An interesting revelation from a Huffington Post article regarding the admission of guilt in the Kolko trial sheds some much needed light on how things often end up being (mis)handled in our community, and ruining people's lives.
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The plea came after only three of the prosecution's eight witnesses testified. The senior rabbi the father approached was due to testify, as were other members of the insular community who were expected to shed light on internal workings of Lakewood's Orthodox population and how such allegations were handled inside it.
When Judge Francis R. Hodgson asked Kolko if he had received any promises or was threatened or coerced in exchange for his plea, Kolko answered softly that there were things that were "not part of the court system."
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What exactly did Kolko mean by "not part of the court system"? Does that mean that there was another system that was pressuring him into pleading guilty? Many people believe that the two new victims had come forward to certain people well in advance of the trial. They were told to contact the prosecutor's office only when it became clear that further testimony was going to reveal the threats and harassment that was done to the victim's family, and who was involved.
In the end the Kolko case was not about a victim and whether the perpetrator was innocent or guilty. It was about 'the insolence' of a father seeking to protect children and seek justice for his son by making a decision above the desires of those that want to retain complete control over our community. There were those that knew Kolko was guilty and kept quiet until their actions were going to be revealed to the world. At that point the well being of Kolko was no longer an issue. He was not simply "thrown under the bus". He was thrown into a jail cell for a very long time in order to protect the image of those that used him to retain their power.
What should have ended with Yosef Kolko receiving a relatively light punishment with his admission of guilt before the trial, what could have been solved by making sure Kolko had no further contact with children, gets therapy and medication, and goes on with his life, ended with him in solitary confinement in a high security prison possibly in order to protect those that victimized an entire family.
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The plea came after only three of the prosecution's eight witnesses testified. The senior rabbi the father approached was due to testify, as were other members of the insular community who were expected to shed light on internal workings of Lakewood's Orthodox population and how such allegations were handled inside it.
When Judge Francis R. Hodgson asked Kolko if he had received any promises or was threatened or coerced in exchange for his plea, Kolko answered softly that there were things that were "not part of the court system."
--------
What exactly did Kolko mean by "not part of the court system"? Does that mean that there was another system that was pressuring him into pleading guilty? Many people believe that the two new victims had come forward to certain people well in advance of the trial. They were told to contact the prosecutor's office only when it became clear that further testimony was going to reveal the threats and harassment that was done to the victim's family, and who was involved.
In the end the Kolko case was not about a victim and whether the perpetrator was innocent or guilty. It was about 'the insolence' of a father seeking to protect children and seek justice for his son by making a decision above the desires of those that want to retain complete control over our community. There were those that knew Kolko was guilty and kept quiet until their actions were going to be revealed to the world. At that point the well being of Kolko was no longer an issue. He was not simply "thrown under the bus". He was thrown into a jail cell for a very long time in order to protect the image of those that used him to retain their power.
What should have ended with Yosef Kolko receiving a relatively light punishment with his admission of guilt before the trial, what could have been solved by making sure Kolko had no further contact with children, gets therapy and medication, and goes on with his life, ended with him in solitary confinement in a high security prison possibly in order to protect those that victimized an entire family.
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