When Prevention Techniques Fail: The Hidden Reality of Rape in College
By: Contributing Intern Hanna Love
May 26, 2012
At a glance, it seems like college campuses across the country have plenty of programs to to support survivors and prevent sexual assault within their grounds. It’s true that some prevention programs do exist and make their presence known on college campuses across the country. The problem with these programs, however, is that their primary motives are not always to address the needs of survivors. The majority of them focus on warning incoming freshmen of the dangers of sexual assault, without providing them with any real understanding of consent or the actual number of assaults that occur on their campus. The truth to these programs is that they are designed to provide students with a warning, rather than actual support.
There is no problem with colleges warning incoming students about the possibility of rape on their campus. The problem that arises from this, however is when these warnings are used to blame students who come forward with sexual assault. Because many assaults begin with behaviors that the college may deem dangerous or improper—such as consuming alcohol or engaging in consensual sexual activity— colleges often point out how students could have altered their actions to prevent their assault. Although the college may have the best intentions in warning their students, there is little that these warnings can do once a student has already experienced assault. It is at this point that “prevention” tactics start to become victim-blaming techniques.
The fact of the matter is that sexual assault is such a complex and emotionally charged issue that many colleges simply do not want to deal with it. This can be seen in college campuses across the country, as they increasingly design their handbooks and policies to simplify assault and sexual misconduct. Pomona College’s Annual Campus Safety Report—a detailed PDF designed to inform students of safety issues on their campus—is one such example of this simplification.
Although Pomona College is a liberal institution with a progressive stance on issues of sexual assault, the college’s Annual Safety Report reflects an attitude that is largely unsympathetic towards students who have experienced sexual assault. Following the policies of many other universities across the country, the college mentions acquaintance rape in its Safety Report only once. Under the tips for “General Safety,” acquaintance rape is briefly acknowledged in one short and insensitive statement—“Acquaintance Rape happens here. Learn the danger signs. Victims suffer significant life disruption.”
In this statement, the college acknowledges that rape occurs. But within this acknowledgement, there is an implication that it is student’s responsibility to “learn the danger signs” of acquaintance rape. It implies that if the student does not learn these signs, they could easily be assaulted. This statement (and the mindset that accompanies it) is problematic for several reasons.
First, this mindset implies that there are specific warning signs that can predict rape. It may be true that there are circumstances in which acquaintance rape is more likely to occur, however it is highly incorrect to assume that there are telltale signs of an impending assault. Especially with acquaintance rape, many people are assaulted in situations in which they feel secure and confident in the company of someone they know. There are no specific “danger signs” to warn someone that a person that they are friends with might possibly want to assault them. In addition to this oversimplification of “warning signs,” this mindset further implies that students who have failed to recognize these “danger signs” are partially at fault for their assault.
This is the attitude that college students across the country are forced to encounter as they come to terms with sexual assault. The colleges they attend have few policies devoted to addressing assault, and the policies that do exist are often framed in such a manner that implies the guilt or responsibility of the victim.
This lack of understanding on the part of colleges is further amplified by the insistence of the “stranger in the bushes” portrayal of rape. The mention of acquaintance rape in Pomona College’s Safety Report is actually somewhat progressive for modern college standards, as most universities choose to legitimize only assaults that fit the dominant stereotype of sexual misconduct. The majority of college campuses draft their sexual-assault prevention programs from guidelines that correspond with the “stranger in the bushes” portrayal of sexual assault. This manifests itself into using resources to teaching self-defense techniques. Women are told to dress conservatively, adhere to the “buddy system,” carry a rape whistle, and learn self-defense techniques such as “grab, twist, pull.” This half-hearted training embodies the majority of sexual assault prevention and support programs on college campuses across the country. It also reinforces the belief that it is up to students to stop their own assault, and that somehow those who are unable to prevent their assault are partially at fault for what happened to them.
Therefore, individuals who experience sexual assault on college campuses are often forced to deal with their trauma in silence, without the support of programs to aid them through the process of recovery. These survivors are caught in a bind, as the resources devoted to sexual assault on their campuses cause them to feel worse about their experience. Simply because their assault may have occurred while they were walking alone at night or while they were too paralyzed with fear to carry out their “grab, twist, pull” techniques, students are being silenced and made to feel as though they were at fault for their assault. So, as the majority of resources on college campuses are devoted to prevention techniques, those who were not able to prevent their assault are left feeling isolated and guilty within their college community.
This being said, the most important factor that should be taken into consideration when dealing with sexual assault on college campuses should be an analysis of where to allocate resources to maximize support for survivors. In this analysis, it should be noted that although prevention is important, self-defense techniques do little to prevent date or acquaintance rape—the most prevalent forms of sexual assault on college campuses. In addition to this, without a clear definition of consent provided for students, prevention is often boiled down to techniques that make survivors feel as if they are to blame for their attack.
A college’s allocation of resources for sexual assault—if not put forth to educate students on the definition of consent—should be devoted to support the individuals themselves who experience sexual assault on campus. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, almost one third of all rape survivors develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in their lifetime. One in ten rape victims still have PTSD today. This could include a large portion of students on college campuses that may be living with a disorder they know little about, and have little options in which to treat it with.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in survivors of sexual assault, sometimes referred to as Rape Trauma Syndrome, is accompanied by flashbacks of the survivor’s experience, in addition to symptoms like “triggers” that cause physical and emotional reactions in the survivor, and a sense of prolonged hyper-alertness. In addition to these symptoms, Rape Trauma Syndrome may also bring about social withdrawal in the survivor, numbness, mood swings, dissociation, dramatic changes in sleep and eating patterns, as well as other life altering consequences. The prevalence of PTSD in survivors is striking—and is something that needs to be treated and given
serious attention to in order to enable survivors to carry on with their day-to-day responsibilities. With a focus on prevention techniques, there are few resources devoted to treating PTSD on college campuses.
In addition to PTSD, there are other serious consequences of rape that need to be treated to ensure the safety of survivors. According to the studies mentioned above, 30 percent of rape survivors experience at least one major depressive episode in their lifetime. This being said, rape survivors are 13 times more likely than non-crime victims to attempt suicide in their lifetime. In addition to this, rape victims are 13.4 times more likely to have major alcohol problems and 26 times more likely to have serious drug abuse problems. Furthermore, the most damaging statistic of all may be that 69 percent of these rape victims are too afraid to seek support for these issues because they believe that they will be blamed for their abuse.
So, as colleges devote their funding to preventing assault and teaching self-defense techniques, existing survivors are largely left alone to cope with the daunting after-effects of rape. In the college climate, especially— in which sexual assault is so increasingly prevalent— a fundamental shift in policy and attention is needed to direct funds away from self-defense and victim blaming techniques to include actual support systems for survivors. With rape so inherently intertwined with feelings of isolation and depression, it is vital that survivors are provided with access to counseling and support groups on campus to allow them to readjust to day-to-day life and to continue to excel in their educational pursuits.
In the fight against sexual assault, is vital to note that prevention is only one portion of the support needed. While some individuals may rely on self-defense to avoid rape, there is an entire host of survivors who were unable to prevent their attack and are now forced to deal with their trauma and depression alone. So although prevention is key, it is vital to recognize that it is not the only solution. Prevention techniques do not always work, and survivors cannot simply be ignored or blamed for being unable to stop their assault. When attempting to prevent assault, it is important not to leave those who have experienced it behind. Looking to the future is always beneficial, but it should not be done at the expense of those who experienced trauma in the past. It is time for the climate of abuse to change—a transition must occur from simplified prevention techniques to an inclusion of systems of support for survivors of sexual assault. Otherwise, it may be too late for the women who are forced to deal with depression and PTSD without any means to seek support and recovery.
Written By: Hanna Love, Contributor/Intern
Culture of Abuse Magazine - All Rights Reserved
Fox Pundit Says Women In The Military Should ‘Expect’ To Be Raped
Sherry Murphy: (http://www.cultureofabuse.com/?p=3799 , http://www.cultureofabuse.com/?p=3133 sent me a link to this article ), sent the following article, which is disturbing to say the least. Thank you Sherry for sending this along! If anyone needs resources or help in the military, please visit this link: http://www.cultureofabuse.com/?page_id=3212
THINK PROGRESS | SECURITY
By Ben Armbruster on Feb 13, 2012 at 2:04 pm
The Pentagon announced new rules last week easing the ban on women serving in combat. While conservatives like Rick Santorum are a little uneasy with the news, the announcement only formalizes military practices that were already taking place.
But Fox News contributor Liz Trotta’s commentary on the matter took the issue to a whole other level. She’s not really concerned about the “controversy” surrounding the Pentagon’s announcement. For Trotta, the issue is having “women once more, the feminist, going, wanting to be warriors and victims at the same time.” She cited a recent Pentagon report that violent sex crimes in the military have increased over the last 6 years and said women should “expect” it, decrying more levels of bureaucracy to support women who have been “raped too much“:
TROTTA: But while all of this is going on, just a few weeks ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta commented on a new Pentagon report on sexual abuse in the military. I think they have actually discovered there is a difference between men and women. And the sexual abuse report says that there has been, since 2006, a 64% increase in violent sexual assaults. Now, what did they expect? These people are in close contact, the whole airing of this issue has never been done by Congress, it’s strictly been a question of pressure from the feminist.
And the feminists have also directed them, really, to spend a lot of money. They have sexual counselors all over the place, victims’ advocates, sexual response coordinators. … So, you have this whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels of people to support women in the military who are now being raped too much.
To his credit, Fox host Eric Shawn tried to talk Trotta down a bit. “You certainly want the people fighting the war to be protected from anything that could be illegal,” he said. But Trotta wouldn’t have it. “Nice try Eric,” she said, “This whole question of women in the military has not been aired properly, and it’s the great sleeping giant.” Watch the clip via Media Matters:
Just to clarify, Trotta complained about government supporting women who have been “raped too much,” a statement seeming to imply that there is an acceptable amount of rape one can or should endure in order to prevent more layers of bureaucracy from swooping in to help out.
Article Review: It’s Not A Woman’s Job “Not to Get Raped”
Article review on Zerlina Maxwell’s http://www.ebony.com/news-views/stop-telling-women-how-to-not-get-raped
I recently read the article, “Stop Telling Women How to Not Get Raped: Our Victim Blaming Tactics Do Little to Prevent Sexual Assault” by Zerlina Maxwell. This article critiques how our society handles the issue of rape prevention. Typically, women are taught to be mindful of multiple points. For example, women are told that in order to “keep themselves out of danger” they must: watch what they drink and know what is inside their drinks, dress in a way that does not cause too much attention and only hang around people they know and trust. Also, women are encouraged to know a variety of defense mechanisms, such as carrying pepper spray and self-defense.
However, the truth is that this is just unrealistic. To think that women who take these measures, will be able to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of a sexual assault is very naïve. While this may make people feel safer about themselves and their surroundings, the facts are still there. A woman can be sexually assaulted whether she has been drinking or is completely sober. Even if a woman is fully clothed with multiple layers on she can still be sexually assaulted. And if she performs all the moves learned in a self-defense course she can still be sexually assaulted.
Therefore, in her article, Maxwell emphasizes the point that men and boys should be the ones targeted when it comes to anti-rape campaigns and movements. It is because of a rape culture and a society that violence against women is somehow acceptable. The idea that males should be dominant and in control of everything in life transcends into their relationships with women. Thus, this idea of men being dominant and the ones in power in a relationship can often lead to violence in that relationship.
It is important to highlight that sexual assault does not have to be done by a stranger and that; in fact, a person who knows the victim well commits most sexual assaults. This means that boyfriends, husbands, friends, and even acquaintances are more likely to sexual assault someone than a random stranger.
It is almost crucial to teach “how to stop rape” as opposed to “how to avoid rape.” Men and boys should learn how to respect women. Media can be a big influence on how people act in a society. Therefore it is important for us as a society to distinguish between what is morally right and what is a respectful, what is an appropriate way to behave towards women as opposed to popular television portrayals like the Jersey Shore and other reality programs which portray women as sexual objects, whom men disrespect constantly.
I agree with Maxwell that by not aiming all the information at one sex, we as a society will become closer to ending the horrific problem of sexual assault. It is important for both sexes to be aware of what constitutes sexual assault and that there are serious consequences for this unlawful act. I believe that by raising this awareness and by teaching boys and men what the true definition of sexual assault is and how not to commit this act it will immensely help our society.
Written By: Alexis Myers, Contributor/Intern
Culture of Abuse Magazine
A Call to the Men of Pomona College: The Socialization of Sexual Assault in a Liberal Setting
A Call to the Men of Pomona College: The Socialization of Sexual Assault in a Liberal Setting
Pomona Collegeâalthough recognized as one of the most selective liberal arts schools in the countryâis an institution that largely escapes the awareness of general society. Shrouded in greenery amongst the desert of Southern California and inhabited by intellectuals nestled in eco-friendly dorms, Pomona College often seems as though it belongs to an entirely different world than the rest of Los Angeles County. The protective âbubbleâ that many Pomona College students see themselves as inhabiting, however, does not serve its projected purpose of isolating students from the violence that plagues the rest of modern society. All of the liberal ideology and cultural isolation in the world cannot quite quell presence of violent undertones in human nature. Thus, the âbubbleâ of Pomona College is just thatâa fragile illusion left largely susceptible to the nature of its climate and surroundings.
This being said, sexual assault and violence does exist on Pomona Collegeâs campus. In fact it does more than just existâit utilizes the isolation of its environment to conceal itself beneath a camouflage of intellectuality and privilege. This being said, when sexual assault and violence is addressed on campus, it is often under the guise of stopping the distant perpetrator. Liberal arts students are wholeheartedly committed to combatting sexual assaultâunder the right conditions, that is. Students are prepared to face the villainized stranger on the streets of Los Angeles. They are not, however, ready to question the actions of their neighbors, friends, and roommates. The shroud of intellectuality that dominates Pomona College renders its students entirely incapable of seeing what is right in front of them.
Thus, when guest speaker Tony Porter came to Pomona College on January 16, 2012 to address the socialization of men and its affect on sexual assault, many college students attended the talk to take note of the proposed causes of sexual violence. As the lecture titled âA Call to Menâ unfolded, however, it became clear that Tony Porter planned to assign sexual perpetrators into a neat category that simply reaffirmed the beliefs of much of the student body. He claimed that in general, 85 percent of men are good and compassionate, while 15 percent of the male population embodies a portion of society that fosters violence and disrespect towards women. He asserted that individuals who are committed to reinforcing the image of men as dominant and strong are the ones who instigate violence. Porterâs central message was that in order to fight sexual assault, good men need to rise to the surface and fight the stereotype of the âmachoâ male.
This information was very eloquently articulated and clearly well intentioned. The problem, however, was that Tony Porter was already addressing a group of students that defy the stereotypes of the âmachoâ male. The male population of Pomona College is comprised of individuals who are (in lack of better classifications) the computer geeks, scrawny nerds, and committed intellectuals of modern society. Pomona College is already home to the â85 percent of good, well-intention menâ that Tony Porter was referring to. Yet there is still sexual assault on campus.
This inherent contradiction creates a problem. If it is not the dangerous âmachoâ man who rapes and assaults the female students of Pomona College, then who is it? The answer, unfortunately, is something that the students of Pomona College will do anything to avoid. And it is hard to blame them, because the truth itself is frightening. No one wants to admit that it is the very men Tony Porter was calling out to in order to stop abuse that are actually inflicting it on the campus of Pomona College.
So what does this mean in the larger context of society? It is not just the seemingly violent strangers who roam the streets that contribute to assault in America. There is no such thing as the â85 percent of good menâ and the â15 percent of assailants.â The lines of morality are far too blurred for such simple classifications. The deranged and violent strangers are not acting alone in their attacks. It is also the high school class president, the captain of the chess club, and the nerd that contributes to the nation-wide epidemic of sexual assault.
Thus, it is time for students to look past their wall of intellectuality and privilege and acknowledge that sexual assault is not something confined to poor and dangerous regions of society. If the isolated âoasisâ of Pomona College is still plagued by the presence of assault and rape, then it is time to stop searching for blame in one sector of society. If we allow our friends and neighbors to slip through the cracks of social justice simply because of their status and societal stigma, then we will never be able to stop sexual abuse. Assault and rape will remain hidden beneath pretenses of prestige and intellectuality if it is continually ignored in the midst of seemingly safe, liberal environments. How can we begin to combat abuse in the larger regions of society if we cannot even confine it on one small liberal arts campus? The answer is that we will not be able to stop itânot until we change our preconceptions about the idea of the modern rapist.
Written By: Hanna Love, Contributor/Intern
Culture of Abuse Magazine
From the Editor: Interns/Volunteers Sought
Writing Articles
I am looking for folks who are knowledgeable and committed to the issues of abuse and violence, to contribute thought provoking, informative articles and new resources on Culture of Abuse (online) Magazine.
Description
Training and guidance can and will be provided, especially for those who have less experience but who are willing to do research. Students are welcome to apply. This is not only a great opportunity to share your skills and insight, it could also lead to a more significant role, for those who are local, in the non-profit I’m currently developing here in Eastern MA/North Shore (http://www.cultureofchangeinc.org). Students’ and volunteers’ work will be monitored, and approved before appearing on the site, and those who qualify will receive a recommendation for their great work, as resume building is important for future endeavors. Start and end dates can be discussed and are flexible. The time requirement can also be discussed, but travel is not necessary as writing articles can be done at home or school to accommodate your schedule. If you are local, occasional meetings may be necessary and beneficial.
Other/Web
There is also the occasional need to review and update links to resources, update reading lists, and search for innovative advocacy programs that should be included or highlighted.
How to Apply
Please send an email with ‘Internship/Volunteer Position’ in the subject, to admin@cultureofabuse.com
Demand Facebook Remove Pages That Promote Sexual Violence
Started by John Raines
Facebook says that hate speech and incitements to violence are banned and will be removed from their site. So why are they maintaining a page called “Riding Your Girlfriend Softly Cause You Don’t Want to Wake Her Up”? And another page about “throwing bricks at sluts” that includes a photo gallery of portraits asking “Bang or Brick”?
There has even been an organized effort to use Facebook’s own reporting system to flag these and other pages that encourage rape and violence against women so they’ll be taken down. But Facebook hasn’t done a thing.
Now, Change.org member John Raines is going straight to the top. He started a petition on Change.org telling Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to take down these pages and take a stronger stand against violence against women.
Will you sign John’s petition to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg? Sign on, and tell Facebook to remove pages promoting rape and violence against women now.
When 1 in 3 American women will be sexually abused and/or assaulted in her lifetime, pages like these — and the reactions they elicit — are downright scary. Tens of thousands of people have “liked” these pages. Some people even use them as platforms to share rape fantasies and receive explicit tactics for how to carry them out.
John has seen the devastating impact of sexual violence and rape firsthand, on his own family. That’s why he created this petition on Change.org to get Facebook to enforce its existing policies and to make it clear that content promoting rape and violence against women violates Facebook’s Terms of Service and won’t be tolerated.
Please sign John’s petition. Tell Facebook to stop providing a platform to promote rape and violence against women.
County Attorney Accused Of Making Rape Jokes, Ignoring Child Porn
JEZEBEL
BY ANNA NORTH, SEP 8, 2011
We have a new entry in the Worst Attorney Ever competition: a Nebraska prosecutor who preferred to ignore child porn and talked about women enjoying rape. This and other failings are detailed in a letter written by his exasperated colleagues.
The York News-Times has reprinted the letter, in which a deputy attorney and two office workers chronicle the bizarre and negligent behavior of York County Attorney Bill Sutter. Among the highlights:
Officials seized child porn from a York County resident’s computer, including images that “involved children as young as three years old being sexually penetrated by an adult male.” Sutter declined to prosecute the case, saying “I don’t really care what people do in their own homes as long as no one gets hurt.”
About an unrelated child porn case, Sutter said,”I probably shouldn’t see those [pictures], I wouldn’t want them to fall into the hands of some of my friends.”
When Mr. Sutter was presented with a case involving a 19 year old man having sex with a 14 year old girl, Mr. Sutter told his secretaries: “You just can’t have good clean sex these days”. The District Court sentenced that 19 year old man to 2 years in prison for that “good clean sex”.
Sutter discussed the size of his scrotum with his secretary, and told her “she’s blonde, so she better be careful.”
After losing a hearing, Sutter commented to the same secretary, “It’s like a woman getting raped, eventually you just have to sit back and enjoy it.”
The letter also says,
We were very reluctant to come forward and express these concerns because we have been concerned that we might lose our jobs if we spoke out about Mr. Sutter’s behavior, and we were also afraid that the behaviors might get worse if we discussed them publicly, and that is why we have tried to keep our concerns to ourselves until this time.
However, Mr. Sutter’s rejection of our attempts to change his behavior makes it necessary that we bring these matters to your attention.
Sutter has responded to the charges point-by-point. He said he did not refuse to prosecute the child porn case — rather, he asked to “review all that material before I filed it” because “the worst thing a prosecutor can do is not look at his evidence before he files the charge.” In the matter of the rape joke, he says he was quoting Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight. He added, “If that was in poor taste I apologize for it, but it was made in jest in the office.” Sutter also said he didn’t remember “discussing with Crystal the size of my scrotum. I had been having some health problems, that’s true, and at one time I had some heart problems. If I did it was not with any malicious intent or anything like that because I was a sick man.” Responding to the letter as a whole, Sutter said,
Obviously some people in my office … all of them … don’t like me. And that I can’t help. I’m not ashamed for anything I have either said or done with them. As to matters that occur that require my decision those are my decisions. I’m the York County attorney and I make those decisions and if they don’t agree with them that’s too bad because those are my decisions.
They may not be his decisions for much longer. The York County Commissioners has asked Sutter to resign; he refused. They’ve now started the process for holding a recall election to remove him — if their petition succeeds, the election will be held in November.
Is This Comedy Monologue A Rape Confession? [UPDATED]
From the Editor: This article, by Irin Carmon, was submitted by reader Sherry Murphy who provides an analysis at the bottom of this article. What do you think of the video, the analysis, and if you were on stage with those comedians, what would you have said?
JEZEBEL
By Irin Carmon Aug 26, 2011
What do you call it when you misrepresent yourself as someone’s desired partner, don’t listen when she repeatedly tells you to leave, come uninvited into her room and penetrate her while she just lies there? Well, at a recent New York City improv festival, this guy, who by his own account did just that, called it comedy.
This video is from the Asssscat 3000 show at the Del Close Marathon, held August 14. The audience was invited by the comedians to tell a true life story to inspire an improv set, and this man, who introduced himself as Eric, told a story from his time on the waitstaff at Second City Chicago.
As the story goes, an “old drunk girl” gave her number to a waiter, who had a girlfriend but suggested Eric go instead. He claims “peer pressure” from the fellow staff led him to call the woman, “without saying, hey I’m a different person, is this okay?” and to take a cab to her hotel. He says she opened up the door and said, “Oh no.” This is how he recounts the dialogue:
“You’re not the guy I wanted.”
“But I’m the guy who showed up.” This elicits cheers.
She said, “Well I’m not letting you in,” but “she leaves the door open so I’m like bingo…. I walk in there and I kind of close the door.” She told him to leave, again, and he says to himself, “All right, it’s now or never.” He says he kissed her, they started making out, and when the comedians start uncomfortably joking about the police and the Fifth Amendment, Eric says, “I’m pretty sure she felt safe,” that she was stronger than him and had him “pinned down.” He then says he went for the “fishhook,” which is how he says he tells it to his friends, and demonstrates penetrating her with his fingers.
The woman allegedly said, “Please tell me you have a condom.” She took off her pants but wouldn’t let him take off her top. Then, in his words: “She laid on her back and I did my work.” At this point, people in the audience start booing.
“There’s not a woman in this theater who could resist you right now,” one comedian jokes in the video. Well, presumably because he didn’t listen the last time.
The rest of the men — all men — onstage react in a variety of ways, from noting the women behind him shaking their heads unsmilingly to asking if the women was attractive.
“I wish for a million reasons that there would have been at least one woman on that stage,” writes Splitsider’s Halle Kiefer, who was there but who ultimately thought the comedians handled it well, saying that one “went on to specifically call out the monologue as being about rape multiple times.” Another attendee, Stephanie Streisand, writes, “He was at the [festival] after party. He was smiling until one by one people were going up to him to let him know he was a rapist. He left the party early.” And a third woman who was there, Poupak Sepehri, says she was “shocked and uncertain about what to do. At some point, I was going to get up and leave, but I was sitting very close to the stage and didn’t want to disturb the performers.” She concludes,
So, if you’re a female Second City customer from out of town, you’re a little older and a little drunk, and you are interested in one of the waiters, given all the justifications above, it’s OK that the cook/host shows up in your hotel room and rapes you.
We contacted the man who’s believed to be in this video and will keep you posted. We’re told that he no longer works at Second City and that he’s moved away from Chicago.
Update: According to this blogger and several other sources, the person in the video is Eric D. Angell, whom we also contacted this morning. He hasn’t responded.
Do you have anything to add to this analysis by Sherry Murphy?:
This guy (“Eric”) exhibited classic rapist behavior:
1. refusing to leave when told to do so several times (victim states “I’m not letting you in”—this constitutes “defense” under Illinois law);
2. using a ruse to enter the victim’s home (“ah, man… now I have to call & tell him this? But, I don’t have his number,” so she leaves the door open while she goes to retrieve his friend’s phone number from her room, and he “walk[s] in there, and [he] kinda closes the door”—this may possibly constitute “use of force or fear,” especially since he may be blocking her only exit);
3. still refusing to leave as the victim continues to defend herself utilizing verbal resistance (and he thinks “alright, it’s now or never”);
4. showing further aggression by continuing to argue with her about whether or not she actually wants him to leave;
5. they “end up on the bed,” where she continued to tell him to leave and he continued to refuse, then stated she had him “pinned down” (one of the moderators injects here “classic safety sign,” which is great for letting the audience know that victim is resisting and Eric is engaging in criminal behavior);
6. stated that she was “stronger” than him and that he “couldn’t get up,” yet she continues to tell him to leave (remember, she’s intoxicated and this may have been a last attempt to defend herself);
7. he forces digital penetration, at which point it’s apparent he’s going to force other sexual acts (he recounts it as “after that, the deal was pretty much in the bag”);
8. she acquiesces (possibly in fear that he might turn violent if she doesn’t) and asks him to wear a condom and wants to keep her shirt on, for him to make it “quick and dirty”—this type of “consent” constitutes “defense” under Illinois law;
9. makes degrading comments about her “it was okay sex, she didn’t want to do anything special” (as if suddenly she had choices), “she laid on her back… I did my work,” “I found out she texted my friend ‘I don’t do second rate,’ but, she did.”
Romeo and Juliet Law Takes Effect in Texas
KDAF-TV
Tommy Noel, September 1, 2011
The law is one of 700 that takes effect September 1
DALLAS, Texas —
Starting today, teenagers get a little more protection from the courts.
Right now, if a person 17 or older has sex with a minor under 17, with more than a three-year age gap, they are guilty of statutory rape and sexual assault.
“What this law is doing is it is expanding that to four years,” said Attorney Clint David.
In addition to the four-year spread, the minor must be at least 15 and sex must be consensual.
The ages between the two people is what concerns some UT Dallas Students.
“For a 15 and a 19-year-old to be together, that would be like a college student and a freshman in high school,” said Jean Paul Tran.
David adds that with the new Romeo and Juliet law, people who have been convicted in the past can now prove they are not a threat to public safety.
“The person who is now registered as a sex offender for the rest of their life, can petition a judge to be taken off the sexual registry; a predator or offender list,” said David.
UT Dallas Junior Andrea McMillan thinks it make sense to change the law.
“[So] younger people who were just being kids don’t end up with something on their record,” said McMillan.
As for the reason the law was put in place, David believes law enforcement can now focus on true sexual predators, rather than teens having consensual sex.
“I think it’s great that people who have been convicted under this law and have the tag of sexual predator for the rest of their life, can come back in, petition a judge to start over with a clean slate,” said David.
A clean slate that could effectively help get their life back.
From the Editor: Be a Leader!
The video below is fun while it makes a great point. Which one are you?
