Im still standing and using my voice to say what you did was wrong, she said. Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Casper Star-Tribune. Allentown Cadets director resigns amid sexual misconduct allegations [19] On May 1, 2020, The Cadets announced the creation of a new 501(c)3 non-profit organization: Cadets Arts & Entertainment, Inc. If his probation officer recommends it, Hopkins will have to undergo sex offender therapy. Through his attorney, Hopkins denied "any nonconsensual relations" with the sisters and also denied having "any relations whatsoever" with Lee Ann Riley while she was a minor. Drum Corps International, the sanctioning body for competition youth drum corps events, said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned" by the allegations against Hopkins. The DCI.org interview: George Hopkins Success! Youth Education in. Casper nonprofits can now apply for 1-cent funding through the city's official application process. The amount of time and effort that is necessary to make certain USBands events are successful is astounding. For the 1971 season, the corps stuck together, offering show promoters the five corps as a package. The investigation into Hopkins conduct found he had little oversight from the Cadets board, giving him the freedom to throw things when angry in rehearsals, refer to women as little girls, and send inappropriate sexual emails on the organizations server. As one of the only returning baritones, he was offered the section head spot by Jackson but turned it down I thought I didnt deserve it.. I dont know a single person who marched drum corps and didnt have complaints.. Hopkins had been suing YEA for $650,000 in severance, vacation and expenses. CEO while denying the allegations. They became the 507 Hornets -- I marched there from 1971-1974. Allentown Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps separated from YEA and became the nonprofit Cadets Arts & Entertainment Inc. in May, stating it had lost $1.5 million in sponsorships, donations, and ticket sales after the allegations against Hopkins were made public in the 2018 Inquirer account. Many of the women who spoke to Philly.com said they felt empowered to come forward by the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct that has toppled powerful men in news and entertainment. George Hopkins Bio Hopkins surrendered to authorities, was arraigned, and was released on $50,000 bail with a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 4. [2][3], In 1958, the Holy Name parish declined to support the corps' travel and disbanded the corps. [15], In response to Hopkins suing YEA! During training, 150 members aged 14 to 22 rehearse for 12 hours a day, on their feet from morning to night. In an online post last year, Hopkins called the allegations an orchestrated smear by those who disagreed with his management. Anthony warned Hopkins that if he violated any conditions of probation he could be sent to a state prison. Hopkins also served as CEO of the Cadets' parent organization, Youth Education in the Arts. As a member of MAASINs whistleblowing committee, Calhoun helped compile six reports and publicized them in January. How to do some spring cleaning on your smartphone, What the Tech? Advertisement Allentown News Allentown's Cadets drum and bugle corps forming non-profit, separating from YEA! [5] In January 2009, The Cadets marched in President Barack Obama's Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. During his tenure, Hopkins took the Cadets to 10 world championships and was an icon in the drum corps community. agreed to take over the assets and liabilities of the Crossmen in 1997. In July, he sued the organization for more than $580,000 in severance pay. Connell said she never had any problems with Jackson herself, but was hurt indirectly watching her close friends being neglected or silenced. 1, 2 & 4 / Grover's Corner (from Our Town) & Appalachian Spring, Symphony No. There was a problem saving your notification. There was an error processing your request. READ MORE: Nine women from Allentowns elite Cadets drum corps accuse director George Hopkins of sexual abuse and harassment. The corps would fail to make DCI Finals for the first three years they were held and for six of DCI's first eight seasons. A Chicago law firm has exonerated suspended Youth Education in the Arts employee Sean King. They wanted to shed a light on his behavior and for him to have a criminal record, he said. In response to a question from Anthony, Berry said the paper would hand over the full video recording for the judges review only, if that was the courts ruling. "For 86 years, The Cadets have been leaders and innovators in performing arts education," Bonfiglio said. It carries the same weight at sentencing as a guilty plea. CEO while denying the allegations. She told police that she passed out in his apartment and when she woke up, Hopkins was gone. [7] Later that day, Hopkins stepped down as director of The Cadets and YEA! George Hopkins, the former director of the Allentown Cadets drum and bugle corps who was accused of sexual misconduct by a dozen women, pleaded no contest on Thursday to indecent assault and was sentenced to two years of probation. Hopkins was hired by The Cadets in 1979 and became director in 1982, coaching the team to 10 world titles. for more than $650,000 in severance and back pay, the organization filed a counter-suit against the former director for $1.5 million in losses which it alleges to have lost due to the sexual misconduct scandal. The women who accused Hopkins of harassment ranged in age from 16 to 37 at the time of the alleged incidents, which dated to 1980. reached a settlement in January 2019. that title. You have permission to edit this article. After the summer of 2020, the first summer in years without a Troopers tour, Ian Calhoun said he started to hear from friends hed made at the corps who were interested in reporting some of their experiences to the advocacy group MAASIN (Marching Arts Access, Safety & Inclusion Network). George Hopkins, exiting court in Allentown in December 2018, pleaded no contest Thursday to indecent assault. George Hopkins, YEA settle civil suit regarding compensation, Stormcenter - School / Business Application. George Hopkins on The Cadets 2017 Show | Marching Arts Education At the first DCI World Championships in Whitewater, Wisconsin, the Cadets just missed making Finals and finished in thirteenth place in a competition that featured thirty-nine corps from the East, the South, the West Coast, the Midwest and Great Plains, and Canada. ), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. You need complete concentration on everything you do because if you dont, you could get someone else hurt or you can hurt yourself, Calhoun said. She said the memories can, at times, still knock the wind out of me, but I get up., I dont just get up and go to work to hide my pain and put the abuse behind me, she wrote. Im angry. 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Bergstrom said the Inquirer interviewed Jessica Beyer in April 2018 and publicly aired the four to five-minute video. participation in 2018 Summer Tour", "Cadets to forgo west coast portion of 2018 tour", "Ex-director of Allentown drum corps enters plea in sexual assault case", "Former Allentown Cadets band leader pleads no contest to indecent assault; judge calls him 'disgusting', "Drum corps seeks $1.5 million from former director after sexual misconduct scandal", "George Hopkins, YEA settle civil suit regarding compensation", "The Cadets Announce Independent Not-For-Profit Youth Organization", https://cadets.org/cadets-announce-move-erie-pa, https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48381432/erie-sports-center-to-become-permanent-home-for-the-cadets-drum-corps, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Cadets_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps&oldid=1139537566, The Sinfonians by Clifton Williams / Give it One by, Advance of the Sponges by HIGGINS / Left Bank Express by Pete Jackson / Pieces of Dreams by Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman / Echano by Chuck Mangione / Strawberry Soup by, Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson / In Nomine Patris, Almighty Father, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, God Said, De Profundis, Part 2 & A Simple Song, Maria, Rumble, Prologue, America, I Have a Love, & Tonight, Jeremiah Symphony, Overture to Candide & Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide), I Dreamed A Dream, At the End of the Day, Look Down, On My Own, Attack on Rue Plumet, Bring Him Home, One Day More & At the Barricades, In the Spring, When Kings Go Off to War; Ballet Sacra & On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss, Dance at the Gym, Mambo, Cha-cha, Cool, Prologue/Rumble, A Boy Like That, Tonight & Finale, The Reivers, Born on the 4th of July, Blowing Off Steam (from Far and Away), Swing, Swing, Swing (from 1941) & Land Race (from Far and Away), The Promise of Living (from Tender Land) by Aaron Copland / Tulsa: A Portrait in Oil by, Tapestry Of Nations, Prologue, Chaos and Meaning, The Sage of Time & The Promise, History Repeating by Alex Gifford / White Rabbit by, Rumble, Prologue, A Boy Like That-I Have A Love, Cool & Tonight, Symphony No. The parent organization of the Allentown Cadets drum and bugle corps has settled part of a lawsuit by its former CEO George Hopkins over his salary and benefits after he was fired in the wake. A Failure to Protect - Inquirer.com YEA! [10] The organization also hired a Chicago labor and employment law firm, Franczek Radelet, to investigate the accusations against Hopkins as well as YEA!s policies and procedures for providing a safe environment for youth members, employees, and volunteers. There, she said, he gave her a glass of wine and sexually assaulted her. A statement issued late Thursday night by the YEA board of directors, the organization that operates The Cadets, an elite drum and bugle corps, said CEO George Hopkins denies the allegations but . Lehigh County Judge James T. Anthony also fined Hopkins $5,000, the most allowed by law, and called him flatly disgusting.. It carries the same weight at sentencing as a guilty plea. On Friday, October 6, 2017, 10:08 PM, XXXX XXXX XXXX@XXXX.com wrote: This letter is to inform you of my resignation as Director of USBands, effective immediately. He joined the staff of the Cadets in 1979 as percussion instructor and arranger, moving up to become Assistant Director under Dr. Santo . In her last season, she remembers a staffer being forced to resign after he was found to be sleeping with a member. The negligence comes from a lot of places, Connell said. All Rights Reserved. There is an interview with Beyer that is readily available to the public that will allow the Bergstrom to build his defense, Berry argued. New statement from Youth in Education in the Arts on Allentown Cadets To honor their 75th anniversary, the corps was called the Holy Name Cadets for the 2009 season. She said he showed up at her apartment one morning, begged her for sex, then pushed her on the bed and raped her. Not just for [the victim] but for all the women who are taken advantage of by predators like you, Anthony said. Hopkins was forced out as director of the . Lees ons privacybeleid en cookiebeleid voor meer informatie over hoe we uw persoonsgegevens gebruiken. In 1969, the corps became coed. I want the victims to know that what you did was horrible beyond description, the judge said, READ MORE: Report: Drum corps leader threw things at work, called women little girls. The Govenaires, an all-age/senior corps founded in 1927, retain the title of oldest continuously active corps. Assistant District Attorney Matthew Falk declined to comment afterward on whether the two sides were discussing a plea deal. Shes four years removed from the corps now, and married. On April 5, 2018, allegations were made in published reports that the longstanding corps director, George Hopkins, sexually harassed or abused multiple members of the corps and staff over a period of years. Error! A tuba player lost feeling in their right hand, he said, and wasnt treated until the next day. On Wednesday, he told Lehigh County Judge James Anthony that the Inquirer has refused to provide the full video. This has directed more than enough negative attention to the Cadets when in reality, it should be pointed at George Hopkins himself. Two additional women, including Beyer, came forward within days to say they were also victims. They sleep on hard gym floors, take water breaks on the run and get an average of one. George Hopkins, who led The Cadets to renown and a slew of national and world championships, stepped down from the Allentown-based group after Philly.com reported Thursday that nine women had. But with the end of 2015, other changes occured. [2][3], The Garfield Cadets relocated outside Garfield to Hackensack and became the Cadets of Bergen County in 1989. Through his attorney, Hopkins said he did not know who Marie is, but denied her allegation. George Hopkins, YEA settle civil suit regarding compensation Instead, Beyer is very much in the public eye, and the defense is asking to see the entire video interview, not a reporters notes, he said. After the hearing, Hopkins lawyer, Thomas Bergstrom, called the probationary sentence a fair result and said there were many inconsistencies in the accusers stories. He's due back in court in February. In addition, YEA! Crews were actively searching for people who were trapped, but having a hard time getting to them. ALLENTOWN, Pa. | The defense attorney for the former drum corps director accused of sexual assault is demanding that a newspaper turn over its unedited video interview of his clients accuser in order to prepare a proper defense. She said she told Hopkins no but was unable to fight off his sexual advances. George Hopkins, who led The Cadets to renown and a slew of national and world championships, stepped down from the Allentown-based group after Philly.com reported Thursday that nine women had accused him of sexual harassment or abuse. George Hopkins resigned as director of the Cadets, an elite drum corps based in Allentown, Pa., after nine women accused him of sexual misconduct. Twelve women have told the Inquirer they were sexually harassed or abused by Hopkins over the nearly four decades he served as director of Allentown's famed Cadets, years during which he achieved rock-star-like status in the activity. Despite pressure on show sponsors, judges, and other drum corps, the corps were booked into a number of shows together. The woman addressed Anthony in court, telling him of years of fear, shame, and depression as a result of the crime, which she did not immediately report. and USBands affects the lives of tens of thousands of students each year and I feel humbled to have played a small part in that. She told police that she passed out in his apartment and, when she woke up, Hopkins was gone. George Hopkins - Medium money, and members. I felt so used.". Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. Man missing since 2021 was murdered, co-worker arrested: DA, Brian Laundrie was 'emotional bully,' Petito family lawsuit says, Pa. woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto Rico. In the suit, Hopkins denied he was fired by YEA, claiming he left the organization through a mutually agreeable cessation of employment.. The Alliance members felt that the corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the monies those shows earned. Four months after the director of Allentown's famed Cadets drum corps, George Hopkins, resigned amid a sexual misconduct scandal, the spotlight has now turned on another, smaller corps Pioneer of Milwaukee. It comes from a lot of different places.. George Hopkins. amid sexual allegations, Allentown Cadets board resigns amid allegations against ex-drum corps director, Defense says accused former drums corps director weighing plea deal. separated from YEA and became the nonprofit Cadets Arts and Entertainment Inc. Hopkins called the allegations an orchestrated smear, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. "I felt pressured and I felt cornered. By Staff. Their biggest resource in that effort may be the very people who are speaking out. The judge set a Dec. 17 hearing on the defenses motion to dismiss the charges. Wyoming teachers are leaving. The decision to leave wasnt easy, especially since the messaging within the organization encourages members to deal with the hardships or be seen as weak. to take in order for its drum corps to participate in the upcoming 2018 DCI Summer Tour. The charges stemmed from alleged incidents involving two women. The Cadets of Bergen County won DCI Championships in 1990, '93, '98, and 2000. Hopkins, 63, is awaiting trial on three counts of felony sexual assault. This is art. Value of cutting back on your screen time, What the Tech? Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. Rachael Ray Ending After 17 Seasons: Its Time for Me to Move On, Shania Twain 'uncontrollably fragile' after husband's affair, 48 Hours: Natalie Morales Reveals How Social Media Helped Solve Case, Uriah Heep believe they have 'some merit' to be considered for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry, Amanda Seyfried wants to a role in movie version of Mean Girls: The Musical, Aaron Taylor-Johnson joins Nosferatu remake. First, I want to thank you for the opportunity you have afforded me in this role. Currently semi retired, while creating Act 2 of life. George Hopkins 260 Followers Life long member, teacher, and administrator of Drum Corps (from 1968-2019). He resigned from his post in early April amid sexual assault allegations, but the YEA board said it was firing Hopkins. Some people may be able to give 12 hours a day to the cause, and that is great for them and you, but my life is outside of YEA! Prosecutor Matthew Falk, the offices chef deputy district attorney, said Beyer, the woman in the allegation dating to 2008, decided that not pursuing these charges are in her best interest, and we support her in that. The victim in the 2010 assault has asked not to be named. The group said it was taking steps to address the issues raised by past members, and has subsequently hired a new interim director. In 1996, sponsorship of the corps was passed to Youth Education in the Arts (YEA), an umbrella organization sponsoring several youth and musical activities. The Cadets began operating independently of YEA! Overall, the deficit was about $200,000. Never marched in high school band. Hopkins earned about $177,000 in 2017, according to the nonprofit's financial statements. Former Cadet Lee Ann Riley said she was 17 when Hopkins, then 23, forced himself on her and had sex with her. The story of George's van trip to Mississippi and Louisiana Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Crews contend with tons of snow as they work to reopen I-80, Powell sisters die in crash with semi-truck, Long shifts, odd calls, brutal weather: inside the Wyoming Highway Patrol staffing shortage, Ex-Casper doctor imprisoned for sexually assaulting patients released years early, Lovell steps up after local sportswriter dies from car crash injuries. I cried a little bit," she recalled. April 13, 2018. The Cadets Drum Corps -The Three Peat | by George Hopkins | Medium I wholeheartedly believe in the mission and vision of YEA! Former drum corps leader pleads no contest to indecent assault; judge Report clears former Cadets employee ensnared in boss's sexual Two former Youth Education in the Arts employees accused George Hopkins of sexual assault. Genesis from Austin, Texas performs during Drums Along the Rockies at Cheney Alumni Field Friday evening, July 12, 2019. Board of Directors Resigns, New Board to Guide Organization", "Former drum corps director George Hopkins charged with sexual assault", "Finding no resignation letter, YEA board fired Hopkins with no severance", "DCI action on YEA! Its clear from the video that its been edited, and that the Inquirer has chosen to show only portions of the interview, he said. Cadets Drum Corps Sep 1982 - Apr 2018 35 years 8 months . They dont eat lunch until their section is perfectly lined up by twos. The former, longtime director of the Allentown Cadets competitive marching band entered a plea Thursday in a sexual assault case dating to 2018. established a hotline for calls to report concerns or complaints.[11]. George Hopkins, the former director of the Allentown Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps who was accused of sexual misconduct by nearly a dozen women, pleaded no contest to indecent assault and was sentenced to two years probation in Lehigh County Court on Thursday. Even snow plows and emergency vehicles were. In July, he sued the organization for more than $580,000 in severance pay. Also in 1971, the Garfield Cadets, along with the 27th Lancers, Boston Crusaders, Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights, and Blue Rock, formed the United Organization of Junior Corps (also known as the "Alliance").