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By Kay Ebeling
Pedophile priest Carlos Rodriguez was released from Norco Prison east of Los Angeles Sunday January 20th, after serving 3 years and 8 months of an 8 year 8 month sentence for child molestation. Rodriguez was released to the Huntington Park parole office jurisdiction and is known to have extended family in nearby City of Commerce.
“I found out Friday and he was released on Sunday,” said Rodriguez crime victim Eric Barragan, who lives in Mexico City. “I got the call from California’s Victims office. They gave me these 800 numbers that I couldn't call from Mexico, so I called SNAP and they organized this event.”
The SNAP press conference took place Tuesday afternoon January 22, and was attended by 3 survivors, a survivor’s mom, and 4 news reporters, two with cameras. Across the street an ecology group bussed in more than a hundred protesters and a parking lot full of reporters covered their demonstration. They were protesting plastic bags. They had a six foot tall sculpture made from used plastic bags and signs with picture of a dead seal, beached and strangled by plastic bags that had been disposed of in the ocean. . .
The SNAP announcement read:
WHAT:
At a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will:
--Blast Gov. Schwarzenegger and state officials for the proposal to let criminals out of jail early,
--Prod them to keep child molesters locked up for their full terms, and,
--Urge Cardinal Roger Mahony to use his considerable resources to warn his flock about a newly-released predator priest and any other clergy who may be released from incarceration.
Joelle Casteix from SNAP said to City of Angels blog:
“The public needs to have information about where Carolos Rodriguez is living, what are the limitations of his parole, if he’s wearing a GPS bracelet.”
Someone pointed out to me Todd Tamberg, the LA archdiocese PR front man, standing on archdiocese grounds watching us, but a guy in a red jacket kept blocking my view of Tamberg’s face. . .
“We want Cardinal Mahony to do whatever is in his power, in his communications, in his radio spots, because all his flock need to be warned about this dangerous man,” said crime victim Eric Barragan.
I glanced over and Tamberg was laughing at some joke with Red Jacket, totally out of earshot, totally not caring what we were saying, totally preoccupied with protecting their grounds from we pedophile priest crime victims still seeking justice from the sidewalk outside.
Barragan continued: "We are not asking Cardinal Mahony, but demanding of Cardinal Mahony, that he announce to the communities, specifically the Latino community, and this county and this archdiocese, that this is a very dangerous man who worked with a lot of families, at the Office of Family Life in Santa Barbara.
“Carlos Rodriguez had access to a lot of families, so they all need to be warned that he has been released from prison and that he poses a threat to the community where he was released and where he used to work, which is Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara County.
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