Protesters Rally Outside U of M President’s Home in Support of Robert Anderson Victims [VIDEO]
"Hail to the victims," is one of the chants heard outside University of Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel's Ann Arbor home. Protestors have been gathering in support of John Vaughn, who has been sleeping outside Schlissel's home since last Friday (10/8).
Vaughn was a standout athlete who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines in the late '80s and went on to play in the NFL in the early '90s. Vaughn, a victim of the late Dr. Robert Anderson's sexual abuse while he attended U of M, says he is representing hundreds of victims who also suffered at the hand of Anderson.
"We can't change what happened to us," Vaughn tells WDIV in the video below. "I'm not trying to solve the case, but [Schlisser needs] to know us not as John Does and Jane Does, but as human beings."
Vaughn says he plans to sleep outside the university president's home indefinitely, saying he'll evaluate his plans every 30 days. Protestors are showing no sign of letting up either.
Tad Deluca says nothing was done to stop Dr. Anderson's abuse when he complained about it in 1975.
"All I can say is they knew. They knew for decades, they covered it up for decades, he tells WDIV. "And that's why we're here. No more."
Deluca claims that after he reported Anderson's behavior, he lost his scholarship to the university.
Lawyers have advised Schlissel and other U of M officials to limit what they say about the ongoing lawsuits. A statement from the university reads, in part:
"We hear all of the survivors of the late Dr. Anderson's abuse and we thank them for their bravery in coming forward."