Theodia Gillespie, the CEO of the Quad County Urban League in Aurora, longtime close friend of Mayor Tom Weisner, his campaign co-chair and confidant, has been working behind-the-scenes to support and get her employee/friend, Shammrie Brown, out of jail after he was arrested and charged along with two others for sexual assault against a Joliet woman.
Instead of suspending or removing Brown from the Quad County Urban League after he was formally charged, speaking up loudly for the victim of sexual assault, she's been working hard to get others in the community to apply pressure to the judge and prosecutors to get freedom for Mr. Brown.
She even asked State Rep. Linda Chapa-LaVia to testify at a recent hearing in court to reduce his bond that Brown is a "devout Christian" after having him as an intern.
The excuses Gillespie and others are making for Brown are that he allegedly didn't rape the girl like his other two friends did. He only allegedly watched and didn't stop it as if somehow that is less offensive.
But, he allegedly admitted to police that he touched the victim in an inappropriate manner after she had been raped by two of his friends, trying to arouse himself.
And, according to law enforcement sources, that is partly why he's been charged with sexual assault. His inability to go forward with a rape in the same manner as his two friends doesn't mean he didn't commit any sexual assault.
Gillespie has made frantic phone calls across the community to find ways to reduce Brown's bail, differentiate him from the others and claim he's supposedly a model person.
Really?
How many model citizens do you know would do nothing to stop a rape and watch?
How many would try to become aroused by touching the victim's "thigh" after she had been raped?
How many model citizens would do nothing even after the incident or the next day?
And what type of model citizen is Theodia Gillespie?
As the leader of an organization, the Quad County Urban League, which receives substantial funding from taxpayers thanks to her good friend Mayor Tom Weisner, dealing with youth that is sending the message that if you know the right people who can use their positions, maybe a charge of sexual assault shouldn't be considered so bad.
Sexual assault is a serious crime and police are investigating to determine if there are any other victims from any other situations.
Theodia Gillespie has spent the last 7 years getting her way at taxpayer expense thanks to Weisner.
Now, when she has finally had to deal with a situation that hasn't been rigged, controlled or manipulated in her favor, she's focused on setting someone free who has been accused of sexual assault.
We say Theodia Gillespie should free herself to do whatever she wants...just not as CEO of Quad County Urban League and getting our taxdollars.
14 comments:
Before you go for the rope, let's remember that the most basic premise of our justice system is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law, NOT on an anonymous blog.
there is something called common sense. A guy admits to police he watched the rape and he touched her thigh and whatever afterward, didn't report stop anything, didn't report anything and didn't do anything even after the tragedy.
the question isn't if the guy should be innocent or guilty of sexual assault, but why is Theodia Gillespie fighting for him instead of the rape victim?
Thedoia should step down and then do whatever she wants but not as CEO of Urban League.
You have a member of the city council who has done a heck of a lot worse. No one ever investigated it though it was brought up in this blog several times over the years.
Worse, the police covered some of it up.
This is why Aurora sucks.
With people like Theodia making excuses for rapists, Tom Weisner's corruption, Stephanie Kifowit's sleaze, we are second to none.
OpenLine is special kind of court, where Democrats are found guilty before evidence presented.
Is "close friend" code for "sleeping with the mayor?" because that's what Ms. Gillespie has been doing for years. Not a huge surprise that she'd be championing the cause of a sexual miscreant.
Its true that before Ms. Gillespie got married that she was sleeping with the Mayor. I wonder why even after she got married that her husband doesn't even live with her in Aurora. He lives in Maryland. I guess that works out for the Mayor. Many local leaders in Aurora have known for years that Theodia and Tom Weisner have had an affair. In fact, more than one local leader have told me that they have shared a hotel room together when they have traveled out of town. Its a wonder Mrs. Weinser doesn't seem to know. Theodia Gillespie has some nerve ever talking about someone else's character. People in glass houses should not throw stones.
Theodia being on the victims side LAUGH OUT LOUD PLEASE! Shammrie didn't do anything to stop it but he touched the woman's thigh for what? Is that his way of releasing himself in his pants but he can still claim that he did not take part in the assault ARE YOU SERIOUS! Far as Theodia and Tom sleeping together I wouldn't be surprised of that at all! Because before she got married to her husband who does reside in Maryland before and after they were married, was dating the janitorial company owner who currently holds the cleaning contract for the Urban League!
There is a lot of wrong doing going on at the Urban League ! I know first hand I work there but I will not come forward for fear of losing my job! I dare not all to a member of the board or staff fot that matter because all they are going to do is tell her and I'm gone just like that! She do not like when you speak up for yourself and if you do your gone just ask Angela Clay Thomas yes the wife of Juan Thomas who was fired by Theodia twice! Once for speaking her mind and once for supporting her husband when he was running for congressmen of Aurora for doing a birthday fundraiser a week or two before Thedia did hers!
I wish someone WOULD REALLY REALLY REALLY look into Theodia and the Urban League and how she is running it into the ground! The turnover rate there is OUT OF CONTROL and it's all because of her! I know that people come and go but in the last 10 years atleast 20 people if not more has come and go. Even the National Urban League President Marc Moreal has had words with her along with Cherryl Jackson former President of the Chicago Urban League! I'm sure there are more than just them two! When is enough going to be enough!
This is why the media can suck!!! In the charges brought against the 3 men, never was the word rape used. What the correct term was the alledged victim was too intoxicated to give consent. The questions that I think of are 1. Did she give consent while intoxicated?
2. Whose and what standards do we use to determine how intoxicated someone is?
3. What relationship did she have with the men?
The media also did not state that it took at least 3 days before the alleged victim came forward. Imagine this scenario....Men and woman were drinking and hanging out. She willingly came back to the men's place, had intoxicated consentual sex with men who also had been drinking. Next day, sobers up. Realizes that their secret tryst becomes public knowledge. Embarassed, uses the excuse of I had too much to drink. Be careful people what the media or authorites will lead you to believe.
Better yet she had the hots for one guy and he convinced her to do his buddy...fine...she figures he shares, not all that uncommon in some groups, then she comes back a couple of days later and he is nailing some other skank...suddenly it is non-consensual...
So what happened to my earlier post about theft and greed?
I would never attempt to further victimize a person that has been traumatized by rape, however, I believe from what I've read about this case, the people involved had been drinking and that the victim may have been TOO INTOXICATED to give consent. Not that she did not consent, just that from what the police determined days afterwards she may have been too intoxicated to have given consent. How exactly does that get determined? An alcohol A1C test to determine how drunk you were over the last 3 months? That is a very slippery slope, so before I pass any judgement on what happened I think it is best to allow the courts to do their job. I think Mrs. Gillespie is simply stating that her belief is that her friend did not commit such a crime.
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