10 August 8 - 14, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents the church in 2012. James Morris first took a leave of absence from the board of elders in late June after the law firm Haynes and Boone began an internal investigation into the claims against Robert Morris, and concerns about conflicts of inter- est arose. A statement made on Facebook said James “had no knowledge of the true facts” of the allegations against his father and that the leave would be temporary. James is the first major church mem- ber, aside from Robert Morris, to step down from the church’s leadership. To Tuegel, it seems like an attempt to “save face” by getting a recognizable name out of the church. Victim-forward messaging is key to re- building trust within the church and mak- ing other potential victims feel empowered to come forward, she explained. With 27% of women reporting having experienced some degree of child sexual abuse accord- ing to the National Center for PTSD, there will be “other victims in the church body,” Tuegel said. In the weeks following Morris’ resigna- tion, Tuegel believed the church’s communi- cations were likely invalidating those victims. While it may be necessary to rebuild trust, it generally isn’t an issue to rebuild membership. In the cases she has litigated, Tuegel said she rarely sees a significant dip in church membership following accusa- tions of abuse or misconduct. “I have often seen the actual impact to numbers be minimal until you get to the point of bankruptcy. And even then, they don’t cease to exist, they just restructure and they use bankruptcy as a way to avoid some of the liability,” Tuegel said. “It’s not what you would think it would be, based on how great the harm is.” While many institutions jump to hire outside investigators after allegations of misconduct, Tuegel warns they can be inef- fective in signaling change. Another sign to be weary of is the quick hire of a big-name pastor to replace the accused, she added. Because of Gateway’s high-profile status, Tuegel believes it can stand as a “great test” to see if “churches can learn from the mis- takes of others.” “The bigger problem seems to be the church’s response to abuse. We know that there’s abuse. We know that there’s abuse within these large institutions, but how are they going to change and respond to it is the question,” Tuegel said. ened to fire her if she didn’t shut up and stop stirring up drama. Pastor Copeland subsequently sent her an apology via Slack later that evening,” the lawsuit, which was settled last summer, states. Tony Camma- rota – Stonebriar Community Church In an email sent to members, Stonebriar Com- munity Church in Frisco said Tony Cam- marota, associate pastor for 17 years, had been removed from his position due to “moral failure.” “Please guard against giving the Devil any foothold for more damage to our church through unnecessary speech and specula- tion,” the church said. “This is a sad day and we don’t want the Devil making it worse through any one of us in the days ahead.” ▼ POLITICS FEMALES WITH FELINES DALLAS CAT LADIES RESPOND TO JD VANCE’S COMMENTS. BY EMMA RUBY J D Vance hasn’t had the smoothest en- trance onto the national political stage thanks, in large part, to rumors that he has had carnal relations with a couch — and also because of the resurfacing of an old in- terview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “[The country is being run by] a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made,” vice presidential nominee Vance said in 2021. “So they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too. … It’s just a basic fact.” The inflammatory comments, made while Vance was mid-campaign for a Senate seat in Ohio, have received a burst of recent attention. In the interview, Vance called out current Vice President Kamala Harris — along with prominent Democrats Pete Butt- igieg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — for being childless. “How does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?” Vance asked. What also caught our attention was a tweet, also from 2021, in which Vance once again turned to the phrase “weird cat lady” as an insult. Clearly, this beef goes past Vance simply being a dog person. But what’s so wrong with being a cat lady? “I think the stereotype is the raggedy looking lady with the long stringy gray hair that walks around in a cardigan year-round, covered with fur and looks disheveled and rumbled. Maybe that’s what he’s going for,” Leigh Sessler, founder of the Dallas Cat Lady rescue, told the Observer. “But in reality, I think we provide a very valuable service to the community.” Sessler said her rescue, which runs thanks to the help of primarily female vol- unteers, helps cat owners pay for food and veterinary services, takes part in trap-neu- ter-return programs and helps educate the public about adoption and fostering efforts. And, she adds, most of the volunteers she works with do have children. “I thought it was hilarious, but on the other hand, it just shows general Unfair Park from p8 >> p12 Unsplash Megachurches are reconciling the wrongs. THE FACTS AREN'T CHEAP Election season is upon us. We're here to make sense of it but we need our readers' support. Producing independent journalism isn't cheap. We're proud to offer our exclusive coverage without a paywall, but we can't rely solely on advertising support. Your contributions will help us plan, ensuring we can provide our communities with in-depth coverage around all of the important issues. dallasobserver.com/support
