By Sean Cruz
Portland, Oregon--Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American migrant farmworker, the son of Mexican migrant farmworkers, who became a civil rights leader of national importance, beginning with his work to ban the backbreaking, crippling short hoe then in common use from California to Texas.
He is regarded as a transformational figure in the international struggle for human rights, noted for his Ghandi-like non-violent tactics and self-sacrificing approach.
His many long fasts no doubt shortened his life.
He is recognized in Portland Oregon in some vague sense as a Latino or Hispanic, where his memory is marginalized by the renaming of a street of minor significance, noteworthy by its utter absence of any feature that would link it to Chavez or to the people for whom he struggled.
The street-renaming effort fed not one hungry child.
…actually, come to think of it, this might not be my last word on the subject.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Support for Oregon annual legislative sessions
By Sean Cruz
Portland--Some people don't much want government to function at all, and in Oregon they are generally unified in opposition to annual legislative sessions.
Any idea that sounds like it might have the effect of reducing the size of government, even at random, has a built-in constituency among the yahoos….
Take the kicker, for example—please….
But what problems do you solve in your workplace or in your life by dealing with them every other year? Only in Oregon and five other states….
The state should have made this move decades ago….
Point to a biennial system that works in the 21st century, and to an example of a right-sized government at any level, and explain how that fits Oregon, there’s a challenge for you….
But some people cannot be reached with a logical argument….
You have to outvote them in November.
Portland--Some people don't much want government to function at all, and in Oregon they are generally unified in opposition to annual legislative sessions.
Any idea that sounds like it might have the effect of reducing the size of government, even at random, has a built-in constituency among the yahoos….
Take the kicker, for example—please….
But what problems do you solve in your workplace or in your life by dealing with them every other year? Only in Oregon and five other states….
The state should have made this move decades ago….
Point to a biennial system that works in the 21st century, and to an example of a right-sized government at any level, and explain how that fits Oregon, there’s a challenge for you….
But some people cannot be reached with a logical argument….
You have to outvote them in November.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Not Guilty!
by Sean Cruz
A Vancouver jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty yesterday on charges of assault and harassment stemming from my confrontation with my children’s kidnapper in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel last October (Happy Valentine’s Day!).
The outcome became a dicey proposition during pre-trial motions, when the prosecution successfully moved to prohibit any discussion or mention of my children’s kidnapping or Kory Wright’s participation in the abduction during trial.
The prosecution’s motions also disallowed any references to Aaron’s Law, or to the contents of the envelope (which contained a copy of Aaron’s Law), or of my motives for the encounter other than the embarrassment factor, or of what exactly was said during the event. Consequently, the jury only heard that there were “some papers” or “an envelope” involved, and never heard what was actually said or exchanged between my children’s abductor and myself.
Also during pretrial, the prosecution moved successfully to bar my blog writings or any mention thereof while the jury was present.
I’m telling you, it was really difficult to answer some of the questions posed when I was on the witness stand without crossing into forbidden territory. At several points, I was concerned that it might appear that I was avoiding answering some questions, when I was trying to figure out how to answer truthfully with the handicap that answering the question fully was not going to be allowed. I’m sure that worked to my disadvantage.
The jury never learned that my children had been abducted, which was the whole point of the encounter in the first place, to force Kory Wright into a courtroom where he would have to testify under oath to events that he had previously lied about.
The outcome I was looking for all along was a perjury charge against Kory Wright.
Ironically, the prosecution relied on statements I had written on Blogolitical Sean as their basis for pressing charges without ever telling the jury where the statements came from, since the blog writings were disallowed at their own insistence.
The language I had used to describe the incident was intentionally insulting and inflammatory, but was largely rhetorical. It was never intended to be a literal account of the confrontation.
I had written that I had both slapped my children’s abductor with the envelope containing Aaron’s Law and had thrown it at him, bouncing it off his face, but had actually done neither, although I had flipped it in his direction.
This was bait.
I was aware at the time that security cameras in the Hilton would capture the incident and thus I could describe the sequence of events with great latitude.
When Kory Wright filed his complaint against me using the identical language from my blog, “slapped” and “bounced”, I was extremely pleased. The language I had used rhetorically was being taken as a literal description, even an admission of guilt, which could easily be disproved.
After posting my description of the confrontation, I had felt compelled to call or email a number of friends to clarify that the slap was rhetorical, not actual, but otherwise let the writing stand unaltered as a continuing insult, just as an abduction is a continuing crime.
My next focus was to get the earliest possible trial date, to get Kory Wright into a courtroom as soon as the law would allow, and as I navigated through the process of hearings and conferences, representing myself, I never stated to anyone in the court system or to law enforcement that the language was rhetorical. I let it stand. I wanted to be taken seriously.
I was focused on my day in court like a laser beam, and very frustrated at the length of time it took to get there.
An unexpected complication arose when just before trial I finally saw the Hilton security video, taken from two perspectives in the lobby, neither ideal, and taken as a series of stills rather than as a running documentation of the confrontation.
The entire encounter, from start to finish lasted only 42 seconds, long enough to get through my brief talking points, serve Kory Wright with a copy of Aaron’s Law, and leave for my intended interview with a reporter from the Vancouver Columbian.
The stills, however, showed me with the envelope in my hand and then cut to where it was lying at Kory Wright’s feet.
I did not anticipate this at all. The stills showed an obvious heated exchange of words, me pointing my finger at my children’s abductor, but did not clarify whether contact occurred.
This caused me great concern at trial, as the prosecution sought to convict me with my own words, “slapped” and “bounced”, which I had stated to just about everyone, including a Vancouver police officer, who testified to that effect.
The fact is that I had indeed used those words to describe the incident… which was backfiring on me in an unexpected way…somewhere in here there is a lesson for me….
Kory Wright testified that I had reached out with the envelope in my hand and slapped him in the face with it. A bitch-slap encounter.
His witness testified that I had thrown the envelope and that he thought it had struck my children’s abductor somewhere in the chest. He was largely confused.
You really can’t have it both ways, although the prosecutor tried to prove that I had done both.
The bottom line is that the prosecution had to prove that an assault took place and that there was intent on my part to assault my children’s kidnapper. Same for the harassment charge.
My attorney, Mr. Blake Doré of Vancouver Defenders did a remarkable job. It gave me great comfort to watch him work. This man has a bright future.
The judge was tough but fair, and had an immensely likeable personality (ideal characteristics for the bench); nonetheless, I promised the Honorable Verne Schreiber afterwards that he wouldn’t see me before him again!
As for the prosecution, your narrow focus did nothing to advance the cause of justice. Every witness swears “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, but you did your best to see that the truth did not get into the record or before the jury, and in that lies your only success. Choke on it.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION: The foregoing statement regarding choking is
meant rhetorically, not literally.
There’s a difference.
Lastly, the one point of satisfaction for me, apart from the acquittal, was to cause my children’s abductor to at last suffer a consequence for his criminal acts, even if it is only some embarrassment and time taken off from work to appear in court.
If he doesn’t like what I have to say, then he’s free to sue me.
I’m waiting for you, motherfucker.
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…that’s my defense.
Count on it.
A Vancouver jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty yesterday on charges of assault and harassment stemming from my confrontation with my children’s kidnapper in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel last October (Happy Valentine’s Day!).
The outcome became a dicey proposition during pre-trial motions, when the prosecution successfully moved to prohibit any discussion or mention of my children’s kidnapping or Kory Wright’s participation in the abduction during trial.
The prosecution’s motions also disallowed any references to Aaron’s Law, or to the contents of the envelope (which contained a copy of Aaron’s Law), or of my motives for the encounter other than the embarrassment factor, or of what exactly was said during the event. Consequently, the jury only heard that there were “some papers” or “an envelope” involved, and never heard what was actually said or exchanged between my children’s abductor and myself.
Also during pretrial, the prosecution moved successfully to bar my blog writings or any mention thereof while the jury was present.
I’m telling you, it was really difficult to answer some of the questions posed when I was on the witness stand without crossing into forbidden territory. At several points, I was concerned that it might appear that I was avoiding answering some questions, when I was trying to figure out how to answer truthfully with the handicap that answering the question fully was not going to be allowed. I’m sure that worked to my disadvantage.
The jury never learned that my children had been abducted, which was the whole point of the encounter in the first place, to force Kory Wright into a courtroom where he would have to testify under oath to events that he had previously lied about.
The outcome I was looking for all along was a perjury charge against Kory Wright.
Ironically, the prosecution relied on statements I had written on Blogolitical Sean as their basis for pressing charges without ever telling the jury where the statements came from, since the blog writings were disallowed at their own insistence.
The language I had used to describe the incident was intentionally insulting and inflammatory, but was largely rhetorical. It was never intended to be a literal account of the confrontation.
I had written that I had both slapped my children’s abductor with the envelope containing Aaron’s Law and had thrown it at him, bouncing it off his face, but had actually done neither, although I had flipped it in his direction.
This was bait.
I was aware at the time that security cameras in the Hilton would capture the incident and thus I could describe the sequence of events with great latitude.
When Kory Wright filed his complaint against me using the identical language from my blog, “slapped” and “bounced”, I was extremely pleased. The language I had used rhetorically was being taken as a literal description, even an admission of guilt, which could easily be disproved.
After posting my description of the confrontation, I had felt compelled to call or email a number of friends to clarify that the slap was rhetorical, not actual, but otherwise let the writing stand unaltered as a continuing insult, just as an abduction is a continuing crime.
My next focus was to get the earliest possible trial date, to get Kory Wright into a courtroom as soon as the law would allow, and as I navigated through the process of hearings and conferences, representing myself, I never stated to anyone in the court system or to law enforcement that the language was rhetorical. I let it stand. I wanted to be taken seriously.
I was focused on my day in court like a laser beam, and very frustrated at the length of time it took to get there.
An unexpected complication arose when just before trial I finally saw the Hilton security video, taken from two perspectives in the lobby, neither ideal, and taken as a series of stills rather than as a running documentation of the confrontation.
The entire encounter, from start to finish lasted only 42 seconds, long enough to get through my brief talking points, serve Kory Wright with a copy of Aaron’s Law, and leave for my intended interview with a reporter from the Vancouver Columbian.
The stills, however, showed me with the envelope in my hand and then cut to where it was lying at Kory Wright’s feet.
I did not anticipate this at all. The stills showed an obvious heated exchange of words, me pointing my finger at my children’s abductor, but did not clarify whether contact occurred.
This caused me great concern at trial, as the prosecution sought to convict me with my own words, “slapped” and “bounced”, which I had stated to just about everyone, including a Vancouver police officer, who testified to that effect.
The fact is that I had indeed used those words to describe the incident… which was backfiring on me in an unexpected way…somewhere in here there is a lesson for me….
Kory Wright testified that I had reached out with the envelope in my hand and slapped him in the face with it. A bitch-slap encounter.
His witness testified that I had thrown the envelope and that he thought it had struck my children’s abductor somewhere in the chest. He was largely confused.
You really can’t have it both ways, although the prosecutor tried to prove that I had done both.
The bottom line is that the prosecution had to prove that an assault took place and that there was intent on my part to assault my children’s kidnapper. Same for the harassment charge.
My attorney, Mr. Blake Doré of Vancouver Defenders did a remarkable job. It gave me great comfort to watch him work. This man has a bright future.
The judge was tough but fair, and had an immensely likeable personality (ideal characteristics for the bench); nonetheless, I promised the Honorable Verne Schreiber afterwards that he wouldn’t see me before him again!
As for the prosecution, your narrow focus did nothing to advance the cause of justice. Every witness swears “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, but you did your best to see that the truth did not get into the record or before the jury, and in that lies your only success. Choke on it.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION: The foregoing statement regarding choking is
meant rhetorically, not literally.
There’s a difference.
Lastly, the one point of satisfaction for me, apart from the acquittal, was to cause my children’s abductor to at last suffer a consequence for his criminal acts, even if it is only some embarrassment and time taken off from work to appear in court.
If he doesn’t like what I have to say, then he’s free to sue me.
I’m waiting for you, motherfucker.
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…that’s my defense.
Count on it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sarah Palin: Greatest Hits from Blogolitical Sean
Portland, Oregon--
“Moose-fed Sarah Palin stands poised to take the helm in 2012, ready as she will ever be. The mere thought brings cheer to millions; guffaws and foot-stamping warm the most threadbare spots in the soul, protect against winter’s chill, a place for her towards the end of the book (see link), splayed unpunctuated against the tide of reason…. What, me worry…?”
--Sean Cruz, November 2008
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2008/11/decline-and-fall-of-american-empire.html
“Notes on the Vice-Presidential Debate:
“Governor Palin’s sentences are mostly unpunctuated by commas or periods, words fly out by the bucketful....
“She changes direction mid-paragraph, mid-sentence, mid-thought, without appearing to notice that she is genuinely superficial across a wide spectrum of issues....
“For the first time in my life, I feel reasonably qualified to assume the duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Vice President of the United States of America….”
--Sean Cruz, October 8 2008
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2008/10/portland-oregon-sean-cruz-thanks.html
“You heard it here first! Sarah Palin's new book will be bundled with crayons! Recognizing that the people most likely to appreciate "Going Rogue" are unfamiliar with actual books, the publishers are tossing a box of crayons into the deal. The thing is, all of the colors are red....
--Sean Cruz November 13, 2009
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2009/11/breaking-news-sara-palins-book-to-be.html
“According to her new book, “Going Rogue”, Sarah Palin is planning to find a suitable cabinet post for Joe the Plumber, ‘where he can do lots of thinkin’ and stuff’.
“In a late breaking development, still steaming from her prank telephone conversation last year with 'the President of France', the former Governor of Alaska is reported to be in discussions with Carrie Prejean, on the short list to join the Palin team as press secretary.” --Sean Cruz, November 14, 2009
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2009/11/sarah-palin-prospective-cabinet-taking.html
“Moose-fed Sarah Palin stands poised to take the helm in 2012, ready as she will ever be. The mere thought brings cheer to millions; guffaws and foot-stamping warm the most threadbare spots in the soul, protect against winter’s chill, a place for her towards the end of the book (see link), splayed unpunctuated against the tide of reason…. What, me worry…?”
--Sean Cruz, November 2008
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2008/11/decline-and-fall-of-american-empire.html
“Notes on the Vice-Presidential Debate:
“Governor Palin’s sentences are mostly unpunctuated by commas or periods, words fly out by the bucketful....
“She changes direction mid-paragraph, mid-sentence, mid-thought, without appearing to notice that she is genuinely superficial across a wide spectrum of issues....
“For the first time in my life, I feel reasonably qualified to assume the duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Vice President of the United States of America….”
--Sean Cruz, October 8 2008
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2008/10/portland-oregon-sean-cruz-thanks.html
“You heard it here first! Sarah Palin's new book will be bundled with crayons! Recognizing that the people most likely to appreciate "Going Rogue" are unfamiliar with actual books, the publishers are tossing a box of crayons into the deal. The thing is, all of the colors are red....
--Sean Cruz November 13, 2009
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2009/11/breaking-news-sara-palins-book-to-be.html
“According to her new book, “Going Rogue”, Sarah Palin is planning to find a suitable cabinet post for Joe the Plumber, ‘where he can do lots of thinkin’ and stuff’.
“In a late breaking development, still steaming from her prank telephone conversation last year with 'the President of France', the former Governor of Alaska is reported to be in discussions with Carrie Prejean, on the short list to join the Palin team as press secretary.” --Sean Cruz, November 14, 2009
http://blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com/2009/11/sarah-palin-prospective-cabinet-taking.html
Thursday, January 07, 2010
On non-voting candidates for public office in Oregon
By Sean Cruz
The Oregonian’s Susan Nielsen wrote “Oregon candidates who don't vote should skip the race”, here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/susan_nielsen/index.ssf/2010/01/those_pesky_elections_oregon_c.html
I agree wholeheartedly.
A poor voting record is a strong indicator that a candidate lacks real engagement with the issues that are important to Oregonians.
Failure to mail in a ballot in an Oregon election speaks to more than just a missed deadline, especially for candidates for public office. It tells you that nowhere among the slates of candidates and ballot measures put before the voters was an office or an issue important enough for this non-voter to become informed enough to make a choice.
Year after year, election after election....
That the voting record plays out over time is far more reliable an indicator of a candidate's commitment, engagement and reliability than any blizzard of campaign rhetoric can match.
This is also a valuable measure because the playing field is completely level. Every candidate has the same opportunity to cast a ballot. No fund-raising is required beyond the cost of a postage stamp.
Once elected, candidates gain the power to make decisions that affect the lives of others, even all of us, even all Oregonians.
I'm supporting the candidate who never misses an opportunity to become informed and to make an informed choice, the candidate who has the habit of engagement in Oregon civic issues.
In the Oregon Governor’s race, that candidate is Bill Bradbury.
The Oregonian’s Susan Nielsen wrote “Oregon candidates who don't vote should skip the race”, here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/susan_nielsen/index.ssf/2010/01/those_pesky_elections_oregon_c.html
I agree wholeheartedly.
A poor voting record is a strong indicator that a candidate lacks real engagement with the issues that are important to Oregonians.
Failure to mail in a ballot in an Oregon election speaks to more than just a missed deadline, especially for candidates for public office. It tells you that nowhere among the slates of candidates and ballot measures put before the voters was an office or an issue important enough for this non-voter to become informed enough to make a choice.
Year after year, election after election....
That the voting record plays out over time is far more reliable an indicator of a candidate's commitment, engagement and reliability than any blizzard of campaign rhetoric can match.
This is also a valuable measure because the playing field is completely level. Every candidate has the same opportunity to cast a ballot. No fund-raising is required beyond the cost of a postage stamp.
Once elected, candidates gain the power to make decisions that affect the lives of others, even all of us, even all Oregonians.
I'm supporting the candidate who never misses an opportunity to become informed and to make an informed choice, the candidate who has the habit of engagement in Oregon civic issues.
In the Oregon Governor’s race, that candidate is Bill Bradbury.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Max Cleland, depression, the cosmological constant and me
By Sean Cruz
Portland--
Former U.S. Senator Max Cleland recently stated that his episodes with depression were more painful than when both of his legs and an arm were blown off during the U.S-Viet Nam war.
Quoted in his new book, he said: “…I go into a massive, deep, dark depression and I get to where I don’t want to live…When your brain is compromised, and your body is riding high with massive anxiety and you can’t shake it, it’s a terrible feeling. And you cannot concentrate. You cannot read.”
I know this part well.
By the time ten months had passed after my four children had disappeared into theocratic Utah, my depression had become so severe that I lost the ability to read.
Reading was my lifelong escape, my place to go in good times and bad and in every other spare moment, but the depression took that away. No escaping from this!
Reading (and writing) was also how I made my living at the time, working as a newspaper editor, and the depression took that away, too, by the end of 1996, ten months into this long nightmare.
The reading didn’t come back for more than a year, gradually, short pieces only, maybe a paragraph or two and then the heartache would take over again.
Loss of concentration, waves of stomach pain…hopelessness….
For any person, the loss of four children is a question of survival.
I had the honor of meeting Max Cleland in 2008, a quiet moment at Portland State University, where he was appearing in support of soon-to-be U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.
I told him about my two sons, Aaron and Tyler, who I’d seen off to the war in Iraq, and how neither had come home, and he hugged me with his one arm….
The best part of many days has been escaping into sleep at night, even more important when reading is not an option.
But sleeping has its dangers, too…dreams of my missing children…they remain young forever…can’t quite find them…frantic, looking for them…heart pounding, high anxiety…starting to wake up…fighting that, I want to keep looking, keep looking…keep looking…try to rescue them…heart….
I wake up and the nightmare is real.
Every day, nearly 14 years now.
Sometimes the insomnia takes away the sleep and sometimes reading is difficult.
The only constant is the heartache, that never dims, infuses the universe like the cosmological constant….
My children remain out of reach….
Sleep beckons….
Portland--
Former U.S. Senator Max Cleland recently stated that his episodes with depression were more painful than when both of his legs and an arm were blown off during the U.S-Viet Nam war.
Quoted in his new book, he said: “…I go into a massive, deep, dark depression and I get to where I don’t want to live…When your brain is compromised, and your body is riding high with massive anxiety and you can’t shake it, it’s a terrible feeling. And you cannot concentrate. You cannot read.”
I know this part well.
By the time ten months had passed after my four children had disappeared into theocratic Utah, my depression had become so severe that I lost the ability to read.
Reading was my lifelong escape, my place to go in good times and bad and in every other spare moment, but the depression took that away. No escaping from this!
Reading (and writing) was also how I made my living at the time, working as a newspaper editor, and the depression took that away, too, by the end of 1996, ten months into this long nightmare.
The reading didn’t come back for more than a year, gradually, short pieces only, maybe a paragraph or two and then the heartache would take over again.
Loss of concentration, waves of stomach pain…hopelessness….
For any person, the loss of four children is a question of survival.
I had the honor of meeting Max Cleland in 2008, a quiet moment at Portland State University, where he was appearing in support of soon-to-be U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.
I told him about my two sons, Aaron and Tyler, who I’d seen off to the war in Iraq, and how neither had come home, and he hugged me with his one arm….
The best part of many days has been escaping into sleep at night, even more important when reading is not an option.
But sleeping has its dangers, too…dreams of my missing children…they remain young forever…can’t quite find them…frantic, looking for them…heart pounding, high anxiety…starting to wake up…fighting that, I want to keep looking, keep looking…keep looking…try to rescue them…heart….
I wake up and the nightmare is real.
Every day, nearly 14 years now.
Sometimes the insomnia takes away the sleep and sometimes reading is difficult.
The only constant is the heartache, that never dims, infuses the universe like the cosmological constant….
My children remain out of reach….
Sleep beckons….
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"Witchi-Tai-To" Important Jim Pepper festival announcement coming soon! ...oh hell!
by Sean Cruz
Portland, Oregon--"Witchi-Tai-To"...Gunther Schuller...Portland Chamber Orchestra...Jim Pepper Remembrance Band...David Ornette Cherry...Ed Edmo...many more...Fall 2010...Portland State University, Dept of Native American Studies...1st annnual.... Details, announcements to follow soon!
Portland, Oregon--"Witchi-Tai-To"...Gunther Schuller...Portland Chamber Orchestra...Jim Pepper Remembrance Band...David Ornette Cherry...Ed Edmo...many more...Fall 2010...Portland State University, Dept of Native American Studies...1st annnual.... Details, announcements to follow soon!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Sarah Palin prospective cabinet taking shape
By Sean Cruz
Portland, Oregon--According to her new book, “Going Rogue”, Sarah Palin is planning to find a suitable cabinet post for Joe the Plumber, “where he can do lots of thinkin’ and stuff”.
In a late breaking development, still steaming from her prank telephone conversation last year with “the President of France”, the former Governor of Alaska is reported to be in discussions with Carrie Prejean, on the short list to join the Palin team as press secretary.
Portland, Oregon--According to her new book, “Going Rogue”, Sarah Palin is planning to find a suitable cabinet post for Joe the Plumber, “where he can do lots of thinkin’ and stuff”.
In a late breaking development, still steaming from her prank telephone conversation last year with “the President of France”, the former Governor of Alaska is reported to be in discussions with Carrie Prejean, on the short list to join the Palin team as press secretary.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Breaking news! Sara Palin's book to be bundled with crayons!
Portland, Oregon--You heard it here first! Sara Palin's new book will be bundled with crayons! Recognizing that the people most likely to appreciate "Going Rogue" are unfamiliar with actual books, the publishers are tossing a box of crayons into the deal. The thing is, all of the colors are red....
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cruz kidnapper confrontation earns commendation from judge!
See you next year, judge rules!
By Sean Cruz
It took 14 years to get Kory Wright, the organizer of my children’s kidnapping, into a courtroom, and that drama played out today.
The courtroom opportunity took place as a result of my confrontation with this criminal in the lobby of the Vancouver Hilton Hotel, where I slapped him with a copy of Aaron’s Law, Oregon’s anti-kidnapping statute…
…bounced it right off of his face…, telling him: “Oregon’s Aaron’s Law was written for people like you, motherfucker. You are served!”
Kory Wright was asking for a permanent Order For Protection From Unlawful Civil Harassment, which would restrain me from entering or being within 250 feet of his home or of Columbia Ultimate, his place of employment.
The judge heard me out…you lose track of time in there…she listened to me explain the Order for Joint Custody that had protected my children for four years…
She listened to me describe how Kory Wright, motivated by his rabid Mormon zealotry, had violated that order and criminal statutes in three states, but there had been no investigation and the statute of limitations had run on those crimes….
The judge saw documentation detailing Kory Wright’s criminal conduct…there was no question about whether he violated the law or not, that was easy to show….
The judge heard me describe my history of work on the issue of parental and family abductions:
My testimony on Kory Wright’s criminal conduct before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee and the Joint Ways and Means Public Safety Committee in 2003….
My testimony on Kory Wright’s criminal conduct before the Senate President’s Interim Task Force on Parental and Family Abductions in 2004….
My assignment, as Senator Avel Gordly’s Chief of Staff, to lead her workgroup on Senate Bill 1041 in the 2005 legislative session….
My 2005 testimony on Kory Wright’s criminal conduct before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Rules Committee and the House State and Federal Affairs Committee….
The 2005 passage of Senate Bill 1041 on a unanimous House vote…the bill became known as Aaron’s Law after the death of my son….
I showed the judge a photograph of my family—my children and I—taken before the abduction, and a photograph of Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signing the bill into law with Aaron’s picture on his desk….
The judge asked me questions…What does Aaron’s Law do?...I described the law…explained that it provides an alternative to traditional criminal and family law procedures….
I described how both the criminal and family law systems had failed in response to the abduction of my children, and how common the problem is….
The judge asked me if there were any other legal avenues available regarding my quest for justice against Kory Wright (and the other criminals)….
I explained that custodial interference statutes have a 3-year statute of limitations, even if the children remain kidnapped, and that fact plus the inaction of law enforcement had allowed Kory Wright and the other criminals to escape justice.
I said that I had hoped that she would find Kory Wright’s conduct offensive and that she might order him jailed today on a perjury charge….
We discussed the fact that my “service” of Aaron’s Law on Kory Wright was an intentionally symbolic act, and not a legal process. I had not gone to the Hilton in order to get into a scuffle but to serve a document…there was a larger public purpose at stake.
I described my ongoing efforts to raise public awareness of the crime of abduction by persons known to the child or to members of the child’s family….
We talked about the Hilton confrontation. If he hadn’t smiled, I wouldn’t have thrown the envelope at him, I explained. He smiled, I threw it at his face….
After some deliberation, the judge handed down her order:
“Mr. Cruz, I see that you are an intelligent man, and I commend you for your work on these issues….”
She then ordered the Protective Order into effect until October 27, 2010.
Kory Wright protested…he was asking for a permanent order….
“You will have to file again next year”, the judge said.
Next case.
Looks like I will be seeing my children’s kidnapper again, this time next year….
I'll be seeing you, motherfucker...!
I wonder how soon/often he is planning to set foot in Oregon…home of Aaron’s Law…?
By Sean Cruz
It took 14 years to get Kory Wright, the organizer of my children’s kidnapping, into a courtroom, and that drama played out today.
The courtroom opportunity took place as a result of my confrontation with this criminal in the lobby of the Vancouver Hilton Hotel, where I slapped him with a copy of Aaron’s Law, Oregon’s anti-kidnapping statute…
…bounced it right off of his face…, telling him: “Oregon’s Aaron’s Law was written for people like you, motherfucker. You are served!”
Kory Wright was asking for a permanent Order For Protection From Unlawful Civil Harassment, which would restrain me from entering or being within 250 feet of his home or of Columbia Ultimate, his place of employment.
The judge heard me out…you lose track of time in there…she listened to me explain the Order for Joint Custody that had protected my children for four years…
She listened to me describe how Kory Wright, motivated by his rabid Mormon zealotry, had violated that order and criminal statutes in three states, but there had been no investigation and the statute of limitations had run on those crimes….
The judge saw documentation detailing Kory Wright’s criminal conduct…there was no question about whether he violated the law or not, that was easy to show….
The judge heard me describe my history of work on the issue of parental and family abductions:
My testimony on Kory Wright’s criminal conduct before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee and the Joint Ways and Means Public Safety Committee in 2003….
My testimony on Kory Wright’s criminal conduct before the Senate President’s Interim Task Force on Parental and Family Abductions in 2004….
My assignment, as Senator Avel Gordly’s Chief of Staff, to lead her workgroup on Senate Bill 1041 in the 2005 legislative session….
My 2005 testimony on Kory Wright’s criminal conduct before the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Rules Committee and the House State and Federal Affairs Committee….
The 2005 passage of Senate Bill 1041 on a unanimous House vote…the bill became known as Aaron’s Law after the death of my son….
I showed the judge a photograph of my family—my children and I—taken before the abduction, and a photograph of Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signing the bill into law with Aaron’s picture on his desk….
The judge asked me questions…What does Aaron’s Law do?...I described the law…explained that it provides an alternative to traditional criminal and family law procedures….
I described how both the criminal and family law systems had failed in response to the abduction of my children, and how common the problem is….
The judge asked me if there were any other legal avenues available regarding my quest for justice against Kory Wright (and the other criminals)….
I explained that custodial interference statutes have a 3-year statute of limitations, even if the children remain kidnapped, and that fact plus the inaction of law enforcement had allowed Kory Wright and the other criminals to escape justice.
I said that I had hoped that she would find Kory Wright’s conduct offensive and that she might order him jailed today on a perjury charge….
We discussed the fact that my “service” of Aaron’s Law on Kory Wright was an intentionally symbolic act, and not a legal process. I had not gone to the Hilton in order to get into a scuffle but to serve a document…there was a larger public purpose at stake.
I described my ongoing efforts to raise public awareness of the crime of abduction by persons known to the child or to members of the child’s family….
We talked about the Hilton confrontation. If he hadn’t smiled, I wouldn’t have thrown the envelope at him, I explained. He smiled, I threw it at his face….
After some deliberation, the judge handed down her order:
“Mr. Cruz, I see that you are an intelligent man, and I commend you for your work on these issues….”
She then ordered the Protective Order into effect until October 27, 2010.
Kory Wright protested…he was asking for a permanent order….
“You will have to file again next year”, the judge said.
Next case.
Looks like I will be seeing my children’s kidnapper again, this time next year….
I'll be seeing you, motherfucker...!
I wonder how soon/often he is planning to set foot in Oregon…home of Aaron’s Law…?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sean Cruz busts another illegal Sergeant's tow!!
Brazen daylight grab thwarted!!
Portland, Oregon—
I caught another Sergeant’s tow driver attempting an illegal heist of my neighbor’s car from his designated parking spot yesterday afternoon.
The Sergeant’s tow-jacker was in the act of telling the neighbor that his car didn’t have the proper Hacienda CDC tag and he was therefore impounding the vehicle when he saw me coming and changed his mind about going through with the tow, just like that!
We’ve been down this path before, and Sergeant’s towed a tenant’s vehicle from its designated spot back there, in clear violation of Oregon statute, just a couple of weeks ago.
I informed the neighbor about his rights under Senate Bill 431 (2007), to wit: If your rental or lease agreement provides for a designated parking spot, then they need your permission before they can tow the vehicle. This is the law!!!
This law has been on the books for more than two years now, but Sergeant’s is counting on (your) lack of awareness, continuing to make illegal tows all over town.
It’s a tough economy for predatory patrol towers, too….
Remember, the entire organization runs on commission. I understand that the new rate for towjacking your vehicle is a ransom of $340, plus whatever other fees they can pile on.
In absolute fairness to Sergeant’s Towing, they are making the tows under an agreement with the property owner, Hacienda CDC.
Hacienda CDC operates in a de facto partnership with Sergeant’s and Retriever Towing, has done so for years. Hacienda CDC owns the real estate and gives towing predators carte blanche, authorizing commission-paid drivers to tow at will, without regard for the laws protecting tenants from illegal tows.
Hacienda CDC is therefore the most prolific authorizer-of-predatory-towing in all of Northeast Portland, responsible for sending many a tow truck driver to sunny Baja, year after year, tow after tow, $340 bucks a pop now….
And they call it affordable housing….
Hacienda’s clout in City Hall and on the PDC, however, enables the organization to carve out an illegal towaway zone from public right-of-way at it’s NE 42nd Ave offices, for the convenience of its staff.
I reported on this fact before, and Hacienda CDC staff heard from the City of Portland that their “Hacienda parking only” signage was illegal, but the signs are still there….
Portland, Oregon—
I caught another Sergeant’s tow driver attempting an illegal heist of my neighbor’s car from his designated parking spot yesterday afternoon.
The Sergeant’s tow-jacker was in the act of telling the neighbor that his car didn’t have the proper Hacienda CDC tag and he was therefore impounding the vehicle when he saw me coming and changed his mind about going through with the tow, just like that!
We’ve been down this path before, and Sergeant’s towed a tenant’s vehicle from its designated spot back there, in clear violation of Oregon statute, just a couple of weeks ago.
I informed the neighbor about his rights under Senate Bill 431 (2007), to wit: If your rental or lease agreement provides for a designated parking spot, then they need your permission before they can tow the vehicle. This is the law!!!
This law has been on the books for more than two years now, but Sergeant’s is counting on (your) lack of awareness, continuing to make illegal tows all over town.
It’s a tough economy for predatory patrol towers, too….
Remember, the entire organization runs on commission. I understand that the new rate for towjacking your vehicle is a ransom of $340, plus whatever other fees they can pile on.
In absolute fairness to Sergeant’s Towing, they are making the tows under an agreement with the property owner, Hacienda CDC.
Hacienda CDC operates in a de facto partnership with Sergeant’s and Retriever Towing, has done so for years. Hacienda CDC owns the real estate and gives towing predators carte blanche, authorizing commission-paid drivers to tow at will, without regard for the laws protecting tenants from illegal tows.
Hacienda CDC is therefore the most prolific authorizer-of-predatory-towing in all of Northeast Portland, responsible for sending many a tow truck driver to sunny Baja, year after year, tow after tow, $340 bucks a pop now….
And they call it affordable housing….
Hacienda’s clout in City Hall and on the PDC, however, enables the organization to carve out an illegal towaway zone from public right-of-way at it’s NE 42nd Ave offices, for the convenience of its staff.
I reported on this fact before, and Hacienda CDC staff heard from the City of Portland that their “Hacienda parking only” signage was illegal, but the signs are still there….
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Triple-threat deterrence: How Oregon's Aaron's Law can prevent a kidnapping
by Sean Cruz
Portland, Oregon--With more than 200,000 US children suffering parental and family abductions every year, year after year, it is clear that current criminal and family law remedies are inadequate.
Far too often, people decide to abduct their own children (or, like Kory Wright, to take part in the abduction of someone else’s children), knowingly committing a criminal act, because they realize that they are likely to get away with it. They usually do.
Some 20% of parental and family abductions involve more than one perpetrator, and not all perpetrators are either family members or known to the child(ren).
Some abductions are impulsive or taken in haste. Others might be the result of much pre-planning, where the perpetrators coldly resolve well in advance to take a course of criminal conduct that will shatter the lives of their young victims.
Aaron’s Law fills key gaps, skirting both the criminal and family law processes to offer triple-threat deterrence, real reasons for many a would-be perpetrator to reconsider.
Oregon’s unique law also provides several new tools to resolve these soul-crushing conflicts where children are abducted by persons they love and trust.
Triple-threat deterrence
1. Under Aaron’s Law, the Court can immediately order the parties into counseling directed at educating the parties to the harm their actions are causing the children, and order them to pay the cost of the counseling.
2. Under Aaron’s Law, the Court can immediately assign a mental health professional and a legal advocate to protect the wellbeing of the children, and order the parties to the conflict to pay for these services as well.
3. Also under Aaron’s Law, both adult and child victims have recourse against
the perpetrators for special, general and punitive damages, for the cost of a life, for the loss of a future, for the destruction of a personality.
Had these provisions been in effect in 1996, my children would have been kept safe, and my son would still be alive today. There would have been no abduction.
Kory Wright would have been subject to Aaron’s Law, and this fact alone would have dissuaded him from organizing and perpetuating the crime. That’s the bottom line.
More on this later, to be sure….
I’ve written extensively about the kidnapping and Aaron’s Law in earlier posts on www.blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com and www.aaronslaw.blogspot.com
Link to Senate Bill 1041, Aaron’s Law:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/sb1000.dir/sb1041.en.pdf
Portland, Oregon--With more than 200,000 US children suffering parental and family abductions every year, year after year, it is clear that current criminal and family law remedies are inadequate.
Far too often, people decide to abduct their own children (or, like Kory Wright, to take part in the abduction of someone else’s children), knowingly committing a criminal act, because they realize that they are likely to get away with it. They usually do.
Some 20% of parental and family abductions involve more than one perpetrator, and not all perpetrators are either family members or known to the child(ren).
Some abductions are impulsive or taken in haste. Others might be the result of much pre-planning, where the perpetrators coldly resolve well in advance to take a course of criminal conduct that will shatter the lives of their young victims.
Aaron’s Law fills key gaps, skirting both the criminal and family law processes to offer triple-threat deterrence, real reasons for many a would-be perpetrator to reconsider.
Oregon’s unique law also provides several new tools to resolve these soul-crushing conflicts where children are abducted by persons they love and trust.
Triple-threat deterrence
1. Under Aaron’s Law, the Court can immediately order the parties into counseling directed at educating the parties to the harm their actions are causing the children, and order them to pay the cost of the counseling.
2. Under Aaron’s Law, the Court can immediately assign a mental health professional and a legal advocate to protect the wellbeing of the children, and order the parties to the conflict to pay for these services as well.
3. Also under Aaron’s Law, both adult and child victims have recourse against
the perpetrators for special, general and punitive damages, for the cost of a life, for the loss of a future, for the destruction of a personality.
Had these provisions been in effect in 1996, my children would have been kept safe, and my son would still be alive today. There would have been no abduction.
Kory Wright would have been subject to Aaron’s Law, and this fact alone would have dissuaded him from organizing and perpetuating the crime. That’s the bottom line.
More on this later, to be sure….
I’ve written extensively about the kidnapping and Aaron’s Law in earlier posts on www.blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com and www.aaronslaw.blogspot.com
Link to Senate Bill 1041, Aaron’s Law:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/sb1000.dir/sb1041.en.pdf
Monday, October 12, 2009
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed Aaron's Law with my son's photo on his desk
Chronology of Aaron's Law
In 2003, I testified to Kory Wright’s criminal involvement in the abduction of my children before the Oregon State Senate Judiciary Committee and the Joint Ways and Means Public Safety Subcommittee , about the “taking, enticing and keeping” of my children in violation of the Order for Joint Custody.
Also in 2003, Senate President Peter Courtney appointed the Interim Task Force on Parental and Family Abductions, which met in 2004 and reported its findings to the 2005 Oregon Legislature.
The blue-ribbon Abduction Task Force was co-chaired by Senators Avel Gordly and Frank Morse.
The Task Force included: Hon. Judge Maureen McKnight; former Senator John Minnis (Director of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training); Liss Hart-Haviv of Take Root; Judy Hayes of the Oregon State Police, Missing Children’s Clearing House; Mickey Lansing of the Oregon Commission on Children and Families; Sybil Hebb of the Oregon Law Center; Madeline Olson of the Department of Human Services; Ronelle Shenkle of the Department of Justice; BeaLisa Sydlik of the Judicial Department; Patrick Callahan of the District Attorneys Association; and, Denise Washington of the Domestic Violence Coalition.
I testified before the Parental and Family Abduction Task Force in 2004.
Among its findings: “According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, in 1999 an estimated 203, 900 children were victims of family abductions with 20 percent of the abductions involving more than one perpetrator. Although there are no numbers for Oregon regarding parental abductions (emphasis added), the Task Force is of the opinion that the rate of parental abductions in Oregon mirrors the rate for the country. In other words, there appear to be at least 5,000 parental abductions in Oregon every year. These abductions are illegal; they cause a tremendous amount of grief and anxiety for the parent or guardian with legal custody, and they cause immeasurable damage, both psychological and sometimes physical, to the abducted child.”
At the beginning of the 2005 legislative session, Senator Gordly tasked me with leading the workgroup on her Senate Bill 1041, which, after the death of my son, became known as Aaron’s Law.
In 2005, I testified on Senate Bill 1041 before the Senate Judiciary Committee and then before the Senate Rules Committee and the House State and Federal Affairs Committee, describing the multi-perpetrator criminal abduction of my children.
Aaron’s Law passed the Senate on a 26-3 vote and the House on a unanimous 59-0 vote as the 2005 legislative session came to an end.
Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the bill into law with Aaron’s picture on his desk.
In April, 2006, Aaron’s Law was among the featured sessions at “Out of the Frying Pan: Burning Issues in Access to Justice”, the Oregon Judicial Department and the State Family Law Advisory Committee’s fourth annual Family Law Conference.
Hon. Paul J. De Muniz, Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court wrote:
“I am pleased to inform you that the State Family Law Advisory Committee is offering a workshop on parental abductions at its fourth Family Law Conference…. The curriculum for the workshop will include education on the nature of the problem, information about case studies from a practicing psychotherapist and two attorneys, information about Aaron’s Law (SB 1041), and existing statutory remedies in Oregon to enforce parenting plans and prevent abduction in the context of family law proceedings.”
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sean Cruz's confrontation with his childrens' kidnapper moves to Clark County courtroom!
Portland, Oregon--
At long last,14 years after Kory Wright organized the disappearance of my four children, I will face him in a court of law, in the same building where my Order for Joint Custody had originated.
Korwin Jay Wright didn’t like being served with a copy of Aaron’s Law, Oregon Senate Bill 1041 (2005), and has filed for an Order for Protection, stating under penalty of perjury that “…I feel Mr. Cruz represents an immediate threat to me, my family and others.”
The kidnapper alleges that unlawful harassment has occurred.
The document states: “Unlawful harassment means a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses, or is detrimental to such person and which serves no legitimate or lawful purpose.”
I’m glad that the subject of “a knowing and willful course of conduct” will be part of the discussion, because it describes Kory Wright’s years-long actions in violating the Order for Joint Custody that once protected my children and kept their lives orderly and secure.
I’m also open to discussion regarding whether the incident “serves no legitimate or lawful purpose.”
FYI, neither Kory Wright nor any member of his family is related in any way to my family or to my former wife’s family. His involvement in the kidnapping of my children was motivated by his own extremist religious views and enabled by his position in the Mormon church, which he used, violating a trust relationship, to further the kidnapping over a years-long period of time.
It is a felony under Oregon statute to “take, entice or keep” a child in violation of a valid joint custody order, which is exactly what Kory Wright did. There was never a police investigation, and he was never charged with the crime.
Technically, the immediate crimes he committed were Custodial Interference I and II, both serious felonies with penalties of up to five years in prison.
An investigation would have shown that Kory Wright became involved in planning the disappearance of my children and their concealment in Utah several months before the actual kidnapping took place.
If we were talking about a stolen load of lumber or a pallet of printers or a car theft operation, there would have been charges of conspiracy and other related crimes added to the docket, both state and federal, and all of the defendants in court….
But the System handles child abduction cases where a family member is involved differently from the way stranger kidnappings are handled, ignoring the roles non-family members play in carrying out the crimes, focusing on just the parents, which often obscures the real picture and allows criminal conduct to go unaddressed.
More than 200,000 US children suffer an abduction where a parent or family member is involved every year, year after year…the System fails to make a dent in the numbers.
Child abductions by any party are so heinous, so damaging to the children and so costly to the victims’ families that the best solution is to deter these kidnappings from happening in the first place.
Aaron’s Law offers new tools to deter and resolve child abduction by any parties.
Aaron’s Law is landmark legislation, unique in the nation, and I hope to see it enacted by every state in the USA.
The fact is that, without Kory Wright, my children would have never been abducted….
…which is why I stated, when I served him with SB 1041, that Aaron’s Law was written for him and for people like him….
Aaron’s Law creates a civil cause of action that can only be triggered by the commission of a serious criminal act, the violation (in Oregon) of Custodial Interference I and II.
If Aaron’s Law had been on the books in 1995, Kory Wright would have faced an immediate lawsuit and would have been liable for the damage he caused my family to suffer, including “Special and general damages, including damages for emotional distress; and punitive damages.”
His Mormon zealotry would have never been sufficient to motivate him to get involved in violating the Order for Joint Custody of a family he barely knew, not if it was going to cost him money.
More on this later….
The hearing will take place in Clark County District Court, 1200 Franklin Street, Vancouver Washington on October 16, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.
The public is invited.
================
I’ve written extensively about the kidnapping and Aaron’s Law in earlier posts on www.blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com and www.aaronslaw.blogspot.com
Link to Senate Bill 1041, Aaron’s Law:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/sb1000.dir/sb1041.en.pdf
At long last,14 years after Kory Wright organized the disappearance of my four children, I will face him in a court of law, in the same building where my Order for Joint Custody had originated.
Korwin Jay Wright didn’t like being served with a copy of Aaron’s Law, Oregon Senate Bill 1041 (2005), and has filed for an Order for Protection, stating under penalty of perjury that “…I feel Mr. Cruz represents an immediate threat to me, my family and others.”
The kidnapper alleges that unlawful harassment has occurred.
The document states: “Unlawful harassment means a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses, or is detrimental to such person and which serves no legitimate or lawful purpose.”
I’m glad that the subject of “a knowing and willful course of conduct” will be part of the discussion, because it describes Kory Wright’s years-long actions in violating the Order for Joint Custody that once protected my children and kept their lives orderly and secure.
I’m also open to discussion regarding whether the incident “serves no legitimate or lawful purpose.”
FYI, neither Kory Wright nor any member of his family is related in any way to my family or to my former wife’s family. His involvement in the kidnapping of my children was motivated by his own extremist religious views and enabled by his position in the Mormon church, which he used, violating a trust relationship, to further the kidnapping over a years-long period of time.
It is a felony under Oregon statute to “take, entice or keep” a child in violation of a valid joint custody order, which is exactly what Kory Wright did. There was never a police investigation, and he was never charged with the crime.
Technically, the immediate crimes he committed were Custodial Interference I and II, both serious felonies with penalties of up to five years in prison.
An investigation would have shown that Kory Wright became involved in planning the disappearance of my children and their concealment in Utah several months before the actual kidnapping took place.
If we were talking about a stolen load of lumber or a pallet of printers or a car theft operation, there would have been charges of conspiracy and other related crimes added to the docket, both state and federal, and all of the defendants in court….
But the System handles child abduction cases where a family member is involved differently from the way stranger kidnappings are handled, ignoring the roles non-family members play in carrying out the crimes, focusing on just the parents, which often obscures the real picture and allows criminal conduct to go unaddressed.
More than 200,000 US children suffer an abduction where a parent or family member is involved every year, year after year…the System fails to make a dent in the numbers.
Child abductions by any party are so heinous, so damaging to the children and so costly to the victims’ families that the best solution is to deter these kidnappings from happening in the first place.
Aaron’s Law offers new tools to deter and resolve child abduction by any parties.
Aaron’s Law is landmark legislation, unique in the nation, and I hope to see it enacted by every state in the USA.
The fact is that, without Kory Wright, my children would have never been abducted….
…which is why I stated, when I served him with SB 1041, that Aaron’s Law was written for him and for people like him….
Aaron’s Law creates a civil cause of action that can only be triggered by the commission of a serious criminal act, the violation (in Oregon) of Custodial Interference I and II.
If Aaron’s Law had been on the books in 1995, Kory Wright would have faced an immediate lawsuit and would have been liable for the damage he caused my family to suffer, including “Special and general damages, including damages for emotional distress; and punitive damages.”
His Mormon zealotry would have never been sufficient to motivate him to get involved in violating the Order for Joint Custody of a family he barely knew, not if it was going to cost him money.
The hearing will take place in Clark County District Court, 1200 Franklin Street, Vancouver Washington on October 16, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.
The public is invited.
================
I’ve written extensively about the kidnapping and Aaron’s Law in earlier posts on www.blogoliticalsean.blogspot.com and www.aaronslaw.blogspot.com
Link to Senate Bill 1041, Aaron’s Law:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/sb1000.dir/sb1041.en.pdf
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Sean Cruz confronts man who kidnapped his children
Portland, Oregon—Fourteen years ago, Kory Wright organized the kidnapping of my four children, and today I walked into the lobby of the Vancouver Hilton Hotel and slapped him in the face with a copy of Senate Bill 1041, Aaron’s Law.
I became aware that he would be present at the Columbia Ultimate conference today, October 6, and I drove there with dual intentions: to confront this person who had done such grievous harm to my family; and to raise awareness of the issue of child abduction by persons known to the child or the child’s family.
He looked at me quizzically as I approached him, and I asked him if he remembered who I was…he was unsure….
“My name is Sean Cruz. You kidnapped my children, motherfucker.”
He remembered who I was then, smirked a little, thinking back to how good it felt to cause my children to disappear from their Oregon homes into the mountains east of Ogden, Utah, near where Kory Wright was living.
“Oregon’s Aaron’s Law was written for people like you, motherfucker,” I said, and bounced the envelope right off of his face. “You are served!” That ended the smirking.
The entire confrontation lasted less than 30 seconds. I was careful to keep to my talking points:
1. I am Sean Cruz
2. You kidnapped my children (motherfucker)!
3. You ruined six lives: mine, my mother's (who died four years later without seeing or hearing from her grandchildren again), and my four children (Natalia, Aaron, Tyler and Allie)
4. Aaron's Law was written for you, and people like you (motherfucker)!
Those were my words to Kory Wright, Mormon zealot.
To be specific, when my children disappeared on February 12, 1996, my former wife drove them directly to the home of Chris and Kory Wright, who were living east of Ogden, Utah at the time. It was at the Wright home that my children were first concealed.
Then I walked out of the hotel and drove to the Vancouver Columbian where I spoke at length with a reporter, about child abduction in general and the kidnapping of my children in particular.
My essential point was that Aaron’s Law is designed to deter non-stranger abductions, but it cannot possibly serve as a deterrent if no one knows it exists, and the Oregon State Bar hasn’t produced a single lawyer who is conversant with either the law or the issue.
It is a felony to “take, entice or keep” a child in violation of a valid joint custody order, which is exactly what Kory and Chris Wright did, Mormon zealots that they are. There was never a police investigation, and they were never charged with the crime.
I’ve written extensively about the kidnapping and Aaron’s Law in earlier posts.
I became aware that he would be present at the Columbia Ultimate conference today, October 6, and I drove there with dual intentions: to confront this person who had done such grievous harm to my family; and to raise awareness of the issue of child abduction by persons known to the child or the child’s family.
He looked at me quizzically as I approached him, and I asked him if he remembered who I was…he was unsure….
“My name is Sean Cruz. You kidnapped my children, motherfucker.”
He remembered who I was then, smirked a little, thinking back to how good it felt to cause my children to disappear from their Oregon homes into the mountains east of Ogden, Utah, near where Kory Wright was living.
“Oregon’s Aaron’s Law was written for people like you, motherfucker,” I said, and bounced the envelope right off of his face. “You are served!” That ended the smirking.
The entire confrontation lasted less than 30 seconds. I was careful to keep to my talking points:
1. I am Sean Cruz
2. You kidnapped my children (motherfucker)!
3. You ruined six lives: mine, my mother's (who died four years later without seeing or hearing from her grandchildren again), and my four children (Natalia, Aaron, Tyler and Allie)
4. Aaron's Law was written for you, and people like you (motherfucker)!
Those were my words to Kory Wright, Mormon zealot.
To be specific, when my children disappeared on February 12, 1996, my former wife drove them directly to the home of Chris and Kory Wright, who were living east of Ogden, Utah at the time. It was at the Wright home that my children were first concealed.
Then I walked out of the hotel and drove to the Vancouver Columbian where I spoke at length with a reporter, about child abduction in general and the kidnapping of my children in particular.
My essential point was that Aaron’s Law is designed to deter non-stranger abductions, but it cannot possibly serve as a deterrent if no one knows it exists, and the Oregon State Bar hasn’t produced a single lawyer who is conversant with either the law or the issue.
It is a felony to “take, entice or keep” a child in violation of a valid joint custody order, which is exactly what Kory and Chris Wright did, Mormon zealots that they are. There was never a police investigation, and they were never charged with the crime.
I’ve written extensively about the kidnapping and Aaron’s Law in earlier posts.
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