7 Burst results for "Maggie Nicols"
Feminist Utopia
"maggie nicols" Discussed on Feminist Utopia
"Towel pears pears. Right it was it was it was awful. Everybody in dc hates white people. Just you know in dc needs statehood. That's what these easy need statehood and it needs to be easy to vote. It is easy to vote in dc. Now i wanted to talk briefly about you. Know that justice for j six that Rally that was this past weekend. You know nobody knew what it was going to be like a who is going to show up. It was billed as a protest for defendants being detained. In connection with the january insurrection at the capital there's been over six hundred people that have been federally charged so these are the far right groups that promoted the january six rally and a lot of security precautions. Were put in place a lot of law enforcement. And i am really glad that they made the preparations that they did. But it was know. Tots compares to the organizers because only about four hundred fifty people turned out and i think it goes to show how important it is to have facebook take a stand on this facebook with shutting down groups that were trying to organize for this but they didn't do that for the january sixth rice. They didn't do that when right wingers were trying to come to seattle last summer and so but facebook put a hard line in and i think it helped also helped that people. Are you know either on event or at home sick with covert and they can't come out to this either right or on a no fly list because they won't wear a mask on the flip on the plane. Yeah so tat's impairs. Do we go to good vibes. Sure good vibes is really really tough this week. But i felt that it was really important to talk about the senate hearing last week that The gymnasts who were abused by larry nassar testified at it was a simone biles. Michaela moroni maggie nicols in allie razman. They explained in great detail how they attempted to report their abuser to law enforcement only to be dismissed overlooked and ultimately factually misrepresented in writing which was inferior rating and incredibly difficult to watch. And listen to but the good vibes. Part of this goes out to the women that provided their personal stories at great personal sacrifice in the hopes of affecting real change so good vibes all is horrible. I can't remember. Who is simone biles. Or allie reisman. Who said that. She went into great detail about what happened in it and she finished and she was upset. And the fbi agent.
Democracy Now! Audio
"maggie nicols" Discussed on Democracy Now! Audio
"This is democracy now democracy now dot org the warrant piece report. I mean goodman. Some of gymnastics biggest stars offered scathing testimony wednesday to the senate judiciary committee about the fbi. Failure to stop serial. Sexual abuser usa gymnastics. Doctor larry nassar lawyers say in the time between when the fbi was. I told of nassar's crimes and it's two thousand sixteen arrest. Nassar abused another one hundred twenty people. Fbi director christopher wray apologized to the gymnasts in the senate hearing last week. The fbi fired an agent involved in the investigation into nassir. Both the gymnasts and senators on the judiciary committee called out justice department leadership for failing to appear at wednesday's hearing attorney general merrick. Garland is expected to testify next month. This is the testimony of simone biles. The four time olympic gold medalist who is widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time over the course of my gymnastics career. I have one twenty five world championship medals in seven olympic medals for team. Usa that record means so much to me. and i am proud of my representation of this nation through gymnastics. I am also a survivor of sexual abuse. And i believe without a doubt that the circumstances that led to my abuse and allowed it to continue our directly the result of the fact that the organizations created by congress to oversee and protect me as an athlete usa gymnastics and the united states olympic and paralympic committee committee failed to do their jobs. Nelson mandela once. Said there can be. There can be no keener revelation of a society soul than the way in which it treats its children it is the power of that statement that compels and empowers me to be here in front of you today. I don't want another young gymnasts olympic athlete or any individual to experience the horror that i and hundreds of others have endured before during and continuing to this day in the wake of the larry nassar abuse to be clear. Sorry take time to be clear. I blame larry. Nassar ally also blame an entire system that enabled perpetrated his abuse. Usa gymnastics in the united states olympic and paralympic committee committee knew that i was abused by their official team doctor. Long before i was ever made aware of their knowledge in may of two thousand fifteen rhonda faye and the former head of usa gymnastics. Women's program was told by my friend and teammate maggie nicols that she suspected i too was a victim. I didn't understand the magnitude of what all was happening until the indianapolis star published article in the fall of two thousand sixteen entitled former usa gymnastics doctor accused of abuse yet while i was a member of the two thousand sixteen. Us olympic team neither usa g us opec nor the fbi. Ever contacted me or my parents while others had been informed and investigations were ongoing. I had been left to wonder why. I was not told until after the rio games. This is the largest cases of sexual abuse in the history of american sport. In though there have been a fully independent investigation of the fbi's handling of the case neither us ag nor uso. Have ever been made the subject of the same level of scrutiny. These are the entities entrusted with the protection of our sport and our athletes and yet it feels like questions of responsibility and organizational failures remain unanswered as you pursue the answers to those questions. I asked that your work guided by the same question that rachel did hollander and many others have asked. How much is a little girl worth. I sit before you today to raise my voice to that no little girl messenger. Why the athletes up this table and the countless others needlessly suffered under nasser's guys of medical treatment which we continue to endure. Today we suffered and continue to suffer because no one fbi us ag or the us opec did what was necessary to protect us. We have been failed and we deserve answers nassar's where he belongs but those who enabled him deserve to be held accountable if they are not. I am convinced that this will continue to happen to others. Across olympic sports in reviewing the report it truly feels like the fbi turned a blind eye to us and went out of its way to help protect usa g. and uso. A message needs to be sent. If you allow predator to harm children the consequences will be swift and severe. Enough is enough. That's simone biles. The four time olympic gold medalist testifying before the senate judiciary committee wednesday about the. Fbi's failure to stop serial sexual abuser usa. Gymnastics doctor now. Imprisoned larry nassar byles mentioned rachel. Den hollander who in two thousand sixteen was the first gymnast to publicly. Speak out against nassar. On thursday rachel denhellender spoke to democracy. Now i'm so proud of the athletes who testified in the light that they're shutting in these dark spaces but to see over and over and over again the depth of systemic failure and just the incredible damage that was done to them and all of the survivors. Who came after. They reported when that didn't mean to happen is very heavy burden to their. I think something we need to be asking. You're watching this unfold is what are we not seeing. Because the reality is most arrives sexual assaults. Who report will tell you that. This is a story that they could tell too. It is very difficult to get law enforcement to take reports of sexual assault seriously to pursue the case with diligence to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. And we need to start looking at what we saw yesterday and ask what. We're not seen what happens to the survivors. Who don't have an army of five hundred. What happens to the survivors. Who don't have olympians headlining case and raising the profile of the athol Gross negligence and corruption taking place in our system. In fifteen months. The fbi did absolutely nothing except allow over one hundred little girls to continue being abused so we need to be looking at what has to change in this case. It's not just a problem with this case we've got to start asking what's gotta change in the system so that survivors that we don't see aren't going through what these women went through and have justice system that they can truly rely on. Those are hard questions. But they've got to be asked and these words are cheap if they're not followed by action. That's rachel denhellender. The first gymnast to speak out. Publicly against larry nassar for more. We're joined by mark aleisha. Who done hollander. I contacted in two thousand sixteen when he was part of the investigative team. The indianapolis star. She told him quote. I'm willing to do anything you need. I want this to end marks team than broke the story about dr nassar's abuse. He is now director of university. Communications at indiana state university. Welcome back to democracy now mark. We took you just after nasser's trial and sentencing. That remarkable moment when one.
No Agenda
"maggie nicols" Discussed on No Agenda
"Know clips but just wanted to mention something to you and see if you recognize the same thing. I see a pattern. And it's just from what i'm seeing from the m five m it a- in if if i were a on believer i would think that trump was doing this and i'll take i'll tell you what i'm seeing Take downs what we've seen in the past like two weeks. State department takedown blinking. Actually i may have a clip of his later. Millie being taken down even by the left media f- ouchi of course he's remaining but he's being discredited and then this This fbi with the gymnasts who were testifying to clip. Yeah i tell people what's going on then you roll the clips out. What those limit. Let me just explain. There's one important thing it's not just the fbi. It's the us attorney general the united states olympic committee and mind you The attorney general when this was going down was elliott loretta lynch for just a little bit but it was really eric holder for all those years and before him surprise. Surprise robert mueller. You know so. There's there's all kinds of douche bags are being implicated when they say the fbi did nothing. This is these are some big take downs. You agree with this pattern. Also john durham wants to indict a clinton all of a sudden. Durham has something to say. Once you indict clinton campaign lawyer at facebook is being Is again left wing media instagram bad for girls. And they knew it by the way. Mueller also was involved in facebook. I it looks like there's a a lot of A lot of different potential deep state type positions Being scrutinized and blam bassett by all media except for one and that will be the cia. So who's indictments baby sealed indictment. So this has got to be the cia doing this. That's that's my conclusion. I just a joke about sealed indictments of course baby may. They're the only ones who've not been outed by by anyone for anything bad every other opponent of theirs including the state department secret little intelligence community. Interesting oh i didn't put this together. I wanna play this one. This one one clip lincoln. Because someone sent it to us. I think you got it to. He actually thought he would be fun by doing johnson. Divorce sweetening job. I left it in. I think this is a secretary of state blinken. Listen to what he says. I think china and russia and iran. They look at this botch withdrawing. What they see as incompetence that they think that might be able to exploit may lead to miscalculation i think the europeans are allies. Who had very little say of any or control certainly over the timing and the execution of all this there now number one have to be one wondering about our reliability the credibility of our defense agreements with them we. The intelligence community did not say we the intelligence community did not say that. The point is blinking slips and says yeah we in the intelligence community but i thought you were state department. Well no i see. I go argued with this guy but you said the same thing. He's in the state department intelligence community. Yeah the state department has little agency called. The i n are. They're researching something or other than they're considered part of the seventeen and he's the head of its own. He's in the intelligence community of course. But it's it's what it's the way he said it instead of we. It state department. He people don't know this. That's not typical that as secretary of state says going need to hear it me and the intelligence community. They don't say that you're not supposed to talk about spies in the in the in the in state or in the embassies to know to no no are all spies in the embassy. Yes and the biggest spy of all. Bob woodward wrote the book about an you know mealy which you still haven't seen yet i guess listings. This whole thing to it stinks. What would you got. Well i got to gymnasts now the thing about the gymnast and this is just part of your takedown thesis I got this clip from from espn instead of from mainstream media. Because i think they do a better job because it's about sports although they talk a lot about woke kness vaccines on. Espn these days way. Too much about yes. I say they weren't woke So and the problem is of course you go to the gas to correspondent who did all the work is enough bucket. Why did why is this hearing now at this very moment so short after the olympic simone biles testify. I'm gonna not. I have no argument against. I'm i'm asking. I'm asking if his a massive new place awol because of their take. No no no. No i wanna know if it was scheduled if i just popped up out of nowhere. That's all i have no idea why. Well let's see maybe it's answered in this is not by the way it's answered in this Three partners no spoiler okay. We start with wars all right today. Yes are members of usa. Gymnastics testified before the senate judiciary committee painting a portrait of a system namely in this case the fbi that failed to protect the only people worthy of accommodating. The victims of larry nassar today. We saw young women offer a small glimpse into the complicated and excruciating work of recovering from sexual abuse in particular when forced to relive it publicly time and time again today. Simone biles and allie rice among others asked for the only thing that's continually evaded them since this case was made public six years ago accountability. Dan murphy has more in tonight's fortunate report. I didn't realize that she was one of the victims. That never came up when i was watching her during the olympics. No one ever said deal. You'll know her at no. I never. I didn't know that she was one of the victims. Simone biles oh you're the only one Yeah i thought. I thought that was the reason that she was choking or getting the year through we also. We also didn't discuss it when she was getting the twisties was. That's what it was called. You're right twisting no. He didn't actually. We did not discuss it. You're right and as possible that you could have eluded you but yes she was when she testified she went into tears. The whole thing it was pointed the whole thing but they were just one girl michaela. she's just blasted the cheese. The wanna give the best testimony. She just laced laced into him. You'll hear her in this part to some of the most famous gymnasts in american history are joining us. Senators in asking for fbi agents to be held accountable for mishandling a major opportunity to stop the serial sexual abuse of former team usa. Dr larry nassar to be clear. I blame larry. Nassar and i also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse. Simone biles testified at a senate hearing wednesday alongside fellow former national team members alley razman michaela maroney and maggie nicols. Nicholson her teammates. I raised concerns about. Nasa are in the summer of two thousand fifteen but the fbi waited more than a year to interview some of them and did nothing with the information. They gathered dozens of girls. Say they were abused by nasser after the.
No Agenda
"maggie nicols" Discussed on No Agenda
"Know clips but just wanted to mention something to you and see if you recognize the same thing. I see a pattern. And it's just from what i'm seeing from the m five m it a- enough. If i were a on believer. I would think that trump was doing this. And i'll take. I'll tell you what i'm seeing Take downs what we've seen in the past like two weeks. State department takedown blinking. Actually i may have a clip of his later. Millie being taken down even by the left media f- ouchi of course he's remaining but he's being discredited and then this This fbi with the gymnasts who were testifying to clip. Yeah i tell people what's going on then you roll the clips out. What those limit. Let me just explain. There's one important thing it's not just the fbi. It's the us attorney general the united states olympic committee and mind you The attorney general when this was going down was elliott okay. Loretta lynch for just a little bit. But it was really eric holder for all those years and before him surprise. Surprise robert mueller. You know so. There's there's all kinds of douche bags are being implicated when they say the fbi did nothing. This is these are some big take downs. You agree with this pattern. Also john durham wants to indict a clinton all of a sudden. Durham has something to say. Once you indict clinton campaign lawyer At facebook is being Is again left wing media instagram bad for girls. And they knew it by the way. Mueller also was involved in facebook. I it looks like there's a a lot of uh a lot of different potential deep state type positions Being scrutinized and blam bassett by all media except for one and that will be the cia. So who's indictments baby sealed indictment. So this has got to be the cia doing this. That's that's my conclusion. I just a joke about sealed indictments of course baby may. They're the only ones who've not been outed by by anyone for anything bad every other opponent of theirs including the state department secret little intelligence community. Oh i didn't put this together. I wanna play this one. This one one clip lincoln. Because someone sent it to us. I think you got it to. He actually thought he would be fun by doing johnson. Divorce sweetening job. I left it in. I think this is a secretary of state blinken. Listen to what he says. I think china and russia and iran. They look at this botch withdrawing. What they see as incompetence that they think that might be able to exploit may lead to miscalculation i think the europeans are allies. Who had very little say of any or control certainly over the timing and the execution of all this there now number one have to be one wondering about our reliability the credibility of our defense agreements with them we. The intelligence community did not say we the intelligence community did not say that. The point is blinking slips and says yeah we in the intelligence community but i thought you were state department. Well no i see. I go argued with this guy but you said the same thing. He's in the state department intelligence community. Yeah the state department has a little agency called. The i n r. They're researching something or other than they're considered part of the seventeen and he's the head of its own. He's in the intelligence community of course. But it's it's what it's the way he said it instead of we it state department. He people don't know this. That's not a typical that as secretary of state says going need to hear me and the intelligence community. They don't say that you're not supposed to talk about spies in the in the in the in state or in the embassies to know to no no they're all spies in the embassy. Yes and the biggest spy of all. Bob woodward wrote the book about an you know mealy which you still haven't seen yet i guess listings. This whole thing to it stinks. What would you got. Well i got to gymnasts now the thing about the gymnast and this is just part of your takedown thesis I got this clip from from espn instead of from mainstream media. Because i think they do a better job because it's about sports although they talk a lot about whoa kness vaccines on. Espn these days way. Too much about yes. I say they weren't woke So and the problem is of course. Go to the gas to correspondent. Who did all the work is enough bucket. Why did why is this hearing now at this very moment so short after the olympic simone biles testify. I'm gonna not. I have no argument against. I'm i'm asking. I'm asking if his a massive new you place awol because of their take. No no no. I wanna know if it was scheduled if i just popped up out of nowhere. That's all i have no idea why. Well let's see maybe it's answered in. This is not by the way davis answered in this Three partners no spoiler okay. We start with wars all right today. Yes are members of usa. Gymnastics testified before the senate judiciary committee painting a portrait of a system namely in this case the fbi that failed to protect the only people worthy of accommodating. The victims of larry nassar today. We saw young women offer a small glimpse into the complicated and excruciating work of recovering from sexual abuse in particular when forced to relive it publicly time and time again today. Simone biles and allie rice among others. As for the only thing that's continually evaded them since this case was made public six years ago accountability. Dan murphy has more in tonight's fortunate report. I didn't realize that she was one of the victims. That never came up when i was watching her during the olympics. No one ever said deal. You'll know her at no. I never. I didn't know that she was one of the victims. Simone biles oh you're the only one Yeah i thought. I thought that was the reason that she was choking or getting the year through we also. We also didn't discuss it when she was getting the twisties was. That's what it was called. You're right twisting no. He didn't actually. We did not discuss it. You're right and as possible that you could have eluded you but yes she was when she testified she went into tears and the whole thing. It was pointed the whole thing but they were just one girl michaela. She's just blasted the cheese. The wanna give the best testimony. She just laced laced into him. You'll hear her in this part to some of the most famous gymnasts in american history are joining us. Senators in asking for fbi agents to be held accountable for mishandling a major opportunity to stop the serial sexual abuse of former team usa. Dr larry nassar to be clear. I blame larry. Nassar and i also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse. Simone biles testified at a senate hearing wednesday alongside fellow former national team members alley razman michaela maroney and maggie nicols. Nicholson her teammates. I raised concerns about. Nasa are in the summer of two thousand fifteen but the fbi waited more than a year to interview some of them and did nothing with the information. They gathered dozens of girls. Say they were abused by nasser after the.
No Agenda
"maggie nicols" Discussed on No Agenda
"Know clips but just wanted to mention something to you and see if you recognize the same thing. I see a pattern. And it's just from what i'm seeing from the m five m it a- in if if i were a on believer i would think that trump was doing this and i'll take i'll tell you what i'm seeing Take downs what we've seen in the past like two weeks state department takedown blinken. Actually i may have a clip of his later. Millie being taken down even by the left media f- ouchi of course he's remaining but he's being discredited and then this This fbi with the gymnasts who were testifying to clip. Yeah i tell people what's going on then you roll the clips out. What those limit. Let me just explain. There's one important thing it's not just the fbi. It's the us attorney general the united states olympic committee and mind you The attorney general when this was going down was elliott loretta lynch for just a little bit but it was really eric holder for all those years and before him surprise. Surprise robert mueller. You know so. There's there's all kinds of douche bags are being implicated when they say the fbi did nothing. This is these are some big take downs. You agree with this pattern. Also john durham wants to indict a clinton all of a sudden. Durham has something to say. Once you indict clinton campaign lawyer At facebook is being is again left wing media instagram bad for girls and they knew it by the way. Mueller also was involved in facebook. I it looks like there's a a lot of Different potential deep state type positions Being scrutinized and blam bassett by all media except for one and that will be the cia. So who's indictments baby sealed indictment. So this has got to be the cia doing this. That's that's my conclusion. I just a joke about sealed indictments of course baby may. They're the only ones who have not been outed by by anyone for anything bad every other opponent of theirs including the state department secret little intelligence community interesting. Oh i didn't put this together. I wanna play this one. This one one clip lincoln. Because someone sent it to us. I think you got it to. He actually thought he would be fun by doing johnson. Divorce sweetening job. I left it in. I think this is a secretary of state and listen to what he says. I think china and russia and iran. They look at this botch withdrawing. What they see as incompetence that they think that might be able to exploit may lead to miscalculation i think the europeans are allies. Who had very little say of any or control certainly over the timing and the execution of all this there now number one have to be one wondering about our reliability the credibility of our defense agreements with them we. The intelligence community did not say we the intelligence community did not say that. The point is blinking slips and says yeah we in the intelligence community but i thought you were state department. Well no i see. I go argued with this guy but you said the same thing. He's in the state department intelligence community. Yeah the state department has little agency called. The i n r. They're researching something or other than they're considered part of the seventeen and he's the head of its own. He's in the intelligence community of course. But it's it's what it's the way he said it instead of we. It state department. He people don't know this. That's not typical that as a secretary of state says going need to hear me and the intelligence community. They don't say that you're not supposed to talk about spies in the in the in the in state or in the embassies to know to no are all spies in the embassy. Yes and the biggest spy of all. Bob woodward wrote the book about an you know mealy which you still haven't seen yet i guess listings. This whole thing to it stinks. What would you got. Well i got to gymnasts now the thing about the gymnast and this is just part of your takedown thesis I got this clip from from espn instead of from mainstream media. Because i think they do a better job because it's about sports although they talk a lot about woke kness vaccines on. Espn these days way. Too much about yes. I say they weren't woke So and the problem is of course. Go to the gas to correspondent. Who did all the work is enough bucket. Why did why is this hearing now at this very moment so short after the olympic simone biles testify. I'm gonna not. I have no argument against. I'm i'm asking. I'm asking if his a massive new place awol because of their take. No no no. No i wanna know if it was scheduled if i just popped up out of nowhere. That's all i have no idea why. Well let's see maybe it's answered in this is not by the way it's answered in this Three partners no spoiler okay. We start with wars all right today. Yes are members of usa. Gymnastics testified before the senate judiciary committee painting a portrait of a system namely in this case the fbi that failed to protect the only people worthy of accommodating. The victims of larry nassar today. We saw young women offer a small glimpse into the complicated and excruciating work of recovering from sexual abuse in particular when forced to relive it publicly time and time again today. Simone biles and allie rice among others asked for the only thing that's continually evaded them since this case was made public six years ago accountability. Dan murphy has more in tonight's fortune report. I didn't realize that she was one of the victims. That never came up when i was watching her during the olympics. No one ever said you'll know her. At no i never. I didn't know that she was one of the victims. Simone biles oh you're the only one Yeah i thought. I thought that was the reason that she was choking or getting the year through we also. We also didn't discuss it when she was getting the twisties was. That's what it was called. You're right twisting no. He didn't actually. We did not discuss it. You're right and as possible that you could have eluded you but yes she was when she testified she went into tears and the whole thing. It was pointed the whole thing but they were just one girl michaela. She's just blasted the cheese. The wanna give the best testimony. She just laced laced into him. You'll hear her in this part to some of the most famous gymnasts in american history are joining us. Senators in asking for fbi agents to be held accountable for mishandling a major opportunity to stop the serial sexual abuse of former team usa. Dr larry nassar to be clear. I- blame larry nassar and i also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse. Simone biles testified at a senate hearing wednesday alongside fellow former national team members alley razman michaela maroney and maggie nicols. Nicholson her teammates. I raised concerns about. Nasa are in the summer of two thousand fifteen but the fbi waited more than a year to interview some of them and did nothing with the information. They gathered dozens of girls. Say they were abused by nasser after the.
The Takeaway
"maggie nicols" Discussed on The Takeaway
"I'm melissa harris. Perry and this is the takeaway on wednesday simone. Biles michaela moroni maggie nicols and alley razman testified before the senate judiciary committee all champion gymnast. All are survivors of sexual abuse. Committed by the usa gymnastics physician larry nassar in two thousand. Eighteen pleaded guilty to sexual assault and is now serving up to one hundred and seventy five years in prison but he is not the only perpetrator who harmed the athletes. Here's simone biles. I blame. Larry nassar and i also blamed an entire system that enabled perpetrated his abuse an entire system. Now the purpose of wednesday's senate hearing was to determine the extent to which the fbi contributed to that system the testimonies publicly aired the shocking findings of the report from the office of the inspector general after receiving tips about nassar's abuse. It's more than seventeen months for the fbi to even follow up the special agent in charge of the indianapolis office j. Abbott actually interviewed for a job at usa gymnastics after hearing direct testimony. From a gymnast about being abused by nasser the pain suffering and anger of survivors was readily and righteously apparent. In these testimonies. Here's michaela maroney by not taking immediate action from my report. They allowed a child molester to go free for more than a year in this inaction directly allowed nassar's abuse to continue. What is the point of reporting abuse if our own. Fbi agents are going to take it upon themselves to bury that report in a drawer. They had legal legitimate evidence of child abuse and did nothing. If they're not going to protect me. I want to know who are they. Trying to protect nichols in sacrificing my childhood for the chance to compete for the united states. I am haunted by the fact that even after airport in my abuse. So many women and girls had to suffer. At the hands. Of larry nassar usa gymnastics and the united states olympic and paralympic committee. And the fbi have betrayed me. And those who are abused by. Larry nassar after i reported and ali razman over the past few years. It has become painfully clear. How a survivors healing is affected by the handling of their abuse. And it disgusts me. That we are still fighting for the most basic answers and accountability over six years later and it was simone. Biles who asked the question posed by rachel den hollander. The attorney retired gymnast survivor. Who i broke. Silence about now says abuse. How much is a little girl worth and with us now. Is rachel hollander. She's a speaker and author of the book. What is a girl worth my story of breaking the silence and exposing the truth about larry nassar and usa gymnastics. Rachel thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having me. What was your reaction to the powerful testimony from those champion gymnast. We heard from yesterday. I am incredibly proud of those women and what they've accomplished also an incredible wait to hear over and over again to sit with the reality that so many little girls could have been saved and the reality that we weren't just fighting an abuser. We were fighting an entire system and unfortunately this is the story that so many sexual assault survivors. No one i did come forward. The police in two thousand sixteen. I came with a thick file of evidence character. Witnesses and prior disclosures and my medical records and And actually illegal memorandum where. I laid out michigan law. I argued the case right there for the detective and the prosecutor and the reason i did this is because i was one hundred percent confident in twenty sixteen that this is what we would find that we would find multiple layers of cover up and corruption. Because this is the story so many sexual assault survivors face. It is incredibly difficult to get law enforcement to take reports of sexual abuse seriously and what we saw yesterday. is just is just a blown up. Image of what survivors go through every day and we have got to start asking a question how we hold law enforcement accountable for this kind of gross negligence and corruption and how we do a better job with our training our education and our cultural response so that this doesn't keep happening two little girls and women and little boys all over the country. Rachel as you talk about that file that you came forward with it at christmas. Is that why you went to law. School is that was that part of the motivation. That capacity to be able to advocate for yourself. You know it actually. Wasn't i decided to go to law school. When i was ten because i wanted to protect children But i can say that. The training was invaluable. I can't imagine trying to navigate the legal system and to fight the system. When you don't have that kind of legal training you know in the end. The only reason anything happened in our case was because we had an incredible detective. Detective andrew mumford. Who pursued an who pursued the investigation so quickly and she more in one month's time then the fbi managed to do in seventeen months and then we had an incredible prosecutor. Angela elitest who took our files and she said i'm gonna fight for every one of them and she kept her word but most survivors don't have that benefit and so to try to navigate our justice system without any kind of legal training. Not even knowing. What's normal what to expect and then to be fighting the detectives and the prosecutors the entire time is just an untenable situation for survivors trauma upon trauma for them that distinction that you just drew for us between the michigan law enforcement officials who you were able to work with you wrote about your wash your washington post piece. That in fact they did get more done than the fbi did in the same period of time where they did basically nothing. What does that at least to you about what was going on at the fbi. I think it's absolutely clear you know. In in the fifteen months between when there's four women first reported their abuse. And then when i reported my abuse. And that's and that's what made it hit headlines and actually blow up and that's what forced the fbi's handed to pretend that they have been doing something in that fifteen months they did essentially. Nothing and larry was in that exam room abusing little girls every single day but it was also fifteen months between when i made my police report and larry pled guilty and in that fifteen months andrea angela. Were able to process over one hundred. Police reports started title nine investigation in forty eight hours. Leary was out of the exam room permanently. They found the c. Sam on his hard drive is secured a plea deal that protected every single one of our voices and what that tells us when you put it side by side this can be done. We can fight child abuse. We can stop sexual assault. We can't stop abusers but we can only do it. We have law enforcement and prosecutors. Who want to do the right thing. Who are trained to do the right thing and who are motivated to do the right thing and we clearly did not have that. At any of the three field offices who.
With Friends Like These
"maggie nicols" Discussed on With Friends Like These
"Trust to trust their own experience and worldview and what they believe is happening to them and so all of that results in yes then becoming good soldiers. Who do what they are told an. Ask no questions. Because they believe that is the only way to get to their goal which is to become an olympic gymnast. And i have a few questions about the the culture changing. I think it's interesting that these systemic changes happened sort of alongside that the age of genus kind of rising a little bit the kind of body. That's acceptable in gymnastics changing a little bit. Is that another reason. Why i mean i guess just looking for like what it took like. What was what made it possible for people. These young women to start speaking out did just take one really brave person. It took a handful of really brave women. Because you know it's hard. It's hard to know what we don't know right. It's hard to. It's hard to project what would have happened. Had the larry nassar scandal not broke in two thousand sixteen. Would we still be in the same place we were five years ago. Would he still be abusing young women. Would the gymnasts we interact with still be closed off and you know unwilling and fearful of speaking their minds. It's very possible when that story broke because of fearlessness. And probably not even the right word because there was a ton of fear around. What would happen to them by women. Like jamie dancer and rachel dead. Hollander and maggie nicols once you know it was one and then it was too and then it was fifty one and then it was two hundred and as the numbers grew in these women realized. Well if i if. I know this if i knew this thing was happening to me but i believed i was wrong about it in my own. Mind or no one would believe me or i wouldn't have support all of these. Other women are experiencing the same thing. Will what other things are we experiencing together. What other shared experiences do we have. And as they spoke out and they received such incredible support including at his hearing at nassar's hearing when they all had the opportunities to stand up and speak out and to and you know in speak their truths. That really was the moment that changed everything. And that all came from the athletes at one voice supported another voice magnified another voice and and as they each spoke out it gave permission and support to the others to do the same. And i think that moment is what changed the culture of the sport and it has a long way to go but that that's the moment i of course have been reading a lot about simone biles in preparation for my ecstatic. Two weeks of obsession with with gymnastics and it occurred to me. I almost feel weird talking about her. Because she's so talked about like there are other amazing gymnast but the more i read about her the more i thought she epitomizes. She is a some of these changes on a few different levels. Not just the body type. Not just the age. Yeah i mean you know first of all to what we were. Just speaking about using your voice simone in twenty sixteen was already the most famous gymnast. Maybe ever certainly in the world one of the biggest names in all of sports but she did not yet realize the power. She had the voice that she had. You know that that gas lighting goes a real. It's it's it's It goes pretty deep and so she talks about the fact that you know yes on paper she could read a story about who simone biles was and.