Monday, April 10, 2006

Rape 101

It is a crime. But worst than that, it is a description of a violation, a disgrace, a breach, sacrilege, abuse, malicious attack, and degeneration to name a few. It also goes against all moral, ethical, and legal bounds. If the woman who accuses three members of Duke University’s LaCrosse team of the aforementioned acts is telling the truth, then what are the police waiting for?

I have read and heard the woman went to be examined and medical personnel found signs of an attack. Now I’m not in law enforcement but, the next logical step would to go after matching all evidence to the accused. If there is a match, then there is a case to put together and charges to be made. If there is no match to the accused, then it would be about finding those who fit the bill. The LaCrosse team says they have evidence that shows they did nothing wrong. The police should get on that too. Reason being, somebody’s telling a lie.

Here is my problem with this whole thing. First, the team is suspended and its coach resigns. The university says they can go no further without more information. So where does that information come from? The police! Suddenly I seem to recall an old adage. It’s not what you do, but whom you know. Obviously, somebody has a lot of pull with the police department in Durham, North Carolina.

So it’s back to the old school ways. If you have a lot of money, you pay the right people to shove any bad stuff under the table or conveniently delay any action, all in the hope that it will eventually fade away. That somewhere, somebody will do something that will redirect our attention elsewhere. I’m not buying it. Want to know why? Thirty-six years ago I was gang-raped. I was young, afraid, and ashamed. I thought it was my fault. I felt helpless to do anything about it. No more. If it was to happen to me in these times, I would not only talk but, talk loud.

I would be insistent, annoying, persistent, and down right in the law enforcement’s face. I would be calling every politician in congress. The newspapers and TV stations could get an interview with me with a simple phone call. My employer would have to show me a lot of backup or on the carpet they would go too. If none of these things got the punishment ball rolling, I would right a book, naming names and telling it all.

You see, no woman, no matter what she does for a living, gives a man or group of men the right to Ravish, Ambush, Paralyze or Endanger for their own perverted pleasure.

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