A Connecticut screenwriter chose the Bronx as the location to make a statement against sexual abuse on Tuesday.
Neal Gumpel stood on the Southern Blvd. median outside the gates of Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus, holding a sign that read “Shame on Jesuits” as passing motorists honked and hollered in support.
Gumpel says he was sexually abused by a Jesuit priest at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, in 1973. The protesters chose Fordham because the priest, the Rev. Roy Drake, once worked for the Bronx Jesuit university.
“I just want justice,” Gumpel said, noting the Jesuit priesthood has refused to acknowledge his claims. “I just want them to admit what happened and provide counseling and compensation of some sort.”
Gumpel, 57, said he has suffered through drug abuse and psychological damage as a result of being molested as a child.
“People have been responsive,” said fellow protester Robert Hoatson, a former Christian brother who now advocates for victims of sexual abuse. “I think more people are aware of how prevalent this is in the priesthood.”
Gumbel was also joined by his wife and a friend.
Drake died in 2008, three years after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old while he was a teacher at Fordham Prep in 1968.
The accuser informed the university of the alleged abuse, but the statute of limitations had expired to prosecute Drake, as it has in Gumpel’s case.
University representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
“The victim should be applauded for having the courage to stand up,” said Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivor Network of Those Abused by Priests. “Most of us, as victims, are not able to report (the abuse) until well into adulthood.”
The New York Province of the Society of Jesus did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
