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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:10,135 --> 00:00:13,095 [cheers and applause] 2 00:00:13,096 --> 00:00:16,226 [dramatic music] 3 00:00:16,225 --> 00:00:17,635 - You know, my senior year, 4 00:00:17,643 --> 00:00:21,193 I wanted to go to college for acting. 5 00:00:21,188 --> 00:00:24,068 In my mind, I wanted to start a theater company 6 00:00:24,066 --> 00:00:25,566 and, like, make films, 7 00:00:25,567 --> 00:00:27,987 and I kind of wanted to do the whole thing. 8 00:00:27,986 --> 00:00:31,986 [cheering, person speaking indistinctly] 9 00:00:31,990 --> 00:00:35,660 He was like, "Why don't you go to the University of Utah? 10 00:00:35,661 --> 00:00:37,621 "Like, they have a great acting program. 11 00:00:37,621 --> 00:00:39,751 I'm gonna be moving there." 12 00:00:39,748 --> 00:00:41,788 [students cheering] 13 00:00:41,792 --> 00:00:44,172 ♪ ♪ 14 00:00:44,169 --> 00:00:45,549 Look at my teeth. 15 00:00:45,545 --> 00:00:48,005 [chuckles] I got my braces off! 16 00:00:48,006 --> 00:00:49,546 So I did, 17 00:00:49,549 --> 00:00:53,429 and I moved to Utah and went to school there. 18 00:00:53,428 --> 00:00:54,968 I should get my own video camera 19 00:00:54,972 --> 00:00:58,102 and film stuff in Utah like my teeth. 20 00:00:58,100 --> 00:01:02,310 And I moved into the basement with him and his wife. 21 00:01:02,312 --> 00:01:09,242 ♪ ♪ 22 00:01:19,538 --> 00:01:21,748 Both my parents were kind of worried about me 23 00:01:21,748 --> 00:01:24,788 going somewhere out of state... 24 00:01:24,793 --> 00:01:27,133 but then when I told them that, like, 25 00:01:27,129 --> 00:01:28,629 "I don't need to live in the dorms, 26 00:01:28,630 --> 00:01:30,880 "I can live, you know, in the basement 27 00:01:30,882 --> 00:01:32,972 of the theater teacher," 28 00:01:32,968 --> 00:01:34,638 I think that made them feel 29 00:01:34,636 --> 00:01:36,926 like I would at least be around some people that were familiar. 30 00:01:39,016 --> 00:01:41,686 He had successfully groomed me 31 00:01:41,685 --> 00:01:45,055 to the point where I didn't have anybody anymore. 32 00:01:45,063 --> 00:01:47,733 I was isolated and alone, 33 00:01:47,733 --> 00:01:50,993 and I felt like I owed it to him 34 00:01:50,986 --> 00:01:54,106 to at least show up and give the relationship a try, 35 00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:57,954 and that kind of meant without conditions. 36 00:01:57,951 --> 00:02:03,371 ♪ ♪ 37 00:02:03,373 --> 00:02:07,383 The basement was cold and dark, 38 00:02:07,377 --> 00:02:09,917 and it was like a prison. 39 00:02:09,921 --> 00:02:13,631 It felt like I was somebody's captive 40 00:02:13,634 --> 00:02:16,054 in a way. 41 00:02:16,053 --> 00:02:18,013 There was just, like, a little kind of slit of a window 42 00:02:18,013 --> 00:02:19,393 at the very top. 43 00:02:19,389 --> 00:02:21,679 Otherwise, it was pretty dark. 44 00:02:21,683 --> 00:02:26,313 And it was right across from his office, 45 00:02:26,313 --> 00:02:28,233 where he spent most of his time. 46 00:02:30,108 --> 00:02:33,148 That was the first time that I had sex. 47 00:02:33,153 --> 00:02:35,743 ♪ ♪ 48 00:02:35,739 --> 00:02:38,329 I didn't have any friends who were able to say, 49 00:02:38,325 --> 00:02:40,075 "This is weird, Cheryl. 50 00:02:40,077 --> 00:02:42,577 This is weird. This is not normal." 51 00:02:42,579 --> 00:02:44,749 ♪ ♪ 52 00:02:44,748 --> 00:02:47,078 I've been a little crazy lately. 53 00:02:47,084 --> 00:02:50,594 The teacher is getting frustrated with me a lot. 54 00:02:50,587 --> 00:02:53,297 Honestly, sometimes I feel unwanted 55 00:02:53,298 --> 00:02:55,878 or like I couldn't go to him for anything 56 00:02:55,884 --> 00:02:58,894 because I'd be bothering him. 57 00:02:58,887 --> 00:03:01,847 I can't see past what my brain is telling me, 58 00:03:01,848 --> 00:03:04,638 even though I know in my heart that he loves me. 59 00:03:04,643 --> 00:03:09,563 ♪ ♪ 60 00:03:13,902 --> 00:03:15,152 I had been struggling 61 00:03:15,153 --> 00:03:18,413 with how to talk about this for a long time. 62 00:03:18,407 --> 00:03:21,077 We stayed together until I was 22. 63 00:03:21,076 --> 00:03:23,116 And so the grooming led to this, 64 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:24,580 what some people would say, 65 00:03:24,579 --> 00:03:27,579 was, like, a consensual relationship. 66 00:03:27,582 --> 00:03:31,212 And so I think that was part of what was so hard for me 67 00:03:31,211 --> 00:03:33,261 coming forward, which was like... 68 00:03:33,255 --> 00:03:35,295 - Yeah. - I had a part in it. 69 00:03:35,298 --> 00:03:37,258 And there was a lot of judgment that came my way 70 00:03:37,259 --> 00:03:40,009 and still comes my way, you know. 71 00:03:40,011 --> 00:03:41,391 - Yes. 72 00:03:41,388 --> 00:03:44,808 Because that's the nature of it--the shame. 73 00:03:44,808 --> 00:03:47,688 A lot of these guys, they know exactly what they're doing, 74 00:03:47,686 --> 00:03:50,306 and they want to make you feel like, you know, 75 00:03:50,313 --> 00:03:52,153 "Oh, I was a willing party," 76 00:03:52,149 --> 00:03:53,689 you know, you know how you said that, 77 00:03:53,692 --> 00:03:57,402 but the whole goal was for it to get to that point. 78 00:03:57,404 --> 00:04:00,574 And oftentimes that's why you do see people 79 00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:03,034 that are serial offenders. 80 00:04:03,034 --> 00:04:07,874 Your average child sex offender has about nine victims. 81 00:04:07,873 --> 00:04:10,333 But, you know, what's really interesting is that many times 82 00:04:10,333 --> 00:04:12,673 it's not just the survivor that's been groomed. 83 00:04:12,669 --> 00:04:15,089 It's also those around the survivor-- 84 00:04:15,088 --> 00:04:16,718 the family, the caregivers, 85 00:04:16,715 --> 00:04:20,715 the other people entrusted to that youth, to that child. 86 00:04:20,719 --> 00:04:23,639 There's a lot more education that needs to be around it, 87 00:04:23,638 --> 00:04:26,888 and so, you know, it's really pulling everyone together 88 00:04:26,892 --> 00:04:28,892 in on this conversation. - Yeah. 89 00:04:28,894 --> 00:04:35,824 ♪ ♪ 90 00:04:51,374 --> 00:04:54,504 I don't know when his wife 91 00:04:54,503 --> 00:04:56,633 found the messages. 92 00:04:56,630 --> 00:04:59,930 All I know is, by the time the year ended, 93 00:04:59,925 --> 00:05:02,505 she presented... 94 00:05:02,511 --> 00:05:05,851 him with this book 95 00:05:05,847 --> 00:05:08,477 of all of the messages 96 00:05:08,475 --> 00:05:11,185 that he and I had exchanged 97 00:05:11,186 --> 00:05:13,686 all through high school, 98 00:05:13,688 --> 00:05:18,188 and she threw it at him and left. 99 00:05:18,193 --> 00:05:21,153 ♪ ♪ 100 00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:23,284 After he got a divorce, 101 00:05:23,281 --> 00:05:26,741 he was still teaching high school. 102 00:05:26,743 --> 00:05:29,453 There was a point where he came home 103 00:05:29,454 --> 00:05:33,174 to the apartment that we shared and said, 104 00:05:33,166 --> 00:05:36,626 "I've been fired for having what the principal called 105 00:05:36,628 --> 00:05:39,548 "an inappropriate email relationship with a student. 106 00:05:39,548 --> 00:05:42,678 "Nothing was happening. It's a big misunderstanding." 107 00:05:42,676 --> 00:05:46,046 And I believed him. 108 00:05:48,014 --> 00:05:51,644 I didn't think that he would be dumb enough 109 00:05:51,643 --> 00:05:54,153 to get involved with another student. 110 00:05:54,145 --> 00:05:57,895 I still felt like I was special... 111 00:05:57,899 --> 00:06:01,029 and I believed that it was the exception 112 00:06:01,027 --> 00:06:03,317 because I knew somewhere deep down 113 00:06:03,321 --> 00:06:06,621 that it was not okay, that I was not okay. 114 00:06:06,616 --> 00:06:13,536 ♪ ♪ 115 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,090 There were many moments in college where... 116 00:06:20,088 --> 00:06:22,548 the crack started to appear. 117 00:06:24,342 --> 00:06:26,262 Once I moved to L. A. 118 00:06:26,261 --> 00:06:28,221 and we were no longer together, 119 00:06:28,221 --> 00:06:29,811 I started really seeing 120 00:06:29,806 --> 00:06:32,726 that this thing might not have been okay. 121 00:06:34,144 --> 00:06:37,024 The real turning point was... 122 00:06:37,022 --> 00:06:39,112 a friend of mine 123 00:06:39,107 --> 00:06:41,857 from Little Elm... 124 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:43,740 called me. 125 00:06:45,447 --> 00:06:47,317 As we were talking, 126 00:06:47,324 --> 00:06:49,874 I made the decision to be honest 127 00:06:49,868 --> 00:06:53,908 about my relationship with him for the first time. 128 00:06:53,913 --> 00:06:56,043 And so I said to them, 129 00:06:56,041 --> 00:06:58,921 "I want to tell you something that I've never told anybody, 130 00:06:58,918 --> 00:07:02,008 "and it has to do with him. 131 00:07:02,005 --> 00:07:04,375 "I was in... 132 00:07:04,382 --> 00:07:07,682 "a relationship with him, 133 00:07:07,677 --> 00:07:10,717 "and it started when I was in high school. 134 00:07:10,722 --> 00:07:13,352 It started when I was 16." 135 00:07:14,851 --> 00:07:17,481 And they said, "Me too." 136 00:07:17,479 --> 00:07:22,479 ♪ ♪ 137 00:07:22,484 --> 00:07:24,824 And... [sighs] 138 00:07:24,819 --> 00:07:31,699 ♪ ♪ 139 00:07:35,830 --> 00:07:37,710 [inhales sharply] 140 00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:41,963 Sorry. 141 00:07:41,961 --> 00:07:43,961 [sighs] 142 00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:46,723 ♪ ♪ 143 00:07:46,716 --> 00:07:48,466 I think that was the first time 144 00:07:48,468 --> 00:07:52,388 that I was able to actually see myself... 145 00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:56,023 As a kid. 146 00:07:56,017 --> 00:07:59,897 [videotape rewinding] 147 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:01,436 [indistinct chatter] 148 00:08:01,439 --> 00:08:03,859 Everything came into question. 149 00:08:03,858 --> 00:08:07,198 [tape rewinding] 150 00:08:07,195 --> 00:08:09,105 And suddenly I realized, like, 151 00:08:09,114 --> 00:08:11,244 "He wasn't just doing this to me. 152 00:08:11,241 --> 00:08:13,621 "He was doing this to me, 153 00:08:13,618 --> 00:08:16,998 and he was doing this to someone else." 154 00:08:16,996 --> 00:08:19,326 And then I remembered that when we were together, 155 00:08:19,332 --> 00:08:20,792 he was fired, 156 00:08:20,792 --> 00:08:23,462 which then I was like, "Jesus Christ, Cheryl." 157 00:08:23,461 --> 00:08:27,471 And it was like I suddenly became an adult. 158 00:08:27,465 --> 00:08:29,755 ♪ ♪ 159 00:08:29,759 --> 00:08:31,719 He's gotten just to go on with his life, 160 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,560 and I have had to do the hard work 161 00:08:34,556 --> 00:08:37,056 of rewriting myself. 162 00:08:38,643 --> 00:08:41,773 I mean, that was my entire adolescence. 163 00:08:41,771 --> 00:08:43,821 In those years, those were my formative years, 164 00:08:43,815 --> 00:08:45,225 and they're gone. 165 00:08:45,233 --> 00:08:47,493 I'll never get them back. 166 00:08:47,485 --> 00:08:49,565 [sniffles] 167 00:09:10,508 --> 00:09:13,798 - Remember how we were looking for, like, recent cases? 168 00:09:13,803 --> 00:09:15,103 - Uh-huh. 169 00:09:15,096 --> 00:09:16,346 - This young woman, Heaven, 170 00:09:16,347 --> 00:09:19,767 back in 2016... 171 00:09:19,768 --> 00:09:22,098 she came forward about her teacher. 172 00:09:22,103 --> 00:09:24,063 This news clip says that the state 173 00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:26,364 is filing criminal charges against him 174 00:09:26,357 --> 00:09:29,067 but the case has been pushed and pushed and pushed. 175 00:09:29,069 --> 00:09:31,529 - Another delay in the case of a former teacher 176 00:09:31,529 --> 00:09:33,909 accused of having sex with an underage student. 177 00:09:33,907 --> 00:09:36,617 Jason Meyers was arrested more than five years ago, 178 00:09:36,618 --> 00:09:39,248 but he has not faced a jury yet. 179 00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:41,615 - The entire world has to blow up 180 00:09:41,623 --> 00:09:43,833 if a person comes forward to talk about it. 181 00:09:43,833 --> 00:09:45,343 - Mm-hmm. - Do you know what I'm saying? 182 00:09:45,335 --> 00:09:46,625 Like, it's crazy. 183 00:09:46,628 --> 00:09:49,168 - Yeah, but the crazy thing about this story 184 00:09:49,172 --> 00:09:52,722 is that her teacher, this guy Jason Meyers-- 185 00:09:52,717 --> 00:09:54,587 multiple people have alleged 186 00:09:54,594 --> 00:09:56,434 that Jason Meyers has done this. 187 00:09:56,429 --> 00:09:57,969 - Yeah, I mean, I'm curious, 188 00:09:57,972 --> 00:10:00,852 like, why the trial's being held up. 189 00:10:00,850 --> 00:10:03,020 - Mm-hmm. - It's now set for July. 190 00:10:03,019 --> 00:10:05,649 - Yeah. - Is it gonna happen? 191 00:10:05,647 --> 00:10:07,147 - I don't know. 192 00:10:07,148 --> 00:10:10,188 I mean, we should try and get in contact with her. 193 00:10:18,409 --> 00:10:20,289 - [chuckles] Hi, can you hear me? 194 00:10:20,286 --> 00:10:22,246 - Yeah, I can. 195 00:10:22,247 --> 00:10:24,327 Crazy meeting this way. - I know. 196 00:10:24,332 --> 00:10:26,132 How are you feeling? 197 00:10:28,503 --> 00:10:29,803 - A little overwhelmed. 198 00:10:29,796 --> 00:10:32,666 [both laugh] 199 00:10:32,674 --> 00:10:34,514 It's one of those days. 200 00:10:34,509 --> 00:10:38,099 - I'm very interested to hear about your experience 201 00:10:38,096 --> 00:10:40,266 moving through the legal system. 202 00:10:40,265 --> 00:10:43,635 What made you decide to press charges, 203 00:10:43,643 --> 00:10:47,233 or, like, what made you decide to do this? 204 00:10:47,230 --> 00:10:50,980 - Yeah, I didn't really have 205 00:10:50,984 --> 00:10:52,744 much of an option. 206 00:10:52,735 --> 00:10:54,695 Since I was 17, 207 00:10:54,696 --> 00:10:57,276 I'm pretty sure my parents made that decision. 208 00:10:57,282 --> 00:10:59,452 I just remember 209 00:10:59,450 --> 00:11:01,870 being called in to talk with the police 210 00:11:01,870 --> 00:11:04,250 and then finding out, like, the next day 211 00:11:04,247 --> 00:11:06,287 that he had been arrested that night. 212 00:11:06,291 --> 00:11:09,421 - Was there a point where it transferred 213 00:11:09,419 --> 00:11:11,499 from being maybe your parents' choice 214 00:11:11,504 --> 00:11:13,674 to your choice? 215 00:11:13,673 --> 00:11:15,723 - Definitely. 216 00:11:15,717 --> 00:11:19,847 I felt like I had lost a lot, 217 00:11:19,846 --> 00:11:22,266 like I'd lost... 218 00:11:22,265 --> 00:11:25,385 a normal experience in high school. 219 00:11:25,393 --> 00:11:27,813 I'd lost a lot of my friends, 220 00:11:27,812 --> 00:11:31,402 and hearing the defense attorneys 221 00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:33,479 talk about me on the news 222 00:11:33,484 --> 00:11:34,944 like I was making it all up 223 00:11:34,944 --> 00:11:39,244 or pursuing this for the wrong reasons, 224 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,490 I was just like, "No. 225 00:11:41,492 --> 00:11:44,162 "You're not gonna be the only one to have a say 226 00:11:44,162 --> 00:11:45,462 "in how this goes. 227 00:11:45,455 --> 00:11:47,745 "And you're not gonna be the one to dictate, 228 00:11:47,749 --> 00:11:50,419 "like, how I get closure from this, 229 00:11:50,418 --> 00:11:53,418 how I'm able to move on from it." 230 00:11:53,421 --> 00:11:54,801 And if I dropped the charges, 231 00:11:54,797 --> 00:11:57,797 I thought that he might go back to teaching. 232 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,260 At one point, I was like, "Okay, I'm in this. 233 00:12:00,261 --> 00:12:02,351 "Like, it's been my life 234 00:12:02,347 --> 00:12:06,937 and I'm just gonna take it as far as I can." 235 00:12:06,935 --> 00:12:09,145 It's kind of where I am now, I guess. 236 00:12:09,145 --> 00:12:12,725 - I have so many similar things. 237 00:12:12,732 --> 00:12:14,322 - Yeah. Yeah. - Yeah. 238 00:12:14,317 --> 00:12:16,487 - Let's find a time to meet, 239 00:12:16,486 --> 00:12:19,406 and let's do it, if that works for you. 240 00:12:19,405 --> 00:12:21,275 - Okay. Yeah, I'd love to. - Okay. 241 00:12:21,282 --> 00:12:23,702 I can't wait to meet you face-to-face. 242 00:12:23,701 --> 00:12:26,661 [dramatic music] 243 00:12:26,663 --> 00:12:31,133 ♪ ♪ 244 00:12:31,125 --> 00:12:32,875 [vehicle doors opening] - All right, Golda. 245 00:12:32,877 --> 00:12:35,707 ♪ ♪ 246 00:12:35,713 --> 00:12:37,973 - Good boy. 247 00:12:37,966 --> 00:12:39,676 - You got him? - Yeah. 248 00:12:39,676 --> 00:12:40,796 - All right. 249 00:12:40,802 --> 00:12:44,722 ♪ ♪ 250 00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:47,852 - Factory part two. - Yeah. 251 00:12:47,850 --> 00:12:49,940 - [clicks tongue] 252 00:12:49,936 --> 00:12:52,306 - I feel like I'm out of options. 253 00:12:52,313 --> 00:12:55,783 I feel like... 254 00:12:55,775 --> 00:13:00,065 I don't know how to make people listen... 255 00:13:00,071 --> 00:13:02,701 and this is... 256 00:13:02,699 --> 00:13:05,989 scary and vulnerable... 257 00:13:05,994 --> 00:13:08,664 and I'm happy to do it. 258 00:13:08,663 --> 00:13:10,123 - Watch your step. 259 00:13:10,123 --> 00:13:12,173 [clicks tongue] 260 00:13:12,166 --> 00:13:14,416 - When I was 17, 261 00:13:14,419 --> 00:13:17,669 I was abused by my English teacher, 262 00:13:17,672 --> 00:13:20,432 Jason Meyers. 263 00:13:20,425 --> 00:13:24,005 Criminal charges were filed against Jason Meyers 264 00:13:24,012 --> 00:13:25,892 in 2016. 265 00:13:25,888 --> 00:13:28,308 We have not gone to trial, 266 00:13:28,308 --> 00:13:31,598 and really the defense strategy has been 267 00:13:31,602 --> 00:13:33,862 to kick the can down the road 268 00:13:33,855 --> 00:13:36,435 until I give up... 269 00:13:36,441 --> 00:13:38,071 because if I don't show... 270 00:13:40,236 --> 00:13:42,156 The state doesn't have a case. 271 00:13:42,155 --> 00:13:44,405 ♪ ♪ 272 00:13:44,407 --> 00:13:47,867 Lived in Miami my whole life before going to college. 273 00:13:47,869 --> 00:13:50,459 I grew up in Cutler Bay. 274 00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:54,705 It's a working-class town in Miami. 275 00:13:54,709 --> 00:13:56,129 Growing up, it felt magical. 276 00:13:56,127 --> 00:13:57,997 There was always things to find outside, 277 00:13:58,004 --> 00:14:00,594 things to explore. 278 00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:04,590 For a while, it really was this paradise. 279 00:14:04,594 --> 00:14:08,474 I have such great memories with my family 280 00:14:08,473 --> 00:14:10,733 and my abuela, in particular. 281 00:14:13,019 --> 00:14:14,849 [sighs] 282 00:14:14,854 --> 00:14:17,074 So this one 283 00:14:17,065 --> 00:14:20,855 and this one... 284 00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:23,110 are of my abuela. 285 00:14:23,112 --> 00:14:24,572 She... 286 00:14:24,572 --> 00:14:27,032 So her and my grandfather 287 00:14:27,033 --> 00:14:30,623 came to Miami from Cuba 288 00:14:30,620 --> 00:14:34,080 when they were, like, 13 or 14. 289 00:14:34,082 --> 00:14:37,212 She passed away when I was eight, 290 00:14:37,210 --> 00:14:40,170 and I think up until that point in my life, 291 00:14:40,171 --> 00:14:43,551 she was the person I spent most of my time with. 292 00:14:43,549 --> 00:14:46,889 We would listen to music, and we'd be cooking all day. 293 00:14:46,886 --> 00:14:49,596 And so it would just be her and I singing and dancing 294 00:14:49,597 --> 00:14:52,887 around her one-bedroom home. 295 00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:57,149 I miss her. 296 00:14:57,146 --> 00:15:00,776 After my grandmother passed away... 297 00:15:00,775 --> 00:15:02,895 I grew really close to my dad. 298 00:15:04,278 --> 00:15:08,528 Growing up, my dad always told me... 299 00:15:08,533 --> 00:15:11,543 the right thing to do isn't always easy, 300 00:15:11,536 --> 00:15:13,956 but it's always right. 301 00:15:13,955 --> 00:15:16,365 And I feel like this is one of those things. 302 00:15:16,374 --> 00:15:19,004 ♪ ♪ 303 00:15:19,001 --> 00:15:22,671 Through the criminal case and that investigation, 304 00:15:22,672 --> 00:15:27,142 I learned that this wasn't, like, one bad actor. 305 00:15:27,135 --> 00:15:31,305 It wasn't two or three. 306 00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:35,475 It was a very systemic issue. 307 00:15:35,476 --> 00:15:37,686 ♪ ♪ 308 00:15:37,687 --> 00:15:41,227 I want accountability. 309 00:15:41,232 --> 00:15:44,032 I felt like if I sued the school board, 310 00:15:44,026 --> 00:15:47,446 it would cause good trouble... 311 00:15:47,446 --> 00:15:49,816 in that we'd go to trial, 312 00:15:49,824 --> 00:15:53,794 and we'd put it all out there for people to see. 313 00:15:53,786 --> 00:15:57,866 And the people that have contributed to this 314 00:15:57,874 --> 00:15:59,884 won't have anywhere to hide. 315 00:16:19,395 --> 00:16:22,225 [indistinct chatter, laughter] 316 00:16:28,613 --> 00:16:30,953 - When I'm prepping to go to trial, 317 00:16:30,948 --> 00:16:33,368 I have to travel from Seattle to Miami 318 00:16:33,367 --> 00:16:36,287 for the criminal court case. 319 00:16:36,287 --> 00:16:39,417 That's been, like, pre-decided by the judge. 320 00:16:41,375 --> 00:16:43,745 It's disruptive in my life. 321 00:16:43,753 --> 00:16:46,133 I have to schedule time off. 322 00:16:46,130 --> 00:16:48,510 I have to onboard new members on my team. 323 00:16:48,507 --> 00:16:49,967 And everyone's like, 324 00:16:49,967 --> 00:16:51,717 "Okay, whatever you need, we got you." 325 00:16:51,719 --> 00:16:56,219 We prep, it doesn't happen, and, like, it just restarts. 326 00:16:56,224 --> 00:16:59,144 [dramatic music] 327 00:16:59,143 --> 00:17:03,063 ♪ ♪ 328 00:17:03,064 --> 00:17:05,444 Palmetto is in Pinecrest. 329 00:17:05,441 --> 00:17:08,861 Pinecrest is a very wealthy town 330 00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:10,741 in Miami. 331 00:17:10,738 --> 00:17:13,568 Million-dollar homes, 332 00:17:13,574 --> 00:17:16,584 everyone drives a Mercedes kind of a thing, 333 00:17:16,577 --> 00:17:20,367 and the schools I was originally zoned for 334 00:17:20,373 --> 00:17:23,213 were lower-grade school. 335 00:17:23,209 --> 00:17:26,839 So my mom had me transferred through a program 336 00:17:26,837 --> 00:17:29,877 that was running at the time into Miami Palmetto Senior. 337 00:17:32,176 --> 00:17:35,846 This is Pinecrest Gardens. 338 00:17:35,846 --> 00:17:38,596 We used to have... [turn signal clicking] 339 00:17:38,599 --> 00:17:40,389 The poetry nights here. 340 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,270 I feel like there were definitely times 341 00:17:44,272 --> 00:17:48,822 where we had just a packed audience. 342 00:17:48,818 --> 00:17:51,198 ♪ ♪ 343 00:17:51,195 --> 00:17:54,155 When I first started at Palmetto, 344 00:17:54,156 --> 00:17:55,826 when I was a freshman, 345 00:17:55,825 --> 00:17:59,115 he was teaching ninth-grade English class. 346 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:01,160 His wife also taught at the school, 347 00:18:01,163 --> 00:18:04,213 and she was my ninth-grade English teacher. 348 00:18:04,208 --> 00:18:06,668 ♪ ♪ 349 00:18:06,669 --> 00:18:09,209 And so I started going to poetry nights. 350 00:18:09,213 --> 00:18:12,763 He, Mr. Meyers, would organize the poetry nights. 351 00:18:12,758 --> 00:18:18,758 ♪ ♪ 352 00:18:18,764 --> 00:18:23,144 I was the most vulnerable here that I'd, like, ever been. 353 00:18:23,144 --> 00:18:25,944 I felt safe here. I would read my poetry here. 354 00:18:25,938 --> 00:18:29,978 And knowing now 355 00:18:29,984 --> 00:18:32,744 that during that time, he was listening to my words 356 00:18:32,737 --> 00:18:37,617 and thinking about how something about me 357 00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:41,197 made him feel like he could target me.... 358 00:18:42,747 --> 00:18:44,827 He was listening with a different ear 359 00:18:44,832 --> 00:18:46,792 than everyone else was. 360 00:18:46,792 --> 00:18:49,502 ♪ ♪ 361 00:18:49,503 --> 00:18:52,923 You know, and this is where he asked me to be in his class, 362 00:18:52,923 --> 00:18:56,143 and that's, like, a really sick memory 363 00:18:56,135 --> 00:18:57,675 of mine now. 364 00:18:57,678 --> 00:19:00,468 ♪ ♪ 365 00:19:00,473 --> 00:19:02,603 So, yeah, it just feels different. 366 00:19:09,982 --> 00:19:12,072 [voice breaking] It's so hard to come back home. 367 00:19:13,986 --> 00:19:20,866 ♪ ♪ 368 00:19:22,453 --> 00:19:26,463 I had been reading and singing at these poetry nights. 369 00:19:26,457 --> 00:19:29,417 The end of my junior year, 370 00:19:29,418 --> 00:19:32,418 he comes up to me, and he says, 371 00:19:32,421 --> 00:19:34,051 "You know, I would really like for you to be 372 00:19:34,048 --> 00:19:36,628 in my creative-writing class." 373 00:19:36,634 --> 00:19:41,434 And I was like, "Oh, awesome, because I love to do this, 374 00:19:41,430 --> 00:19:43,470 "and, like, everyone complains 375 00:19:43,474 --> 00:19:45,144 "that he's such a strict teacher, 376 00:19:45,142 --> 00:19:46,732 but he wants me to be in his class. 377 00:19:46,727 --> 00:19:49,107 He thinks I'm a good writer." 378 00:19:49,105 --> 00:19:51,225 So I was excited, but I told him, 379 00:19:51,232 --> 00:19:54,492 "We've already turned in our paperwork for which electives, 380 00:19:54,485 --> 00:19:56,485 "so I don't know that I'll be able to be put in your class. 381 00:19:56,487 --> 00:19:58,237 I didn't write creative writing down." 382 00:19:58,239 --> 00:20:01,079 ♪ ♪ 383 00:20:01,075 --> 00:20:03,615 And so he emailed my counselor, 384 00:20:03,619 --> 00:20:06,499 asking that I be switched into his class. 385 00:20:06,497 --> 00:20:08,707 And within a few days, 386 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:11,128 I was switched into his creative-writing class 387 00:20:11,127 --> 00:20:14,377 and his AP literature class. 388 00:20:16,173 --> 00:20:17,883 I thought... 389 00:20:17,883 --> 00:20:20,093 nobody knew who he really was. 390 00:20:20,094 --> 00:20:23,184 Everyone that was talking about how mean 391 00:20:23,180 --> 00:20:25,220 or, you know, strict he was, 392 00:20:25,224 --> 00:20:27,604 I was, like, "You really just have to give him a chance 393 00:20:27,601 --> 00:20:29,061 because he does care." 394 00:20:30,813 --> 00:20:33,233 And so I didn't really pay attention 395 00:20:33,232 --> 00:20:35,992 to the criticisms that I'd heard. 396 00:20:38,154 --> 00:20:41,414 I wish I could go back 397 00:20:41,407 --> 00:20:43,277 and tell her to run. 398 00:20:43,284 --> 00:20:47,044 ♪ ♪ 399 00:20:53,127 --> 00:20:55,797 - Once I started this documentary 400 00:20:55,796 --> 00:20:58,546 and I remembered that the teacher 401 00:20:58,549 --> 00:21:00,839 was fired in Utah, 402 00:21:00,843 --> 00:21:05,263 what I realized is, abusers who aren't stopped 403 00:21:05,264 --> 00:21:08,434 continue to abuse. 404 00:21:08,434 --> 00:21:10,644 I figured out who the person was, 405 00:21:10,644 --> 00:21:11,904 and I reached out to her, 406 00:21:11,896 --> 00:21:16,026 and, sure enough, he was actually engaging 407 00:21:16,025 --> 00:21:20,815 in a similar grooming pattern via email that he was with me. 408 00:21:20,821 --> 00:21:23,871 In fact, the emails were almost identical. 409 00:21:25,910 --> 00:21:28,580 "Dear Utah, okay, first of all, 410 00:21:28,579 --> 00:21:29,789 "you have every right in the world 411 00:21:29,789 --> 00:21:31,669 to vent about blank to me." 412 00:21:31,665 --> 00:21:35,245 - "Okay, first of all"... - "Okay, first of all"... 413 00:21:35,252 --> 00:21:37,842 - "Why are you so scared to write me?" 414 00:21:37,838 --> 00:21:39,508 Remember? - Mm-hmm. 415 00:21:39,507 --> 00:21:40,967 Exactly the same. 416 00:21:56,482 --> 00:21:59,402 "Okay, sweetie, I'm excited to see you tomorrow. 417 00:21:59,401 --> 00:22:01,951 "I hope you're happy and that your weekend was great. 418 00:22:01,946 --> 00:22:03,566 Take care, dear." 419 00:22:05,324 --> 00:22:08,704 These almost identical words to her 420 00:22:08,702 --> 00:22:10,962 really solidified that this 421 00:22:10,955 --> 00:22:13,415 was not something that I was a part of, 422 00:22:13,415 --> 00:22:15,875 it was something that was done to me. 423 00:22:15,876 --> 00:22:20,546 One of his tactics is to... 424 00:22:20,548 --> 00:22:23,428 coach her with her boyfriend 425 00:22:23,425 --> 00:22:27,595 so that he can teach her how to be a lover for him. 426 00:22:40,234 --> 00:22:43,654 "And if the girl likes it that way, she's that much sexier. 427 00:22:43,654 --> 00:22:46,374 "Of course, you poor dear, you only get it 428 00:22:46,365 --> 00:22:49,575 "for a couple of minutes because no guy can last long 429 00:22:49,577 --> 00:22:52,117 when he's really loving something." 430 00:22:52,121 --> 00:22:54,331 ♪ ♪ 431 00:22:54,331 --> 00:22:58,131 - "See you at school tomorrow." - "See you at school." 432 00:22:58,127 --> 00:23:02,377 ♪ ♪ 433 00:23:02,381 --> 00:23:05,631 I think the sad part about this is that... 434 00:23:05,634 --> 00:23:08,604 this all could have been stopped at Little Elm, but... 435 00:23:11,682 --> 00:23:13,102 It wasn't. 436 00:23:15,102 --> 00:23:18,772 There was a system that allowed this to happen. 437 00:23:18,772 --> 00:23:21,732 There was a system that didn't stop the teacher 438 00:23:21,734 --> 00:23:24,574 from leaving Little Elm 439 00:23:24,570 --> 00:23:26,820 and going to another school. 440 00:23:26,822 --> 00:23:28,872 At every point he could have been stopped, 441 00:23:28,866 --> 00:23:31,116 someone made the decision to do the easier thing, 442 00:23:31,118 --> 00:23:32,868 which was to pass it on. 443 00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:34,410 And that's the problem-- 444 00:23:34,413 --> 00:23:36,623 the system lacks the courage 445 00:23:36,624 --> 00:23:40,134 to hold these people accountable. 446 00:23:40,127 --> 00:23:41,547 To me, 447 00:23:41,545 --> 00:23:45,545 that seemed like the first place to start 448 00:23:45,549 --> 00:23:50,259 in trying to understand how this happens. 449 00:24:09,239 --> 00:24:11,779 [dramatic music] 450 00:24:11,784 --> 00:24:13,084 [computer chimes] 451 00:24:13,077 --> 00:24:15,037 - "It was an English teacher at mine. 452 00:24:15,037 --> 00:24:16,577 "He was the 'cool teacher' 453 00:24:16,580 --> 00:24:18,580 "that kids hung out with at lunch. 454 00:24:18,582 --> 00:24:20,792 "Turns out he was dating a student. 455 00:24:20,793 --> 00:24:22,843 He 'quit.'" 456 00:24:22,836 --> 00:24:24,416 [computer chimes] 457 00:24:24,421 --> 00:24:25,841 - "He was caught in his classroom 458 00:24:25,839 --> 00:24:27,629 "during school hours raping a girl. 459 00:24:27,633 --> 00:24:29,433 "She was 15. 460 00:24:29,426 --> 00:24:31,386 "He left at the end of the year 461 00:24:31,387 --> 00:24:33,057 with no consequences." 462 00:24:33,055 --> 00:24:34,845 [computer chimes] 463 00:24:34,848 --> 00:24:36,518 - "It took getting kids drunk 464 00:24:36,517 --> 00:24:39,897 "and then kissing a 16-year-old to get fired. 465 00:24:39,895 --> 00:24:44,315 Just quietly fired, no police, nothing." 466 00:24:44,316 --> 00:24:48,106 [upbeat music] 467 00:24:48,112 --> 00:24:49,952 - When Cheryl and I started this, 468 00:24:49,947 --> 00:24:53,277 we didn't know how deep this went. 469 00:24:53,283 --> 00:24:57,333 If somebody had reported her teacher 470 00:24:57,329 --> 00:24:59,829 in her high school, 471 00:24:59,832 --> 00:25:02,082 he wouldn't have gone on 472 00:25:02,084 --> 00:25:05,674 to then groom another girl in a different state. 473 00:25:05,671 --> 00:25:08,171 Couple Google searches later, 474 00:25:08,173 --> 00:25:11,013 Cheryl and I found crazy amounts of information 475 00:25:11,010 --> 00:25:14,220 on "passing the trash." 476 00:25:14,221 --> 00:25:17,561 "Passing the trash" is a practice 477 00:25:17,558 --> 00:25:21,898 done by school administrations where predatory teachers 478 00:25:21,895 --> 00:25:25,895 are able to wiggle out of the justice system. 479 00:25:25,899 --> 00:25:30,199 The school administrations simply allow them to resign. 480 00:25:30,195 --> 00:25:31,945 They get a free pass, and they do it again 481 00:25:31,947 --> 00:25:34,827 when they go to the next school. 482 00:25:34,825 --> 00:25:37,365 It's similar to what happens in the Catholic Church, 483 00:25:37,369 --> 00:25:40,499 where priests are passed from diocese to diocese. 484 00:25:40,497 --> 00:25:42,457 And the statistic 485 00:25:42,458 --> 00:25:45,248 is that a teacher will be passed three times 486 00:25:45,252 --> 00:25:48,262 before they're reported and arrested. 487 00:25:50,049 --> 00:25:52,839 When we were looking into the Heaven Rubin case, 488 00:25:52,843 --> 00:25:54,303 we started watching 489 00:25:54,303 --> 00:25:56,933 all of these news clips of Jason Meyers, 490 00:25:56,930 --> 00:25:58,970 and a lot of the coverage of his arrest 491 00:25:58,974 --> 00:26:01,144 focused on the community reaction. 492 00:26:01,143 --> 00:26:04,023 - The community concerned and trying to get the word out 493 00:26:04,021 --> 00:26:06,111 about the alarming allegations tonight. 494 00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:08,566 - Everyone here at Palmetto High is shocked. 495 00:26:08,567 --> 00:26:10,487 We are told by student after student 496 00:26:10,486 --> 00:26:12,526 that Jason Meyers was not only popular, 497 00:26:12,529 --> 00:26:14,409 but he was a really good teacher, at that. 498 00:26:14,406 --> 00:26:16,526 His arrest stunned parents, too. 499 00:26:18,035 --> 00:26:20,325 - Hi, Terri. 500 00:26:20,329 --> 00:26:22,459 - Hi Cheryl. 501 00:26:22,456 --> 00:26:24,706 - Terri, do you know 502 00:26:24,708 --> 00:26:27,418 about the case with Heaven Rubin? 503 00:26:27,419 --> 00:26:29,509 - Yes. 504 00:26:29,505 --> 00:26:32,965 You know, I read so many of these, 505 00:26:32,966 --> 00:26:36,046 and they're all basically the same, 506 00:26:36,053 --> 00:26:40,183 where a teacher has been allowed to perpetrate 507 00:26:40,182 --> 00:26:43,192 against students for a number of years. 508 00:26:43,185 --> 00:26:46,475 It goes unchecked. It goes unreported. 509 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,030 More victims and more victims... 510 00:26:50,025 --> 00:26:52,395 and this is the problem. 511 00:26:52,402 --> 00:26:55,612 "Passing the trash" is something I've known about 512 00:26:55,614 --> 00:26:59,624 and tried to prevent since 1995. 513 00:26:59,618 --> 00:27:02,698 It is essentially the aiding and abetting 514 00:27:02,704 --> 00:27:05,334 of a child sexual predator. 515 00:27:05,332 --> 00:27:08,542 [dramatic music] 516 00:27:08,544 --> 00:27:11,514 - Jason Meyers was at Krop High School, 517 00:27:11,505 --> 00:27:13,665 oh, about nine years. 518 00:27:13,674 --> 00:27:15,474 He was highly acclaimed. 519 00:27:15,467 --> 00:27:17,007 He was in charge 520 00:27:17,010 --> 00:27:20,390 of the Literature Club. 521 00:27:20,389 --> 00:27:23,059 And they went on, you know, a number of field trips 522 00:27:23,058 --> 00:27:26,518 to various places like New York and Washington, 523 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:31,610 apparently where he was able to be a chaperone. 524 00:27:31,608 --> 00:27:33,858 - You know, it's very common 525 00:27:33,861 --> 00:27:37,821 for perpetrators to be vanguards of the school, 526 00:27:37,823 --> 00:27:41,663 to be award-winning teachers or coaches. 527 00:27:41,660 --> 00:27:44,830 But the only ones who know the monster 528 00:27:44,830 --> 00:27:48,040 are the victims themselves. 529 00:27:48,041 --> 00:27:49,711 - At the time that I met Heaven, 530 00:27:49,710 --> 00:27:51,380 I was actually representing 531 00:27:51,378 --> 00:27:53,758 a former classmate of hers 532 00:27:53,755 --> 00:27:55,915 who was also groomed and sexually abused 533 00:27:55,924 --> 00:27:58,054 by Jason Meyers. 534 00:27:58,051 --> 00:28:01,221 Prior to his conduct with Heaven, 535 00:28:01,221 --> 00:28:04,641 Jason Meyers was hired to teach at Krop High School, 536 00:28:04,641 --> 00:28:07,391 and based upon the investigation that was done 537 00:28:07,394 --> 00:28:09,354 and that I built upon, 538 00:28:09,354 --> 00:28:12,404 he started preying upon girls early. 539 00:28:12,399 --> 00:28:14,689 ♪ ♪ 540 00:28:14,693 --> 00:28:18,073 - There was an email that was sent to the principal 541 00:28:18,071 --> 00:28:20,161 that something was going on. 542 00:28:20,157 --> 00:28:24,577 ♪ ♪ 543 00:28:24,578 --> 00:28:27,038 - And this man who wrote the email 544 00:28:27,039 --> 00:28:28,289 said he had heard a rumor 545 00:28:28,290 --> 00:28:30,080 that there were teachers in the school 546 00:28:30,083 --> 00:28:32,463 competing to see who could have sex 547 00:28:32,461 --> 00:28:35,631 with the most girls before they graduated. 548 00:28:35,631 --> 00:28:37,881 The school board was put on notice 549 00:28:37,883 --> 00:28:40,343 in September, 2008. 550 00:28:40,344 --> 00:28:44,434 And then in 2010, a friend of another victim 551 00:28:44,431 --> 00:28:46,891 went to the assistant principal 552 00:28:46,892 --> 00:28:51,192 and said, "Sir, my teacher, Mr. Meyers, 553 00:28:51,188 --> 00:28:54,608 he had sex with my classmate on the school trip." 554 00:28:54,608 --> 00:28:58,948 The only person they interview is Jason Meyers. 555 00:28:58,946 --> 00:29:03,616 - In every state, there are mandated reporting laws 556 00:29:03,617 --> 00:29:06,367 pertaining to child abuse and neglect. 557 00:29:06,370 --> 00:29:08,290 - So, if there's a suspected case, 558 00:29:08,288 --> 00:29:10,498 that would need to be reported 559 00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:13,459 under the sort of mandatory reporting laws? 560 00:29:13,460 --> 00:29:15,840 - Correct, but they're not doing that. 561 00:29:15,837 --> 00:29:18,917 95% of cases 562 00:29:18,924 --> 00:29:21,184 of educator sexual misconduct 563 00:29:21,176 --> 00:29:23,546 are not getting reported to law enforcement 564 00:29:23,553 --> 00:29:25,513 as they should. 565 00:29:25,514 --> 00:29:28,484 That means that administrators 566 00:29:28,475 --> 00:29:32,645 and the perpetrators are negotiating a way out. 567 00:29:32,646 --> 00:29:35,356 ♪ ♪ 568 00:29:35,357 --> 00:29:36,937 - The question remains, 569 00:29:36,942 --> 00:29:41,572 why was he allowed to transfer to Palmetto 570 00:29:41,571 --> 00:29:44,451 and then continue having sexual relations 571 00:29:44,449 --> 00:29:47,079 with girls at Palmetto? 572 00:29:47,077 --> 00:29:49,407 Meyers was allowed to transfer. 573 00:29:49,413 --> 00:29:52,003 Superintendent Alberto Carvallo 574 00:29:51,999 --> 00:29:55,879 himself did not supposedly make the declaration 575 00:29:55,877 --> 00:29:57,747 that he was able to transfer, 576 00:29:57,754 --> 00:30:00,304 but that department that handles, 577 00:30:00,298 --> 00:30:02,298 you know, school district personnel transfers 578 00:30:02,300 --> 00:30:05,470 had recommended that his transfer be approved 579 00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:07,930 Alberto Carvallo plays the part well, 580 00:30:07,931 --> 00:30:09,811 but it's all about money. 581 00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:11,348 You know, we have a school system 582 00:30:11,351 --> 00:30:14,151 where bad things don't happen. 583 00:30:14,146 --> 00:30:15,896 That way they can get, 584 00:30:15,897 --> 00:30:19,527 you know, more money from the state or the feds. 585 00:30:19,526 --> 00:30:22,026 - For those have worked within the school district, 586 00:30:22,029 --> 00:30:24,279 we call it a mafia, 587 00:30:24,281 --> 00:30:27,031 Miami-Dade County Public Schools-- 588 00:30:27,034 --> 00:30:29,494 they don't like a snitch. 589 00:30:29,494 --> 00:30:31,084 "Stay silent. 590 00:30:31,079 --> 00:30:33,669 You want to keep your job, look the other way." 591 00:30:33,665 --> 00:30:35,745 - It's a failure on the part of the district, 592 00:30:35,751 --> 00:30:37,921 from the superintendent to the school board 593 00:30:37,919 --> 00:30:41,169 to the principals involved. 594 00:30:41,173 --> 00:30:43,133 - Jason Meyers was now 595 00:30:43,133 --> 00:30:45,093 a creative-writing and English teacher 596 00:30:45,093 --> 00:30:47,183 at Palmetto High School, 597 00:30:47,179 --> 00:30:49,889 which is where Heaven went to school. 598 00:30:49,890 --> 00:30:53,230 How can you take the position 599 00:30:53,226 --> 00:30:57,226 that you have no idea that there's a potential risk, 600 00:30:57,230 --> 00:30:59,150 when you, yourself, the faculty, 601 00:30:59,149 --> 00:31:00,859 the administration, are referring 602 00:31:00,859 --> 00:31:03,899 to a group of underage girls as "Jason's girls"? 603 00:31:03,904 --> 00:31:06,364 ♪ ♪ 604 00:31:06,364 --> 00:31:09,704 The system is broken, and it needs to change. 605 00:31:09,701 --> 00:31:12,501 And that was something that Heaven and I agreed on 606 00:31:12,496 --> 00:31:14,116 from day one, 607 00:31:14,122 --> 00:31:17,212 is that, if we're going to make a difference, 608 00:31:17,209 --> 00:31:19,499 however small, however big, 609 00:31:19,503 --> 00:31:21,253 we need to hold people accountable, 610 00:31:21,254 --> 00:31:23,384 and that's what we set out to do. 611 00:31:51,993 --> 00:31:54,253 - I might look like a crazy person on my face, 612 00:31:54,246 --> 00:31:55,406 'cause I'm just looking at you 613 00:31:55,413 --> 00:31:57,923 and thinking about how brave you are 614 00:31:57,916 --> 00:32:02,836 and also how articulate you are about what happened to you. 615 00:32:02,838 --> 00:32:07,338 Like, there was no way I was able to be articulate 616 00:32:07,342 --> 00:32:11,142 about what had happened to me when I was 23 years old. 617 00:32:11,138 --> 00:32:13,428 - It's hard to come to terms with, 618 00:32:13,431 --> 00:32:15,931 even when it's all laid out in front of you and you're like, 619 00:32:15,934 --> 00:32:17,694 "Ohl, shit, that's what that was." 620 00:32:17,686 --> 00:32:20,476 You're like-- You don't want it to be true. 621 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:21,900 - Mm-hmm. 622 00:32:21,898 --> 00:32:25,108 - The first three years of the criminal case, 623 00:32:25,110 --> 00:32:28,200 we found, like, 10 to 13 other girls. 624 00:32:28,196 --> 00:32:31,116 And every time I learned of somebody new, 625 00:32:31,116 --> 00:32:33,906 I was immediately upset, because I was like, 626 00:32:33,910 --> 00:32:36,960 "Well, if you would've said something years ago, 627 00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:38,995 maybe I wouldn't have been in this position." 628 00:32:38,999 --> 00:32:40,539 But then going through the experience 629 00:32:40,542 --> 00:32:42,422 that I have gone through, 630 00:32:42,419 --> 00:32:45,339 like, you don't really win either way. 631 00:32:45,338 --> 00:32:48,378 There's not a right thing to do 632 00:32:48,383 --> 00:32:50,843 because of how the system is set up. 633 00:32:50,844 --> 00:32:53,054 - It seems like there's more systems in place 634 00:32:53,054 --> 00:32:56,224 to protect the person 635 00:32:56,224 --> 00:32:59,644 who inflicts the pain... 636 00:32:59,644 --> 00:33:01,654 than the person they've inflicted it on. 637 00:33:01,646 --> 00:33:04,226 - Yeah, by keeping this a secret 638 00:33:04,232 --> 00:33:06,032 by not speaking out about it, 639 00:33:06,026 --> 00:33:08,486 like, I felt like I was letting them get their way. 640 00:33:08,486 --> 00:33:10,486 Like, they can say whatever they want on the news. 641 00:33:10,488 --> 00:33:13,068 They can talk about it however they want. 642 00:33:13,074 --> 00:33:15,294 They talked about me graduating early. 643 00:33:15,285 --> 00:33:17,695 They're like, "She can't possibly be depressed. 644 00:33:17,704 --> 00:33:19,834 She graduated school early." 645 00:33:19,831 --> 00:33:24,171 Well, "She can hold a job, so she must not have anxiety." 646 00:33:24,169 --> 00:33:25,839 I felt like I had to be perfect, 647 00:33:25,837 --> 00:33:30,007 but even being perfect was still... 648 00:33:30,008 --> 00:33:31,758 going to be leveraged 649 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,430 in a way that it would hurt me. 650 00:33:34,429 --> 00:33:36,639 This isn't something that's talked about. 651 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:38,680 And if it is, you get a lot more 652 00:33:38,683 --> 00:33:42,103 of the romanticized version of it than you do 653 00:33:42,103 --> 00:33:45,983 of the outcome of what it feels like, 654 00:33:45,982 --> 00:33:48,322 of what the experience of being abused is. 655 00:33:48,318 --> 00:33:49,898 Yeah. 656 00:33:49,903 --> 00:33:52,033 - I feel like there's this thing with teenage girls, 657 00:33:52,030 --> 00:33:55,280 where teenage girls are sort of seen as dangerous. 658 00:33:55,283 --> 00:33:57,493 And I think sometimes it's difficult for us 659 00:33:57,494 --> 00:34:00,504 to look at teenage girls as children... 660 00:34:00,497 --> 00:34:03,537 - Yeah. - Because they're sexualized. 661 00:34:03,541 --> 00:34:06,251 That, for me, plays into the romanticizing 662 00:34:06,253 --> 00:34:07,923 the student teacher relationships, 663 00:34:07,921 --> 00:34:11,881 'cause it's like, well, you know... 664 00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:14,723 what is taboo and sexy? 665 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,599 I really want to look into that much bigger cultural problem. 666 00:34:18,598 --> 00:34:20,478 - I love that. 667 00:34:20,475 --> 00:34:22,885 - There's so many layers to the onion. 668 00:34:22,894 --> 00:34:25,864 [dramatic music] 669 00:34:25,855 --> 00:34:32,735 ♪ ♪ 670 00:34:50,839 --> 00:34:53,799 - And... - Oh, hi. I'm Cheryl. 671 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:57,600 [laughter] - Cheryl is sneaking in. 672 00:34:57,596 --> 00:35:00,466 This is something that I know in my classes we talk about. 673 00:35:00,473 --> 00:35:03,813 I think it's undeniable that as a culture, we sexualize... 674 00:35:03,810 --> 00:35:05,650 - Absolutely. - Teen girls. 675 00:35:05,645 --> 00:35:08,105 So what I'm wondering 676 00:35:08,106 --> 00:35:12,066 is how you see this playing out in the world around you. 677 00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:16,740 - Being a young sexualized girl 678 00:35:16,740 --> 00:35:19,160 is a huge thing in the media, for sure. 679 00:35:19,159 --> 00:35:21,539 I think with a lot of, like, celebrities 680 00:35:21,536 --> 00:35:24,576 and every woman who is famous 681 00:35:24,581 --> 00:35:28,921 has to start when they're, like, 16, 17. 682 00:35:28,918 --> 00:35:31,628 - You see young girls being sexualized 683 00:35:31,630 --> 00:35:33,550 in the media so often, 684 00:35:33,548 --> 00:35:35,928 It made me feel like I was over 685 00:35:35,925 --> 00:35:38,425 the minute I wasn't a teenager anymore. 686 00:35:39,929 --> 00:35:41,509 - There's always been the idea 687 00:35:41,514 --> 00:35:43,604 that a man is the one that, like, 688 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:46,690 expresses the sexuality of a woman. 689 00:35:46,686 --> 00:35:48,726 And basically I think the idea of the child 690 00:35:48,730 --> 00:35:51,860 is that you can have control over her. 691 00:35:51,858 --> 00:35:53,688 This should not be an okay thing 692 00:35:53,693 --> 00:35:56,953 to fantasize children and women in this way. 693 00:35:56,946 --> 00:36:00,526 ♪ ♪ 694 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:01,793 - I think the #MeToo movement 695 00:36:01,785 --> 00:36:05,325 gave us a language that empowered us. 696 00:36:05,330 --> 00:36:07,500 This sort of new generation of teenage girls 697 00:36:07,499 --> 00:36:09,379 and girls in their 20's 698 00:36:09,376 --> 00:36:12,496 seem to have a better sense of, 699 00:36:12,504 --> 00:36:14,634 not just who they are 700 00:36:14,631 --> 00:36:16,931 but a freedom to be who they want to be, 701 00:36:16,925 --> 00:36:19,635 and I think that that gives them power over people 702 00:36:19,636 --> 00:36:21,426 who want to control them. 703 00:36:21,429 --> 00:36:24,599 ♪ ♪ 704 00:36:27,394 --> 00:36:28,814 - Okay, so what is this? 705 00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:31,772 - That is me at my high-school graduation party 706 00:36:31,773 --> 00:36:34,403 with my mother, cutting my cake. 707 00:36:34,401 --> 00:36:36,951 So that's me... 708 00:36:36,945 --> 00:36:39,855 the day before I slept with the teacher 709 00:36:39,864 --> 00:36:41,204 for the first time. 710 00:36:43,326 --> 00:36:46,576 - You're such a kid, Alisson. - I know, I know. 711 00:36:46,579 --> 00:36:48,829 - It's crazy how much of a kid you are. 712 00:36:48,832 --> 00:36:51,212 - I know. I was. 713 00:36:53,712 --> 00:36:54,922 - So the #MeToo movement 714 00:36:54,921 --> 00:36:57,051 has kind of, like, started changing 715 00:36:57,048 --> 00:36:59,008 the way we think about things, 716 00:36:59,008 --> 00:37:01,428 but something that's really important to me 717 00:37:01,428 --> 00:37:04,218 is just really getting into the nuance 718 00:37:04,222 --> 00:37:06,352 of, like, consent. 719 00:37:06,349 --> 00:37:08,479 - Yeah, I think it's great that these words 720 00:37:08,476 --> 00:37:10,096 are sort of starting to be opened up 721 00:37:10,103 --> 00:37:11,733 because it's not just, 722 00:37:11,730 --> 00:37:13,610 "Oh, well you're 18. 723 00:37:13,606 --> 00:37:15,526 It's not illegal anymore." 724 00:37:15,525 --> 00:37:16,815 You know? 725 00:37:16,818 --> 00:37:18,528 I mean, it's not that simple, 726 00:37:18,528 --> 00:37:21,238 and I think when thinking about authentic consent, 727 00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:22,949 that's where things 728 00:37:22,949 --> 00:37:25,119 like what happened to you and I fall under. 729 00:37:25,118 --> 00:37:27,368 Like, did we say yes? Yes. 730 00:37:27,370 --> 00:37:29,460 Were we of age? Yes. 731 00:37:29,456 --> 00:37:32,456 But was it authentic? No. 732 00:37:32,459 --> 00:37:34,539 And there had been such extensive grooming 733 00:37:34,544 --> 00:37:36,804 that I didn't clock it at the time, 734 00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:39,876 and also, you know, because it was a secret. 735 00:37:39,883 --> 00:37:43,433 - Yeah, I mean, and the consequences 736 00:37:43,428 --> 00:37:45,808 for us are immeasurable. 737 00:37:45,805 --> 00:37:48,265 There are things that we end up 738 00:37:48,266 --> 00:37:50,186 dealing with for our entire lives 739 00:37:50,185 --> 00:37:53,305 and being in reaction to for our entire lives, 740 00:37:53,313 --> 00:37:55,523 whether we've done the work or not. 741 00:37:55,523 --> 00:37:57,363 - My 20s were a disaster. - Mm-hmm. 742 00:37:57,358 --> 00:38:01,818 - My 20s were an utter trauma-filled disaster, 743 00:38:01,821 --> 00:38:04,661 and I can now very much trace back 744 00:38:04,657 --> 00:38:08,037 so much of it to that relationship with my teacher, 745 00:38:08,036 --> 00:38:09,656 because it was just so damaging 746 00:38:09,662 --> 00:38:12,872 in ways that I couldn't even identify or understand, so... 747 00:38:12,874 --> 00:38:14,924 And that's what trauma does. 748 00:38:14,918 --> 00:38:16,338 That's what these kinds of things do. 749 00:38:16,336 --> 00:38:18,126 And I lost my 20s. 750 00:38:18,129 --> 00:38:20,589 - Oh, I definitely did. - I didn't graduate-- 751 00:38:20,590 --> 00:38:22,260 I didn't get my bachelor's until I was 33. 752 00:38:22,258 --> 00:38:24,298 - Wow. 753 00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:26,682 Well, I'll try to say this and not cry, but... 754 00:38:26,679 --> 00:38:28,519 [both laugh] 755 00:38:28,515 --> 00:38:31,385 I had never... 756 00:38:31,392 --> 00:38:33,732 I never felt like there was anybody in the whole world 757 00:38:33,728 --> 00:38:35,308 ever in my whole life 758 00:38:35,313 --> 00:38:37,363 that understood what happened to me 759 00:38:37,357 --> 00:38:39,357 until I read your book. 760 00:38:39,359 --> 00:38:42,779 And then I, like, totally felt seen, you know? 761 00:38:42,779 --> 00:38:44,449 - Yeah. - And then I was like, 762 00:38:44,447 --> 00:38:47,077 "How often is this happening in this exact same way 763 00:38:47,075 --> 00:38:48,575 "if it happened to me and Alisson 764 00:38:48,576 --> 00:38:51,696 in totally different worlds?" - Yeah. 765 00:38:51,704 --> 00:38:54,254 The first time I got one of those messages from a reader 766 00:38:54,249 --> 00:38:57,039 saying exactly that, I just sobbed 767 00:38:57,043 --> 00:38:59,633 because that's all that I wanted. 768 00:38:59,629 --> 00:39:01,709 Hopefully... 769 00:39:01,714 --> 00:39:04,264 we're able to show others 770 00:39:04,259 --> 00:39:07,299 that it's not a grief you're alone in. 771 00:39:07,303 --> 00:39:09,223 And I think that's really important. 772 00:39:09,222 --> 00:39:11,562 - I think so, too. 773 00:39:11,558 --> 00:39:14,518 [dramatic music] 774 00:39:14,519 --> 00:39:21,649 ♪ ♪ 775 00:39:21,651 --> 00:39:24,151 So much of my experience of the abuse 776 00:39:24,153 --> 00:39:26,573 in high school and in college 777 00:39:26,573 --> 00:39:28,453 involved a lot of isolation. 778 00:39:28,449 --> 00:39:30,699 ♪ ♪ 779 00:39:30,702 --> 00:39:33,452 And so sitting with Alisson 780 00:39:33,454 --> 00:39:36,124 just made me feel like I wasn't alone anymore. 781 00:39:36,124 --> 00:39:40,634 ♪ ♪ 782 00:39:40,628 --> 00:39:43,088 When I started out doing this documentary, 783 00:39:43,089 --> 00:39:46,759 I had hoped that he would accept responsibility for this 784 00:39:46,759 --> 00:39:49,719 or at least acknowledge what happened, 785 00:39:49,721 --> 00:39:50,851 but he didn't. 786 00:39:52,974 --> 00:39:56,774 That's the thing about being a grown man 787 00:39:56,769 --> 00:39:58,809 and abusing a child, 788 00:39:58,813 --> 00:40:01,693 is the child grows, and you stay the same. 789 00:40:01,691 --> 00:40:04,281 ♪ ♪ 790 00:40:04,277 --> 00:40:05,897 And that's his choice. 791 00:40:05,904 --> 00:40:07,864 He is the person that's going to have to walk 792 00:40:07,864 --> 00:40:10,664 through the rest of his life running 793 00:40:10,658 --> 00:40:13,948 from his actions. 794 00:40:13,953 --> 00:40:16,333 ♪ ♪ 795 00:40:16,331 --> 00:40:18,371 And so this for me 796 00:40:18,374 --> 00:40:21,754 is where I stop running... 797 00:40:21,753 --> 00:40:25,633 and I just stand my ground... 798 00:40:25,632 --> 00:40:30,352 and I accept the responsibility of my own life. 799 00:40:30,345 --> 00:40:37,265 ♪ ♪ 800 00:40:46,152 --> 00:40:48,402 Okay, let me-- 801 00:40:48,404 --> 00:40:51,824 Okay, I'm gonna read you what Tom 802 00:40:51,824 --> 00:40:55,834 sent me, actually, first. 803 00:40:55,828 --> 00:40:58,078 - Okay. - Okay. 804 00:40:58,081 --> 00:41:00,171 He wrote, "How you doing old friend?" 805 00:41:00,166 --> 00:41:02,706 And I wrote "Hi. Doing pretty good." 806 00:41:02,710 --> 00:41:04,920 He goes, "Good to know you're well. 807 00:41:04,921 --> 00:41:07,761 It has been an honor," and... - Okay. 808 00:41:07,757 --> 00:41:09,587 - Didn't tell me what was going on. 809 00:41:09,592 --> 00:41:13,182 Just said that he was being put on administrative leave. 810 00:41:13,179 --> 00:41:15,429 Anyway, the rumor going around right now 811 00:41:15,431 --> 00:41:17,021 is that Tom was fired for having 812 00:41:17,016 --> 00:41:19,096 some sort of an inappropriate interaction 813 00:41:19,102 --> 00:41:21,022 or interactions with students. 814 00:41:21,020 --> 00:41:24,820 Whether he's crossed a line or not, we don't know, 815 00:41:24,816 --> 00:41:27,646 but, obviously, like, if this is true, 816 00:41:27,652 --> 00:41:30,072 then I feel super betrayed. 817 00:41:30,071 --> 00:41:31,491 Do you know what I mean? - Yeah. 818 00:41:31,489 --> 00:41:35,239 - Because not that, like, I'm best friends with Tom, 819 00:41:35,243 --> 00:41:37,953 but I did give him the benefit of the doubt here, 820 00:41:37,954 --> 00:41:40,964 despite, like, the things that he said to me 821 00:41:40,957 --> 00:41:42,747 that were very triggering and hurtful. 822 00:41:42,750 --> 00:41:45,460 Do you know what I'm saying? 823 00:41:45,461 --> 00:41:49,221 Like, I knew that Tom had, like, contributed 824 00:41:49,215 --> 00:41:52,675 to aspects of the grooming 825 00:41:52,677 --> 00:41:54,427 that I felt. 826 00:41:54,429 --> 00:41:56,009 I just didn't believe-- 827 00:41:56,014 --> 00:41:57,354 or maybe I didn't want to believe-- 828 00:41:57,348 --> 00:41:59,098 that he'd ever really crossed a line, 829 00:41:59,100 --> 00:42:01,190 because he said he didn't. 830 00:42:01,185 --> 00:42:02,435 - Right. 831 00:42:02,437 --> 00:42:09,357 ♪ ♪ 57042

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