Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2600

Tonight's special guest is David A Washington from Hagerstown, Maryland, who was raped by two strangers at a local park in his community. "The assault was of such a nature that I was taken to the hospital and the police was involved," he says. "As a result of this more predators sought me out and I experienced sexual abuse until high school. I began to use substances while in the 9th grade and was able to move to a crowd that offered protection to some extent." David is featured on video in The Bristlecone Project. He explains, "The major feeling was shame and that I was evil, a sinner, a criminal (the police took me to the hospital, not an ambulance, and my understanding as a kid was that only bad guys go in the car with the flashing lights). I knew people in the community knew what had happened. One because of the police involvement and two because of the court hearing." David began his recovery at 25 when he stopped using substances and went to an inpatient program that specialized in sexual trauma. "It was there that I admitted that I was a survivor and received a diagnosis of PTSD. I am a member of a 12 step fellowship for 29 years now." But, he goes on, "It was not until I was 45 that I was asked to share on Capitol Hill for a Congressional Hearing in 2011 that I went public on a large scale. I have talked about the trauma throughout my life but never in a public setting. This opened the door for me to be heard in conventions and conferences across America. As David says, “We don’t have to be silent anymore and you are not alone.”