Assistant District Attorney: “Unconsciousness is rape, blackout drunk is not rape,”

Sigh... Disgusting. Good for her coming forward.

As bad as the ADA's statement is, what really gets me is the behavior of the campus police. They sought to protect the accused rapist (and by proxy, the university), first and foremost.

Sadly, it is not just athletes who get away with these things so easily in colleges all over the U.S. If the parents are well respected "pillars of the community" or they are wealthy. There have even been times when Daddy would give enough money for a memorial wing or new science building (what have you). There have been times when several girls would report, but due to shaming and the good ole boy mentality, they would drop their cases and recant. Sometimes they would changes colleges to keep their privacy and a modicum of pride.

robeiae said:

As bad as the ADA's statement is, what really gets me is the behavior of the campus police. They sought to protect the accused rapist (and by proxy, the university), first and foremost.

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Right, which isn't their call. Arrest, send to court and let a jury decide.

Rolling Thunder said:

Right, which isn't their call. Arrest, send to court and let a jury decide.

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I imagine that the treatment a victim receives from the officers (and any school officials in the case of campus rapes) taking her report has a huge impact on whether she goes on to press charges. It's a harrowing process from start to finish, and it's not unusual for police to mishandle sexual assault complaints, intimidate and shame victims, or to give them the impression that moving forward with their report will be a waste of time, or might even open the victim herself up to legal action. Some religious schools even punish victims for breaking rules re alcohol or sexual behavior while letting the perpetrators go free.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/04/25/police-must-earn-trust-rape-victims

http://www.oaesv.org/wp-content/upl...exual-Assault-Reports-Do-Attitudes-Matter.pdf

http://the-orbit.net/almostdiamonds/2013/08/23/i-am-a-false-rape-allegation-statistic/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbak...rested-her-for?utm_term=.ijPgNLjk2#.xdXaxpnqK

http://www.freep.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-kaffer/2015/06/20/rape-kits/29013941/

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/u...-young-university-honor-code-suspensions.html



Football schools aside, I don't know why so many cops dismiss rape victims claims and discourage them from pressing charges. A misplaced desire to protect the victim from shame and frustration? Unwillingness to do all the work associated with taking the case to trial when it likely won't end in conviction? Male cops tending to identify with the perpetrators more than the victims? Poor background and training in what rape actually is and why it occurs?

I don't see the reporting, prosecution and conviction statistics improving until police and other public officials who work with rape victims are properly trained, and rape victims can report to people who don't have a conflict of interest.

regdog said:

Of course, he's a football player.

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grandma2isaac said:

Sadly, it is not just athletes who get away with these things so easily in colleges all over the U.S. If the parents are well respected "pillars of the community" or they are wealthy. There have even been times when Daddy would give enough money for a memorial wing or new science building (what have you). There have been times when several girls would report, but due to shaming and the good ole boy mentality, they would drop their cases and recant. Sometimes they would changes colleges to keep their privacy and a modicum of pride.

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I know athletes--especially football and basketball players--often get special consideration, as do students whose parents have pull. However, I think that in general--and in my experience--campus police forces are more concerned about the school's and their reputation, as a matter of course. They don't want to have a rape investigation because they--and the school--want to say how safe the campus is. So I fear this kind of stuff is not limited to just some cases (because of the "who" involved) in the least.

Yeah, I know, I'm Mr. Cynical.