Porter arrest exemplifies a local dysfuncional criminal justice system and systemic

Unregistered · 09-11-2020, 03:36 PM

PART II OF FIVE PART SERIES
Self-proclaimed Bishop Henry Porter, who was founder of the West Coast Church for Human Development and the West Coast School for Human Development (K-12) was recently arrested and charged with molesting African American children. Despite this going on for decades, local law enforcement, along with the local white social elite, are continuing to attempt a cover up which has gone on for over 30 years, due to a local dysfunctional justice system and systemic racism.

For over three years prior to the arrest of Porter, the Sarasota Phoenix with the assistance of Chris Iorio, a winner of numerous awards for the arrest and conviction of sexual predators while working with the Sarasota County Sheriff Department, uncovered information regarding Porter’s long term molestation of Black children.

PORTER MOLESTING BLACK CHILDREN FOR DECADES
During this three-year period, we met with City of Sarasota Police Department officials and I spoke to Craig Schaeffer of the local States Attorney's office on numerous occasions concerning the information gathered. I informed Schaeffer what I was hearing about Porter---that he had been molesting Black children for several decades at his church, and at other locations both in Sarasota and beyond.

Schaeffer stated that he had little knowledge of Porter criminal molestation of Black Children, stating he was not involved in the 2000-2001 investigation of Porter. Schaeffer stated that Donna Berlin Padar, who worked at the States Attorney's office at the time worked with Lynn Thomson of the Sarasota Police Department in the 2000-2001 investigation of Porter. Berlin worked at the States Attorney office from 1996 to 2006 before becoming a judge in 2006.

SARASOTA COMMUNITY IGNORNED PORTER’S CRIMES AGAINST BLACK CHILDREN
Even before Porter was arrested, we were convinced that the comments made after Porter’s arrest by former City of Sarasota Mayor and Sarasota City Commissioner Fred Atkins were accurate.

"PORTER'S ABUSES SWEEP UNDER THE CARPET"
Atkins stated that despite both his and others continuing attempts to voice their outrage over what was occurring at Porter's West Coast church, numerous prominent members of the church along with prominent individuals and organizations in the Sarasota community, continued to ignore that Porter was molesting Black children. Individuals covered up and sweep under the carpet the abuse that was going on at Porter's Westcoast Church in Downtown Sarasota.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABDw73-bfeM
Atkins affirmed that local law enforcement officials and prominent Sarasota community leaders turned a deaf ear for years as to what was going on at Porter's downtown Sarasota church.
One of those prominent Sarasota community leaders and longtime member of Porter's Downtown Sarasota church is Nate Jacobs. Jacobs has known Porter for over 40 years and has said his life changed when he met Porter as a 19-year student at Florida A&M and moved to Sarasota and taught music at Porter's School.Jacobs named his West Coast Theatre Troupe after the West Coast Gospel Choir and West Coast Center for Human Development that Porter founded in Sarasota.

BATTIE ONE OF FEW SELECED TO VIEW PORTER'S INTERVIEW OF JACOBS
Kyle Battie, who recently announced a run for the District One City of Sarasota Commission seat was one of 10 individuals invited to the Porter's below 2018 YouTube interview of Jacobs at Porter's home in Sarasota. Jacobs who promotes local entertainers, produces Battie's TV show "Fly with Kyle Scott." Jacobs is the registered agent of the LLC -- Fly with Kyle Scott, which finances Battie's TV show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfK3k1h0W20&t=68s

BRODSKY CONFIRMED ATKINS ASSERTIONS AT BAIL HEARING
There is little doubt Atkins assertations were accurate. For example, in States Attorney Ed Brodsky request to deny Porter bail it is stated:
In 1990 and 2000-2001, law enforcement conducted separate criminal investigations into defendant's sexual abusing children. During those investigations, 20 youths provided statements to law enforcement disclosing they were sexually abused by the defendant in the past. These individuals ranging from young teenagers to young adults when the sexual abuse occurred described the abuse taking place at many locations including the defendant's "inner" office at the West Coast Center for Human Development. In all, law enforcement investigations spanning 30 years produced statements from dozens that have been sexually abused by the defendant. These students support the fact that defendant has sexually abused for decades.

"PORTER'S ABUSES SWEEP UNDER THE CARPET"
Atkins stated that despite both his and others continuing attempts to voice their outrage over what was occurring at Porter's West Coast church, numerous prominent members of the church along with prominent individuals and organizations in the Sarasota community, continued to ignore that Porter was molesting Black children. Individuals covered up and sweep under the carpet the abuse that was going on at Porter's Westcoast Church in Downtown Sarasota.

ATKINS IS CORRECT COMMUNITY LEADERS KNEW PORTER WAS MOLESTING BLACK CHILDREN
Atkins is correct in stating that numerous individuals knew that Porter had been molesting Black Children for decades.. For example, Thomson, who now works at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office, had knowledge that Porter had been molesting Black children for years. Thomson led an investigation at the Police Department (SPD) in 2000-2001 that failed to achieve Porter’s arrest. That was despite there are over 200 pages of recently released documented sworn statements by children who have stated they were molested by Porter for decades. Thomson has since retired from SPD and now works at the Sarasota County Sherriff's Department in drug enforcement.Brodsky and his chief assistant Schaeffer at the local States Attorney office in Sarasota have known that Porter was molesting Black children for over 30 years. Sarasota County Judge Donna Berlin Padar knew Porter had been molesting Black children for years. Berlin, according to Schaeffer, as mentioned above was involved with Thomson in interviewing over 20 children who came forth in the 2000-2001 investigation and revealed that Porter was molesting them, but no arrests were made. Judge Berlin Padar was working in 2000-2001 at the local States Attorney office.

Lynn Billings at the local FBI office also knew that Porter was molesting Black children for years. Billings headed up an FBI investigation of Porter, which failed to arrest Porter. According to FBI agent Kelly Thomas, who was working with Billings on the FBI investigation, the FBI failed to arrest Porter despite having pertinent information that he was molesting Black children.
Case in point, according to Iorio, Thomas approached him one afternoon in the early 2000's with a large document with information concerning Porter’s molestation of Black children. Thomas wanted Iorio to peruse the information, but the next morning Thomas asked for the information to be returned, a request to which Iorio complied. Iorio had no opportunity to peruse the documentation.

In conversation with Thomas in 2018, Thomas who had retired from the FBI confirmed he was involved in investigating Porter for molesting Black children but could not comment on the investigation. Thomas did say that I should pursue the investigation of Porter because he needed to be arrested for molesting Black children.

INFORMATION ON PORTER ABUSES PASSED TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
One of the individuals that I spoke with on numerous occasions was a former member of Porter's church. She, who wishes to be anonymous left the church after divorcing another member, who has close ties to the church and for years utilized Porter as his mentor.She stated for over a year and a half that she met with various City of Sarasota Police Department law enforcement officers, most exclusively with SPD detective Thomson who led the 2000-2001 criminal investigation of Porter. She was among others who came forward from Porter church with sexual abuse accusations by Porter on Black children.

PORTER'S CHURCH LEADERS LEAVE
That information led to over 40 interviews with individuals that came forth to law enforcement officials, stating that Porter was molesting Black children. Information came forth that two Assistant Pastors at the Porter church, Vincent Smith, and Wallace Murray, left the church in 2000 and formed a new church after Porter refused to enter a rehab to deal with “his sexual problems." Smith and Murray had confronted Porter after a young man whom Porter had molested as a child moved to Connecticut and then threatened to sue the church and Porter unless they negotiated a cash settlement. (Calls to Smith have not been returned. Murray has moved to North Carolina and has made himself unavailable for comment).

PORTER’S CHILD MOLESTATION OF BLACK CHILDREN BURIED FOR 20 YEARS
Despite all of the information provided to law enforcement agencies leading to the 2000-2001 investigation and what was gathered from the 1990 investigation, both conducted by the SPD --- assisted by the local States Attorney's office and the FBI--- Porter was not arrested and the case was closed.

FACEBOOK VIDEO FORCES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF PORTER
Only when local law enforcement officers were contacted last October with respect to a video called "Art of Manipulation - My survival of Molestation" was posted on Facebook, did detectives begin another investigation of Porter—nearly 20 years after the original investigation of Porter was closed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVn6p_BUpxM

See complete article at: https://thesarasotaphoenix.com/

Jon Susce
September 10, 2020

Unregistered · 09-11-2020, 05:27 PM