The burning statement that a Stanford woman reads to her rapist in court goes viral—as it should

[niyad]

(her letter is incredibly powerful--please read in its entirety at the link below)


The burning statement that a Stanford woman reads to her rapist in court goes viral—as it should


In March, a former Stanford University student was convicted and sentenced for raping and sexually assaulting an unconscious 23-year-old woman. The rapist is a “champion swimmer,” and was an Olympian hopeful — who got off easy.

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The crime took place back in January 2015. Two Stanford University graduate students were biking across the campus when they saw a young man “thrusting his body on top of an unconscious, half-naked woman behind a dumpster.” The bikers were able to stop the crime in action, then tackle the attacker after he ran away. A little over a year later, a jury found Brock Turner, 20, guilty of three counts of sexual assault. He faced a maximum of 14 years in state prison. But instead, he was sentenced to six months in county jail. When you can afford an expensive team of attorneys, expert witnesses and private investigators things can often work in your favor.

Many agree with Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen who felt the sentence handed down by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, was “disappointing” and said Turner should have been sent to prison.
"The punishment does not fit the crime," Rosen said in a statement. "The predatory offender has failed to take responsibility, failed to show remorse and failed to tell the truth. The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of this sexual assault or the victim’s ongoing trauma. Campus rape is no different than off-campus rape. Rape is rape. And I will prosecute it as such."

On June 2, 2016, the victim addressed her assailant directly in court with a statement published in the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office. Katie J.M. Baker with BuzzFeed published the statement and it has garnered over 4 million views in two days — and it’s every bit worth the entire read. The account is one many will never forget and reads as if you are there with the victim going through each raw and riveting emotion. The victim begins by addressing the judge, then directly her words toward her rapist: (Warning: the disturbing content may be an emotional trigger for some.)

. . . .

Brock Allen Turner’s father also wrote a statement to the judge and it reeks of an American rape apologist who sees his rapist son as the victim. Because this is how we often roll in America when it comes to sexual assault.

. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/6/6/1534962/-The-daunting-and-powerful-statement-a-Stanford-victim-reads-to-her-rapist-in-court-goes-viral?detail=email&link_id=6&can_id=da4156c5f19300febaca3a0dcad12608&source=email-the-dumbest-man-in-congress-proves-his-ignorance-once-again&email_referrer=the-dumbest-man-in-congress-proves-his-ignorance-once-again&email_subject=the-dumbest-man-in-congress-proves-his-ignorance-once-again

[pinboy3niner]

1. CNN devoted an hour-long special report to it today

Host Ashleigh Banfield read almost the entire letter on-air (with only some of the most graphic details omitted and minor editing for time).

[niyad]

2. now that is surprising for the msm to do. was there any sort of commentary made?

[pinboy3niner]

3. The subject fits Banfield's 'Legal View' show

But she made it a special to devote the entire hour to it.

Banfield did not hide her sympathies for the real victim, and had to pause in reading the letter when she was overcome by emotion.

CNN doesn't have the video up yet, but it should be here when available:
http://us.cnn.com/shows/legal-view

[smirkymonkey]

4. Good, I am glad she is bringing attention to this.

This was a travesty of justice. The sentence was an insult to the victim.

[niyad]

5. thank you so much for the link, and for letting us know about this.

[pinboy3niner]

7. You're welcome. I was impressed with the show. nt

[etherealtruth]

6. Thank you!!!!!

[pinboy3niner]

8. You're welcome. nt

[trotsky]

9. I wonder if his father would feel the same way about "20 minutes of action"...

if it was 20 minutes someone spent sexually assaulting HIM.

This story is just so infuriating.

[Eleanors38]

10. Wanna bet he'll do it again?

[Rex]

12. My fear is now he will now feel like he can murder or torture someone and get away with it.

The judge practically gave him the green light to do it again. Won't be surprised to hear in a year from now Brock was caught torturing someone in his dad's basement.

They've enabled this monster to become a bigger monster.

[niyad]

15. wanna bet he has done it before?

[Eleanors38]

21. No one's taking our bets.

[Rex]

11. My worry is that the son will now move on to murder and worse.

What a travesty of justice! I read her full letter, very powerful and the fact that Brock feels no remorse is an indicator he might become a serial killer or something along those lines.

[smirkymonkey]

13. This topic is burning on other websites.

Hundreds and even thousands of comments. Most in support of the victim. It surprises me how DU has so little to say about it. We should be outraged at a privileged young man gets away with such a light sentence for such a horrible crime, but for some reason, very few people seem to care. Kind of makes me wonder about the moral character of many people here.

[niyad]

16. you should know by now that rape is not a suject that gets a lot of attention around here.

even the posts last week about not one, but two gang rapes in schools here got virtually no views, let alone responses.

[Blue_Tires]

22. "It surprises me how DU has so little to say about it."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027885145
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027888203
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141479654
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016159521
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026162836
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026145920
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027882923
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027885443
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027882875
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027883787
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027885556

You were saying something about the "moral character" here??

[spanone]

14. wow, a whole month for each count of sexual assault...

what a deterrent...

[niyad]

17. my guess is he won't even serve that long.

[pinboy3niner]

18. Why Ashleigh Banfield read Stanford rape victim's letter on CNN

by Frank Pallotta
June 6, 2016: 7:23 PM ET

"It was her words."

That's why Ashleigh Banfield, the anchor of CNN's "Legal View," chose to devote most of her broadcast Monday to a letter from the victim of a Stanford rape case. Banfield read the woman's first-person account live on the air.

"This woman has perhaps superseded the work of every documentarian, the work of every politician, the work of every journalist, the work of any advocate who has tried to help people understand what is and what isn't consent," Banfield said in an interview with CNNMoney. "It was her. It was her words that drove me to realize that this needs to be published on a broader scale."

Banfield said that she read the letter while traveling this weekend and was deeply moved by it, calling it "one of the most remarkable and riveting" victim impact statements she has ever read, out of "thousands" she has read.

Banfield said she struggled to figure out how to translate the letter to television, partly due to its sheer length. Starting late Sunday night, Banfield and her producers worked to put together a special edition of her noon hour.

...

http://money.cnn.com/2016/06/06/media/ashleigh-banfield-cnn-stanford-letter/

[Dorian Gray]

19. I'm glad she did

it's an important letter. Especially for those who think like the father of the rapist.

Everybody needs to hear this, and it's so beautifully written and eloquent that it's sure to help other (silent) victims who feel alone and afraid.

[pinboy3niner]

20. .