This is my first point of personal privilege since my daughter was here five years ago, but I feel compelled to speak.
Yesterday, you may have read in Capitol Fax, and was in the news otherwise, that the Chicago Public Schools paid an expert $40,000 to testify in her deposition… to testify that not all sexual assault is traumatic.
That was taxpayer money. That was approved by the General Counsel CPS. The mayor appoints the board. The mayor ahas the ability to have a conversation with CPS top brass. CPS General Counsel, Ruchi Verma needs to go. Not only did she sign off on this expert, but they filed a motion - I have the motion in limine copy right here - to force this woman to use her real name.
This has been going on for a couple years. It just got to trial. Motion in limine. Now all of a sudden, they want her use her real name instead of Jane Doe. Why do you think that is? Maybe it’s because they had a mediation last week. They put $50,000 on the table and she didn’t take it. So to penalize her, to punish her, to shame her, they want her to use her own name.
So that 37 year old woman now will be known as a person who had sex with a high school damn teacher. It’s shameful! it’s shameful!
Walter Glascoff is a rapist. He’s a rapist. He lied to CPS initially, but ultimately in his deposition he testified he did not have sex with her, he only had oral sex until she was 17. Sex is in the very definition what he said. He then started having sex with her when she was 18 as well. We can’t do anything about that.
But he groomed her. He groomed her and what happened? CPS confronted him, he lied about it. They allowed him to resign. So who do you think pays his pension? We do.
I want to read to you a little bit from what I FOIA’d, so this is public information, so the judge doesn’t get upset.
‘For relevant time periods when you were a teacher at Hubbard high school during the 2001 to 2004 school year, you were involved in a sexual relationship with Jane Doe, a student at the same school, date of birth, between January 31 2002 and January 2003, you engaged in sexual intercourse with Jane Doe during the spring of 2004, sexual intercourse with Jane Doe.’ Took her to Navy Pier, took her to his home, drove her to her home and met her parents. You know what happened between 2012 and 2016? He was transporting other students. All under CPS’ watch.
I don’t have a dog in the race. This ain’t my case. It’s not my daughter. But we should all care. And there’s no way on God’s green earth that a duly licensed attorney who takes the same exact oath we take when we’re sworn in, the same exact oath, should ever put defending a case over what’s right.
Now the mayor came down here and everybody saying Chicago is owed a billion dollars. CPS does need more money, so does the rest of the state. I’m all for public education. That’s not the question.
The question is, what is Jane Doe owed? And I don’t mean financially. We can’t even talk about justice without basic respect. Forcing a woman or male or whoever to use their name in a lawsuit to pressure them, to shame them is unconscionable and is worth - I know the mayor doesn’t discuss personnel issues in the public he says - but this is something that needs to be addressed. And I’ll be wrapping up in just a moment.
Representative EliK had a bill I believe a year or so ago, House Bill 1275. One of the things that it says is that you cannot use comparative fault or contributory negligence with a minor. I don’t know what happened to the bill, it never moved. But I would hope as a chamber on a bipartisan basis we would look at that. Whether it needs an extension or otherwise.
How do you have a defense to suggest that a child, a child is comparatively at fault for their own being raped?
I had a bill. I’m not biased, but I had a bill that said at least in these situations, we should have a process, an administrative process to strip the pension of individuals. You can’t say well, if you rape the kid on Hubbard’s campus, we can take your pension, but if you take her to Navy Pier or to your house, we can’t because it’s off school grounds. So I appreciate you all indulging me I am beyond frustrated.
Rep. Tarver’s voice began to crack and he sat down.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
