Good Morning Your Honor:
Our names are Rowena Otremba and Mary Osgood and we are the owners of Zona Photographic Labs which is located at 138 Rogers Street in Cambridge, not far from this courthouse.
We employ 14 men and women in our business which has served the photographic needs of our customers for many years. We have a national reputation for providing outstanding service and we are proud of both our work and the achievements of our customers, many of whom are nationally recognized artists.
We were deeply troubled by the images we saw on Ms. Angeli's film and were left with the dilemma of what to do about our heartfelt concerns. To do nothing and expose this child-- whoever he was--to possible risk was an unacceptable option. We chose to contact those who are experienced in investigating child abuse. We believe then and we believe now that we did the right thing by calling the police. What occurred subsequently was not of our doing.
Ms. Angeli's actions on November 2, 1995, and thereafter have been extraordinarily traumatic to all of us at Zona. Ms. Angeli assaulted and injured one of our employees. She damaged our property. She disrupted our business.
Fortunately, our employee was not seriously injured, the wall can be repaired and the door replaced. What cannot be so easily repaired is the harm Ms. Angeli and her supporters have done and continue to do to the reputation and good name of Zona Photographic Labs.
We at Zona have suffered a loss more valuable than money--we have had our good name damaged. We have been accused of being the enemy of free expression, the partner of repression and the agents of an intrusive police state. In a weird twist of logic, Ms. Angeli believes she is a victim of our action and that we are to blame for her difficulties. As a result, she and her supporters have appeared on numerous news and talk shows to excoriate us at Zona for allegedly trampling on her civil rights.
As a result of this campaign of distortion, we have endured hate mail, lost valuable clients and worse, had to watch as the well-earned reputation of our business is damaged by her unfounded accusations.
We are not seeking financial damages from Ms. Angeli for the repair of our property or any restitution for the injury of our employee. Your Honor, we would however urge this court to make it clear to Ms. Angeli that her actions on November 2nd were unconscionable. While this court cannot manufacture maturity or create judgment, if can, respectfully, require counseling and therapy for Ms. Angeli. We believe she needs help.
It is important that Ms. Angeli and her friends understand that she brought all of this on herself and that our only concern was for the safety of a child whose name we did not know and whose story could very well have become another tragedy of our troubled times.