Student dragged to psycho ward...
Michael Marcavage holds a flier he distributed at Temple University encouraging Christians to object to the staging of the play Corpus Christi. Following a dispute with administration officials, Marcavage was forcibly taken for psychiatric treatment.
PHOTO BY MARY DECKER
Document # 029.30.0.0 # 53 >Disclaimer: This document may be used as
you
will except: If you change anything in the text, remove my name and other
Ident. You may use it without my identification also if you wish...I only
ask that people read it and think...think...think. Sources/Ref's if not in
the text will be found on the last page of Doc 000.0.0.1 and 000.0.6.
CLMsr.<<<<
We have a Constitution and our Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) that
makes us free. Right? Then visit:
http://www.trimonline.org
http://www.getusout.org
http://www.thenewamerican.com
http://www.givemeliberty.org
http://nca.mybravenet.com
http://www.jbs.org
Then take a look at these sites:
http://www.dixierising.com
http://www.dixienet.org
http://www.palmetto.org
http://www.southerncaucus.org
http://www.spofga.org
http://www.southern-style.com
Subject: Student Dragged to Psych Ward. See
http://nca.mybravenet.com
Friends, This may be a preview of what happens to all Christians under the
coming UN agenda. You must understand that everyone must be "tolerant"
unless your views differ from the communist UN agenda which does not include
God. Nor does it include our Constitution or Bill of Rights. From: "Deb"
<protech@hiwaay.net> Subj: VDW:
Temple Jr Dragged to Psych Ward After
Dispute Over Blasphemous Play
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/22001i.asp.
(Agape Press) - Officials at Temple University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, allegedly had student Michael A. Marcavage involuntarily
committed to a state mental hospital after he initiated a Christian response
to a blasphemous play performed on campus. Marcavage is being represented by
the American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy (CLP) in a
lawsuit.
Marcavage was a junior at the university in the fall of 1999, when he
discovered that the Temple University Theater Department would be performing
the play Corpus Christi on campus. Corpus Christi inflamed Christians around
the country, and especially in New York City, when it was first performed on
Broadway in 1998. The play depicts Jesus as a homosexual who has sex with
his disciples, and was crucified for being "king of the queers."
Michael Marcavage holds a flier he distributed at Temple University
encouraging Christians to object to the staging of the play Corpus Christi.
Following a dispute with administration officials, Marcavage was forcibly
taken for psychiatric treatment.
According to his prepared statement, Marcavage immediately complained to
the dean of the School of Communications and Theater, as well as to the
president of the university, informing them of the nature of the play. In
addition, Marcavage said that he posted fliers "so that all Christians on
campus would be aware of this horrible play."
Marcavage met on a number of occasions with Vice President of Campus Safety
William Bergman and Director of Campus Safety Carl Bittenbender. After
Bergman repeatedly expressed his concern that protests outside the theater
might lead to a confrontation between different factions of the student
body, Marcavage said he agreed not to promote a protest.
Instead, he selected a different approach to Corpus Christi's blasphemous
message. He asked for and received permission from Bergman to stage a
Christian outreach to the student community at Temple.
According to Marcavage, Bergman promised that a stage would be provided to
facilitate the outreach. The same day, however, Bittenbender called
Marcavage to inform him that a stage now might be out of the question. The
junior was asked to meet with Bittenbender and Bergman at the vice
president's office the next morning.
At the meeting Bergman said that a stage would be too expensive to provide.
When Marcavage offered to pay for the stage, Bergman refused to give further
explanation for the decision. Upset, Marcavage excused himself, went to the
bathroom, locked the door and prayed about what he should do next.
Marcavage said the next thing he knew, Bergman was pounding on the door,
demanding that the student come out and continue the discussion. Marcavage
said he opened the door and "told him that I believed our conversation was
over."
The junior said Bergman physically forced him back into the office and
"pushed me into a chair and held me with his arm." When Marcavage said he
wanted to leave, Bergman allegedly refused to allow it. Attempting to rise,
he said the vice president tripped him to the floor, and then Bergman and
Bittenbender manhandled him to the couch, where they held him down.
Marcavage said moments later, a Temple University police officer arrived
and handcuffed the junior. Eventually Marcavage was taken by police car to
the Emergency Crisis Center at Temple University Hospital.
At the crisis center, Bittenbender allegedly signed a statement making some
stunning allegations: that Marcavage was "severely mentally disabled;"
represented a "clear and present danger to others;" that the junior had
"inflicted or attempted to inflict serious bodily harm on another" within
the past 30 days; and that Marcavage "has attempted suicide" and there was a
"reasonable probability of suicide unless treatment was afforded" by the
emergency crisis center. Bittenbender's statement concluded that Marcavage
was "in need of involuntary examination and treatment."
According to documents provided by Marcavage, however, the junior was
examined at the crisis center by Dr. Jose Villaluz, who noted in his written
report that Marcavage was "not in need of involuntary treatment" and ordered
the student's release -- three hours after first arriving.
Subsequent to the junior's being handcuffed -- but prior to being placed in
the squad car -- Marcavage had also apparently been observed by Dr. Denise
Walton, a Temple University staff psychologist. In a separate document, Dr.
Walton said she also had seen no overt sign that the student was about to
harm himself or others.
An attempt to file a police report at the Temple University police station
concerning his ordeal was rebuffed. Marcavage said police at first refused
to file a charge against Bergman because the vice president was "our boss."
Then Bittenbender entered the room, and told Marcavage that no report would
be filed, because no crime had been committed. His only recourse was to file
a report with the Philadelphia Police Department.
After subsequent attempts to complain through university channels failed,
Marcavage sought help from the CLP. CLP Senior Trial Attorney Brian
Fahling, who is handling the case, said, "This kid is as solid as a rock.
Besides being a college student on the Dean's List, Michael was a White
House intern with security clearance, is founder and president of a ministry
called Protect the Children, president of his own business, and a volunteer
who has worked with Campus Crusade for Christ and gone oversees with Feed
the Children," Fahling said. "This is a good Christian kid who wanted to
stand up for Jesus, and instead was handcuffed and dragged to a mental
hospital as if he'd been seeing pink elephants."
The CLP lawsuit targets Temple University, as well as Bergman and
Bittenbender, charging the defendants with depriving Marcavage of his civil
and constitutional rights. Criminal charges related to the incident have
also been lodged.
Ed Vitagliano is News Editor for the AFA Journal, a monthly publication of
the American Family Association. He can be contacted at
italian@afa.net.
Two Years...for a Slap on the Butt? According to the Electronic Telegraph,
a 13 year old boy from Espanola Middle School in northern New Mexico is
facing a possible two years in a juvenile detention facility for swatting a
13 year old female classmate once on the backside. That was the extent of
the encounter. The girl did not report it, and her mother later said that
she would not have pressed charges. "It was only a slap on the butt. Cheeky
boys have been doing that for years." she said. How wrong she was. It seems
that a teacher witnessed the incident and (instead of slapping the boy on
the butt - several times) reported it to the police, which set the wheels of
PC stupidity spinning into motion. According to the article, " Police are
using forensic scientists to determine the force of the slap to decide
whether to charge the boy with criminal sexual contact or merely assault and
battery." Espanola's police chief, said: "The suspect is alleging that this
was not a sexual issue. But why the buttocks? Why not the arm?" Because he's
13 years old! Where'd you park your squad-car, Dick Tracey? Or is there just
a lot of snow out there this year and you ran out of stuff to do? As a
father of five daughters, I can say with some assurance that it would be far
more embarrassing and traumatizing to a young lady to presumably have to
present her bare bottom to be photographed and finger-printed by a bunch of
cops than the original slap could ever have been.
029.30.0.0 # 53 End.
"We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary
Americans." Comrade Pres W. J. Klinton. USAToday. 11 Mar 93. Pg 2A. "You
know the one thing that's wrong with this country? Everyone gets a chance to
have their fair say." Comrade Pres W. J. Klinton. 28 May 93. The Courtyard.
City Hall, Philadelphia. "I'm not going to have some reporters pawing
through our papers. We are the President." Comrade Hillary Diane Klinton.