Back on August 1st, former First Baptist School principal and First Baptist Church Deacon Robert Lazzell was sentenced to 12 years in prison, after pleading guilty to Criminal Sexual Assault against former student Michael Young.
The sentencing hearing on August 1st allowed Young and relatives to tell their story of Lazzell’s pursuit and abuse of Young over many years.
On Friday evening (Aug 18th), during a gathering at First Baptist Church, a handful of members of the Blue Shirt Coalition put together in support of Young protested on the sidewalk outside the church along Vermilion Street.
Kate Gibson, a former First Baptist Church member and school student, says there’s a lot that still needs to be talked about. She says, for one thing, if a child feels they are in an unsafe situation, they need to be able to report it internally.
AUDIO: We’ve had a problem for over 20 years, and we’re not doing anything about it. And if the policies are so good that you’re enacting, why won’t you share them with everybody? Why won’t you make it easy for them to figure out how to report. So yes, we have a problem.
Also protesting was Melissa Anderson, who stated that, yes, greater oversite of school and church staff is the right thing to do.
AUDIO: We’re just trying to show that accountability, it’s not persecution. First Baptist Christian School needs to take a step forward on setting up better polices that will protect their kids. They haven’t been doing that.
Church leadership did not interact with the protesters, and politely asked Neuhoff Media to leave the property without offering additional comment.
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