What can happen in a year? Perhaps you think a life and the life of an entire family can not change completely in a year’s time. Let me tell you a story and prove how wrong you are.

David and Jean Long, their children, James, Ray, Nolene, and Nicole led a humble but happy life in a small city in Texas. David and Jean had been married eleven years. He had worked as an animal control officer for the city for ten of those years. It was a job that he greatly enjoyed and loved. Jean had lived in the city for almost 35 years and loved it in the small town. It was a town that had everything they ever needed for themselves and their children; great schools, wonderful people and shopping nearby. This family considered itself truly blessed. They owned a home with about 2 acres of land on the outskirts of town. It was a safe place for their children to play, they had nice neighbors, and the school was walking distance from their home.

However there was only one thing about this family that was different, they were Wiccan/Pagan. This never seemed to make much of a difference in anything they did in their lives. They did not flaunt it openly nor did they ever disregard any ones right to religious freedom. They even supported their children on their own decisions about what religious path they wanted to choose, allowing them to attend Sunday school and vacation bible school with friends. David and Jean were kind and caring people. Jean enjoyed animal rescue and would take in abandoned creatures of all kinds in hopes of helping them to have happy, healthier lives. David could never tell some one in need ‘NO”. You could see that the children were following in both parents footsteps; helping both people and animals in need. These people, although not rich in material possessions were the wealthiest people alive in love and compassion for each other, humankind and their natural surroundings. They were a quiet family. The family never went out much and were known to be people you could always count on when you needed them. They were always willing to help if they were able.

On approximately October 7^th 2004, Jean went to David’s place of employment, a place she has volunteered at for almost a year before her husband began working there. She was looking for a new dog; her Rottie had died the year before. The place her husband worked was the local animal shelter. They did not have any Rottweilers at this time; so her husband signed on to the computer and let her look online at a few rescue groups. During this time she asked if she could check her e-mail, he saw no harm in this, as the shelter supervisors had let her and others use the internet on many occasions. She checked her e-mail, told David she was done and prepared to leave. She ran into David’s supervisor and co-workers, said her hellos and left. After Jean departed, David was questioned by his co-workers about two bumper stickers they had just seen on the family van. (“Blessed Be” and “The Earth does not belong to us We belong to the Earth”) David was asked “How long has your wife been a witch?” He simply responded, “I am not going to get into a religious debate.” and proceeded with his day. The next day he was handed a business card of his supervisors with the biblical scripture, “It would have been better to have never known me than to have known me and left” handwritten on the back.

A few days later Jean went back to the animal shelter to look at the dogs again, she found one she liked and asked if she could adopt it. She was told that it was not up for adoption yet, but she could come back Friday just before closing to adopt the dog, it was a sweet black female mixed breed. She agreed to this. Jean eagerly waited for Friday and looked forward to picking up the new addition to her family. Finally Friday came; she went to the animal shelter to adopt her new dog. Her husband was then told that they could not adopt the dog to them at this time due to normal operating procedure. It was the month of October and the shelter had taken a policy a few years prior of not adopting out black and white animals during the month of October due to some cruel practices they had come upon in the past. David and Jean tried to explain, that the shelter employees knew them well enough to know that this was not the case with them. The employees and the supervisor knew the Longs well and knew their devotion to their pets and that the dog would be well taken care of and not abused. However they had to go home without the dog. Approximately two days later some one else was allowed to adopt the dog, going against the policy that was cited to the Longs. When animal shelter staff was asked about this they explained that the Longs had a dog that had been hit by a car not that long ago. David told them it was a fluke accident that could have happened to any one, and had actually happened to a part time employee on approximately the same day as their own dog was hit, and that she had been allowed to adopt again. Staff could not provide any reasonable explanation as to why the dog they wanted had been adopted out to someone else against policy or as to why another employee was allowed to adopt a dog while the Longs were not permitted to do so under similar circumstances. Naturally the Longs were upset by this, but they pursued it no further. Jean got another dog from an outside source and they still have her to this day. Life continued.

On October 26, 2004 David went to work as usual, only to find he was being terminated from employ with the city animal shelter. Official reason cited that he had allowed his wife access to the shelters computers which was in direct violation of city policy. When David stated that she had always been allowed by the current supervisor as well as previous supervisors to use them; the current supervisor denied this fervently, and proceeded to add that Jean was visiting “questionable” sites and named, E-pagan and Witch Vox sites as the sites. Jean never accessed pagan sites while on the shelters computer, she did however check e-mail from E-Pagan and Witch Vox on the day in question. David asked that if pagan sites were questionable, (as religious sites) then all the other sites visited by other employees should also be in question. He informed the dismissal committee about Catholic Sites, other biblical sites, and even a Psychic site that he had witnessed other employees visit. His comment went undocumented. David was a ‘vested’ employee with the city, and all evaluations in the past showed him to be an excellent employee. He always went above and beyond the call of duty. It was a well known fact that he could be depended on to take other employees stand by if they were unable to or had a crisis arise, he would work on his days off when needed. He even won the city’s “Employee of the Month” award at one time. There are certain procedures the city was to follow in an attempt to terminate a vested employee, none of these procedures were followed. David was not given a verbal warning about any misconduct, nor was he given written reprimand or leave without pay, all of which are supposed procedures the city follows.

After all was said and done, David was with out his job. He filed for unemployment in order to support his family while he looked for another suitable job. He was denied his unemployment on grounds that he was terminated for violating company policy. David naturally appealed this decision. During the appeal hearing, the interviewer informed him, that his past employer also stated the use of porn sites on the shelters computer. Both David and Jean were completely shocked at the lengths the city would go to deny this family a means to support itself. The Longs tried to stay in positive spirit. David continued unsuccessfully to find adequate employment, after several interviews and what at first appeared to be a sure thing. (He was told he was the fore runner, all that needed to be done was past employment verification) Interviews even went so far as naming a potential start date. Never to be heard from again. He attempted to contact these potential employers to find out the status of the hiring process and was told they had decided to hire someone else, no further explanation was necessary on their part. Finally David was forced to take a job with a temporary agency that brought in less than half of what the household finances were used to.

The year prior the Longs had taken out a home improvement loan on their home and property. The mortgage was fast becoming 90 days delinquent. They made the heart breaking decision to put the home up for sale in order to pay the note and have money left over to get by on for awhile. They had a potential buyer. The city planning and zoning department after several meetings finally approved the buyers requests to put up town homes, now all that was left was for city counsel to approve it, no one was worried about this, because city counsel had never gone against planning and zoning’s recommendation. Everyone involved was surprised when this did happen. It was only a few days after the decision was made, that the sell of the home fell through, and the Longs were on the brink of being homeless, that it was discovered three of the counsel members that voted should have excused themselves because they had either a vested interest in properties along the street, or they had friends that lived there. The vote had been corrupt. When this was brought to the attention of city authorities it too went undocumented. The Longs were basically forced to sell at an extreme loss just to pay the note and have a few thousand left over to try and start somewhere new.

Before the family was able to pack everything for the move, they began to discover cruel atrocities being inflicted by some cruel person or people. Jean awoke to a sound early one Tuesday morning and went out to investigate; to horror she discovered that her Nolene’s beloved cat had been savagely slaughtered, it’s intestines removed, and hung from their front porch’s banister. Jean quietly took the cat down and wrapped the animal in a blanket, before the children woke up for school. Later that day she contacted authorities and made a report; (police declined to take photos). Later that afternoon she buried the cat.

Several days later Ray came running in the house with another of the families pet cat’s there was an object protruding from the animals abdomen. Jean took the animal into her arms and discovered the object was a bolt from a crossbow. The cat had been shot by a low powered, hand held crossbow. Jean called the authorities and the animal was taken to the animal shelter, not a vet as the animal “cruelty investigators” (the very same people David had worked for), should have immediately done. Jean had to call and demand the animal be properly taken care of. The cat survived after two very tedious surgeries.

Now in Northern California, in a desolate area, they have to drive over one hundred miles round trip just to go grocery shopping, take their children to a dentist, and pick up prescriptions, all of life’s everyday occurrences. The people in the area do not seem to care about anything or anyone, not even themselves it sometimes seems. Their loving, happy children cry a lot, fight amongst themselves and are picked on by neighborhood kids. Jean who had a passionate love for nature and the outdoors stays cooped up inside their rented home. David no longer has the patience he used to possess, he is angry, short tempered, depressed and resentful.

David did find a job and the Longs thought they were on the way to recovering. In less than a month he was laid off. In such a desolate area he has been unable to find employment, they are having difficulty affording transportation for the over one hundred mile round trips to get to town to apply financial aid and food stamps. The children complain of being hungry, the water is toxic; (tested positive for high levels of manganese and arsenic) it is necessary to have drinking water delivered. Soon they will not be able to have acceptable drinking water due to inability to pay for it. The first snow will come soon, they are concerned about housing, heat, food and their over all future. This once happy family is now scared, depressed and struggling just to survive from one day to the next.

This is how much can change in a years time.

Why?

FEAR.

Someone feared what they did not understand, so told lies and made up stories. This one person’s fear has changed a whole family’s life forever.

Jean is now questioning everything she has ever believed in.

The Long children have lost anything to believe in.

David appears not to even believe in himself anymore.

I miss the strong, vibrant, and loving family unit that I once new. Who am I?

I am Jean Long.

This is a true story, and still awaiting a happy ending. Certain detail such as names and cities have been changed or omitted to protect the children and innocent parties. David and Jean would have liked to use their real names but decided against it, keeping the children’s best interest in mind. This is a case of discrimination and all of its ugliness and the terrible things it can lead to. This type of discrimination is brought on by nothing more than fear and peoples unwillingness to educate themselves in matters they do not understand. The Long’s religion/faith is a gentle one. Above all else they believe in,” Harm None”, yet they have been harmed and hurt in the most personal way, by attacking their spirit. You may know this family or a family much like them. You may be their friends, or you may be the person who fears them. If you are the second; ask yourself: “What am I afraid of?”