CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man once charged with policing our police is now charged with abusing children over a 22-year period. Friday, one of his accusers showed up to defend him and what she had to say was unexpected.
As chairman of the Citizens Review Committee, Henry Black has been on television before, but Friday was the first time he has appeared on a courtroom monitor from the Mecklenburg County Jail.
But, he was not alone -- several family members came to speak up for him.
Black is facing 25 child sex related charges and one of his alleged victims stood up in court Friday and said, "He is not a bad man. I'd like to say I'm one of the people they talked about and a lot of those charges are not true. He is not a bad man."
Ann Glasser from Pat's Place, a group that helps children who have been physically or sexually abused, said survivors often feel remorse.
"This is not uncommon. Children just want the abuse to stop," Glasser said. "That doesn't mean they want to lose their parent, or they want to lose friends or the family friend who has been a part of their lives."
In court the judge told Black if he bonds out of jail, he is to have no contact with the victims, but the survivor asked the judge to waive it, so she could see him.
A court official said the family member didn't know it would go this far.
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(Henry Black)
"Her most private, biggest secret and potentially shameful thing is now public knowledge across this whole community," Glasser said.
Black is the former chairman of the board that is trusted to keep police accountable to the public.
Black was part of the board when it was granted more power following the Keith Lamont Scott shooting in 2016. This was seen as a source for better transparency and accountability by police.
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