Dozens of accusations are now facing by the local Denver school board member, Black Lives Matter protest leader, and anti-gun activist for sex abuse, rape, harassment, and “inappropriate behavior” from a variety of community members, including 62 high school students and illegal aliens in the DACA program, at least one as young as 14. Tay Anderson is denying the allegations and hopes to continue his work on the school board and in activism, but more victims continue to come forward. He is now stepping aside from his duties while the investigation continues.
According to Chalkbeat Colorado reports:
Denver school board member Tay Anderson said Sunday he would step back from “everyday board functions” until an outside firm hired by the school district completes an investigation into sexual assault allegations against him.
In a separate statement, the school board clarified that Anderson will still vote on key matters, including the selection of a new superintendent, which is set to happen on June 3. A Denver Public Schools spokesperson said Anderson’s stepping back means Anderson will not attend school or district meetings with staff or students.
Anderson announced his decision two days after the school board announced it was aware of new allegations against him.
Anderson is under investigation by an outside firm hired by Denver Public Schools. The district launched the investigation after the civil rights group Black Lives Matter 5280 said in March that a woman came to them to report that Anderson had sexually assaulted her.
Separate from that accusation, former members of the anti-gun violence group Never Again Colorado said that Anderson engaged in inappropriate behavior when he was the group’s president in 2018.
Then this week, Denver parent Mary-Katherine Brooks Fleming testified before a Colorado legislative committee that 62 young people, nearly all of the current Denver high school students, came to her starting in August seeking help and protection from a specific man “in a position of trust.” She said they had experienced abuse ranging from unwanted touching to violent rape.
Anderson has consistently denied all allegations against him. He said Sunday that he expects to be cleared and return to all his duties.
The Denver Post added that:
Denver Public Schools acknowledged Friday night that its board and the Denver Police Department are aware of new sexual assault allegations against school board member Tay Anderson after a woman testified this week before a legislative committee about a sexual predator within the school system who has targeted students.
On Tuesday, Mary-Katherine Brooks Fleming, a parent of three DPS students, told the state House Judiciary Committee there is “a sexual predator targeting DPS children” during her public testimony in support of a bill that would make it easier for victims to sue institutions who employ child sexual abusers.
Brooks Fleming told the committee 62 people had come to her for help regarding a single individual, but she did not name that person. Their experiences ranged from unwanted touching to “violent acts of rape,” she said. Sixty-one of them lacked documentation or were recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and the youngest was 14, she said.
“Those who came to my home didn’t have health insurance, couldn’t afford emergency rooms, and even if they could, they wanted to avoid mandatory reporters for fear that such an interaction could jeopardize their family,” Brooks Fleming said in her testimony. “It is horrifying to realize that someone had preyed on these children, knowing their silence was guaranteed.”
In a statement emailed to The Post on Friday night, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education stated, “The Board was made aware of testimony at the Colorado Capitol this week and was later informed that the accusations were against Director Tay Anderson. The Denver police are also aware of these accusations.”
The Denver Police Department’s investigators have spoken with Brooks Fleming about her comments, but they have not heard from any victims, Jay Casillas, a department spokesman, said in an email to The Post.
“If someone is a victim, we encourage them to contact Denver Police,” Casillas wrote.
Anderson, who has been under investigation by the school district for a single sexual assault allegation since early April, referred questions to his attorney, Christopher Decker. Decker denied the allegations on behalf of his client.
In a statement to The Denver Post, Decker wrote, “Nothing is worse or more unacceptable than the harm caused by a sexual assault upon our children, or the related harm caused by not believing those who have been victimized in this way. This is also why false assertions of these horrible crimes act to cheapen and diminish its importance. It is because of these two truths that responsible people and organizations must carefully investigate such inflammatory claims completely, and with an open and fair process.”
Mary-Katherine Brooks Fleming’s posted her testimony on Twitter:
Rapist in Denver Public Schools, Testimony on SB21-088 https://t.co/eSI5pr1qsv
— Coach MK👟/Your Protest Mom ❤️🍪🥛 (@CoachMKFleming) May 26, 2021
Watch it here: Twitter/Video
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, The Denver Post, Chalk beat collorado
