High School Cheerleader Kicked Off Squad for Refusal to Cheer for Her Rapist

Just as in professional sports, if a player can win that game for the owners, despite pending and former criminal records, they will let them play. This girl should not be penalized, but praised. She showed a lot of courage to even be within a mile of that pos.

MidWestLady:

It is Texas. Texas. That says it all!

Agree's he should've been kicked out off the team, let alone out of that school. I seriously don't know why people continue to punish the victims rather than the offender. But considering this is a texas school, guess i can't be that surprised.

He probably was a star athlete whose removal from the team would have jeopardized the teams opportunity at a winning season or championship.

Folks, if you only knew what goes on down here with Bubba and his buds. This state has the most warped, depreaved set of values when it comes to education (and other things) than you could imagine. Don't forget, this si the state that brought you George I and George The Dim.

Typix: The guy pled guilty to assault. So even if you don't want to believe it was rape because of a mistrust of MS, you know it was a criminal act by the guy against the cheerleader that involved him going after her bodily. That should be enough for HIM to be the one instructed to avoid the cafeteria and homecoming, and, if you really think basketball is important enough to overlook his criminal act, at least not require her to chant his name in an encouraging way. (Wonder if his two buddies who helped restrain her while she was "assaulted" might not have been cheering "Hakeem, Hakeem". Now they want HER to?!)

Assault is a violent crime. Violent offenders should not be allowed to go to the same school as the victim!

Football or not - He should have been kicked off the team and out of the school. There are alternative schools for students with violent histories.

Shame on the school system and the courts for not standing up for the victim.

He was not allowed to go the school after he pleaded guilty to assault. He was already out of school when the entered that plea two years after the incident. He was kicked out of school when he was orginally charged and then let back in when the Grand Jury refused to indict him for any criminal offense. The investigation continued, a special prosecutor was appointed and he was indicated for sexual assault a year later. He was never allowed in the school while facing any criminal charges.

Paddy -

So he pleads guilty to assault and still allowed to go back to school with the victim?

Why was he not placed in an alternative school permanently?

Why allow him to victimize other people at other schools? He should have been forced out of the school system entirely and to complete his education at home.

This is really tragic. The whole thing, the assault of course, but also the betrayal of the girl by those institutions which are supposed to be protecting her.

But in a few weeks nobody will care anymore. It's easier to sign a petition that no one will read then actually get up and do something about it.

The court of public opinion is still an option and I don't mean a facebook campaign or a Ms. Magazine article. The best thing about this court is that you can try anyone in it as long as you can convincingly link them to this injustice.

Step 1: Make a list of every single person who has any authority whatsoever over the situation (basketball and cheer Coaches, the boy's guidance councilor, the entire school-board, the Principles, vice-principles, even the boy's family). Add to the list the names of every person who donates to the athletics program, advertises on school media, sponsors of either team in any way. Anyone who could have pushed to have the boy moved to a different school even if they actually did push to have him moved keep them on the list.

Step 2: For every name on that list draw up a signboard. It will have their name in huge letters, a line-art picture of them like a witness sketch, and a simple message to the effect of "X is a ............ [here]. X allowed an accused rapist who plead guilty to felony assault on a Silsby Highschool teenager to play basketball for the Silsby Highschool Team!!!". Then add a picture of the boy's booking photo followed by "Find out more at www.silsbyhighrapist.com" put the web addy in large easy to read lettering.

Step 3: Organize protests to put a person holding a sign wherever the people on the list regularly go. Where they work. Where they go to church. Where they take their kids to daycare. Where they shop, drink, play golf, basically wherever there are people likely to recognize them. Change the "........." to whatever the person's relationship to the place where the protester is and [here] to the name of that place. So "X is a customer of "Joe's Grocery". X allowed an accused rapist who plead guilty...", or "X is a member of "First Unity Methodist Church. X allowed an accused rapist who plead guilty...".

Step 4: On the first day of protest coordinate a full page ad in several small town local papers. The really small town ones that are dirt cheap. Neighboring towns are okay too. Pull as Many as you can afford and make sure a good number of the protest targets are people who did voice dissent. They will be the ones defending themselves the loudest.

Step 5: Maintain a campaign of protests like this. One person, one target, one location, for 2 hours. As soon as the protester gets out of the car have someone at a land line call every media outlet and notify them of the place. Protester should not engage the public or press at all. Even go so far as to stick tape across their mouths in an X pattern showing they have been "silenced". After 2 hours pack it up and move to another site for another target.

Important Note: Never make it about the boy. He went through the justice system and that has to be respected. Make it about the system that put him in the same school as his victim.

The goal is to network the harm here across the widest network of players. Make everyone involved feel the pain that this girl is bearing alone. Make it uncomfortable for them to go out in public, take their kids to school, rent movies, go to church. The media will go ape-s#!t and re-print your cheap ads in national papers and run video of your demonstrators on major news channels.

The key is to make it easy for viewers to make a difference. Every bit of press will include a reference to the website. A very easy t read and remember sight (whatever it turns out to be). The website will contain the telephone numbers of every person on your list (if possible) and also the name and number of every organization that person affiliates with along with a simple script for each number "Hi, I just wanted to let you know that X gets his hair cut at your shop. Did you know he allowed Silsby Highschool to force a cheerleader to root for a teammember who was convicted of felony assault on her? You can find out more at www.silsbyhighrapist.com, I hope you are just as offended by X's part in this as I am. Thank you."

The more the targets come forward to defend themselves the faster the message will spread. As individuals these people feel safe, protected by the institutions that carried out this injustice. But expose them to individual consequences for what happens on their watch and they will fight as hard as anyone to make the situation right. Make it personal to them. Make it hurt. Put them in a position where failing to do the right thing can potentially ruin their lives. Be honest but merciless towards anyone who will not come forward publically and admit that what they did (while legal) was wrong and demonstrated a lack of professionalism and cruelty on par with that of a monster. Until each target does that then every one they know will get a weekly reminder of the kind of person they are.

It's a great strategy. It works every time if the cause is just. But it is rarely used because it takes work and effort and as outraged as people get over the injustices of the world they really don't want to do the work to fix it.

Midwest lady. He was not allowed to go back to school with the victim. He was arrested when the incident happened and suspended from school. A month later the charges were dismissed when the grand jury refused to indict. Because the charges were dismissed, he was allowed to return to school and that is when the reprehensible conduct of the school took place. Regardless of the dismissal of the charges, the school had an obligation to protect the girl and, at the very least, not to act as if she was lying. While they probably could not take disciplinary measures against him, they certainly should not have done what they did to her. About a year later a new DA was assigned to the case and he presented the case to another grand jury and he was indicated of sexual assault. he was then permitted to plead guilty to what appeared to be a non-sexual assault charge, with the agreement of the victim, and he was given a suspended sentence. The history of the case as reported in teh local media is here. . http://www.kfdm.com/articles/former-39394-school-high.htm I find it preferrable to learn the facts about something before commenting.

An alternative school for kids with "Problems". In my state any question towards a violent crime automatically qualifies a seperation (Permanent) between the offender and victim.

Why is it that the victim usually has to face the harsh consequences and judgement?

He should not have been allowed back at that school.

The fact that she is still having to face this person is repulsive to me.

The assertion made in the article regarding the school officials telling her to "lay low" wasn't mentioned in the parents' suit, so I'd take that with a grain of salt.

http://home.beaumontenterprise.com/Editorial/PDF_Files/100909_Silsbee%20ISD%20lawsuit.pdf

The story's history on KFDM channel 6 news

There's nothing of the victims side really. Just a lot of how he feels it was fair he was convicted of assault. The DA is happy and feels a guilty plea on a lesser charge has somehow satisfied justice. I'm willing to bet he prosecutes kids for having a joint better than this and I'm almost certain a Southern judge would sentence pot smokers to more time:

"The State feels it's a fair resolution for the victim, and the victim agrees," said Barlow. "I think it's a fair resolution also. The State is happy he has finally come forward and admitted his guilt."

His guilt for what? What did you prove Mr. Special Prosecutor Barlow??

Poor girl was probably told he'd get jail and all this would go away and the world would see her rapist's guilt. "See hun, we got a GUILTY verdict... and that's the important thing!" Except in the world of apologists we live in if the verdict isn't clear and on point some people will parse it out of importance. I really wonder how the victim felt after finding out that the year in jail Bolton was sentenced to was suspended in lieu of a fine and some community service along with "anger management" classes. I also wonder what the anger management was deemed necessary for.

"I have no hard feelings toward the girl," Bolton told KFDM reporter Lindsey Kovacevich after the sentencing. "It was a misunderstanding."

... assault, anger management, several other young males involved, a young girl who claims she was raped. Some on this thread will feel warmly vindicated. I feel deeply suspicious.

IMO Bolton almost got away with it entirely. The wheeling and dealing done on behalf of a football player in a football state can be read in the subtext. He started going to church and worked at being a "good kid"... and that likely made him look better to many of the church going. I've seen this tactic used by so many punks and crooks it disgusts me. Between his football scholarships and his new found piety this town sure looks like it took care of one of their hometown sports heroes in his time of need.

What about HS? Underage she cannot tell us her side. Shamed and humiliated she'll likely NOT tell her side publicly.

But those who take the "He's innocent" side of the street in this can take great heart:

"Yes, I do feel like it was fair," said Bolton. "Very fair."

Bolton says he wants to move on with is life and get back to the sport he loves.

"College, play football," said Bolton. "Everything else I wanted to do, I can finally do it now."

The double standard for athletes marches on... The important thing is that the former star football player can go on to those bigger and better promises of life.

That is offensive. I am a conservative and I have NEVER said that I want girls/women to carry a rapist's baby. Gross generalizations have nothing to do with this story and you would do better, in the future, to keep your political axe grinding out of topics which do not require it. This seed is about the gross injustice that this girl has been suffering through.

On topic: while I don't agree with the school's decision, it's really the "justice" system that failed this girl. The boy in question should have been transferred to another school, or, at the very least, been made to stay a certain distance away from the victim. The fact that it was she who was made to change her daily life around speaks volumes about the inequality and downright prejudice towards females, in general. We like to act like we've come a long way, and in some cases we have, but this case just proves how few steps we've actually taken towards equal rights.

The justice system did not fail. The case was presented to a grand jury and they refused to indict. That meant that until a different grandy jury indicted him about a year later, he was not charged with, let alone, convicted of anything. The school failed her, but the ssystem worked precisely as it is supposed to work.

but the ssystem worked precisely as it is supposed to work.

The fact that the system doesn't work to begin with was, basically, what I was alluding to. Thanks for the back up, however unintentional it was. :)

How did the system not work? She accused him. He was arrested. The prosecution gathered evidence and presented it to a grand jury. No defense lawyers in there. No defendant. Noone to challenge the evidence the prosecution presented. And, yet, no indictment. According to the prosecutor, everyone was drinking which made it difficult to present a clear picture of what happened. The failure to indict meant that hte charges he was arrested on were dismissed. Between then and when another grand jury indicted, he was not charged with any crime. How is a school supposed to jusitify punishment when the evidence was not enough enough to establish that he "probably" committed a crime? The burden of proof for a grand jury to indict is less than the preponderance of the evidence standard in a civil case. Apparently, additional evidence was gathered and another grand jury, a year later, indicted him. He was out of school by then. He then entered a plea of guilty to charge that did not involve sexual assault of any degree and was sentenced. As for the civil case that was dismissed, do you have any understanding of the legal issues involved there? The Court simply upheld the long standing precedent that you cannot recover for a claimed violation of your civil rights in the absence of actual harm. Physical harm, not psychological harm is required. She suffered no physical harm by being kicked off the squad. As for the violation of her right to free speech, that was not violated. Forget the content of the speech and how justified it is because that does not matter. The question is can the school tell its cheerleaders what they can cheer? What if the cheer was, "@!$%# the other team"? Can the school prohibit that? Of course they can. That is the end of the discussion because the content of her speech is not relevant. Imagine the frivolous lawuits if the decision went the other way; of a cheerleader or any other student participating in an extra-curricular activity had an absolute right to free expression while participating in that school activity. What happened to her was wrong, but it was not actionable at law. Not every bad thing that happens to someone give them the right to be paid money. They have to actually be harmed.

I wonder how many of the people sitting on the Grand Jury were fans of the team and parents or neighbors of team members.

Well, since Grand juries are chosen by the county, I would imagine that the chance that there were any fans would be slim. As for parents of team members, not likely.

Help it to go viral by linking it on other sites like Twiiter, Topix , and other social media.

I posted the link on Facebook, but I've been told that I'm a "loser," because I have "only" 30 friends there. Go figure.

What is a facebook? is that like a mugshot?

BEN

really? wow lol lol that made my day!

no. not really. I did cancel my account though.

Though it was meant to be funny (and was, in a juvenile sort of way) that is a bit of a stretch. Three students do not dictate the actions of an entire school. I'm sure that most of the students are not rapists nor are they the type to accommodate a rapist.

Does it matter if the students are the type of accommodate a rapist if the school administration is? It is unconscionable to allow a rapist to continue to attend the school with the rape victim.

Bear in mind that justice for this girl, i.e. not having her chosen extracurricular denied to her because of the presence of her assaulter, is not the same as vigilante justice being conducted against a person outside of the court system.

YES, Fufu. When we hear of something awful someone did, we cannot resort to wishing violence on the perpretator: that just puts us on the same plane as the perp, and really does not resolve anything. The school needs to do what is right by the girl, and the boy needs to be properly punished LEGALLY.

and the boy needs to be properly punished LEGALLY

While I agree in principle the weak-tea punishment this criminal received only ensures someone else's daughter, sister, mother, or wife will eventually be raped by him again. One might as well have patted his fanny and said "Nice rebound, Bolton!" The special treatment of athletes who commit criminal offenses is a pathetic and telling epithet scratched upon our legal system.

Right. But one of the ways to punish him legally is to take him off the basketball team. There's still legal punishment left to mete out. And even if you think the legal punishment is insufficient, neither you, I nor anyone else should take it upon ourselves to beat the kid up. That does not solve anything. And, it just makes you, me or someone else a criminal, too.

When we hear of something awful someone did, we cannot resort to wishing violence on the perpretator: that just puts us on the same plane as the perp, and really does not resolve anything.

Well, to be fair, "wishing" (READ: fantasizing about) violence is not the same as causing violence. If I want to fantasize that rapists will, eventually, get what they deserve, I'm not breaking any laws nor am I "on the same plane as the perp."

Well, to be fair, "wishing" (READ: fantasizing about) violence is not the same as causing violence. If I want to fantasize that rapists will, eventually, get what they deserve, I'm not breaking any laws nor am I "on the same plane as the perp."

agreed...

Not doing something criminal, even just imagining it, is never the equivalet of a criminal act already accomplished. Such an obtuse parallel rests upon dangerous precedent at it's very best.

So, does justice only exist within a legal system?

If I was assaulted in school by the superintendent's kid and even though I reported it to the school and police nobody would do anything about it. If the evidence I had of the attack that I gave to the police disappeared. Would a pint of Mrs. Butterworths in his gas tank be unjust?

Sugar doesn't work; Mythbusters proved it. Not sure about syrup. Something else they tried trashed the engine in about two minutes. Not condoning it; just saying.

So was he. If he was still in high school & if it was consensual why did he need the "help" of two friends?

H.S., a Silsbee student, reported being raped by Rakheem Bolton with the help of two of his friends, a fellow student and athletic star.

Not very bloody likely.

Brian

H.S., a Silsbee student, reported being raped by Rakheem Bolton with the help of two of his friends, a fellow student and athletic star.

Doesn't sound consensual to me.

Hmm.. let's explore the possibilities...

is it possible that the rape charge was "statutory rape" (she was underage) and that the sex involved was consensual. is that a possibility?

From the article:

Rakheem Bolton with the help of two of his friends, a fellow student and athletic star. In the end, Bolton ended up getting off without serving any jail time by pleading guilty to a lesser assault charge, spending two years on probation, doing community service, paying a fine, and attending anger management courses.

Yesirree... consensual sex almost always requires the help of two friends... right?

What's more likely is that in the good ole boy attitudes you find many places these boys were just blowing off a bit of steam, got carrried away and the girl took it the wrong way, she probably shouldn't have been in the position to let it happen. If she had been at home knitting or at church praying this wouldn't have happened. Heck she might have shown her ankle or something. That is pretty much the attitude you often find.

It seems to me that the school is aiding those boys in assualting her all over again.

Does anybody bother to read the actual source documents. If you follow the link it will take you to the appeals court decision. According to that opinion, Bolton was never even charged with rape. The grand jury, which is supposed to indict if the evidence establishes probable cause to believe that the crime was committed, a much lower burden of proof than beyond a reasonable doubt or even by a preponderance of the evidence, refused to indict. They obviously concluded that here was not enough evidence to even charge Bolton. I have no idea what actually happened and neither does anyone else on her commenting know what happened. The article also misrepresents what the appeals court held. They upheld the lower's courts decision to dismiss the lawsuit on teh basis of the pleadings because the plaintiff' allegations, even if true, did not entitle her to sue for a violation of her civil rights. The law is that you cannot sue for a violation of civil rights if all you claim is psychologicla harm. That is all that she could claim she suffered as a result of what the school did. The case was decided not on the basis of the facts, the Court made no conclusions as to what did or did not happen. The case was decided on the basis of civil rights law. Criticism of the school district for kicking her off for not saying his name is entirely appropriate. That decision is represhensible What harm is there if one cheerleader does not cheer for him. But, the Court decision was correct.

Brian -

For future reference, you might want to actually read the linked article before asking other readers to 'think' about some angle that you would like to be true, but clearly is not.

Here are the facts from another vine.

In September 2010, Bolton pled guilty to a lesser charge of Class A Assault and was sentenced to one year in prison, a sentence that was suspended by the judge in lieu of two years probation, a $2,500 fine, community service and an anger management course.

...

Bolton had been allowed back on campus during a brief period when one grand jury withdrew the charges before another grand jury reinstated them. During a basketball game, H.S. cheered for the entire team but refused to cheer "Rakheem" during his free-throws, so she was off the squad.

So, he was not allowed to play after he had been convicted or even while the charges were pending, he was allowed to play after all the charges had been dismissed and while the investigation was apparenlty continuing before those charges were re-filed, which resulted in the guilty plea. And he was removed from the campus after being charged but before being convicted.

These facts are certainly different from what people are claiming on here.

That being said, her dismissal from the squad was clearly wrong and those who made that decision were incredibly callous to this girl.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/09/09-41075.0.wpd.pdf

pdf file of the appellate court ruling......

holy crap, am I glad I never went to court when I was date raped-- I just used some 'frontier justice' and sikked my buddies on him and he went to the hospital end of story

is it possible that the rape charge was "statutory rape" (she was underage) and that the sex involved was consensual

For one, it can't be statutory unless they meet age requirements defined for both parties.

And secondly, he copped to assualt. He pled guilty to what she accused him of.

No, he didn't plead guilty to what she accused him of. She accused him of forcible rape. The first grand jury that heard the case did not find enough evidence to even indict. He plead guilty to assault, not sexual assault. Here is a good summary of the case from the local newspaper. http://www.kfdm.com/articles/former-39394-school-high.html The only people who know what happened are the girl and the boy. And they may not even know given the reference to both being intoxicated. What should not be disputed, however, is that the position the school took was represhensible. They obviously took sides: his. The allegations she made should have been enough for them to place restrictions on him to protect her. If she did not want to cheer for him, who cares?

The only people who know what happened are the girl and the boy.

And of course the two other 'boys' who were named as helping to 'hold her down'...

by pleading guilty to a lesser assault charge

He cut a deal. The end.

Given:

The first grand jury that heard the case did not find enough evidence to even indict.

Why make a deal?

Because he was a nineteen year old black man being accused of raping a white girl and, if convicted, could spend twenty-five years in prison. On the other hand, he may have plead guilty because he did rape her and the plea would allow him to get away with it. I do not presume to know what happened or why he took the deal. Do you?

Because he was a nineteen year old black man being accused of raping a white girl and, if convicted, could spend twenty-five years in prison.

I don't give a damn what skin color either party was. Rape is rape.

Neither do I. But the question was why did he plead to assault (not rape). There are two possible answers. Either because he was afraid that he would be convicted of something he did not do or because he was afraid he would be convicted of something he did do. If you do not think that a young black man accused of raping a white girl in Texas would be concerned that his skin color could be a problem for him, regardless of whether it is or not, you are delusional. People who are not guiltyof what they are charged with plead guilty all the time to avoid jail. He was given the opportunity to plead to a non-sexual assault and go home instead of going to trial and, if convicted, go to prison in Texas for up to twenty years. Regardless of whether he did it or not, pleading guilty made it certain he would not go to jail.

The deal is not important. The girl signed off on the deal. It sucks but that's the justice system at work.

But he did plead guilty to a violent felony against a teenager, that's enough for me. Where the outrage should be is that he was allowed to return to the same school as the victim. Play for the same team. All of that could have been handled by the school. They have incredible amount of discretion over where students are placed.

Do any of you people read. He did not "return to the same school as the victim." He was not allowed in the school during any time period during which he was under indictment. The time period during which he was there with her was after the charges were dismissed but before another grand jury indicted him several months later. He did not plead guilty until after he had graduated. And since I do not know what degree of assault he plead to, just as noone else knows, it is impossible to conclude that it was a violent assault or even a felony. Assault can be defined as any unwanted touching.

Where did you read any of the details you are providing, paddymurph? I cannot find any of them in the article seeded.

See my comment # 10.11.

District attorneys are often willing to accept pleas for lesser charges to avoid a court case where there is even the slightest possibility of losing. In this town, perhaps the district attorney felt that a jury would be lenient on the star athlete or that the case was "he said, she said". Who knows?

But yes, it is troubling that three boys could engage in this act and the result is... probation.

And this "boy" will go on to college & think this is acceptable behavior - after all some Frats at Yale sponsor rape as OK.

So that means that they are able to do it again befor anyone is in jail?.......Was she the first..is she the last? Maybe she's the only one to come forward so far.. I'll wait an read more as its posted...what a world!!

What we don't know is what actual evidence existed in the case, and what conviction the DA believed they could actually achieve.

We cannot go locking up every male who is accused of rape by a teenage girl. There has to be other evidence.

Varry true...but it doesn't say 100% everything we need to know...like if there was dna found..an so on...so like i said...I sit an wait to read more! Nothing ellse i can do!

How much evidence would you need? There was enough evidence for this "boy" to plead guilty to a lesser charge. So obviously they had something, but we wouldn't want to screw up the town's basketball year would we? The guilty (he admitted guilt) is allowed to participate in chosen extracurricular activities & the innocent is thrown off & asked not to eat in the cafeteria because she makes her attacker uncomfortable. That seem right to you, Jack. Remember he admitted guilt to assault, but is the hero. She was assaulted & is the leper. Beautiful world we live in.

How much evidence would you need? There was enough evidence for this "boy" to plead guilty to a lesser charge.

Absolutely. But most kids charged with assault are not put behind bars.

The guilty (he admitted guilt) is allowed to participate in chosen extracurricular activities & the innocent is thrown off & asked not to eat in the cafeteria because she makes her attacker uncomfortable. That seem right to you, Jack.

I think you are confusing the chain of comments here. I am stating that we cannot lock this kid up without more evidence than her testimony. I am responding to 13.0 with that assertion. Unfortunately for us all, it is not uncommon for teenage girls to fabricate these charges. I don't think that probably happened here, but I think it probably made a rape conviction more difficult.

He plead guilty to assault against another student. He should be barred from extra-curricular activities, and probably sent to an alternative school campus for the remainder of the year. That's how it would happen in my kids' district. We are a suburban/urban district and not a rural one, however.

In most Texas schools, there is a HUGE double standard between boys and girls. The cheerleading squad or drill team usually has a very strict code of conduct that applies on or off the field, whereas the football team has very little. Is it wrong?? Absolutely. Y'know who the main proponents of it are??? The MOTHERS. It's crazy.

Jack, you make a good point..but like i said they are still able to do it again...nip the problem in the butt...if it was Missouri or Kansas...it wouldn't of been taken so lightly.. an yes he would of been sent to a on campus school for children or teens that is similar to a prison..

Jack, have any proof that it is common for teen girls to fabricate these charges? As a former sexual abuse survivor, former teen girl and mother of a former teen girl I find it not common at all. So I guess if the girl is held down by two friends & is sexually assaulted by him and he used a condom so there is no semen and no bruises cuz he didn't hit her or anything - her word is worthless. So she should just suck it up. AND when he does it again it will just be another girl's word and another & another until he ends up killing one. But all ok because it was just her word against his. EVEN though he admitted guilt to assault.

Jack: While it is true that we do not have a whole lot of information about what happened, your comment that "we cannot lock this kid up without more evidence than her testimony" is asinine. Her testimony is, as a matter of law in every state, enough. To combat the mysoginist idea that a woman's testimony in a rape case is not enough, most juries are specifically instructed that no other evidence is required. Why would her testimony, if believed by the jury, not be enough? I were to stick a gun in your ribs and take the money from your wallet and noone else witnessed this, should your testimony be enough to convict me if I say you gave me the money? Rape is a crime of violence and should be treated like any other crime of violence. There are not seperate rules for rape victims.

nica

i do no think that jack was saying that she made it up at all. i believe what he was saying is that some do make up false allegations and that some use that excuse that girls make up the allegations, and that, in turn, makes true allegations less believable. false accusations hurt those who come forward, as does a systemic belief that there are lots of false allegations. i do not know that jack feels that there are lots and lots of false allegations (of course, there are at least a few, few and far between though), but he does know that there have been some. rape is evil. accusing one falsely of rape is also evil. i feel that i am safe when i say that actual rape happens way more frequently than false accusations of rape.

this wonderful world is not always quite so wonderful. hey, who let the humans in anyway?

Jack, have any proof that it is common for teen girls to fabricate these charges?

A study done at Purdue University by Kanin Ej in their Department of Sociology and Anthropology looked at rape allegations in Indiana over a 9 year period. Over 40% were proven false. I do not suggest that one study constitutes proof, but there is certainly evidence to support the idea.

As a former sexual abuse survivor, former teen girl and mother of a former teen girl I find it not common at all.

I would not presume to comment on your personal experiences. I know women who have been sexually assaulted. I also know men who have been falsely accused....by teenage girls...who later admitted their accusations to be lies. I one particular case the man's career was ruined. In another the man was forced to move out of his own home and denied access to his children. He was not jailed because there was NO evidence to support the charges, but missed 2 years with his wife and kids because of her lies.

It is without a doubt a massive problem, but it is by no means a one-sided or simple one.

Jack, and how many cases of real rape are never reported? That is the problem - the assumption that her word is not good enough, but his is. How many boys out there have lied about their attacks on girls? Is there studies done on that? My whole issue is that her word is not good enough. It sounds like so many (not implicating you in this group, Jack) people out there that believe that unless she is mortally wounded it couldn't possibly be rape because she should have fought or he should have had a weapon. So many of our teens are damaged before they even leave high school & then we have college campuses allowing frats chant about it. Rape is seems is no longer a big deal. I guess maybe some think that because women & teens are sexually active that makes them fair game? Sorry about the rant - this is a very sensitive issue for me.

That "study" Jack refers to did not show that 40% of rape allegations were "proven" false. The study did not independently confirm that any of the allegations were false, is only showed that 40 % of the women chose not to pursue rape charges. The study has been criticised because of the lack of experience of the officers in investigating rape in the small town that was the focus of the study and because of their use of investigative techiniqes, such as demanding that the victim prove that they were telling the truth by submitting to lie detector tests, that are today considered inappropriate.

Sorry about the rant - this is a very sensitive issue for me.

I certainly understand why. You raise several very excellent points. I think we agree, it's a massive problem, and I also think we agree it's far from simple. As the father of a teenage daughter I have strong feelings about this issue, but as the father of a pre-teen son who is already the focus of several little girls who will seemingly do absolutely anything for his attention, I have strong feelings that way, too.

That "study" Jack refers to did not show that 40% of rape allegations were "proven" false. The study did not independently confirm that any of the allegations were false, is only showed that 40 % of the women chose not to pursue rape charges.

Thanks for the clarification.

Same here!!!! 47 acres of woods...an a freash patch of dirt!!

Shoot shovel and shut up.

Right-wing MONEY = no class, no conscience, pseudo values, no truth, no justice, no rights for We The People and open season for Big Business. Texas is where America is headed. We are reaping the "benefits" of substandard and warped educations.

i am tired of this blame the victim garbage.

i am tired of this blame the victim garbage.

Me too. It's almost like this girl is being punished for going on with her life.

Not let off. He plead guilty to a lesser assault charge. In other words he bargained. He was guilty - HE said so.

nica is right! sorry if he wasnt guilty then he would have fought it all the way...

He would only have plea bargained if they had him on the greater charge. He was lucky they went for it.

A 16-year-old told police that she was sexually assaulted and described three to four attackers. Police were investigating whether alcohol was present at the party, he said.

The girl was taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital, where doctors administered a rape kit, Allen said. The kit will be sent to Texas Department of Public Safety, with results taking up to four months.

Police responded to a report of sexual assault at Riley's home about 2:40 a.m. Oct. 19, according to an arrest warrant. The 16-year-old girl said three males forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her, and when others at the party broke into the room, two of them fled through a window.

these snippets are from a couple of newspaper articles about the rape. it seems that there was some decent evidence in the case with several witnesses and people present that would know something had occurred. this story is tragic. why do we let rapists walk amongst us? do we really think that this is the only time they will do it? hey, judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers, the next time it could be your daughter. stand up for women's rights!

What was determined by the rape kit? That's evidence. Also a newspaper report isn't fact. As for plea bargains; you have your choice, plead, and get no jail time, or take your chances getting 20 years. Only an idiot wouldn't plead. If you do this, you are forced to lie about your guilt even if you didn't do anything. That's the way it works. How about being "forced to the ground" in a room. Did it have a dirt floor? Just a misstatement by a reporter I suppose, but what could you believe about a report written by someone who couldn't tell a floor from the ground.

The rape kit would determine if she had sex. It would not determine if it was consensual.

usa! usa! usa!

he was thinking of keeping his redneck Republican voters happy. Gotta win dat der basetball game! This is Texas honey. What on urth ya thinkin 'bout? She's just some gurl but we dun got one chance at the game.

Now you just go on in back inside an' get me uh beer and don't be thinking about this no more.

[grin]

Yes, Kathleen, this is a good portion of the Texas mindset.

I'm so sorry, Jeff, I let some portion of my brain surface for a second. Hon, after yer beer, ya want I shud clean up the pickup a lil bit?

Kathleen, you rock baby!

Freedom Writer-801740 -- I posted it on my Facebook page so more people could read about these disgusting people: 3 men (rapist and 2 accomplices), the school district, and the legal system.