Caldera: No Impact on Youth? Yeah, Right.

Alright, let's get this straight. Another youth program, another alleged predator slipping through the cracks. Caldera Arts, huh? Never heard of 'em, but apparently they're Portland-based and connected to some artsy-fartsy community in Sisters. Good for them.

The Usual Song and Dance

So, 29-year-old Zackary James Perry gets popped for a laundry list of sex crimes – rape, sexual abuse, sodomy, the whole shebang. And what's the response? A carefully worded Facebook post about "thorough background checks" and the "rule of three." Give me a break.

"Thorough background checks." That's PR speak for, "We did the bare minimum and hoped for the best." I'm sure they ran a background check, maybe even two. But did they really dig? Did they talk to former employers? Did they actually, you know, investigate this guy, or did they just tick a box on a form? Because if all it takes is a quick database search to clear someone to work with kids, then the system is even more broken than I thought it was.

And the "rule of three"? Seriously? That's supposed to stop a determined predator? It's like putting up a chain-link fence to stop a tank. It might slow 'em down for a second, but it ain't gonna work.

Caldera Arts wants us to believe they're shocked, shocked, that this happened. They fired Perry and contacted law enforcement, bless their hearts. But let's be real: the damage is done. Kids were allegedly victimized on their watch. No amount of PR spin can erase that. What's more infuriating, is that Caldera Arts felt the need to clarify that Perry was a "Youth Advocate and Media Coordinator" and not a camp counselor. As if that somehow makes it better? Sexual abuse is sexual abuse, no matter what the job title is. Camp Caldera says no indication youth impacted in sexual abuse case; suspect not counselor - Central Oregon Daily

The Inevitable Question

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with info to come forward. Ofcourse they are. But what about the information they already had? The JCSO responded to an initial report on August 12th. So, why did it take this long to arrest Perry? What were they doing in the meantime? Were they waiting for more victims to come forward? It's all a bit suspect, ain't it? Maybe I'm being too cynical, but this whole thing stinks.

I feel for the victims, I really do. But I'm also sick of this same story playing out again and again. Youth programs, schools, churches… it's the same damn script every time. Someone gets hurt, the organization issues a statement about how seriously they take safety, and then everyone moves on until the next scandal breaks.

Another Day, Another Disappointment

So, what's the real story? It's that we're failing our kids. We're putting them in situations where they're vulnerable, and we're trusting organizations to protect them when, clearly, they're not up to the task. And until we start holding these organizations accountable – truly accountable – this will keep happening. It's not a matter of "if," but "when.