A CAUTIONARY TALE

Break the Silence continues to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse

TAYLOR –– As a child, Marcus Reese, 42, was a straight A student who won a plaque for four years of perfect attendance at TH Johnson Elementary School.

“It was the second, third, fourth and fifth grades with no misses and no tardies,” said Reese, a founder of Break the Silence, a 2-year-old nonprofit dedicated to fighting childhood sexual abuse through education and direct resources.

“I remember being sick with fevers and stomach aches but not missing school because the alternative ... was so much worse,” he added.

Reese, whose organization holds a free Break the Silence Run every April in Murphy Park to coincide with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, said his nightmare of sexual, physical and psychological abuse began at age 5 and continued for more than a decade without anyone ever finding out.

“I remember never having discipline problems in school,” said Reese, who also serves as the president of the Taylor Area Tennis Association. “I was never bad; in fact, I was on the other end. I wanted to do super well. I had really good grades because I didn’t want anyone to ask any questions.”

This hyper perfectionism, along with a kid who is inexplicably acting out, are potential red flags to indicate some type of abuse, counselors and law-enforcement officials said.

During the annual run, Break the Silence organizers seek to increase awareness of these signs for parents, teachers, counselors, educators and others. The event also serves as a direct-services resource fair for victims.

Donna Turner, a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Williamson County who knew Reese as a child, said she was devastated to learn about his abuse — and determined to stand with him in his fight against it.

“It has been near and dear to my heart because I have known him for forever — since he was itty bitty,” said Turner, who is also a registered nurse and on the board. “I didn’t pick up the pieces, didn’t see the signs that he was going through any of this. It was very, very heart-wrenching, like a punch in the gut, because I was around him so long and didn’t know.”

Priscilla Moreno, the Taylor Police Department’s victim services coordinator and a fellow founding member of Break the Silence, said the April run is an important avenue for those who have suffered abuse to get help.

Information from Break the Silence is geared to assist community members and potential victims recognize the signs to prevent abuse from happening in the first place.

“This organization is so important because it brings awareness, and it brings education,” Moreno said. “We know that it’s happening, but there are a lot of people who don’t talk about it. It’s hush-hush, and many of these cases are generational.” Though childhood sexual abuse may be a taboo subject, it is much more common than people realize —and widely underreported, officials said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States, at least one in four girls and one in 20 boys are estimated to experience childhood sexual abuse, more often than not by a family member or another familiar individual.

In Reese’s case, his abuser was someone he was close to, a person who was able to use fear and manipulation to prevent him from speaking out, he said.

“(The person) painted all law enforcement officers as evil and mean, and said, ‘They will hurt you,’ and ‘They will take you away from your home,’” Reese said. “It was just a constant threat, and I’m 6 years old, and I don’t have the image that other people had of law enforcement.”

Reese said it wasn’t until he was in his 30s, long after his abuser had left and when he learned that person had also victimized an acquaintance from long ago, that he found the strength to file a report with the Police Department.

There, Reese received an unexpected dose of empathy from a person he previously had been taught to fear.

“I remember the police officer reading my report and tearing up and saying, ‘I’m so sorry that happened to you,’” Reese said. “That was a shattering moment for me, this wall of lies, of ‘Don’t believe them. ‘Don’t trust them.’ All of the misperceptions were shattered. It was so important for me.”

Thanks to Reese’s courage to speak out and testify, as well as the efforts of the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office and the police, his abuser was convicted in 2021.

“I feel really fortunate that I live in a county where they fought so hard for my case, for an old case,” he said. “Abusers and predators vilify law enforcement, and they paint them as the bad guys. I love having members of law enforcement at our events. I love having them mingle in the crowds.”

These days, Reese regularly shares his story and is a tireless advocate for area youth, organizing back-to-school shoe drives and other initiatives, colleagues said.

“I admire Marcus a lot for having the courage to do what he is doing,” said Stephanie Torres Miller, who recently began volunteering with Break the Silence.

“Kudos to Marcus because I think without his outcry and without his courage, we wouldn’t be here,” Turner said. “Just to watch him be a pillar in the community, and how he had kept going. He didn’t use his trauma in a bad way. He kept on pushing to advocate for children who were enduring violence and had to go through the same thing.”

Leaders of Break the Silence say their work is only just getting started. Recently, the organization received its nonprofit status, and officials hope to raise funds this year to provide additional services in Eastern Williamson County for victims, including counseling and more.

“All I can say is my story was preventable,” Reese said. “I don’t want to hear more stories like mine. My goal is to hear less stories like mine.”