https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/05/denver-blm-leader-school-board-member-investigation-multiple-sex-abuse-allegations-including-62-high-school-daca-students/
Denver BLM Leader
And School Board Member Under Investigation On Multiple Sex Abuse
Allegations, Including 62 High School DACA Students
A local Denver school board member, Black Lives Matter
protest leader, and anti-gun activist is facing dozens of accusations of
sex abuse, rape, harassment, and “inappropriate behavior” from a
variety of community members, including 62 high school students and
illegal aliens in the DACA program, at least one as young as 14.
Tay Anderson is denying the allegations and hopes to continue his work
on the school board and in activism, but more victims continue to come
forward. He is now stepping aside from his duties while the
investigation continues.
Chalkbeat Colorado reports:
Denver school board member Tay Anderson said Sunday he
would step back from “everyday board functions” until an outside firm
hired by the school district completes an investigation into sexual
assault allegations against him.
In a separate statement, the school board clarified that Anderson will still vote on key matters, including the selection of a new superintendent,
which is set to happen June 3. A Denver Public Schools spokesperson
said Anderson’s stepping back means Anderson will not attend school or
district meetings with staff or students.
Anderson announced his decision two days after the school board announced it was aware of new allegations against him.
Anderson is under investigation
by an outside firm hired by Denver Public Schools. The district
launched the investigation after the civil rights group Black Lives
Matter 5280 said in March that a woman came to them to report that Anderson had sexually assaulted her.
Separate from that accusation, former members
of anti-gun violence group Never Again Colorado said that Anderson
engaged in inappropriate behavior when he was the group’s president in
2018.
Then this week, Denver parent Mary-Katherine Brooks
Fleming testified before a Colorado legislative committee that 62 young
people, nearly all of them current Denver high school students, came to
her starting in August seeking help and protection from a specific man
“in a position of trust.” She said they had experienced abuse ranging
from unwanted touching to violent rape.
Anderson has consistently denied all allegations against him. He said
Sunday that he expects to be cleared and return to all his duties.
The Denver Post elaborates:
Denver Public Schools acknowledged Friday night that its board and
the Denver Police Department are aware of new sexual assault allegations
against school board member Tay Anderson after a woman testified this
week before a legislative committee about a sexual predator within the
school system who has targeted students.
On Tuesday, Mary-Katherine Brooks Fleming, a parent of three DPS
students, told the state House Judiciary Committee there is “a sexual
predator targeting DPS children” during her public testimony in support
of a bill that would make it easier for victims to sue institutions who
employ child sexual abusers.
Brooks Fleming told the committee 62 people had come to her for help
regarding a single individual, but she did not name that person. Their
experiences ranged from unwanted touching to “violent acts of rape,” she
said. Sixty-one of them lacked documentation or were recipients of the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and the youngest was 14,
she said.
“Those who came to my home didn’t have health insurance, couldn’t
afford emergency rooms, and even if they could, they wanted to avoid
mandatory reporters for fear that such an interaction could jeopardize
their family,” Brooks Fleming said in her testimony. “It is horrifying
to realize that someone had preyed on these children, knowing their
silence was guaranteed.”
In a statement emailed to The Post on Friday night, the Denver Public
Schools Board of Education stated, “The Board was made aware of
testimony at the Colorado Capitol this week and was later informed that
the accusations were against Director Tay Anderson. The Denver police
are also aware of these accusations.”
The Denver Police Department’s investigators have spoken
with Brooks Fleming about her comments, but they have not heard from any
victims, Jay Casillas, a department spokesman, said in an email to The
Post.
“If someone is a victim, we encourage them to contact Denver Police,” Casillas wrote.
Anderson, who has been under investigation by the school district for
a single sexual assault allegation since early April, referred
questions to his attorney, Christopher Decker. Decker denied the
allegations on behalf of his client.
In a statement to The Denver Post, Decker wrote, “Nothing is worse or
more unacceptable than the harm caused by sexual assault upon our
children, or the related harm caused by not believing those who have
been victimized in this way. This is also why false assertions of these
horrible crimes act to cheapen and diminish its importance. It is
because of these two truths that responsible people and organizations
must carefully investigate such inflammatory claims completely, and with
an open and fair process.”
Mary-Katherine Brooks Fleming’s posted her testimony on Twitter:
The Denver Post story continues:
Brooks Fleming, who is active in Denver’s social justice community
and who has volunteered at Blue Bench, a nonprofit organization that
aids sexual assault victims, previously had declined to name the person
she was accusing to The Post.
Anderson has been under scrutiny for an alleged sexual
assault since March 26 when Black Lives Matter 5280 published a public
statement saying a woman came to the group in February to report that
Anderson had sexually assaulted her. The statement said the woman wanted Anderson to issue a public apology and to seek help from a licensed professional.
In a news conference two days later
with Decker at his side, Anderson denied the allegation, saying he was
not aware of any situation that could be construed as sexual assault. He
also welcomed any investigation into the accusation.
The Denver Public Schools board hired the Investigation Law Group, an
outside firm, to investigate the situation. On May 18, the school board
said the firm was conducting final interviews and was expected to
produce its report within the next 30 days. However, Brooks Fleming’s
testimony came after that announcement was made and on Friday the
district said the investigation remains open.
Black Lives Matter 5280 released this statement regarding Anderson’s alleged abuse within their organization:
Anderson is attempting to play the victim, saying a web hacker has orchestrated all of this, as KDVR FOX 31 reports:
Anderson’s attorney, Chris Decker — who’s also a FOX31 legal analyst —
said in a statement that no one has come forward with any more
information about the allegations, including some brought forth in
March, and that police have not contacted him, either.
Decker also said “a known racist criminal web hacker … claims (to me
and others) to have orchestrated these false allegations against
Director Anderson” — information he said has been reported to police.
“On behalf of Director Anderson, I ask only for a
responsible and thorough investigation of these concerning matters and
assure the public that if that is done, he will be cleared of any and
all wrongdoing,” Decker said. “The only thing worse than sexual assault
on children, or the denial or coverup of the same, is weaponizing false
claims of sexual assault and irresponsibly publishing or concluding it
has happened when it has not.”
Anderson released this generic statement via his Twitter page, but doesn’t address any of the accusations:
Anderson was apparently injured by police when protesting against a
homeless camp clean up. He vowed that the “City of Denver, you fucked
with the wrong person” while wearing his official school board name
badge.
Oh but it gets better for Mr. Anderson! Back in 2018 he was found
guilty of retaliation after someone came forward with another set of
accusations of abuse. Westword reports:
But Anderson, 22, acknowledges that a May 2018 Denver Public Schools
investigation found that he had engaged in retaliation while advocating
on behalf of former Manual High School Principal Nick Dawkins, whom the district had investigated following employee complaints of harassment and bias. A Dawkins accuser tells Westword that
retaliation took the form of social media posts aimed at her that began
appearing the previous month. She viewed it as harassment of a person
who’d made claims of harassment.
“In early 2018, I worked at Manual High School as a paraprofessional,” Anderson says in a statement provided to Westword.
“During that time period, I posted my concerns about another Black
leader leaving Denver Public Schools on several social media channels. I
was informed that my social media activity could interfere with the
investigation regarding that leader. When I continued to speak out on
social media, it was determined that my actions were retaliatory.”
Among his many other stunts are when he vowed to stay seated during the Pledge Of Allegiance at school board meetings.
All suspects are, of course, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
.
Anderson held this press conference the other day:
