A Look at The Effect of The Stanford Sexual Assault Court Proceedings to The Community

Sexual assault is serious. The Stanford rape case has opened some people’s eyes and say their opinions about it. The rape occurred at Stanford University in California on January17, 2015. A 20 year old student, Brock Turner who was a talented swimmer had sexually assaulted an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on campus. 2 Swedish grad students were biking around campus when they found him on top of her, they yelled at him what he was doing and Brock had fled until one of the grad students caught him. They held him down until the cops showed up to the scene. This went to court and his sentencing put many people in anger because of some injustices. The victim and Brock’s father both had a letter for the judge to speak out. The victim talks about how Brock ruined her life but his father says the opposite; he is innocent, lonely boy and he had the chance of going to the Olympics for swimming and so on. Brock was charged with 3 felonies, assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexally penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object. After the judge heard what the victim and the father had to say, he changed his mind on Brock’s sentencing. The father’s letter was the main reason why Brock’s sentencing was reduced and that left many people appalled. Brock didn’t hold accountability of the action he had done. The way Brock’s father minimized the situation affected the perspectives of the victim and society. The father’s letter and the case together shows that the rape culture still maintains acceptance in contemporary society.

As the victim and Brock and their families went through trials, Brock never accepted his responsibility of sexually assaulting the victim. He didn’t say what he had to say in court, he just stayed quiet from what it looks like. Brock never apologized to the victim in person, he never showed any emotions in court. He said that the victim gave consent but she was unconscious. “You said, you would have stopped and gotten help...That’s what you’ll never have a good answer for, that’s what you can’t explain even after a year” (Buzzfeed 8). Brock fleeing as soon as the two Swedish grad students called him out shows that he knew that he was doing the wrong thing and he didn’t want to get caught for it. Also Brock said that he would’ve stopped and gotten help but he didn’t shows that he didn’t want to be responsible for sexually assaulting her. “You said, “Being drunk I just couldn’t make the best decisions and neither could she… That’s the difference” (Buzzfeed 10). The victim explained how regretting drinking and regretting sexual assault were different. She also said how alcohol wasn’t the one who stripped her and started sexually assaulting her. This is an example of how Brock tried ‘blaming’ it on the alcohol and how the victim was intoxicated, he didn’t blame himself. This is also another cause of rape victims not being able to speak up in today’s society. “He has only apologized for drinking and has yet to define what he did to me as sexal assault, he has revictimized me continually, relentlessly” (Buzzfeed 14). Brock only apologized for drinking and not delineating what he did to her. He doesn’t refer this case as ‘sexual assault’, he refers it to being a part of action, his father thinks this as well. This is how he didn’t hold accountability. “Brock is not the victim here. He is being held accountable because he assaulted someone” (Title IX 11). When the Title IX expert annotated Brock’s father’s letter, after his father said, “His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve”., she stated that he is being held accountable, he shouldn’t have to make excuses. It is not the point that he had a great life and future, it is when he assaulted someone, he did this to himself. Brock’s father was trying to make it look like Brock is the victim because he had a successful life and had dreams and now it is ruined because of his ‘actions’. Brock and his father were denying his responsibility of sexually assaulting her.

Brock's father curtailed the situation in this case, it shows how much Brock and his father didn’t take this seriously. It leaves the victim and the Title IX expert enraged. After the judge heard what Brock’s father had to say, he changed his mind about Brock’s sentencing and reduced it because of the way Brock’s father worded his letter. He talked about Brock’s achievements and how he is very good at swimming since he was young. He also mentions that Brock was lonely, and was struggling to fit in socially at college. His father said that was what caused him to go to parties and drink alcohol. His father thinks that being isolated and not having much friends cause this situation to happen. He talked about how Brock’s life is ruined because of what he did to the victim. He also talked about Brock’s personal life and experiences, nt one single thing about the victim or the case. He had to speak for Brock. “That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life. The fact that he now has to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life forever alters where he can live, visit, work and how he will be able to interact with people and organizations” (Father 3). These 4 words, “20 minutes of action” changed the judge’s mid on Brock’s sentencing. Brock’s father doesn’t consider it sexual assault, he thinks of it as action, something that Brock was doing. This is how he minimized the situation. He changed ‘sexual assault’ to ‘action’,that’s how the judge thinks, “Oh, you’re right, he shouldn't be punished 14 years for some actions he had done and when he had a great future waiting for him.” “This is incredibly disturbing on a number levels. Penetrating someone who is unconscious isn’t “action”-it’s assault. Sexual violence is about consent, no the time it took to violate someone” (Title IX 12). When the Title IX expert said it was disturbing for her to read this line from Brock’s father’s letter, “That is a steep...years of life.”, shows that she was very angry about how Brock’s father reworded sexual assault and how he thinks that sexual assault is nothing, like it’s not a big deal. When someone doesn’t want to word it as sexual assault shows that they know they did something very wrong and they try to reword it or minimize it to get out of a major trouble. “Brock and his family need to accept accountability for the violence he perpetrated and make amends. Dismantling rape culture means that we cannot quietly excuse his actions” (Title IX 13). The title IX expert wants Brock and his family to give it up and take responsibility because Brock had done the assault, he need to do his punishment. Brock’s father said that Brock wants to educate others about drinking and the results in most cases and how he should only do probation because then he would be able to teach others about this. Him and his family thinks that it was the alcohol that was consumed, “fault” in this situation. “Unfortunately, after reading the defendant’s report...and it perturbs me deeply that he can’t even see that distinction” (Buzzfeed 14). The victim was not happy about his sentencing, she doesn’t want him to rot in prison for the rest of his life, just not a probation because that is basically just a slap on his hand and to not to do it again in the future. He should’ve gotten the minimum sentence. He only admitted to drinking alcohol and according to his father and Brock, “promiscuity” is one of the cause of Brock’s actions. This shows that Brock and his family doesn’t want him to hold accountability.

Even after the trials and results of this case, rape culture is still being accepted in today’s society and that leaves other people infuriated. The result shows that the rape culture is still being accepted in today’s world, Rape culture is when judges sentences a 50 year old man who raped a 14 year old girl, 30 days in jail or when girls “allow themselves to be raped.” But in this case Brock Turner’s sentencing gets reduced because of his father’s minimizing and when judges are supporting athletes who are charged with rape and calling their victims career destroyers. “Turner doesn’t name the violence for what it is: sexual assault of an unconscious woman. He simply refers it to “the events of January 17th and 18th. This is a key component of rape culture: minimizing or even erasing violence and its victims” (Title IX 3). When Brock’s father rephrases sexual assault to “the events of January 17th and 18th”, it shows that they(Brock and his father) don’t think what Brock had done is sexual assault. Minimizing situations is a huge part of the rape culture. As well as when Brock’s father talked about his achievements and his sports career,Brock was charged with rape and they both basically called the victim career destroyers. This is also another example of rape culture being accepted in today’s society. “This sentence seems to indicate just how...To suggest otherwise is rape culture in its purest form” (Title IX 12-13). When Brock’s father says that Brock can do positive things and teach other college students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity is how he trying to cover up the situation and make it look less bad for Brock. “This is why young men continue to rape women...This is why white privilege is real and insidious and usually those with it are oblivious to it” (Another Father 2). When another father wrote a letter to Brock’s father, he wants him to accept the fact that Brock did something very wrong and now he has to do his punishment, he shouldn’t have to try to minimize the case. When the father said that the Stanford rape case is an example of why some victims don’t speak up, or get help because they feel like no one would support them, they would listen to the rapist. They would think that the victims were trying to get attention. This is how in today’s world, rape culture is still being accepted.

The result of this case really put some people shocked. Brock Turner was sentenced 6 months in jail and 5 years of probation for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Brock and his family should’ve just accepted the punishment and move on in life. It was Brock’s fault for ruining his and the victim’s life, but mostly hers. She had the revictimization every day. She has to constantly deal with it every day. The fact that he never held accountable or apologized to her and his father has to minimize the situation shows that the rape culture is still being approved in today’s society. The case itself, leaves some people scared especially the victim because Brock got away with it. There are many other injustices in the system dealing with this case such as the white male supremacy. Brock Turner should’ve been sentenced the minimum sentence of 14 years, no matter what.