The Observation Deck

Okay, the story about Thomas Gilman has been on the news, paper, and Cleveland.com for the past 2 weeks, but no one here on the Deck has anything to say about the fact that:

#1: we had a child rapist living here in Lakewood
#2: for whatever reason, even though he was "caught in the act" with a child, he was released without bond earlier this year and
#3: was only arrested when a second allegation of a younger child being raped was brought forth

I don't care whose son this monster is - why have you all kept silent about this topic?

You are right. I have (briefly) noticed and wondered about that, too.

It's a horrid situation, and the perpetrator should never have been allowed to go free to injure another innocent child.

For my part, certain issues have totally required all my time during this period.

Others, like Brian Essi, have been totally absorbed in major research of long-withheld city documents, and preparing analyses of same.

I expect that others will probably comment here, soon.

I am certainly no fan of Gilman...he has been very dishonest during this hospital mess.
However, I don't believe this situation is a reflection on him as a person or as a parent.

This situation is incredibly tragic for all involved....there is not much to say beyond that.

The Deck has traditionally been a place to discuss city hall issues.....it has not generally been a "police blotter" (ironically, it was Team Summers that used to do that via "Crimewood", their former "anti-Observer" website).

This is News and should have been covered by The Lakewood Observer.
It was a bad decision to remain silent.
Having said that, I don't get the value in bouncing this around on The Deck.

Amy Martin wrote:why have you all kept silent about this topic?

I feel it is in poor taste to discuss and see little value in participation on this topic. But more importantly, the victims and those close to the accused are suffering enough. We should not contribute to their grief.

My point was that there was more uproar on the Deck about "I'm with Charlie" than there was that we had a child predator living in Lakewood and there was no coverage of this fact. Reminds me of the time City Hall withheld information regarding a rapist in Lakewood that resulted in a woman being raped on Warren Road.

I'm with Charlie is more of a political/policy issue. I would say generally crime isn't covered here very much and this crime was not committed in Lakewood. That said, had Judge Carroll released Gilman without bail, I believe there may have been a discussion. Also, the victims are juveniles and have a lot to deal with going forward and I don't feel lots of discussion helps anyone at this time.

I guess no one is getting my point . . the accusations were made in June and there was an arrest at that time.

He was released pending charges

We don't find out anything about it until August . . .

other children were at risk during this time.

I guarantee you that if there weren't some type of "connection" here, that he would have been thrown in jail without bond. Especially since he was caught in an actual act of rape. This disgusts me and I'm sick of the politically connected getting preferred treatment.

And putting our children's lives at risk with a pedophile being put back on the streets without any warning.

Everyone who reads the Deck knows that I am not a fan of Chief Gilman. That being said, seeing as it was covered on Cleveland.com and the local news, I am going to wait to pass judgement until after the trial.

We should be praying for all those involved.These types of family issues should be kept private since it was already on the news.

Those of you who read my posts know that I am usually the last person to say that some things should be kept private.

Lori Allen _ wrote:Everyone who reads the Deck knows that I am not a fan of Chief Gilman. That being said, seeing as it was covered on Cleveland.com and the local news, I am going to wait to pass judgement until after the trial.

We should be praying for all those involved.These types of family issues should be kept private since it was already on the news.

Those of you who read my posts know that I am usually the last person to say that some things should be kept private.

Lori

Well said.

It was my understanding from law enforcement I spoke with, he has cooperated with them 100%.

There is absolutely, nothing but pain this story. But as I have learned in the past, let the police do their work, let families deal with pain, and let the courts do what they do.

As for how it escaped the LO Deck, maybe, just maybe the Deck has more heart and compassion than anyone gives it credit for.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote: As for how it escaped the LO Deck, maybe, just maybe the Deck has more heart and compassion than anyone gives it credit for.
.

My sentiments exactly.

I have absolutely no compassion for a pedophile rapist.

NONE

I do not dispute the severity of the alleged crime.

However, I personally have difficulty seeing a reason for beating this topic here. In my opinion, there is not much to discuss. A crime has been alleged, and the alleged perpetrator is working his way through the legal system in the proper manner.

The issue was already broadcast on Cleveland.com and the TV news.

Had the mayor actually worked to cover this up (as he appears to do most crimes), then the issue may have been worth mentioning on the Deck. However, I see little reason for it at this point.

I cannot even imagine what Mr. Gilman and his family are dealing with right now. Considering this and the fact that we lost a much-loved former mayor today, I feel this should be left to die for now.

If there are new developments in the case or if something odd happens, maybe that would be worthy of extended discussion.

Just my opinion.

Dan Alaimo wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote: As for how it escaped the LO Deck, maybe, just maybe the Deck has more heart and compassion than anyone gives it credit for.
.

My sentiments exactly.

I am afraid that my reason had more to do with being afraid of letting my opinion of the rapist's father spill out. You really cannot blame a parent for a child's behavior but often it is easy to make a snide remark about that parent when you have serious disagreements with their attitudes or actions in other arenas.

I am appalled by this crime. All the victims and their families are in my prayers. I am sure the pain is beyond bearing for them. I am not sure what any of us could say.

The victims will never be the same. We have heard about two victims. They apparently were friends of the family and the perpetrator babysat for them.

What a number of us have learned is that child rapists frequently have more victims than are first discovered. We also found out that there may be more people involved in crimes against children than the one who has been charged with the crime(s).

These child rapists prey on people they have access to, so that's why these criminals find jobs that put them close to children.

This is very dark stuff. I spent a lot of time tracking Phil Distasio (Brother Petty) on the web in an attempt to learn more about him. I met some people online who hunt pedophiles.

So these victims and their families and the family of the perpetrator are never going to have the kind of psychic peace they deserve. And that's horrible.

I went to the Justice Center to watch Distasio's sentencing. 26 life sentences. He pleaded guilty, Then fell back on his "ministry" and said it was a sacrament, not rape. Judge didn't buy it. There was resolution, but it left its mark. Perhaps that's part of the problem with talking about it.

The father is well known. There are a lot of lives that are now very damaged, including his. Nobody deserves this. Especially not the victims.