Purple Walrus Press hopes everyone has had a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. Some favorite quotes of mine.

Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.


"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in."

George S. McGovern.


"Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment."

Thich Nhat Hanh.


"War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering."

The Dalai Lama.

Michigan Attorney General Nessel Announces Charges and Arrests in Clergy Abuse Investigation.

Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

According to a May 24 press release from the the office of Attorney General Dana Nessel, five men who were priests have been charged with a total of 21 counts of criminal sexual conduct, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced at a news conference this morning in Lansing.  Four of the men have been arrested; one awaits extradition in India. A sixth Michigan priest is facing an administrative complaint and his license as a professional educationally limited counselor has been summarily suspended by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).  This according to the Friday press release.

“In the last 30 hours, more than a dozen members of our investigative team have been in courtrooms in Washtenaw, Wayne, Genesee, Macomb and Berrien Counties while other members of our team have been working with local law enforcement in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan – all in a carefully executed plan to take these charged defendants off the streets,” said Nessel.  “Almost all of these charges came as a direct result of calls to our tip line but were then corroborated by files seized from the dioceses last fall, followed by multiple interviews with victims, according to the release.

“Although we have charged these men with very serious crimes, I want to remind everyone that they are innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” cautioned Nessel.

Charges were filed as follows:

• Timothy Michael Crowley, 69, Lansing Diocese, was charged in Washtenaw County with four felony counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) 1, a maximum sentence of life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring, and four felony counts of CSC 2 – a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Crowley, who was a priest in various parishes, including St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor, was arrested Thursday in Tempe, Arizona.
• Neil Kalina, 63, Archdiocese of Detroit, was charged in Macomb County with one felony count of CSC 4, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring. Kalina, who was a priest at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township, was arrested Thursday in Littlerock, California.
• Vincent DeLorenzo, 80, Lansing Diocese, was charged in Genesee County with three felony counts of CSC 1, a maximum sentence of life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring, and three felony counts of CSC 2, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. DeLorenzo, who was a priest at Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, was arrested Thursday in Marion County, Florida.
• Patrick Casey, 55, Archdiocese of Detroit, was charged in Wayne County with one felony count of CSC 3, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Casey, who was a priest at St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish in Westland, was arrested Thursday in Oak Park, Michigan.
• Jacob Vellian, 84, Kalamazoo Diocese, was charged with two counts of Rape, a maximum sentence of life in prison. Vellian was a priest at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Benton Harbor, and now lives in Kerala, India.

In addition, the professional educationally limited counselor’s license of Lawrence Ventline, a priest with the Archdiocese of Detroit, was summarily suspended by LARA last week and the Attorney General has filed an administrative licensing complaint against him.

Nessel was joined by Deputy Solicitor General Ann Sherman, who said, “It is my hope, as a Catholic and a public servant, that we can bring all predators to justice, creating a path toward healing for the victims of the sexual abuse scandal and underscoring the need for the Catholic Church to be transparent and to report sexual abuse to appropriate law enforcement.”

Andy Russell, who was a victim of Father James Francis Raap spoke at the news conference as well, urging Nessel to continue the fight to go after clergy abuse and reminding victims to call the hotline.  “I got justice and I want justice for everyone else. That’s why I am here – to make sure this attorney general gets the support she needs to keep doing this.”

Nessel praised the team of 44 attorneys, special agents and Michigan State Police troopers who have worked around the clock as part of the Attorney General’s investigative team, following up on tips received on the Attorney General’s tip line (844-324-3374; mi.gov/clergyabuse) and scouring hundreds of thousands of pages of documents seized from Michigan’s seven dioceses in October.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Nessel said. “This is about taking on large-scale institutions that turn a blind eye to victims and making certain we hold all of them accountable – that includes unapologetically pursuing any and all individuals who abuse their power by victimizing our residents.” This according to the May 24 press release from Nessel's office.

Hit and Run Saturday Forest and River in Ypsilanti.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

According to the Ypsilanti Police Dept, officers responded to the location of a hit and run on Saturday, May 25. The hit and run occurred at Forest/River.  According to Ypsilanti Police, while officers were on scene a caller from approximately 2 miles away reported that a vehicle that matched the vehicle of the suspect was parked in front of their home, and that two suspects, including one

bleeding, were walking away. Officers located the two suspects after another caller reported two suspects in their backyard close to where the suspect vehicle was located.

Officers were able to determine who the driver was and arrested them for Operating While Intoxicated/Leaving the scene. Charges are pending.

Resources Are Available to Raise Awareness About the Prevention of Suicide.

Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

 According to a May 21 press release from MDHHS, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) urges Michigan residents to know the warning signs and resources available to prevent suicide. In 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death in Michigan for ages 15-34.

According to MDHHS, “Learning the warning signs of suicide can help raise awareness about suicide prevention and provide loved ones with the proper help,” said Robert Gordon, MDHHS director. “Talking with family, friends and neighbors about this important topic is essential as we try to get help to those who need it.”

Warning signs for those at risk of suicide include:

• Feelings of hopelessness.
• Threatening to or talking about wanting to hurt oneself.
• Loss of interest in activities.
• Withdrawal from friends and family.
• Change in eating and sleeping habits.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Displaying extreme mood swings.
• Looking for a way to kill oneself.

As stated in the media release, the recently updated MDHHS Suicide Prevention website has a variety of resources and information for individuals who are having thoughts of suicide or know a loved one who is in crisis. These resources include a communications toolkit, a county map of coalitions and crisis lines, fact sheets, trainings and information about the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Please know that if you are in a crisis, or know someone who needs help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). If you are interested in getting involved in suicide prevention, visitMichigan.gov/suicideprevention to find out more about local suicide prevention coalitions across the state, according to MDHHS

Parola Perspective in Brief: A Few Things Before Biden Takes the Stage: By PWP contributor Brooks Parola.

By PWP contributor Brooks Parola, Formerly of Flint.

A few things as Biden takes the stage:

1) I cannot believe this man worked with Obama for eight years and STILL thinks the GOP will be wiling to work with him and the DNC.

2) The far left looks at him, and sees Hillary 2.0, and that's understandable. But the polls (at this point) show many do not care. In fact his popularity seems to be growing, and so the far left needs to understand the next point.

3) The majority of Democrats are centrists...remember: that's why you hate us. But the fact of the matter is: If the majority of Dems are centrists, then the majority of voters are too. And sitting out another election in protest will not bring you any closer to your socialist revolution.

On The Flint Water Crisis: Day # 1826: By Water Crisis Activist Melissa Mays.

By Purple Walrus Press contributor Melissa Mays of Flint.

Well, I never thought I would write this, at least I hoped not to...
Day #1826 in the #FlintWaterCrisis: 5 YEARS OF HELL AND WE ARE STILL FIGHTING BACK
Yep. 5 years ago today a handful of City and State employees made the decision to switch our water source without proper testing, precautions or even heeding the warnings of the Water Treatment Plant Supervisor. They pushed a button to push us onto a profitable (for them) pipeline that wasn't even ready so SURE, pipe that untreated, corrosive, unclean Flint river into our homes and bodies. Make sure we give it to our kids! What a "treat!" (Note the MASSIVE sarcasm)

Over the past 5 years we have watched these same agencies and officials (whose job it is to protect public health and safety) lie to our faces, cover up innocent lives being lost, cover their own asses and swear the poison coming through our taps was/is safe. Here were are today, hearing the SAME PR lies based off of improper and incomplete testing that should be tossed out and then the insinuations that Flint is just uppity and wanting too much because we don't "trust."

The State told us to trust the water from Day 1. Then people died and were irreparably harmed. I personally find it DANGEROUS and IRRESPONSIBLE to trust water that has not been thoroughly or properly tested ESPECIALLY while tainted infrastructure remains unchanged!

It's not that we are just a community that lacks trust, we are a community you lied to, poisoned, ignored and are STILL pulling the same damn PR BS trying to wrap up this disaster as cheaply as possible, not caring about the health and lives of your innocent victims. Always trying to downplay and deny the disaster you force ACTUAL Flint residents to live in. We KNOW the water can't truly be safe for every person until the pipes, fixtures and appliances that YOUR DECISIONS DESTROYED are all replaced. We KNOW too many people do not have healthcare to get the treatment they deserve to recover from YOUR poisoning of our trust, bodies and futures. WE found out the hard way that when YOU say the words "safe" or "trust" they have a way different meaning for you ($$) than our reality in Flint.

So, until you show me that you have replaced every piece of contaminated infrastructure and INDEPENDENTLY AND ACCURATELY tested for every dangerous contaminant across the city, you can guess where you can stick your "trust." And to quote myself from today's New York Times article,
“I used to be a lot more optimistic and cheerful,” she said, “but now I’m literally just pissed.”

You want Flint's trust?
*FIX WHAT YOU BROKE
*STOP LYING TO US
*STOP TRYING TO SILENCE US
*STOP FIGHTING BACK AGAINST WHAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY RECOVER. (Yes, that would require listening to US and especially the Medical Community.)
Try doing that (the right thing) and then come ask us about "trust."

Michigan Dept of Health and Human Services is investigating Cases of Legionnaires in Genesee County.

PWP Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

According to a May 10 press release, The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is investigating a case of Legionnaires’ Disease (LD) in a patient who spent time in McLaren Flint Hospital. This is part of an ongoing investigation of a cluster of cases reported in 2018 and 2019 with exposure histories that involve the hospital.

The most recent case spent their exposure period as an inpatient at McLaren Flint Hospital and had an illness onset in the beginning of May 2019. The identification of a potential source of these infections is on-going and involves local, state, and federal public health agencies and McLaren Flint Hospital. Hospital administration has been cooperating with the investigation. This according to the media release.

According to MDHHS, LD is a respiratory infection caused by Legionella bacteria. LD is a severe infection that includes symptoms of fever, cough and radiologic findings consistent with pneumonia. Legionella bacteria are naturally occurring in fresh water sources. The organism can multiply in manmade water systems such as cooling towers, decorative fountains, hot tubs and large building plumbing systems.

According to MDHHS, After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, water containing Legionella can spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in. People can get LD when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria.

Individuals at higher risk for LD include those who are age 50 or older; have a current or past smoking history; or have an underlying illness or condition such as chronic lung disease, kidney or liver failure, diabetes, systemic malignancies, or immune system disorders due to medications or disease. Recent travel and overnight stays in hospitals or other healthcare facilities can increase an individual’s risk for exposure to LD.

Patients with pneumonia should be tested for LD if they have any of the following histories, according to the press release from MDHHS.

• Have failed outpatient antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia.
• Are immunocompromised.                                            
• Are admitted to the ICU.
• Traveled within 10 days prior to symptom onset.                                                                                            
• Were recently hospitalized.
• Developed pneumonia ≥48 hours after hospital admission.

If you are concerned about possible symptoms of pneumonia you should contact your primary care provider. Further information regarding LD is available from the CDC website at Cdc.gov/legionella.

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