The Cuomo administration has taken no significant actions to stop and prevent most of these preventable sexual assaults and rapes

DELMAR, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, February 22, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Many years of New York State documents obtained through Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) reveal this massive problem that cannot continue to be ignored by the Governor of New York State. Governor Cuomo has claimed publicly saying “I am disabled” http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/29/cuomo-travel-ban-hotline/ which is obviously not true, but he was using it, along with other statements, to say that he is fighting for these individuals and their rights which also not true. Governor Cuomo can change and he simply needs to put the money where his mouth is. The shear staggering numbers of sexual assaults speak the truth of what is really going on behind these closed doors, 1,300 reported sexual assaults within the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) system alone on average every year or close to four a day. When the numbers exponentially increase is when we look at the full reality and fact that almost all of these sexual assault crimes against these disabled victims, that in most cases cannot speak or defend themselves, will never be witnessed or reported. A well known report titled “Prevalence of Violence” http://www.mass.gov/dppc/abuse-recognize/prevalence-of-violence.html has been up on the State of Massachusetts website for a long time, brings an even more powerful fact to light, which is a horrible fact that only 3% of these sexual assaults and rapes of the developmentally disabled will ever be reported. Using this statistical data along with the known New York State numbers of reported sexual assaults could mean that approximately one third of the developmentally disabled living in State or private facilities within the OPWDD system alone are sexually assaulted on average once a year. This is a massive problem that demands massive actions by Governor Cuomo, not what continues, which is sweeping most of these crimes under the rug or in other terms, most are covered-up.
There are basic safety and abuse prevention measures that will make the system much better and safer and dramatically reduce the staggering numbers of sexual abuse crimes and deaths occurring in these facilities, but it will take leadership. Surveillance cameras must finally be installed within all mental health facilities and group homes, as well as all transport vehicles, this is vital to prevent these crimes and to hold sexual predators accountable. Immediate and direct reporting by mandated reported to 911 and not a State whitewash/cover-up entity is not only critical to hold criminals accountable, but will also save many lives. No longer can New York State continue to deny innocent and extremely vulnerable children and adults with disabilities living outside their family’s home 911 emergency first responder medical and police services and assistance, this is discrimination and in many cases it is deadly. Bypassing local authorities, laws in place for everyone and local courts also denies this specific group of people their 14th Amendment right to “equal protection of laws.”
This week’s AP News piece reported on a disgusting case in which a New York State caregiver was molesting a disabled child in a State run group home. Thankfully, there was some measure of justice in this case, but most are being covered-up by Governor Cuomo’s wrongfully named Justice Center which is keeping most reported sexual assault crimes from local police and County elected District Attorney’s. Here is the story followed by another horrific one as well; “New York to pay $3M to family of boy molested at group home” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-pay-3m-family-boy-molested-group-home-article-1.2977392 . New York State’s system is made up of thousands of State run and privately operated facilities and group homes and the rampant sexual abuse in these facilities can be dramatically reduced. The award winning New York Times “Abused & Used” investigative reporting series which was a runner up for a Pulitzer Prize, exposed New York State’s extremely dangerous and deadly system in 2011. The very first investigative report details how a sexual predator was caught in the act and he was still protected and shielded by the State http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/nyregion/13homes.html . Here is the extremely disturbing quote from this investigative report; “At a home upstate in Hudson Falls, two days before Christmas in 2006, an employee discovered her supervisor, Ricky W. Sousie, in the bedroom of a severely disabled, 54-year-old woman. Mr. Sousie, a stocky man with wispy hair, was standing between the woman’s legs. His pants were around his ankles, his hand was on her knee and her diaper was pulled down. The police were called, and semen was found on the victim. But the state did not seek to discipline Mr. Sousie. Instead, it transferred him to work at another home.” Pretty graphic, but this type of evil must come out into the light and dramatic steps must be taken to prevent these horrible sex crimes and rapes of disabled men, women, boys and girls whom are extremely vulnerable and in most cases cannot defend themselves. Bypassing 911 and local police is how New York State currently gets away with covering-up thousands of crimes and deaths annually.
Tragically, these sexual predator cases reported on are a drop in the bucket regarding rampant sexual abuse occurring within New York State’s mental health care system today, which can and must be stopped. As Mr. DeProspero stated in his own words his State job was a “predator’s dream.” Why has Governor Cuomo not taken emergency actions to stop or prevent these horrors by requiring by law the installation of surveillance cameras or the immediate and direct reporting to 911? If Governor Cuomo was disabled, or if one of his children was disabled, there is no way this evil would be continuing today.

Michael Carey
Mr.
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The incredible life and tragic preventable death of Jonathan Carey, who was disabled, had autism, was non-verbal & only 13 when he was killed by his caregivers