Ezili Dantò's Note: At his bond hearing, Perlitz withdrew his bond request for now. This is a small victory, but a victory nonetheless for all children. Considering that last time in court, on Oct. 8, Perlitz's attorney kept pointing out how massive Mr. Perlitz's support was, implying the children of Haiti had no support and stating outright that our children are liars, not to mention detailing in how corrupt Haiti is as the reason why Perlitz is being wrongly accused. This time in court, the children of Haiti had more people there to support them than Mr. Perlitz's so touted "supporters" which were mostly no-shows. Thank you all who wrote and asked judge not release Perlitz on bond. The process has just begun...more later on our next steps. We suspect, as more information is made available on this case more of Mr. Perlitz's supporters and prospective bond financiers will be asking to remain anonymous. But all children need protection and we publicly campaign against this demand for secrecy. HLLN shall insist that every Douglas Perlitz's supporter ought to be able stand in front of the entire community and say they are standing by Mr. Perlitz' innocence. Too many times in Haiti's past we've seen, as we just saw with the arrest of ex-priest and accused pedophile John Duarte, that the authorities are willing to make arrests but, as for instance in the John Duarte case, categorically refuse to name the hotel in Port au Prince where Mr. Duarte was having sex with children. This is exactly the sort of thing Save the Children did last year when it announced that UN peacekeepers in Haiti and NGO workers were sexually abusing Haiti's children, but did not name the UN peacekeepers nor the NGO charities involved. Not even their countries or NGO's. Our investigation show an entwine international network in Haiti and a systematic cover up, it seems by the authorities to keep this matter as "isolated incidents" when it is not. Thus, in this case with defendant Douglas Perlitz, those who wish to stand with him ought to be sure enough of him and his innocence not to hide their names as his attorney appears to be asking in the motions filed in court yesterday. If Douglas Perlitz is the "saint" that his attorneys say he is - just simply a wrongly accused white American in a "Hatfield/McCoy" caper concocted by Haiti's children and teachers, if that is so, as his attorneys are vociferously pleading, then there ought not to be a problem with revealing who the 19 "people of fine standing in the community, as well as of sufficient financial means," many from Fairfield County, who will agree to post the required $5 million bond for the Douglas Perlitz. Haitians are asking for transparency. We have had ENOUGH of secrecy in abuse cases. Haitians are still waiting for the UN authorities to RELEASE the investigation of the 108 Sri Lankan soldiers accused of sex abuse and rape of minors in Haiti and deported back, in disgrace, to Sri Lanka. It's been almost two years and the UN investigation has never been made public to Haitians. This is the sort of racist double standard, complicity and capriciousness HLLN finds an abuse of power by supposedly lawful and respected authorities. We shall explain our concerns to the world and go people-to-people as we just did with this Perlitz case, as the Haitian public does not seem to be getting anywhere with those in power, or who have taken power illegally (the 10,000 NGOs in Haiti and the UN forces) and who are supposed to be protecting and defending democracy, justice, and Haitian welfare. Ezili Danto/HLLN October 28, 2009 ************* Recommended HLLN Link: Photos of Haitians speaking out on Douglas Perlitz case outside the courthous Chris Simmons Mirror's photostream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/44084891@N05/4052783297/ http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/Desalin09.html#holocaust09 - Perlitz detained without prejudice, defense plans to eventually ask for release http://bit.ly/p2VqG - Perlitz withdraws bond request - A victory for children. Thank you all who wrote and asked judge not release Perlitz http://bit.ly/1AnTXW - Feds: Haiti abuse suspect sought boys while in US http://bit.ly/146tzi - Direct from Okap: Lakounewyork interview with Cyrus Sibert on Douglas Perlitz case - http://bit.ly/ V8RqV - New motions filed in Perlitz case http://bit.ly/ 3e627E ****************************in this post************** monitor Perlitz when the Siriannis could Ezili Dantò's Note: Perlitz withdraws bond request - A victory for all children. This time in court, the children of Haiti had more people there to support them than Mr. Perlitz's so touted "supporters" which were mostly no-shows. Thank you all who wrote and asked judge not release Perlitz. The process has just begun...more later on our next steps. We suspect, as more information is made available on this case more of Mr. Perlitz's supporters and financiers will be asking to remain anonymous. But all children need protection and we shall insist that every Douglas Perlitz supporter ought to be able stand in front of the community and say they are standing by Mr. Perlitz' innocence. To many times in Haiti's past we've seen, as we just saw with the arrest of ex-priest and accused pedophile John Duarte that the authorities are willing to make arrest but, as for instance in the John Duarte case, categorically refuse to name the hotel in Port au Prince where Mr. Duarte was having sex with children. This is exactly the sort of thing Save the Children did last year when it announced that UN peacekeepers and NGO workers were sexually abusing Haiti's children, but did not name the peacekeepers or the NGO charities involved. Our investigation show an entwine network in Haiti and a systematic cover up. Thus in this case with Mr. Perlitz, those who wish to stand with him ought to be sure enough of him and his innocence not to hide their names as his attorney appears to be asking in the motions filed in court yesterday. Ex-Fairfielder accused of abusing Haitian boys drops bond bid By Michael P. Mayko, STAFF WRITER, Connecticut Post, Oct. 28, 2009 http://www.connpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13658998#at http://bit.ly/1AnTXW - Perlitz detained without prejudice, defense plans to eventually ask for release, October 28, 2009 By Chris Simmons, Fairfield Mirror http://fairfieldmirror.com/2009/10/28/perlitz-detained-without-prejudice-defense-plans-to-eventually-ask-for-release/ - Feds: Haiti abuse suspect sought boys while in US http://bit.ly/146tzi ************************************************* Ex-Fairfielder accused of abusing Haitian boys drops bond bid By Michael P. Mayko, STAFF WRITER, Connecticut Post, Oct. 28, 2009 http://www.connpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13658998#at http://bit.ly/1AnTXW NEW HAVEN -- The former Fairfield man accused of molesting Haitian street orphans at a charity he established to help them will remain in jail indefinitely after his plan to post bond today was withdrawn. Lawyers for Douglas Perlitz, a graduate of Fairfield University who was given an honorary degree by the school in 2002 for his charitable work, told federal Magistrate Judge Joan G. Margolis this morning they need more time to complete paperwork as they try to raise Perlitz's $5 million bond. They also are trying to find more people in the area willing to host Perlitz in their homes while he awaits trial. The delay in Perlitz's attempt to post bond came hours after a federal prosecutor advised the judge that the accused was trolling Internet sites shortly before his Sept. 16 arrest in Colorado, "conducting Google searches" for "gay boys black" "Colorado Haitians" and "africa boyz" and Yahoo searches for "gay black boys," according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Krishna Patel. "Moreover, the initial findings indicate that Perlitz's activities on the computer included access to forum pages which included places where people could post personals, arrange for meetings and identify cruising places," the prosecutor said. The delay was sought by Perlitz's lawyers, William F. Dow III and David Grudberg. Earlier, the defense lawyers said 19 people, many from Fairfield County, each have agreed to post $100,000 to $325,000 to help the defendant reach the required $5 million bond. Previously, Perlitiz's mother, brother and uncle agreed to post $2.3 million in property they own. But Grudberg had asked Margolis in court documents filed yesterday not to release the names of the individuals pledging to help pay Perlitz's bond, who he said are "people of fine standing in the community, as well as of sufficient financial means" to the public. "Each of these individuals was promised that financial information would be shared with the court only if it was certain that information would remain sealed from public view," the lawyer wrote the judge. Additionally, Grudberg proposed that several Fairfield residents agreed to serve as back-up third party custodians to Anthony and Laura Sirianni, who have agreed to allow Perlitz to live with them in their Fairfield home on Congress Street home until his trial. Anthony Sirianni, a retired lawyer, is confined to a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis. These individuals would supposedly monitor Perlitz when the Siriannis could ******************************* Perlitz detained without prejudice, defense plans to eventually ask for release October 28, 2009 By: Chris Simmons, Fairfield Mirror http://fairfieldmirror.com/2009/10/28/perlitz-detained-without-prejudice-defense-plans-to-eventually-ask-for-release/ After a flurry of motions the day before, the hearing on the detainment of Doug Perlitz '92 was largely anticlimactic. On a rainy Wednesday morning, Perlitz was led into the Court Room 3 at the Richard C. Lee U.S. Court House in New Haven with a denim jacket covering his khaki prison jumpsuit, with his family sitting behind him for support. Meanwhile, a group of Haitian supporters sat across the court room, stating they were providing a voice for the children. William F. Dow III, Perlitz's lead lawyer, opened by saying that the federal Magistrate Judge Joan G. Margolis had set forth conditions for release, but the defense had not yet met the requirements. Dow asked for the right to continue the matter at a later date if the defense should choose to. The government's petition for detainment was granted without prejudice. "It's an extraordinary bond requirement," said Dow after the hearing. "It involves a bunch of moving parts, like playing three-level chess." He said that the bond issues were largely mechanical and that the defense plans to eventually contest the detention once it has better met the bail requirements. During the initial portion of the hearing, before the 20 day recess and continuation, the judge seemed to indicate that she would accept a bond in the $4-5 million range along with increased third-party custodians. This hearing comes on the heels of two motions filed yesterday, one by Dow outlining a new proposed package for release, which included 19 other people to raise bail money along with 12 more third-party back-up custodians. Dow said that motion was just an outline of a package and that it is a"dynamic one, not a static one, pieces have to be filled in." That motion was followed by a rebuttal by the government. The government also attached "Exhibit A," which stated that after a very preliminary investigation by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent, Perlitz's computer was found to contain over 100 images of nude black males performing sex acts along with numerous URLs to various sex Websites. "We haven't seen any information about what they are alleging with the computer," said Dow. "There is nothing illegal about any of the conduct the government described." He added that these type of allegations are intended to serve as "lightening rods" to raise support for the prosecutor's case in the public eye. But in the end the allegations may have accomplished that goal, at least according to those who attended to speak against Perlitz's potential release. The new information may have helped turn the tide against releasing Perlitz, according to Henri Alexander, a lawyer and member of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN). He said that he thought that some people who may have been willing to support Perlitz now do not want their names associated with the case. Alexander, along with Ezili Danto, the founder of the HLLN, attended the hearing along with 10 Haitians to give the people of Haiti a voice after the previous hearing which was well-attended by Perlitz supports, a fact pointed out several times by Dow during that portion of the hearing. "We're not too, too informed about the case," said Odelin Francois, the president of Global Network for Progress, which strives to provide impoverished children an education. "But from what we've heard, we feel he is praying on poor black kids. He gives them bread and education so he can use them. Black kids are not for sale and not for abuse. We can provide for ourselves, we don't need these people." Gina Magloirie, another Haitian who came up from New York City to support the motion to detain Perlitz, said that the next time, even more Haitians would come. She compared it to the time when Haitians were blamed for AIDS and they "shut down New York City and marched across the bridge. We made history and we will do it again." She was referring to April 1990 when more than 50,000 people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, poured in lower Manhattan and surrounded City Hall to protest a Food and Drug Administration ban on blood donations from Haitians as a precaution against spreading AIDS. Magloirie said that she and her fellow Haitians will come to the court house "until the judge is tired of seeing our faces. We will be here in snow, rain, we don't care." After the hearing, supporters of detaining Perlitz stood outside holding signs with phrases such as, "Justice for the Haitian Children,"No Bail for Pedophile," and "Doug Perlitz Pedophile." Paul Kendrick '72, who has spoken out against releasing Perlitz on bail, also attended the hearing, making the trip from Maine. Kendrick plans to meet with Fairfield University administrators in early November and call on them to raise money for the school in Haiti that Perlitz founded. It is currently being supported by remaining members of the Haiti Fund, including current chairman Michael McCooey, who split away when allegations were made against Perlitz. They did not sign a letter, as some board member did, defending Perlitz. Kendrick again emphasized that the University should try to help the suffering Haitian children, rather than try and distance themselves from the case. The Project Pierre Toussaint school is currently being watched by guards paid for by McCooey, according to Kendrick, because it is a target for looting and vandalism. Pictures from the protest outside the courthouse http://www.flickr.com/photos/44084891@N05/4052783297/ ********************************* Feds: Haiti abuse suspect sought boys while in US By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN (AP) – October 28, 2009 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jHXHsfz2shb7W93Ztvf_BqCN94QgD9BK84IO0 NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Federal prosecutors say a Colorado man charged with sexually abusing nine boys at a school he founded in Haiti was using his computer while in the United States to search for boys. Authorities made the accusations in court papers as they argued that 39-year-old Douglas Perlitz should not be released from prison while he awaits trial. A judge kept him detained after his attorney said at a hearing Wednesday that he needed more time to come up with a large bond package. Authorities say Perlitz enticed children at the Project Pierre Toussaint school in Cap-Haitien into sex acts by promising them food, shelter, cash, cell phones, electronics and shoes. Perlitz has pleaded not guilty. His attorney says he did nothing illegal in the U.S. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ******************************************************** Forwarded by Ezili's Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network ******************************************************** Perlitz detained without prejudice, defense plans to eventually ask for release http://bit.ly/p2VqG Perlitz withdraws bond request - A victory for children. Thank you all who wrote and asked judge not release Perlitz http://bit.ly/1AnTXW Feds: Haiti abuse suspect sought boys while in US http://bit.ly/146tzi Direct from Okap: Lakounewyork interview with Cyrus Sibert on Douglas Perlitz case - http://bit.ly/V8RqV New motions filed in Perlitz case http://bit.ly/3e627E Perlitz Court Date Moved, Groups Raise Awareness of Perlitz, O'Brien Cases by Tom Cleary, Fairfield Mirror, Oct. 15, 2009 http://fairfieldmirror.com/2009/10/15/perlitz-court-date-moved-groups-raise-awareness-of-perlitz-obrien-cases/ Jesuits, diocese asked to help sex abuse victims Group protests handling of sex abuse allegations by Genevieve Reilly, Connecticut Post, Oct. 15, 2009 http://www.connpost.com/ci_13572777 Letter-writing campaign aims to keep Perlitz jailed By Michael P. Mayko, Connecticut Post, Oct. 14, 2009 http://www.connpost.com/ci_13552096?source=most_viewed Haiti's Holocaust and Middle Passage Continues http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/Desalin09.html#holocaust09 Thank you: Haitian children had no public voice in this process until you came on the scene http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/Desalin09.html#noula Help Haiti's children - Demand that accused US pedophile, Doug Perlitz, not be set free on bond http://www.margueritelaurent.com/law/abuse.html#stoprelease |
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