Safehouse Legal Defense Fund -Fight For Clergy Abuse Victims

In 2022, our advocacy agency, Safehouse #Unmuzzled, committed to supporting and advocating for victims and survivors of gross clergy abuse and predatory clergy sexual misconduct in the Black church, was approached with a harrowing report. A former member of Christ Apostolic Temple reported to us that their 63-year-old pastor, Dwight Reed, had married a teenage alleged lifelong church member and student from his school, the JW Reed Christian Academy

Our case workers conducted a thorough investigation, and our agency uncovered what we believe to be a grave breach of ethical boundaries, fiduciary responsibility, and an egregious misuse of clergy power. Our findings revealed that "Bishop" Dwight Reed had groomed this vulnerable teenager for marriage, leveraging his position of trust and authority. We substantiated these conclusions with numerous witness testimonies and compelling evidence showing that this inappropriate relationship was cultivated during the teenager's formative years. We published these finding in our "Unmuzzled Report"Unmuzzled Report - Dwight Reed . Click the link to review the investigation.

Driven by our mission to seek justice and protect the innocent, we took immediate action to expose this abuse of power. However, our pursuit of truth has led to a significant legal battle. Dwight Reed has retaliated by filing a lawsuit against our organization, our executive director Bishop Demetrius Sinegal, and his church (a completely unrelated entity), alleging slander and libel. In other jurisdictions anti-slapp laws would've prevented Dwight Reeds lawsuit. But, Iowa does not have such protective measures.

Our organization is entirely volunteer-based and operates solely on donations from compassionate supporters like you. The looming legal costs are daunting and have overwhelmed our limited resources. As a consequence when our attorney was hired by a new law firm that demanded an additional retainer, we were unable to meet the burden and she has withdrawn from the case. We missed a significant court deadline amidst this transition and need to hire a new attorney to file the necessary motions to overturn a default judgement.

We refuse to be silenced, deterred, or muzzled. Silencing us is silencing the victims we support and we cannot allow that to happen. We remain steadfast in our commitment to justice for victims of clergy abuse.

**We urgently need your help.** Your donation to our legal defense fund will enable us to continue this critical fight. By contributing, you are standing with us and the countless victims who have suffered in silence. Your support will help ensure that truth prevails and that those who misuse their power are held accountable.

Every dollar counts. Your generosity will make a profound difference in our ability to defend ourselves against this lawsuit and to continue advocating for victims of clergy abuse. Together, we can send a powerful message that such abuses of power will not be tolerated, and that our community cares about the weakest among us; young, innocent, teenagers.

Please donate today and share our campaign with your network. With your support, we can continue our vital work and bring hope and healing to those who need it most.

Thank you for your compassion and generosity.

Safehouse #Unmuzzled Advocacy Group

Here are articles you can read about this:

Rekha Basu- Investigation needed

The Julie Roys Report

The Unmuzzled Report