Taking Care of Our Own

Jun 9th, 2010 By pacovilla The circumstances leading to the railroading of CIM Officer Robert McGowan have been well documented on this site. Disheartening as McGowan’s circumstances are, the reaction of his fellow officers is a sign of hope. Overnight, calls for establishment of a family support account dominated the comment and Forum threads. To borrow from the CPOF, taking care of our own is the order of the day–It will remain so until the day Robert McGowan is released from his term as a political prisoner. As noted in yesterday’s post on the subject, McGowan’s CIM brethren are said to have established a legal defense fund, the details of which will be prominently published here. At this juncture, we know his wife had to move back in with her parents–It is unclear whether a fund to support his family has been established. If not, it is clear McGowan‘s statewide family would like to take on the task. In an agency where “catastrophic” time banks for maternity leave and hemorrhoid surgery for those without time on the books are all too common, the ranks have grown accustomed to rather questionable calls for assistance. Ironically, McGowan‘s situation is truly catastrophic yet, owing to his termination, there can be no time bank–CDCR is done with him. We are not. For the moment, Paco suggests you keep your checkbook handy (and balanced). Once information is received regarding what accounts have been established and how to contribute, permanent donation links will be added to the blog and Forum indexes. CIM Riders familiar or involved with the fund(s) are asked to forward the information ASAP. Please refer to Paco’s Contact page–Email, fax, phone…whatever is most convenient. Robert McGowan is truly in the belly of the beast. He needs to know we aren’t giving up on him or his family.