Whitewash and cover-up in San Diego's Balboa Park
I'm the parent of kids who have been a part of America's longest-running children's theater, in the heart of San Diego's Balboa Park.
It's called the San Diego Junior Theatre, and many Broadway and Hollywood stars got their start there.
But more importantly, for years it was a warm, safe environment for kids from all walks of life: rich, poor, black, white, LGBT, disabled--all felt welcome.
That is until the organization's executive director barged into the girls dressing room and grabbed and shook a teenager because she made fun of him behind his back. And it wasn't just this incident that destroyed out community, but the board's response to it.
The board of directors--most of whom are close friends of the executive director--refused to investigate. Two well-loved employees tried to blow the whistle and were fired. Two others were driven out in tears.
When the community spoke up, we were targeted for retribution and intimidated into silence. Armed guards were hired to patrol the theater, frightening the kids. A false police report was filed against a makeup artist who spoke out. And the board's lawyer, a local politician named Gil Cabrera, sent a cease and desist letter to 15 year old for exercising his first amendment rights.
We're all amateur activists just trying to reclaim what was once a beloved community treasure. We've gone to the mayor and city council for help, but we're finding that many in San Diego would rather turn a blind eye than do anything that might affect their political buddies.
Fortunately a local muckraking journalist has stated covering the story. We're asking everyone to read his story and leave a comment to send a message to San Diego's mayor and city council that something needs to be done.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/apr/30/ticker-brouhaha-san-diego-junior-theatre/