Crash Into Me_ A Survivor's Search for Justice - Liz Seccuro [72]
It was weird that none of these witnesses wanted to call Alcoholics Anonymous by its name. Claude’s impatience showed.
WORRELL: What’s that?
DOWNING: We practice spiritual principles and try to serve others. I mean, can you be more specific?
WORRELL: Well, can you be more specific? What kind of group is this?
DOWNING: I can.
WORRELL: Is it called anything? Is it—
DOWNING: It is. It’s called Alcoholics Anonymous.
WORRELL: Okay, and in that group, are you also a participant in that group?
DOWNING: Yes, sir.
WORRELL: AA has as a part of its core some principles and steps that one must get into and deal with in order to be or successfully go through the program, I suppose. It’s got steps involved, is that right?
DOWNING: Yes, sir.
WORRELL: Is there also something called The Big Book that’s also involved in the AA program?
DOWNING: Yes. It makes—it makes—it calls them suggestions. It has an outline.
WORRELL: Is it up to you, then, to follow the suggestions to the best of your ability, or do you believe that it’s up to you to actually follow what the Book says and the suggestions literally?
DOWNING: I believe what the Book says applies to me. I can’t speak for any other person other than myself when it comes to that. I’ve found that it has changed my life.
WORRELL: You would also—and would you also say that the Book is, from what you can see at least, has done the same for Beebe—Mr. Beebe?
DOWNING: Yes, sir.
WORRELL: All right, and his adherence to the principles outlined in the book, would you say he’s a literalist?
QUAGLIANA: Judge, I’m going to object. I think we’re getting into speculation by this witness.
THE COURT: Well, I don’t know where—is this taking us somewhere? I don’t know where—
WORRELL: Well, absolutely.
THE COURT: Okay.
WORRELL: Mr.—Mr. Downing has told us how great Mr. Beebe is and how great he did this thing and how wonderful he is about this and wonderful he is about that, and—okay, but is there also some other things that Mr. Downing might be able to tell us about with Mr. Beebe because as what we have as part of this case, as the Court is aware, that Mr. Beebe was in an AA group and made amends as required by one of the steps in that book, and the question is, is he a literalist about that? [A]nd that’s part of this case. Mr. Downing knows the book. He also knows Mr. Beebe and he can tell us the answer.
DOWNING: I would not classify Will as a literalist. I would say that he looks probably similarly as I do as that this is the outline for living. A literalist to me, as the question is asked, means that there is no room for anything different than other than exactly what the word says on the page. I don’t try to put my own words in there at all. That’s a little bit dangerous, but you can get different opinions on the same sentence.
WORRELL: What is step nine?
DOWNING: Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
WORRELL: Is that what the book actually says or is that something else that’s said in the book? Are those the exact words—what you just repeated?
DOWNING: I believe that those are the exact words. When I say I believe, I—you—I may have missed an and or something, but I think that’s pretty close.
WORRELL: It’s probably pretty fair to say that you know that book pretty well.
DOWNING: I try to practice it. I would say that would be a fair statement.
WORRELL: Does the book tell you anything about what to do if harm does come to another person?
DOWNING: You—in what context, sir?
WORRELL: Well, what does step nine say?
DOWNING: Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
WORRELL: Okay, and so what happens when you injure another person by acting on step nine? Does the book give you any guidance there?
To me, this had developed into the core of the case. I had been criticized by many people for pressing charges when Beebe was “just trying to apologize.” But what happens when your amends cause further harm?
DOWNING: Not