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In reply to the discussion: A depraved world: FBI agents wage a stressful battle against child pornography [View all]proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)50. PITTSBURGH MAG/ JAN 2013/ "TAKEN" provides a glimpse into official opposition to PROTECT bill in PA.
Last edited Sun Dec 30, 2012, 10:44 PM - Edit history (2)
http://protect.org/
PROTECT
Thursday at 4:25am
Its not easy," Alicia Kozakiewicz tells Pittsburgh Magazine. "There are times when I break down in tears and want to give it all up and think to myself, I cant do this anymore." But she does, and her work with PROTECT results in the rescue of more and more children every month. Read her story here: http://bit.ly/U9Kyfz
The article also provides a glimpse into official opposition to PROTECT's Alicia's Law bill in Pennsylvania. The legislation would require the Attorney General to refer any child exploitation suspects who are not being investigated by state or federal authorities to local law enforcement. It would also fund the training of those investigators and first responders statewide.
In a circular argument to nowhere, Bruce Beemer, chief of staff for the Pennsylvania Attorney General, calls it "impractical" to refer the unworked cases because so many local officers "aren't trained properly" and could harm "an ongoing investigation."
PROTECT
Thursday at 4:25am
Its not easy," Alicia Kozakiewicz tells Pittsburgh Magazine. "There are times when I break down in tears and want to give it all up and think to myself, I cant do this anymore." But she does, and her work with PROTECT results in the rescue of more and more children every month. Read her story here: http://bit.ly/U9Kyfz
The article also provides a glimpse into official opposition to PROTECT's Alicia's Law bill in Pennsylvania. The legislation would require the Attorney General to refer any child exploitation suspects who are not being investigated by state or federal authorities to local law enforcement. It would also fund the training of those investigators and first responders statewide.
In a circular argument to nowhere, Bruce Beemer, chief of staff for the Pennsylvania Attorney General, calls it "impractical" to refer the unworked cases because so many local officers "aren't trained properly" and could harm "an ongoing investigation."
http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/January-2013/Taken/
Taken
Eleven years after her abduction and torture by a child predator, a brave young woman is on a mission to inform youth about the very real dangers of online sexual predators.
[img][/img]
by Geoffrey W. Melada
Alicia Kozakiewicz went to hell. If she closes her eyes, she can still picture it, hear it, even smell it. Despite what Dante and the ancient Greeks say, hell isnt a gloomy, subterranean river. Hell is a townhouse in Northern Virginia overrun with cats, comic books and computers. Thats where, for four days in the winter of 2002, Kozakiewicz, then 13, was held captive by a 38-year-old man who abducted her from outside her parents house in Pittsburgh. He met her in a Yahoo chat room. According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, Kozakiewicz should be dead. But like the hero in every epic story since Homers The Odyssey, Kozakiewicz managed to escape from the underworld, returning home with newfound strength, wisdom and purpose.
All of this is obvious when you meet her in person although her appearance and attitude come as a surprise. It is hard to imagine that the stylish, confident 24-year-old, smiling and posing for a picture with TV star Joe Manganiello (of HBOs True Blood) at a party honoring powerful women in the region, experienced the trauma that she did. But as former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, whose office coordinated Kozakiewiczs dramatic rescue and convicted her abductor, puts it: Alicia is not a victim of child abuse; she is a survivor.
Kozakiewicz says that her kidnapper, Scott Tyree, a divorced computer programmer now serving a 19-year prison sentence, stole my innocence. But, she stresses, he could not take away her will to live, not even as he starved, beat and sexually assaulted her for four days in a basement dungeon stocked with knives, whips, chains and a cage.
Like most teens, Kozakiewicz had been awkward and shy. She weighed only 90 pounds. But in the darkness of Tyrees basement, she found her courage.
On the fourth day, I remember thinking, Today is the day I have to fight, and its probably going to kill me. Im probably not going to make it out of this alive, but I am not going down without a fight. Later that day, when Tyree was at work, Kozakiewicz heard crashing on the front door, and I hear men screaming, We have guns! We have guns! As armed men swarmed the house, I saw the most beautiful letters in the alphabet: F-B-I, in bold yellow on the backs of their jackets, and I knew I was safe.
How did she get there in the first place? Former prosecutor Buchanan calls it grooming. Tyree didnt break into the Kozakiewicz house in Crafton Heights to nab her; he broke into her mind. During the eight months they corresponded online, he easily manipulated her.
He behaved as if he were somebody my age, Kozakiewicz says, talking to me about my favorite things back then the Spice Girls, the Backstreet Boys, the movie Titanic. He became my best friend. Kozakiewicz explains further: He took my side no matter what. It made me feel like I was doing the right thing, that I was a good person. He made me feel beautiful and special and unique and important like I meant something.
<...>
PM contributor Geoffrey W. Melada, a trial lawyer, served as Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney from 2007-2011.
Taken
Eleven years after her abduction and torture by a child predator, a brave young woman is on a mission to inform youth about the very real dangers of online sexual predators.
[img][/img]
by Geoffrey W. Melada
Alicia Kozakiewicz went to hell. If she closes her eyes, she can still picture it, hear it, even smell it. Despite what Dante and the ancient Greeks say, hell isnt a gloomy, subterranean river. Hell is a townhouse in Northern Virginia overrun with cats, comic books and computers. Thats where, for four days in the winter of 2002, Kozakiewicz, then 13, was held captive by a 38-year-old man who abducted her from outside her parents house in Pittsburgh. He met her in a Yahoo chat room. According to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, Kozakiewicz should be dead. But like the hero in every epic story since Homers The Odyssey, Kozakiewicz managed to escape from the underworld, returning home with newfound strength, wisdom and purpose.
All of this is obvious when you meet her in person although her appearance and attitude come as a surprise. It is hard to imagine that the stylish, confident 24-year-old, smiling and posing for a picture with TV star Joe Manganiello (of HBOs True Blood) at a party honoring powerful women in the region, experienced the trauma that she did. But as former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, whose office coordinated Kozakiewiczs dramatic rescue and convicted her abductor, puts it: Alicia is not a victim of child abuse; she is a survivor.
Kozakiewicz says that her kidnapper, Scott Tyree, a divorced computer programmer now serving a 19-year prison sentence, stole my innocence. But, she stresses, he could not take away her will to live, not even as he starved, beat and sexually assaulted her for four days in a basement dungeon stocked with knives, whips, chains and a cage.
Like most teens, Kozakiewicz had been awkward and shy. She weighed only 90 pounds. But in the darkness of Tyrees basement, she found her courage.
On the fourth day, I remember thinking, Today is the day I have to fight, and its probably going to kill me. Im probably not going to make it out of this alive, but I am not going down without a fight. Later that day, when Tyree was at work, Kozakiewicz heard crashing on the front door, and I hear men screaming, We have guns! We have guns! As armed men swarmed the house, I saw the most beautiful letters in the alphabet: F-B-I, in bold yellow on the backs of their jackets, and I knew I was safe.
How did she get there in the first place? Former prosecutor Buchanan calls it grooming. Tyree didnt break into the Kozakiewicz house in Crafton Heights to nab her; he broke into her mind. During the eight months they corresponded online, he easily manipulated her.
He behaved as if he were somebody my age, Kozakiewicz says, talking to me about my favorite things back then the Spice Girls, the Backstreet Boys, the movie Titanic. He became my best friend. Kozakiewicz explains further: He took my side no matter what. It made me feel like I was doing the right thing, that I was a good person. He made me feel beautiful and special and unique and important like I meant something.
<...>
PM contributor Geoffrey W. Melada, a trial lawyer, served as Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney from 2007-2011.
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A depraved world: FBI agents wage a stressful battle against child pornography [View all]
proverbialwisdom
Dec 2012
OP
I can not imagine doing that work. Quite an article there, my heart goes out to those agents.
uppityperson
Dec 2012
#2
my brother had to watch child rape videos, so they could count how many acts to charge the abuser
bettyellen
Dec 2012
#10
he really wasn't ready or trained for something like this, although I don't know if you could be
bettyellen
Dec 2012
#32
my brother is the devil because he's a policeman? Um, no. He's one of the kindest do-gooder types I
bettyellen
Dec 2012
#31
thanks, that misanthropic B+W thinking ain't going to convince anyone to be an anarchist
bettyellen
Dec 2012
#39
it creeps me out that "normal" guys get excited over grown women dressed like school girls
Skittles
Dec 2012
#17
And why are mass shootings usually committed by men? Is there a relationship?
SharonAnn
Dec 2012
#37
Sometimes this is the only way to lock the perps up. If their victim is disabled, unable to testify,
freshwest
Dec 2012
#7
He was objecting to anti-child porn laws and has a substantial knowledge of what
geek tragedy
Dec 2012
#52
A strong rebuttal could be written. Providing sources requires effort & time, I decided against it.
proverbialwisdom
Dec 2012
#55
Im not comparing crimes, im talking about how badly crime is fought in the United States
davidn3600
Dec 2012
#56
Yes, I think it's often abuse victims that become abusers themselves.
freedom fighter jh
Dec 2012
#27
I think it has to do with objectifying people in general, as well as mental disorders.
Dash87
Dec 2012
#59
What's your point? That destroying a child's soul and mind aren't as important?
WinkyDink
Dec 2012
#23
No, of course not. But literal survival of the living person must be at least equally important.
Loudly
Dec 2012
#30
55 fuckin % increase in one year. so damn tired of pro porn arguing there is no problem.
seabeyond
Dec 2012
#42
PITTSBURGH MAG/ JAN 2013/ "TAKEN" provides a glimpse into official opposition to PROTECT bill in PA.
proverbialwisdom
Dec 2012
#50
The FBI is also trying to suppress advanced anonomizing technology as part of this
ProgressiveProfessor
Dec 2012
#70
This vile case turns out to involve forum discussion about actual children related to a participant.
proverbialwisdom
Jan 2013
#80