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Forum Name: old depo and interview threads
Topic ID: 60
Message ID: 2
#2, RE: Patsy in Atlanta - 17
Posted by jameson on Nov-11-03 at 11:25 PM
In response to message #1
278
2 Q. Did you discuss with anybody
3 having a professional security person
4 transport Burke to school?
5 A. I don't know. John may have. I
6 don't know.
7 Q. How about you, though? You were
8 involved in discussions with the school and
9 with the school district and with the
10 principal, I believe, is that correct, about
11 security arrangements while Burke was in
12 school?
13 A. I think so, yes. I mean, part
14 of the concern was I wanted him protected,
15 but at the same time I didn't want him made
16 paranoid, you know. And he didn't want -- I
17 didn't want him -- he didn't like Tracy
18 Temple being there. He said, mom, why is
19 this woman watching me all the time, and he
20 knew the kids knew that she was watching.
21 And so I am trying to walk a
22 fine line to keep me happy and peace of mind
23 about the security of my child, at the same
24 time not making him overly paranoid. So
25 the, you know, the best situation that we

279
1 could come up with that was satisfactory to
2 both John and me was that he would be, you
3 know, picked up by Susan Stein. She began
4 taking him to school when we were at the
5 Olowski's. She would take him, and I
6 believe at that time nobody really knew where
7 we were. And he would duck down, you know,
8 and she would get him to the school and that
9 kind of thing.
10 Q. So you made a conscious decision
11 then not to have security --
12 A. In the transport.
13 Q. -- because Burke didn't feel
14 comfortable having security; is that what you
15 --
16 A. Right. He was, you know, he
17 was --
18 MR. WOOD: You are talking about
19 the lady Temple?
20 Q. (By Mr. Kane) No. You said
21 that --
22 A. Well, Susan, you know -- see, we
23 were -- the objective was to try to give him
24 as much normalcy as possible, but at the
25 same time putting, you know, security,

280
1 security measures in place that would, you
2 know, ensure his security.
3 Q. Why was the decision made to have
4 the security inside the classroom versus to
5 and from school?
6 A. Well, because -- and she -- I
7 don't believe Tracy was inside the classroom.
8 I think she was standing in the hall like
9 near close to the front doors so she could
10 kind of be watching doors.
11 Q. Well, inside the school proper.
12 A. Yeah.
13 Q. Why was the decision made, as you
14 said --
15 A. Well, it was much more of an
16 uncontrolled environment. I mean, when you
17 go from a locked garage to locked car to,
18 you know, adult escort into the classroom,
19 you know, that's pretty safe.
20 Q. Is that what was represented to
21 you, was that it was more secure -- it was
22 more unsecure inside the school than it was
23 going to and from school?
24 A. Yes.
25 Q. And who represented that to you?

281
1 Who told you that? I mean, when you say
2 that, let me ask it this way.
3 When you say that was represented
4 to you, was this represented to you by a
5 security consultant or Tracy Temple or Ellis
6 Armistead?
7 A. I don't remember. You know, I
8 just remember saying that I wanted somebody
9 at the school watching, you know. And at
10 first, you know, we put Tracy Temple there,
11 and then, you know, Burke was bothered by
12 her being there, the children didn't know who
13 she was, and the school said, you know, this
14 is kind of becoming disruptive.
15 And I said, well, you know, if
16 there is nobody there, he's coming out. And
17 then is when Susan and Roxy Walker got
18 together with the principal, I believe, and
19 said, you know, could we set up what they
20 call a Burke watch.
21 And they had a team of volunteer
22 parents, all of whom I knew, who volunteered
23 around the clock to be right at the door,
24 right outside the door of his fourth grade
25 classroom.

282
1 And if he went to the bathroom or
2 somewhere, somebody would (indicating), you
3 know, without being right on his back, but
4 they were watching.
5 Q. And what were they expected to do
6 if somebody came into the school and tried
7 to harm Burke?
8 A. The first thing was to punch that
9 Lavalier, and call 911 and start screaming.
10 Q. And then what were they expected
11 to do after doing this, while the 911
12 response came in?
13 A. I don't know --

"...when you go from a locked garage to locked car to, you know, adult escort into the classroom, you know, that's pretty safe."

I would hope so. I would think so under the same circumstances - especially with everyone sensitive to the situation and keeping a close watch.