Two teachers implicated in sex abuse at center

TWO MORE STAFF members have been implicated in the sexual abuse of children at a Rogers Park day-care center where a janitor was charged last week with taking indecent liberties with two children, sources close to the investigation said Saturday.

Authorities were not releasing the identities of the two staff members at the Rogers Park Jewish Community Center, 7101 N. Greenview Ave., but said the two are teachers and were named by children in interviews Saturday. Sources said that additional to the children's accusations, there is supporting medical evidence in at least one case. Each teacher was named by at least two children, the sources said.

One of the employees named by the children Saturday was one of two teachers suspended Thursday for failing to report children's complaints of sexual abuse, sources said, though at the time officials said neither was suspected of involvement in the molestation.

THE INTERVIEWS Saturday were done with 18 children who were considered "high risk" victims, said Allen Friedmann, who is conducting the interviews along with authorities Friedmann, a former investigator for the Illinois Department of children and Family Services, works for a not-for-profit agency, Human Effective Living Programs, Inc., and is a specialist in interviewing child abuse victims. He was called in last week by Chicago police to conduct the interviews.

Last week the janitor, Decortic Parks, 45, 7930 S. Peoria St., was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy. Neither of the two teachers named by the children has been charged.

After preliminary interviews, the children were found to have a high likelihood of having been sexually abused based on their responses and physical exams, he said. Many of the Children have mentioned Parks during the interviews, Freidmann said.

AT LEAST three children told investigators they reported the incidents to two teachers. Those two teachers, whose identities have not be revealed, were suspended Thursday because of their alleged failure to report the incidents, Keenan said.

The two teachers, according to sources, deny that the children said they were attacked in the first-floor washroom outside classrooms, Friedmann said. Children older than 2 were allowed to go unattended to that washroom, according to sources.

CHILDREN ALSO reported that they were attacked in a boiler room in the basement of the building and in a stairwell leading from the first floor to the second floor.

According to Friedmann and a staff member who requested anonymity, Parks was the only one who had a key to that stairwell. Interviewers have been asking children where that stairwell leads, Freidmand said. Read more here.

Two Day Care Teachers Suspended

Two Teachers at a Rogers Park day care center were suspended because they allegedly knew of incidents of child molesting at the center but failed to report them to authorities, a spokesman also said that 32 children enrolled in the facility, the Rogers Park Jewish Community Center, 711 N. Greenview Ave., showed possible symptoms of sexual abuse as determined by a questionnaire filled out by parents.

The developments came a day after it was disclosed that a 19-year veteran janitor at the center, Decortic Parks, 45, of 7930 S. Peoria St., had been charged with taking indecent liberties with a 3-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, police said.

Parks has denied wrongdoing, said Mark Rakoczy, a Cook County assistant state's attorney. The case against Parks at this time is based solely on the accusations of the two children, Rakoczy said.

The two teachers were suspended earlier this week, said Donald Schlosser, the spokesman of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Schlosser would not identify them, but said neither is suspected of having molested any of the children at the center. Parks also has been suspended.

Parks was arrested Monday after the mother of the 4-year-old called the mother of the 3-year-old and both found their children telling similar stories about being abused, Rakoczy said.
The center, which has 67 students ranging in age from toddlers to 5-year-olds, will be open as usual Friday, said Jay Levenberg, assistant director of the Jewish Centers of Chicago, an affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

But many parents who brought their children to the facility Thursday said their decision was difficult after parents of the allegedly abused children described in a meeting Wednesday night what they said had happened to their children.

At that meeting with DCFS officials, police and center's staff, parents were given a questionnaire intended to aid investigators in determining if additional children had been molested, Schlosser said.

Schlosser said the questions asked among other things, whether the child experienced redness around the genital area, had urinary infections or nightmares or if the child was afraid to be alone with strangers.

Based on the parents' answers, he said 32 children exhibited at least one symptom of possible molestation. Read more here.

Case of the Rogers Park Jewish Community Center's Day Care Center

"THIS WILL BE with us forever. It never will ever be wiped away," said a young mother, who is certain her daughter was raped and sexually and physically abused at the Rogers Park Jewish Community Center's day-care center.

The mother said her family's therapist said her daughter, will have to deal with her trauma in each stage of her life.

Now, Becky is afraid to go to sleep or to go to the bathroom alone. Those were the occasions when she was attacked, her mother said. When she reaches puberty, her fears will take different forms, according to the therapist.

Another 4-year-old girl who was molested, Melissa, wants to sleep in the closet with the door closed, where she feels safe, said her mother. "I know she is scared to death. She is afraid of everything," she said.

The names of the children have been changed to protect their identity.
DURING QUESTIONING at the start of the investigation of abuse at the center, Melissa "would not let me out of her sight," her mother said, "because she was sure I was going to be killed while she was talking." Both mothers said their daughters told them their abusers had threatened to kill their families if they revealed what they had done.

Melissa is "regressing into infancy" because she thinks that when she first went to the center everyone loved her, but when she grew older they began hitting her and telling her she was stupid, "a dummy" and deserved to be hit. Through therapy, Melissa is learning that she is not a bad girl but a victim of child abuse.

According to Becky's mother, "She talked about it as if there were two Beckys -- bad Becky and good Becky. Good Becky didn't have these things happen to her."

WHILE THESE two mothers, along with a few others, have shared their experiences with each other, they feel fairly isolated from other parents of children who are or were enrolled at the center.

"When we did make statements in public, a lot of parents refused to believe us. It was too traumatic for them," one mother said.

"Since this is a Jewish Community Center and they have religious and community ties tied up in this, this contributes to their state of denial," she said.

Melissa, did not want to go back to the school or anywhere near the rooms where she said she was abused after she told what had happened, her mother said.

"There are children who have returned to the school who were pinpointed as victims, and their parents are still sending them there," said Becky's mother. "Meanwhile, who is protecting the children?"

BOTH MOTHERS said they now realize they missed earlier clues that something was wrong. For instance, reluctance to go to sleep and reports of being insulted and punished at the center were such clues. Read more here.

Rogers Park Landfill Meeting

Rogers Park Landfill Meeting

Rogers Park Landfill Meeting

Rogers Park Landfill Meeting

Shooting at Citgo

There was a shooting at the Citgo gas station at Sheridan and Touhy this afternoon.

International Art Group

Dear Friend

You are invited to the following event

::: INTERNATIONAL ART GROUP IN ROGERS PARK ::
This is a call for entry taking place on 6/10/2008 6:00 PM at:
1545 W. Morse
Chicago, IL 60626

It is hosted by Marianna Buchwald.

Call 773 507 1300 for information.

You will find more details at : www.CAConline.org/event.asp?eventid=25936

Dear Artists, friends and dancers!

Liebe Kuenstler, Freunde und Taenzer!

Please be invited to our monthly art discussion June 19, 6pm at Insight Arts in Rogers Park.

We meet at Insight Arts , the United Church, 3. floor at 6pm.

We had a great tile making / art discussion meeting in May, involving the Public Art Group to share their mural project, which invites all artists to participate, creating the mural under the Overpass at Bryn Mawr and LSD, starting in July.

Please come to our art discussion, June 10th at 6pm at Insight Arts, 1545 W. Morse, a short way West of the Red Line Morse stop, for a presentation of works in progress, at our International Art Group Meeting every 2nd Tuesday.

Please bring some art, or CD with images of your work.

Limit your presentation to a selection for discussion.

Think about a theme, particular style or media for your work, or give a few examples.


Aside from discussing and showing our art work, we are also going to discuss the idea of participating in the Glenwood Art Fair 2008, held Aug 22. - 24.

Claudia Finn will present guidelines and info.

There will be an application form available to participate in our International Art Group tent during the fair .

We also need more artists to help with the children activities during the fair, in exchange for free display space in the artist tent.

Also, If you would like more information about our group, please feel free to speak to Alan Emerson Hicks at: 773 501 7730

E Mail :aladinart@aol.com

Yours Marianna Buchwald,
Info at 773 507 -1300,
and the International Art Group
http://www.internationalartadventures.com/

Hope you will be able to attend !

Best Regards

Marianna Buchwald

Rogers Park 1557

Rogers Park Art

Local artist Susan Duffy puts out her cigarette in a work of art (formerly at the former Chase Cafe).

Chicago Park District

Asshole

Sheridan and Arthur graffiti problem

This is the construction site for The Morgan at Loyola Station.

The graffiti problem is all along Sheridan Road and Arthur Avenue.

Harris Bank Customer Parking

Walk

Trash Hole Near Loyola Station

Demolition and Construction Sites are Targeted for Graffiti

Bike Chicago at Loyola Park

Sherwin on the Lake Parking Issue

With plenty of room to park , the driver of this vehicle seems to either have a grudge against the rusty old mailbox in front of Sherwin on the Lake, or the driver could just be a horrible parker.