When 17-year-old Shaun Derusha informed his mother that he would be unable to return to Purvis High School until she met with his principal, Denise DeSadier thought he was joking.
She had received neither letter nor phone call indicating any sort of misbehavior from her son. Such would have been the “proper” procedure for any institution purveying the attainment of education, but DeSadier agreed to have a conference with the involved administrators at her son’s school in hopes of reinstating her son’s place.
Her son explained to her that he had no idea what was going on, that he’d been called out of one of his classes by the administrators and a security guard to have his backpack rummaged through and personal questions about particular parts of his lifestyle fired at him. He failed to realize how serious the situation was until he found himself suspended under the suspicion that he’d threatened the life of some of the students by way of demon possession.
“It was believed that he planned on summoning demons to attack select students at the high school,” his mother told me.
DeSadier left the conference feeling her son had been severely wronged due to the fact that he and their family are practicing witches. A more formal name for their religion is Eclectic Paganism. It is hardly surprising that in a Bible-belt town with less than 3,000 people would frown upon such a lifestyle.
The family is no stranger to ostracization and the “cold shoulder” when people find out their religion.
“When people found out that we were practicing witches, they took it very very negatively,” DeSadier responded when asked how her family fit into this small town. “We are not part of their community. If only people would realize that there is no demon-summoning within our religion, there is no devil worship”
DeSadier felt as though Derusha had not been given his “due process” when these accusations had been made and when the school would not allow her to review the witness statements under the grounds of protecting the privacy of the three students involved.
Principal Ace Bryant of Purvis High School informed me that he was unable to disclose any information about the situation at all, but he did assure me that any disciplinary action taken against students that will leave some sort of mark on their permanent record were all investigated thoroughly and fairly. The online handbook of Purvis High School forbids intolerance of inequality, harassment or conduct that would make any student uncomfortable. If there was a problem that a student was too afraid to venture towards the principal’s office with, he or she could use AnComm’s online reporting tool, Talk About It, that is designed to bridge this communication gap by allowing students to anonymously report issues and engage in safe dialogue with school personnel.
Either way, the damage to Shaun’s record is done, as he was profiled in a way that would make words such as “Columbine” and “VTech” come to mind.
After taking an evaluation meant to grade his mental stability, Derusha was allowed back into school. When asked why the family hasn’t pursued some sort of appeal or lawyer for that matter, DeSadier responded that her son is a very mature thinker.
“Shaun just wants to graduate and move on in life. He won’t move because he feels that then they [discriminators, instigators, and those who are very close-minded] win. And he won’t give them that satisfaction.”
Non-Christian harassed at Purvis High
Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:11
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2. Secret, poorly examined, or unexamined accusations are accepted but are often inaccessible or unquestionable in some way. (See "right to confront accuser" and it's relation to respect for the law and the Constitution.)
3. Because the target is perceived as moral-religious and spiritual threat, steps are then taken to humiliate/degrade/shame/limit/punish/ the target, thereby "clarifying" the victim's role. The target victim of the witch hunt can easily be perceived as the aggressor and the aggressors as the victims. Religionism (as opposed to religion), fear mongering, and a very twisted sense of legalism are transformed into an axis of morality. Religious prejudice may be involved.
4. Victim continues to be assumed guilty/dangerous without proper proof or investigation. (It's not all about spectral evidence anymore!)
5. The accumulating manufactured pressures, anger, and fears are seen as license to take extreme measures and people may:* Conduct "spiritual" attacks against the target through “imprecatory psalms” or activities with a similar purpose.
* Create other faith-based campaigns to combat said vilifiable target. These campaigns may invade every aspect of the witch hunt's victim's life.
* Submit the witch hunt victim to psych ward or in-office psych evaluation. Coercion may be used (look at the definition of emotional violence one more time). This has happened more than once.
* Lock down a school based on false rumors of war between Wiccan and other students. (Farmerville High School in Louisiana)
* Create networks of professionals that ensnare themselves in questionable premises and practices that further harm the witch hunt victim. (For examples, do your share of study regarding "Satanic Ritual Abuse" or "SRA" on religioustolerance dot org.)6. More hysteria and rumors add to the witch hunt phenomena to create a convoluted vicious cycle that can go on for months but haunt for years. None of it was necessary. Schools must be held accountable as the educated, educating, responsible adults entrusted with authority.
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