People associated with Anonymous, the collective of Internet activists, threatened to protest at the Phoenix VA hospital over an employee who doesn't actually work there.
As part of Anonymous' operation to seek justice for a 2-year-old Phoenix girl who allegedly was abused to death by babysitters last year, people associated with Anonymous sought to get the girl's mother fired from a job at the VA hospital -- a job she didn't actually have.
See also:
-Anonymous Prepared to Protest at Phoenix VA Hospital
-Babysitters Arrested After Child With "Too Many [Bruises] to Count" Dies
From Phoenix VA spokesman Scott McRoberts:
Ashley Livengood, Savannah's mother, is not an employee of the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) nor has she ever been employed at our facility. Ms. Livengood recently completed a 30-day student rotation at PVAHCS under an affiliated school program. As with other students in such programs, she was not employed by PVAHCS. The information in the article suggesting that she was a PVAHCS employee is incorrect. I am sure your readers will appreciate learning her correct employment status.
The Anonymous press release stated that Arizona is a "right to work" state and PVAHCS employees can be terminated from employment without proving misconduct. PVAHCS is a Federal facility. Federal personnel law governs such employees and Arizona's status as a "right to work" state is not applicable to Federal employment law and regulations.
The death of 2-year-old Savannah Cross got the activists' attention a couple months ago, after charges against her alleged abusers were dropped.
Ryan Reed, then 27, admitted to abusing the girl, and his wife, then-28-year-old Allison Clement, knew that the abuse was happening, yet didn't do anything about it, according to police.
Court filings indicate that the medical examiner's office was very slow to get some tests done, and a deputy Maricopa County Attorney assigned to the case repeatedly told the judge that these tests would be in any day -- which turned out to not be true. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office, in subsequent court filings, referred to this as some grave miscommunication.
In announcing "Operation Justice4Savannah" last month, Anonymous mostly pointed the finger at the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office, which didn't get the test results it needed to complete reports necessary for the prosecution.
While Savannah was left in the "care" of Reed and Clement, Reed took to what he called "discipline" of Savannah by smacking her and flicking her. According to court documents, Reed said he tripped and "stomped" the girl right in the abdomen on one occasion, which apparently turned out to be the fatal blow.
"The victim immediately curled up with her arms around her abdomen and spent the rest of the evening in this posture," according to the probable-cause statement. "Reed said that he ultimately picked her up and placed her in her playpen that evening and heard her making groaning sounds throughout the night."
Investigators eventually discovered that Savannah was sexually abused too, according to court documents.
When Savannah died, court documents revealed that Savannah had been in the care of Reed and Clement full-time, for several weeks leading up to the girl's death.
In a second press release from Anonymous, the attention was turned to Savannah's mother, Ashley Dattoli Livengood, whom the group claimed worked at the VA hospital.
On an affiliated website with a wealth of information on the case, people are asked to contact individuals at the VA hospital, and say a thing or two about Savannah's mother.
"At this time you have 7 days to terminate her employment or we will begin directly contacting veteran's and military groups in your area," Anonymous said in this new press release, revealed last week. "If you want protests on your campus, continue to ignore this demand. We will not ask again."
Based on the information provided to New Times by the VA, it looks like the protest might be crossed off Anonymous' to-do list.
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Meanwhile, court records show charges have not been re-filed against Reed and Clement.
Read Anonymous' entire press release on the next page:
Anonymous Operation Justice4Savannah
Press Release 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2013Greetings. We are Anonymous.
On October 11, 2013 Anonymous informed the local and national media of our involvement in the case of Savannah Cross, age 2, raped and murdered in the Phoenix, Arizona area. As of this writing her killers remain free due to the inefficiency of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office and her equally culpable mother continues to provide medical "care" for our Nation's veterans due to the uncaring bureaucracy of the Phoenix VA Hospital.
Enough is enough.
To the media of Maricopa County, the state of Arizona, the United States, and the world, you can not continue to ignore this. This is a child in your community, a child in your city, a child in our country. If you don't stand up for her, then who will? If not now, then when? There is nothing more important than seeking justice for an abused and murdered child. Step up to the plate and bring this horrendous story the attention it deserves.
Anonymous reiterates our demand that the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office stop playing budget politics with this case and get your job done so the County Attorney can re-file charges forthwith. You have had more than enough time. If the lab is the problem, then get on the telephone and fix the problem. Your seeming ineptitude is criminal in its own right.
Phoenix VA Hospital, you have had more than enough time to remove Ashley Dattoli Livengood from your employ. Indeed, she is not even a full-time employee and Arizona is a "right to work" state. You need prove no misconduct to terminate her employment. Our Nation's veterans deserve far better than to be "cared" for by this uncaring monster who reportedly told co-workers she would "see her when I see her" regarding Savannah. At this time you have 7 days to terminate her employment or we will begin directly contacting veteran's and military groups in your area. If you want protests on your campus, continue to ignore this demand. We will not ask again.
Anonymous wishes to again state that we fully support the actions of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Phoenix Police Homicide Division, all first responders, and the Maricopa County Attorney's office in this case. We thank you for doing your jobs. We again demand that others do theirs.
That is all.
OpJustice4Savannah continues to be engaged.
We Are Anonymous.
We are legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us.Email Contact: OpJustice4Savannah@gmail.com
Twitter Contact: @Op4Savannah / #OpJustice4Savannah
Website: http://opjustice4savannah.blogspot.com/
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
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