The ugly, reactionary, brutal, and thoroughly machista response to the NACCS letter of inquiry set in motion a wave of other vicious attacks and threats against NACCS– including personal hate mail directed at me, and a threat to sue our organization for libel and slander. Such a lawsuit, had it gone through and regardless of the outcome, would have pushed NACCS into turmoil and could have been the end of the organization as we know it. We were advised by volunteer legal counsel not to pursue the matter any further until and only if the young woman who was raped made the this violence public and filed a police report and complaint. We were effectively silenced by the threats posed by this system of institutional violence. The legal apparatus had shackled us. I am still enraged by this course of events.
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Shortly after the NACCS letter was leaked, the lawyer for Ari Palos sent us a letter threatening a lawsuit for libel, slander, and actual and compensatory damages. He alleged that we were jeopardizing his client’s prospects and profits. In that letter Mr. Palos showed absolutely no concern for the women in his film. He appeared completely dedicated to his own self-interest and pecuniary advantages. Our view was that he had usurped the voices and experiences of the Arizona youth at the heart of our movement and then simply abandoned them to the turmoil you will read about in the following passages and posts. Sinvergüenzas.
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