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>> SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS
STAND VIGIL TO DEMAND A DIALOG.
ORGANIZERS JON VAUGHN ON WHAT HE
HOPES TO ACCOMPLISH.
THE STRUGGLE OVER ELECTIONS PAST
AND FUTURE.
WE’LL TALK ABOUT EFFORTS TO
CHANGE HOW MICHIGANDERS VOTE.
PLUS, THE PLAN TO BRING AN HBCU
BACK TO DETROIT.
TODAY IS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17TH,
2021 AND THIS IS FLASH POINT.
HELLO AND WELCOME TO FLASH
POINT, I’M JASON COLTHORP.
DEVIN IS OFF THIS WEEK.
AND YOU KNOW WHO ELSE WISHES
HE’S OUT U OF M PRESIDENT, A
PROTEST OUTSIDE OF HIS HOUSE ON
CAMPUS BECAUSE OF DR. ROBERT
ANDERSON’S ABUSE.
WE’LL TALK WITH THE SURVIVOR WHO
IS CAMPING OUT THERE ABOUT WHY
THIS PROTEST AND ONE OF THE
ATTORNEYS ON THE CASE TO FIND
OUT WHERE THINGS STAND THERE.
SOMEHOW THERE’S STILL AN EFFORT
TO REVIEW THE RESULTS OF THE
LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN
MICHIGAN.
I’LL TALK ABOUT THE LATEST
MOVEMENTS AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
TO VOTERS HERE IN MICHIGAN.
AND THE STATE’S FIRST
HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE IS
MAKE AGO COMEBACK TO DETROIT
AFTER NEARLY A DECADE AWAY.
COMING UP, WE’LL TALK TO TWO MEN
KEY TO MAKING THAT HAPPEN.
LET’S GET STARTED THIS MORNING
ON FLASH POINT.
♪
JOINING US NOW FOR MICHIGAN
FOOTBALL STAR JON VAUGHN, HE
PLAYED FROM 1988 TO 1990 AND
ENDURED MORE THAN 50 UNNECESSARY
INVASIVE EXAMS FROM DR. ROBERT
ANDERSON AS WELL AS OTHER
ABUSES.
VEN JOHNSON REPRESENTS FORMER
ATHLETES.
JON, AS WE TAPE THIS, YOU’RE
MORE THAN A WEEK, I BELIEVE
EIGHT DAYS ON YOUR PROTEST
OUTSIDE PRESIDENT’S HOUSE.
WHY NOW?
>> AND A WEEK 7:00 TONIGHT AND
INTERESTING, THE MORE HOURS I
COUNT, THE MORE COMES EVIDENCE
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS NOT
PROTECTING THE STUDENTS ON
CAMPUS, AND TWO, HE HAS NO
REGARD FOR THE PAST AND THE 2100
PLUS SURVIVORS OF THIS ATROCITY
THAT WAS COMMITTED AND ENABLED
BY THE UNIVERSITY OF DR.
ANDERSON.
>> Jason: WE SHOULD POINT OUT,
TOO, QUICKLY, THAT AS WE’VE SAID
THAT UPON SOME ADVICE, THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN ADVISED NOT
TO TALK TO YOU AND I KNOW YOU
WANT TO SIT DOWN WITH THE
PRESIDENT OR THE BOARD OF
REGENTS, BUT OF COURSE, WITH THE
MEDIATION, THEY’RE ADVISING THEM
NOT TO DO THAT.
ARE YOU MORE ANGRY AT THE
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION OR THE
ONES FROM THE PAST WHERE THE
ONES WHO COULD HAVE STOPPED
ROBERT ANDERSON?
>> I THINK THEY’RE ALL JUST AS
GUILTY BECAUSE THIS
ADMINISTRATION COULD HAVE
STOPPED THE COVERUP, BUT IT
DIDN’T AND HOW NOT ONLY THE
BOARD OF REGENTS AND THE OFFICE
OF THE PRESIDENT HAS RESPONDED
IS RIDICULOUS.
AND THEY DIDN’T WANT TO TALK--
DON’T TALK TO ME, BUT 95% OF THE
VOICES SPEAKING TO THE PRESIDENT
ON THURSDAY NIGHT WERE STUDENTS
AND THEY’RE CONCERNED WITH THE
LACK OF SAFETY ON THIS CAMPUS.
SO FINE, DON’T TALK TO JON
VAUGHN, WE CAN’T CHANGE WHAT
HAPPENED TO US, BUT THE STUDENTS
WERE STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH
US AND WE WITH THEM BECAUSE THE
SAME THING THAT WE WENT WITH,
SEXUAL ASSAULT, RAPE, SEXUAL
ABUSE AND NO ONE THERE TO LISTEN
TO US AND PROTECT US, IS THE
SAME THING GOING ON THERE TODAY.
SO I THINK THAT STATEMENT FULL
OF LIES, THEY HAD NO INTENTIONS
OF DOING THE RIGHT THING.
I THINK THEY’RE SAYING WHAT
THEY’RE SAYING BECAUSE
ULTIMATELY THEY’VE GOT CAUGHT IN
THE LARGEST SEXUAL ABUSE, RAPE
AND COVERUP IN THE HISTORY OF
SPORTS.
>> Jason: WEDNESDAY NIGHT YOU
HAD -- WAS A BIG PROTEST, VIGIL
OUT THERE AND YOU WERE JOINED BY
SEVERAL PEOPLE, OTHER SURVIVORS.
I KNOW THAT CHUCK CHRISTIAN IS
OUT THERE WITH YOU NOW.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE THAT
SUPPORT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT?
>> IT MEANT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT
BECAUSE I MEAN, WHEN HAVE YOU
SEEN SO MANY VICTIMS OF SO MANY
ATROCITIES STANDING NOT ONLY FOR
EACH OTHER, BUT ALSO THERE FOR
THE CURRENT AND THE FUTURE
STUDENTS OF AMERICA?
I MEAN, IT WAS A VERY, VERY
TOUCHING MOMENT.
>> Jason: I WANT TO BRING IN VEN
JOHNSON.
AND YOU AT LAST CHECK,
REPRESENTING 19 FORMER
BASKETBALL PLAYERS AND ONE
NONATHLETE, IS THAT CORRECT?
>> YES, SIR, YOU MIGHT BE OFF BY
ONE OR TWO, BUT YOU’RE RIGHT ON,
JASON.
>> Jason: TELL ME WHERE THE CASE
STANDS AT THIS MOMENT.
>> WELL, WE’RE INVOLVED IN THE
MEDIATION, IT’S A SETTLEMENT
PROCESS.
IT’S CONFIDENTIAL SO OBVIOUSLY
CAN’T DISCUSS IT, BUT WHAT HAS
HAPPENED A NUMBER OF THE CASES
ARE ACTUALLY FILED IN THE
FEDERAL COURTHOUSE HERE IN
DETROIT.
THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN AND
THE PARTIES ARE TRYING TO SEE
WHETHER THEY CAN COME UP WITH A
RESOLUTION.
EITHER THEY WILL WITHIN THE NEXT
FEW MONTHS OR THEY WON’T, AND IF
THEY DON’T, THEN IT’S GOING TO
GO BACK INTO COURT AND MANY
MOTIONS WILL BE FILED AND MANY
OTHER COURT BATTLES.
>> Jason: YEAH, NOW, A LITTLE
WHILE AGO, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO
WE HEARD, I THINK ACTUALLY A
WEEK AND A HALF AGO, A TAPE CAME
OUT FROM THE PRESIDENT LAST
DECEMBER, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’RE
FAMILIAR WITH THIS--
>> OH, I HEARD IT, BROTHER, I
HEARD IT.
>> Jason: HOW MUCH, WHEN HE SAID
THAT THESE ARE CREDIBLE CLAIMS,
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE CASE?
I KNOW IT’S MEDIATION.
BUT IF MEDIATION FALLS APART AND
THEY GO BACK TO LITIGATION AND
TRY TO DISMISS AS THEY HAD DONE
BEFORE, HOW DAMAGING IS THAT
STATEMENT?
>> WELL, IT’S THE TRUTH.
HE KNOWS IT’S HORRIBLE.
HE KNOWS THEY’RE RESPONSIBLE AND
YET, OF COURSE, WE WILL USE THAT
AND IT’S CALLED AN ADMISSION
UNDER THE LAW, THAT THEY KNOW
THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE AND
THAT THEY COULD HAVE AND SHOULD
HAVE DONE MORE, JUST LIKE JOHN
WAS TALKING ABOUT AND SURVIVORS
HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR
YEARS.
YES, THAT WILL BE UTILIZED AND
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT NOT
EVEN A YEAR AGO, JASON, YOU AND
I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE,
THEY HAD THIS IN THE HILL
REPORT.
SO U OF M HIRED, QUOTE,
INDEPENDENT LAW FIRM AND THAT
THEY KNEW AND SHOULD HAVE DONE
SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND DIDN’T.
THE ONLY NEWS, I AGREE WITH JON
VAUGHN COMPLETELY, IT’S TIME
RIGHT NOW FOR THE BOARD OF
REGENTS AND U OF M TO STEP UP
AND ADMIT THAT THEY ARE AT FAULT
AND THAT THEY WILL TAKE FULL
RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATE
THESE SURVIVORS, PERIOD.
>> Jason: YEAH, JON, YOU’VE
BROUGHT UP THE PAST, VEN.
I WANT TO BRING IN JON HERE.
YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT BO
SCHEMBECHLER WITH MIXED
FEELINGS, WITH REVERENCE AND
ALSO SOME BLAME.
EXPLAIN THAT TO ME.
>> WELL, ULTIMATELY, AS I’VE
SAID BEFORE, THERE WAS NO WAY
THAT HE DIDN’T KNOW AND IT WAS
PROVEN THAT HE DID KNOW AND
ULTIMA THE--
ULTIMATELY IF HE HELD US TO A
CERTAIN STANDARD OF ETHICS AND
MORAL CODE OF CONDUCT, WE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO HOLD HIM TO THE SAME
STANDARD, AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
>> PERIOD.
>> Jason: BEFORE I LET YOU GO,
JON, HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN TO GO
OUT THERE.
YOU’VE BEEN MORE THAN A WEEK
NOW.
HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO CARRY
ON THIS PROTEST?
>> YOU KNOW, UNTIL THE JOB IS
DONE.
I’M LEADING WITH, YOU KNOW THE
PRESIDENT OF THE STUDENT BOARD
TODAY AT 4:00, I’M MEETING WITH
A GROUP OF PROFESSORS.
THERE’S AN ISSUE HERE ON THIS
CAMPUS AND COLLECTIVELY WE ARE
SURVIVORS, KNOW THAT WE WILL
HAVE RESOLUTION AND CANNOT
CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED TO US, BUT
IF I MAY JUST TAKE A QUICK
SECOND, ON THE SECOND DAY THAT I
WAS OUT HERE WHERE I FEW HOW
ACUTE THE SITUATION WAS AND THE
LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY, OF
LEADERSHIP WE HAVE IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, I HAD A YOUNG
OF THE PRESIDENT, I HAD A YOUNG
LADY STUDENT SAY TO ME, I SPENT
MORE TIME ON THIS CAMPUS
THINKING ABOUT THE NEXT TIME I’M
GOING TO GET RAPED OR SEXUALLY
ABUSED THAN I DO PICKING OUT MY
MAJOR BECAUSE WHEN I REPORT IT
TO THE ADMINISTRATION, THEY
IGNORED ME AND TODAY, JUST
TALKING TO YOU, I FEEL SAFER
THAN I EVER HAVE AT THIS
UNIVERSITY.
THIS IS A UNIVERSITY-WIDE
PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
EMBROILED IN IN THE CULTURE OF
SEXUAL ABUSE AND RAPE FOR OVER
HALF A CENTURY.
SO WHEN THE JOB IS DONE, THEN I
WILL GO HOME.
>> Jason: JON, GOOD LUCK OUT
THERE.
VEN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME
AND THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU
GUYS.
AND BY THE WAY, IN RESPONSE TO
THE PROTEST, A UNIVERSITY
STATEMENT READS IN PART, AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WE’RE
WORKING EVERY SINGLE DAY TO MAKE
OUR CAMPUS SAFER FOR EVERY
MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ARE ALSO WORKING TOWARD FAIR
COMPENSATION FOR THE ANDERSON
SURVIVORS DUE TO CONFIDENTIAL
COURT SUPERVISED MEDIATION
PROCESS THAT IS CONTINUING, OUT
OF RESPECT FOR THAT PROCESS