The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Archie Foster, a self-described Evangelical evangelist, spent thirteen years in prison after pleading guilty to twenty-nine counts of child pornography. He was released from prison last year. Foster, a registered sex offender, now operates a self-defense school that puts him in direct contact with children. According to Foster, “I’m trying to support my family. I’m trying to make a living. I spent 13 years in prison for looking at dirty pictures on the internet. I’ve never victimized anybody.”
Foster’s wife, a co-owner of Foster’s Self-Defense Academy (a Christian ministry) in Laurel, Mississippi, told reporters that children need not fear her blood-washed, born-again husband:
He never harmed a child nor was accused of it. He WAS a porn addict like many men are and, if were honest, would admit to having had things come into their view they wish they had not seen. He got saved before going to prison and no longer looks at any type of porn and received a doctorate’s degree while in prison.
One man astutely pointed out that most men don’t look at CHILD porn, and that the argument that he didn’t touch any of the children “ignores the direct abuse committed against those kids to create the images for him to look at.” And let’s not forget that for someone to view child porn they have to go looking for it in the dark, shadowy corners of the internet. We are not talking about YouPorn here. That Foster calls child porn “dirty pictures” reveals that he truly doesn’t get how heinous child porn really is. Worse, Foster doesn’t consider himself a pedophile, saying, “I was a productive member of the community before I offended. I wasn’t a pedophile then. I’m not a pedophile now.” According to Foster’s wife, her husband committed victimless crimes, and that they are now “Paying back is what we’re doing here. We are empowering people. We are giving people who have been abused the courage to leave, the courage to go forth and live their lives.” Man, that’s one big pile of bullshit.
Listen to Foster’s justification of his “ministry.” Be prepared to shovel when you are finished.
Information for this story was pulled from a Mississippi Clarion Ledger feature story by Jerry Mitchell. In the story, Mitchell reveals that churches are often safe havens for registered sex offenders, including those with ministerial aspirations. I encourage you to read the story. Before doing so, make sure you have a barf bag nearby. Trust me, you’ll need it.
The article was good. The reporter took the time to research this issue and to lay out why churches are safe havens for abusers to have access to victims.
I can tell by that one statement: ” I spent 13 years in prison for looking at dirty pictures on the internet. I’ve never victimized anybody, ” that is NOT a changed person. He cannot acknowledge that he caused any harm. He watched children being abused and encouraged the production of it. Ugh, I don’t think I have the gumption to read that article. Those poor babies.
I by no means Archie as capable of hurting a child. Some people need second chances,See the precautionary measures he’s taking to make sure nothing like that could ever happen at his place of business give the guy a break
If Archie is such a great guy, why is he taking “precautionary” measures to “make sure nothing like that could could ever happen at his place of business?” Does he employee other people convicted of sex crimes? If not, then these “precautions” you speak of are meant to protect children from who? ARCHIE.
You may want to give people convicted of sexual crimes against children second chances, but I don’t intend to do so. Any parent who allows their child anywhere near the Archies of the world are putting their children at risk. Thinking Jesus can “cure” illicit sexual desires urges is ludicrous. You may want to trust Archie and Jesus with children, but reasonable, thoughtful people will seek out other businesses for their self-defense training needs.
Remember, unless you are around Archie 24-7, you cannot know what he does or doesn’t do. Further, unless you are a mind reader, you can’t know what he “wants” to do or what he might do if given the opportunity.
Generally I agree with second chances. On child pornography, however, there can be no second chances, nor breaks offered, at least insofar as any further contact with children is concerned. A person who has stepped so low as to facilitate child abuse, and just looking at ‘dirty’ pictures of children facilitates abuse, can never change. They may succeed in changing their behaviour but never their underlying, dangerous, perversion. No turning to God, or becoming born again (whatever that means, or finding Jesus can ever change that.
If Foster is truly repentant then he’d have nothing to do with religion, which is at best a sanctuary for sex abusers and at worst actually promotes it, and spend his life trying to help all the kids whose pictures he saw, with a view to rescuing them from what must be appalling situations.