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Lawton PD Gang Task Force Teaching That Pagans Are Gang Members The Church Of Our Lady in Lawton, OK,
reports that their local police department is doing Gang awareness lectures
in their area. At the end of their
power point presentation there is a list of local gangs. Apparently the last slide lists the Wiccan,
Pagans and Satanists in the area as a gang. Mary Ellen Colfer, a priestess of
this Church, informs me that the GI's on post tried to talk to the Gang Task
Force officers when they gave the presentation at Fort Sill, but got nowhere.
These GIs were younger E4's and E5's and one Sergeant who is an E7. A local teacher who saw this presentation
is afraid to say anything because she is afraid she will be fired. I sent the Lawton PD this response on
2007-9-21: “Chief Ronald Smith #10 SW 4th St Lawton, Oklahoma, 73501 “Dear Chief Jones: “I am the current head of Officers of
Avalon, an organization representing police officers, firefighters and
paramedics who follow Neo-Pagan religions.
An issue was just brought to my attention by the priestess of the
Church Of Our Lady, a Wiccan church in your jurisdiction with a 501 (c) (3)
status. They inform me that your Gang
Crime Unit is conducting gang awareness lectures. Apparently in their power point
presentation they list Wiccans and Pagans as a gang and equate Wiccans and
Pagans with Satanists. “Wicca is a legal religion in North America,
and I am both a Wiccan priest and a retired police officer. Wicca does not condone criminal activity
and is in no way related to criminal gang activities or Satanism. My members and I are very concerned that if
this allegation about the dissemination of such misinformation by your Gang
Crime officers is true, that it may cause hardships and misunderstandings for
people practicing legal minority religions in your area. I’d very much like to discuss this with you
or one of your officers in order that I may correct these
misunderstandings. I would be happy to
provide you with accurate information.
I understand the importance of public education about gangs, as one of
my former assignments was as a Gang Crime investigator for my police
department. I also understand how this
situation may have come about, since for some time there has been some
misinformation in circulation about the involvement of Wiccans and Pagans in
gang activity that was put out by ill informed people. I assume that this is what may have caused
this situation. We’d like to help you
rectify it to avoid misunderstandings.
I know that the Wiccans who contacted me are law abiding citizens who,
like you, want a crime free community.
I know that they’d like to meet with you so that you can see for
yourself that they are doing nothing that you need be concerned about. You can contact me at the phone number or
on line at the addresses below. I look
forward to hearing from you.” I encourage our members and readers to add
their responses to Chief Smith. Kerr Cuhulain |
Gang Unit Misinformation
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Email:
webmaster@officersofavalon.com |
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To contact us: |
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Apparently
the last slide lists the Wiccan, Pagans and Satanists in the area as a gang. |
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Volume
2 no. 5 Mabon/Alban Elved/Mean
Foghamar/Winter Finding 2007 |