Call for Policy to Increase Protection for Victims of Ritual Abuse in San Diego, Part I - Page 3

Paul Pfingst abuses his power as District Attorney by stating that he will have law enforcement "respond" and "monitor" the conference presentations and "report back". The District Attorney's office has no jurisdiction to monitor professional education. Pfingst's comments appear to be thinly veiled threats of action by law enforcement against psychotherapists who treat and teach about treatment of victims of ritual abuse. He implies that there is something illegal about teaching about treatment for ritual trauma. His comments demonstrate a lack of interest in protecting the right of free speech of psychologists, therapists and ritual abuse survivors who wish only to share their knowledge of how to assist these crime victims. There is no place for the District Attorney or law enforcement in matters of free speech or academic freedom, except to enforce the constitutional right of everyone to express their views.

It has been suggested by some that Paul Pfingst is actually concerned about ritual crime, but has been affected by pressure to "look the other way" due to tremendous influence by the media (next section) and expensive civil judgements and prior failed prosecutions of ritual abuse.

San Diego County has paid large financial damages in cases in which ritual abuse was alleged and later judged to be unfounded. The criminal prosecution of Dale Akiki, his acquittal, and subsequent lawsuits against numerous agencies and parties, cost San Diego County in both financial damages and public censure of the District Attorney and Child Protective Services.

David Icke (http://www.davidicke.net/tellthetruth/co... provides the following details on the Akiki case and lawsuits: Dale Akiki was charged with 35 counts of child abuse and kidnaping in 1991. Akiki and his wife acted as volunteer baby-sitters at the Faith Chapel in Spring Valley, California. On Sundays, they watched the children while their parents were attending services next door. Many children who were baby-sat said that Akiki had killed animals and drunk their blood in front of the children, and engaged in other satanic and sexual rituals. Akiki was acquitted of all charges in November, 1993. It was the longest and most expensive trial in San Diego history, costing millions. Carol Hopkins (more on her later) testified for Akiki and was among those who called for the ouster of District Attorney Ed Miller (Los Angeles Times, 11/30/93) http://www.ags.uci.edu/~dehill/witchhunt... Six months later, Miller was turned out of office after receiving only 11% of the popular vote. Public backlash over ritual abuse cases has been blamed for his defeat. Akiki's acquittal prompted a grand jury inquiry into the investigatory methods employed in the case. In September 1994, Akiki and his wife filed suit against prosecutors, therapists and the church. Akiki claimed emotional distress, slander, libel, false imprisonment, professional negligence and civil rights violations. The county and other defendants eventually settled the suit and Akiki received over $2 million. The Religious Tolerance web-site (http://www.religioustolerance.org/ra_aki... provides the following additional information: "Dale and Sharon Akiki's [sic] brought a civil lawsuit against San Diego County, Faith Chapel Church, 9 therapists, Children's Hospital, businessman Jack Goodall, and his wife Mary Goodall. The action was settled out of court in 1995-JAN. The county's share of the settlement, which is believed to be less that 40% of the total award, was 768,750."