Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
Handicapped man gets help after online firestormTue, 10/17/2006 - 3:34pm
By: Ben Nelms
It has been a week since The Citizen ran a story about north Fayette resident Larry Wicker and his need for assistance with repairs to his home. That assistance is coming in and in a way Wicker had not first envisioned. And so is online criticism from some people incensed about some of his writing posted on the Internet. “The phone has not stopped ringing with people wanting to help,” Wicker said. “We’re getting four or five calls a day from some really good people wanting to help with fixing the floors or anything we need, even helping with utility bills. And we got a call from a contractor and from an organization that assists with the kind of work we need. One lady is even looking for donations to help us get another house.” Wicker — who had both legs amputated when he was a child — is confined to a wheelchair and has other disabilities. Monday afternoon, representatives of Fayette-based non-profit Square Foot Ministry showed up at the door to take measurements and set plans for taking on the project. The well-known local ministry might be able to assist the family in additional ways if donations become available, Square Foot’s Judy Reynolds said Tuesday. “I called (wife) Rachael, I was so excited I couldn’t even talk,” Wicker elatedly explained. “They walked around the house taking measurements. They said they would do all the flooring, re-work part of the shower and would hire someone to do the plumbing. They’re even going to fix the overhang on the porch. They just showed up and said they’d do it all.” Other responses have been a mixed bag, with some offering help to a man with significant, congenital limitations and others withdrawing the offers of assistance after viewing blog posts on The Citizen Web site in response to a story about the Wicker family’s need for help in the Oct. 11 edition. Though Wicker has now admitted he is the author of erotic stories posted on an adult Web site, events that transpired before the Wednesday paper hit the driveways initially convinced Wicker he should disclaim his involvement as the writer of adult stories. That choice was inspired by fear, Wicker said. It is a choice he later put aside. “Some people started commenting the first night, Tuesday night (Oct. 10),” Wicker said. “They were calling me a child molester, a pedophile, a pervert. I admit, I was scared at first, I didn’t know what to do. “After Rachael (his wife) got home we talked about it,” Wicker said. “I know some of what I write is questionable but I’ve never been afraid to admit what I write. I admit I write stories and one subject is taboo to some people. That category is the most popular category on that Web site. The Web site I write for is for adults only. All stories and characters on the Web site have to be age 18 or older. There is no if, and or but about it, otherwise it will not be posted. People are making a mountain out of a mole hill. If things keep going like this we’re going to be wearing the uniforms they were wearing in Germany in the 1930s.” Now a week since the blogs and comments began, Wicker said he has dealt with the opinions of others, though he is still reluctant to go in public. “Someone said they wished they could see me in public and get their hands around my neck. One guy said if he saw me in public he would kick the spokes out of my wheelchair. Another said he hoped I would fall through the floor,” Wicker said. “This is not the kind of thing I would wish on another person. It’s not right. It’s just evil.” Speaking Monday, Larry’s wife Rachael was clear that some of the perceived threats made toward her husband hit a nerve. “I believe in freedom of speech and I believe my husband had the right to write what he wants to write and say what he wants to say,” Rachael said. “But if you disagree with what he’s writing, then why are you reading it? Don’t call him a pervert, a child molester, a pedophile when you don’t even know him. They don’t know Larry. I’ve been married to him for 22 years and I would know if he was everything they said he was. People should get a life and stop making comments without knowing the person.” Larry and Rachael’s 20-year-old daughter Savannah also had a thought on the treatment her father had received from some in the community. “The comments on the computer and the things they were saying about my dad made me want to jump through the computer,” Wicker’s daughter said. “It’s ridiculous. They don’t know him. I’m 20 years old and I’ve never felt unsafe around my father, never.” His wife said Wicker years ago verbally taught their daughters to cook and to use carpentry tools. His idea, Rachael said, was to teach their children things to be more self-sufficient, including the acquisition of skills he was not physically able to accomplish. “Our kids grew up in a normal home,” Rachael said emphatically. “They grew up happy, healthy, never did drugs, never drank and they didn’t get pregnant. None of that. We may live in a cluttered house, but it’s a happy, healthy home.” At the end of the day and through all the controversy, Larry Wicker was appreciative of the help that came his way. Square Foot representatives pulling up to his house Monday solidified the help that so many in the Fayette community continue to offer. “It was just unbelievable,” Wicker said. “It was like a dream come true.” login to post comments
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
