Stanford is the place where the former student Brock Turner sexually assaulted a young women known as Emily Doe in 2015 in a slope next to a basketball court hidden by only a few trees. Today it has been turned into a small commemorative park, it has become a peaceful spot, with a quiet fountain in the sunshine, looking out across the basketball court.
The inhumane assault occurred at around 1:00 a.m. on a January night in 2015, near a Kappa Alpha fraternity that Turner and the victim had both attended. On March 2016, Turner was convicted of three felonies, including assault with intent to commit rape and faced a maximum of 4 years in state prison; though the preoscuetion initially asked for six.
Two months later on June 2, 2016, Judge Aaron Persky sent Turner to country jail for only six months, but still he only served three months in jail due to “good behavior”. Judge Perky then gave the criminal only three years of prohibition and was required to be registered as a sex offender.
The judge that gave the sex offender, Turner, this sentence was also a Stanford alumni and a former active member of the Lacrosse team while doing his time at Stanford.
According to Judge Persky, Turner had expressed remorse, and that “up to this point, he complied with social legal norms sort of above and beyond what normal law-abiding people do”
This sentiment is one that many people seem to have with seaxaul assault. The public is so easy to forgive the criminal because apparently they have learned their lesson, but it’s unfortunate how they completely forget the experience and the trauma that the victim is still going through.
Due to this leniency, Doe was inspired to publicly release the victim’s impact statement in which she has read out loud in court. She detailed more than a year of her struggles with physical, psychological and emotional trauma that was a direct cause of this scarring event.
After Doe released her victim statement, it created an outrage in the public, making the court case go viral. With the support of people who have fought against sexual assault, voters had the chance to recall Judge Persky and were given the choice to choose between two other candidates, Cindy Herrickson and Angela Storey.
The active protest to remove Judge Persky would only make him the fifth judge ever recalled in California and the first in 86 years.
Judge Persky has spoken out defending his recall by stating that “There is an underlying deep frustration among actual victims of sexual assault and domestic violence seriously. Its very genuine and important problem,” he continued by saying that the “The passion is authentic, the end is justified, let’s increase sexual assault reporting. Let’s do criminal reform where it’s to do so”.
Thus implying that recalling him from court would not aid in improving rape culture. However, someone that showed a convicted rapist sympathy is not expected to bring the change that is needed in order to improve the fiscal policy around rape. The decision to give Turner less time, is sending out the message that rape is and should be easily forgiven. When the reality is that it is one of the most inhumane acts in every sense of the word.
Some opponents of the recall defend Judge Persky by stating that his decision for Turner’s sentence was lawful and followed a probation department recommendation. They were quick to make the argument that the recall would threaten Judicial independence.
While recall proponents have said something along the line, “We’re putting rape culture on trial.’ So now I am the face of rape culture. So you to ask yourself, am I really the face of rape culture?”
The reality is that rape culture is an issue that has been ignored and further normalized in institutions. Having them on a ballot is a reflection of the people’s values in the state of California and further pushes for people to realize that rape culture is so embedded into our system that people are unconsciously and consciously perpetuating it and thus encouraging it.
Featured Image via Flickr
