A few days ago someone
asked me why I was such good friends with a particular individual. I responded
that the particular individual is a shipmate.
Shipmates understand that while we may not be close, we may not be best of
friends, we understand that we are a brotherhood/sisterhood of individuals who
have come together for a common purpose/goal. We understand that we will
support each other, and if we must, take over and continue the mission. We have
a bond that even our darkest enemies can’t break.
Shipmates know that it’s not about the individual; it’s about a team working
together to accomplish the mission. Shipmates know that change of command will
take place. Shipmates know that if one person is holding the team back we
must either work to bring them up to speed or cut them loose.
I struggle with knowing the greyhound community is willing to prop up an
individual who committed first degree sexual assault crimes against two
young girls.
Some in the community insist the individual has paid their debt to society.
That term is hogwash. It only means the person served time in
jail/prison. The two young girls, ages 5 and 7 at the time of
the molestation, will always be victims until they draw their last breath. They
will never be able to remove “victim” from their life. Their life has been
forever damaged and the memories of being violated will never wash away. Should
the perpetrator be allowed to wash their name clean of the label of “convicted
child molester” when the victims will forever be haunted by the violations done
to them?
It is time for the greyhound community to be a shipmate and cut loose those
whose crimes will bring harm. It is time for the greyhound community to be a
shipmate and stop placing those with a criminal past in positions of trust. It
is time for the greyhound community to be a shipmate and no longer be enablers.
Perhaps it is time to
reflect and ask yourself what type of misconduct was done and to whom that
caused others in the greyhound community and outside the greyhound community to
dig deeper into the past of an individual.
Perhaps it is time to
reflect and ask yourself what you are willing to risk by swearing your support of
a convicted child molester you honestly know nothing about.
Perhaps it is time to
reflect and ask yourself is it right for an individual to use greyhounds as a
prop to wash away their sins.
The only damage that
will come to the greyhound community is damage from accepting and celebrating
individuals such as this. The damage can be controlled by removing the sore
from our community. Those that make the choice to stand by and with these
individuals are enabling them to classify their crimes as irrelevant and render
the innocent victims trivial and inconsequential.
To those young girls and
to those who have received veiled threats or experienced misconduct and felt
the need to dig a little deeper– I will be your shipmate!
