If you haven't heard about the Stanford case yet, you probably have been completely removed from any technology whatsoever. Everyone is talking about it and putting in their two cents. I was going to write something funny or happy this week, but I can't not write about this. It's too important.
There are so many dimensions to this case, I don't even know where to begin. The entirety of this case is horrifying, disgusting and heartbreaking. Brock Turner, a Stanford student-athlete, was found in January 2015 raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Although there are allegations that Turner was drunk when he committed the crime, it doesn't excuse his actions. Being drunk does not excuse your actions while you are intoxicated. If that were the case, intoxicated manslaughter and driving under the influence charges would not exist. You don't get a pass because you were drunk. He violated someone and should be charged accordingly.
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But, if you look at Turner's sentencing - six months in a county jail - you would think he was getting some kind of pass. Yes, you read that right. Turner committed an offense punishable up to 18 years in a state prison, but was only sentenced to six months in a county jail and a three-year probation, not to mention he can get out in three months for good behavior. The judge, Aaron Persky, justified this sentence, stating that Turner's age and lack of criminal history would mean prison would have a huge impact on him. Why yes, prison should have a huge impact on him, that's why you should send him there. He's a criminal so he deserves criminal punishment. This looks especially weird when you consider the Corey Batey case that took place in 2013. Batey was also a college athlete, a football player for Vanderbilt, and was convicted of raping an unconscious woman as well. Batey was sentenced to a minimum of 15-25 years in a state prison. There has even been new information that states Turner will be kept away from other inmates to ensure his safety. Brock Turner is getting a lot of special treatment (otherwise known as white privilege) despite the heinous crime he committed.
I read the victim's statement that was released to BuzzFeed on June 3. I had to stop multiple times because I was in tears reading the words she had to say out loud in a courtroom, in front of her attacker. I encourage you to read it as well. In her statement, you will find the severity of the damage he did to her. You'll find the evidence that our judicial system is rigged against the victims. That Turner's attorney not only delved into her personal life on trial, but also attempted to say that she was at fault for not controlling her promiscuity and alcohol consumption. You'll see that Brock Turner had a lot to lose and the defense wanted the jury to feel bad for him because ultimately it was a mistake and he felt bad. The victim blaming has to stop. This woman was never at fault. Any sexual assault victim is not at fault. Their attacker is the one who made the decision to take that piece of them away. The only one at blame in a sexual assault case is the attacker. It does not matter if the victim was wearing a short skirt or push-up bra, had been drinking, has been sexually active or anything else. The victims did not give consent. The victims do not bring this upon themselves. This is why the women who are sexually assaulted almost never come forward. Too often they are told that they don't have a case because of insignificant things such as outfit choice that are then used by the defense to claim that the victim warranted the attack because apparently the man couldn't control himself due to her body in that dress.
How many more people have to be sexually assaulted before something changes? How many more people have to have their life completely altered because of someone else's decision to rape them? How many more? We have to change the way we view sexual assault. We cannot allow this to happen. Not just because the people assaulted are someone's mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter, but also because they are someone. Everyone deserves to be protected by the system we put in place to protect the people living in this country, and that includes sexual assault victims. Sexual assault is a crime and it needs to be treated as such. We must change our society and start protecting each other.
