He accused Geraldo of exploiting children "in order to entertain the audience. Very sad." The audience booed Victor at this point. Geraldo repeatedly asked how she would explain the West Memphis murders. But Dr. Victor simply repeated how irresponsible Geraldo was with his exploitation of the audience. There was a complete breakdown of communication...

In late 2007, experts studying the multiple murders determined that Satanism and rituals were not involved in the multiple homicide. Lack of DNA evidence cleared beyond reasonable doubt the three convicted of the crime who have spent almost half their life in jail. DNA from the step-father of one of the boys was reportedly found at the crime scene...

Geraldo Rivera's later apology: "I want to announce publicly that as a firm believer of the 'Believe The Children' movement of the 1980's, that started with the McMartin trials in CA, but NOW I am convinced that I was terribly wrong... and many innocent people were convicted and went to prison as a result....AND I am equally positive [that the] 'Repressed Memory Therapy Movement' is also a bunch of CRAP."...

Geraldo apparently had a change of heart at some time during the latter half of 1995. He is to be commended for stating his new belief in public. Unfortunately, a one minute apology and recantation is hardly sufficient to reverse the damage done by many hours of sensational programming, grounded on misinformation.