Ex-coach’s bash broken off after 2 groups protest

Anti-abuse advocates object

A goodbye party for Kathy Griffin - the former Mount St. Mary athletic director found guilty last month of failing to report a sexual relationship between a teacher and a student - was canceled Thursday after two national organizations asked Bishop Anthony Taylor to denounce the event and forbid Catholic employees from attending it.

Katie Escovedo, one of the party’s organizers, said she had only two things to say: “The event’s canceled. The second thing is, we were just trying to help a friend.”

An Evite online invitation said the party would be Saturday at Cotham’s in the City.What drew the ire of the two national organizations - the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and the National Survivor Advocates Coalition - was the public nature of the event, as well as its fundraising element.

The invitation asked those who planned to attend to help “create a money tree to show [Griffin] what she has meant to all of us.”

On the Support Coach Kathy Griffin Facebook page, a post indicated that those unable to attend the party could still donate via Pay pal or by making a donation to an account set up at US Bank.

“This woman’s been convicted and yet you’re going to have a public display of support for someone who has shown support for a predator?” said Barbara Dorris of St. Louis. She is an outreach director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

In a letter to Bishop Taylor, Dorris and others wrote: “We are worried about the child who was hurt longer because Griffin broke the law and stayed silence. We are also worried about other child sex abuse victims who will be discouraged and depressed when they see adults publicly rallying around and raising money for a convicted criminal.”

The bishop had not received the letter as of Thursday afternoon, said Dennis Lee, chancellor for administrative affairs.

In an email, Lee added: “I would like to make you aware of the Diocese of Little Rock’s resources for protecting children and young people from abuse by anyone acting in the name of the Catholic church. If you go to the diocesan web site, www.dolr.org, and scroll down to the lower left-hand corner, you’ll see a box ‘Creating A Safe Environment.’ It has a direct link to ‘How to Report Abuse of Minors.’”

Griffin, 56, was sentenced to one year of supervised probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine after she was convicted of failure to notify by a mandated reporter. The Class A misdemeanor carries a maximum prison sentence of one year in jail.

The sexual relationship was between former math teacher and coach Kelly O’Rourke, 42, and a student who was 16 when the relationship began.

Griffin, who once was romantically involved with O’Rourke, learned of the sexual relationship Feb. 24, 2012, and notified authorities two weeks later after finding out that someone else was about to report it, prosecutors said at the September trial.

Griffin’s first trial in January ended in a hung jury.

Her defense attorney, Jeff Rosenzweig, said Thursday that Griffin is appealing her conviction.

In both trials, Rosenzweig argued that Griffin wasn’t legally obligated to report the relationship, given that the girl was 18 and considered an adult when Griffin learned of the situation.

Arkansas, Pages 10 on 10/18/2013

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