Date: April 27, 2025
Location: Waterford, CaliforniaTo: Trent Tilby (Family Counselor/Mediator, Stanislaus County), Walmart Inc., and all other concerned parties:For years, my pleas for assistance regarding grave issues such as rape, torture, and other profound abuses have gone unheard. This scenario reflects not merely a personal misfortune, but indicates a broader systemic breakdown. When businesses, government officials, or organizations deliberately choose to overlook or conceal such atrocities—or choose to accept monetary incentives to maintain silence—they not only abdicate their responsibilities but also become complicit in these heinous acts.It is important to emphasize the legal context: U.S. law identifies complicity as applicable to those who adhere to unlawful directives, even when these orders come from perceived authorities. No entity, whether a government institution, intelligence agency, or judicial authority, possesses the right to mandate illegal activities. For example, if the CIA were to instruct a telecommunications company to obstruct my communications, thereby inhibiting my ability to report criminal acts or seek assistance, such an order would be inherently unlawful. Authority does not provide immunity to engage in illegal conduct. If a company knowingly complies with such an illegal instruction, especially when it realizes that this hampers my quest for safety or justice from crimes like rape, it becomes legally complicit. In this scenario, the company is not merely compliant; it is actively aiding and abetting a crime, violating fundamental legal principles, and can be held accountable both criminally and civilly. Silence or compliance under the guise of following illegal orders cannot serve as a valid defense; instead, it represents an active participation in the wrongdoing.Moreover, accepting financial incentives or maintaining silence to uphold the status quo or to obscure a crime, such as rape, constitutes a violation of U.S. bribery and conspiracy laws, carrying significant penalties, including imprisonment, fines, and lifelong disqualification from public service. This liability applies whether the entity receiving the bribe is an individual official or a corporation assisting in the cover-up.Human rights are universally acknowledged and cannot be forfeited. No majority, influential group, or institution—including governmental bodies operating outside legal boundaries—has any authority to permit, condone, or partake in acts of rape, torture, or any form of inhumane treatment. These fundamental rights are impervious to majority opinion or convenience, profit motives, or unlawful dictates. Legal frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention Against Torture, and federal statutes like the Alien Tort Statute (28 U.S.C. § 1350) highlight that victims have the right to pursue justice for serious human rights violations, even in situations where such abuses are facilitated by silence, compliance, or deliberate inaction from companies or officials who adhere to illegal instructions.Historical narratives are rife with instances where societies or governments have permitted egregious abuses in the name of maintaining "order" or venerating "tradition" — think of slavery, apartheid, and the Holocaust—none of which can ever be justified. No institution, corporation, or governmental body possesses the moral or legal right to facilitate or endorse such abuses, regardless of who issues the commands. Human rights are not negotiable, nor subject to popular vote.Entities in the media and service sectors bear an extraordinary responsibility. News organizations, telecommunications providers, internet companies, and local businesses often serve as the first line of defense against abuses. Turning a blind eye to cries for help, failing to report incidents, or acquiescing to illegal demands that silence victims implicates these organizations directly in the ongoing cycle of abuse.I call for accountability and action from all parties endowed with the capacity to intervene. Silence and inaction— particularly when cloaked in the guise of obeying unlawful orders—cannot be viewed as neutrality; they are, in fact, complicity. No level of agreement, convenience, benefit, or illegal command can ever justify actions that lead to the rape, torture, or dehumanization of an individual. Such actions are universally unacceptable, inherently illegal, and violate the core tenets of human dignity.To Trent Tilby, Walmart, and all other involved entities:
You must fulfill your obligations. Uphold the law as it stands, rather than succumbing to unlawful demands. Champion human rights. Break the silence. Reject illegal orders.