Banned from competitive swimming / SCHOOL RAPE CASES

[Blindgreed1]

I think if this young man were black we wouldn't even be having this discussion, he'd be incarcerated for years and no one would be taking issue with his sentence.

UNLESS the black college student accused of rape is an athlete for the school. Too many times they also get off lightly.

Jamis Winston. Perfect example.

[HairOfTheDog]

That's true, punishment should fit the crime if this kid got off light by being banned Kobe should have been banned from basketball.

This 20-year-old kid was convicted of a violent sexual assault and sentenced lightly by the judge; he'll do three months behind bars. That's a slap on the wrist to a lot of people.

I agree with Duchess and OBK that had he been a black student, he might may well have gotten a stricter sentence. Black offenders get convicted more often and get harsher sentences for the same crimes, according to all the statistics.

But, had he been the black star quarterback, shooting guard, or pitcher for Stanford, he also might have been treated more lightly than other students who weren't as valuable to the school. There's plenty of evidence from credible investigative reporting that coaches and athletic departments at major universities often work to shield suspected key athletes of all colors and backgrounds from criminal prosecution and long sentences.

Anyway, the US Swimming federation's choice to ban the convicted rapist from participation is not a legal sentence. The decision is in line with the organization's Code of Conduct and eligibility requirements. Brock Turner wasn't a top rated national swimmer anyway, and he hadn't been registered with the organization for over a year when he publicly raped an unconscious woman and tried to run away. His conviction for a violent crime disqualified him from future participation in the organization (which he may or may not see as a harsh punishment as compared to a multi-year prison sentence).

Had Kobe Bryant's accuser chosen not to drop criminal charges and moved forward with prosecution, and had Bryant been convicted and sentenced to prison for rape, he wouldn't have been able to play pro ball anyway. And, the NBA would have dumped him too - even 20 years ago, in my opinion. Had his accuser not lied to police about a couple of key pieces of her experience and had there been witnesses to support her account, maybe his accuser wouldn't have pushed to drop the criminal charges and go for a civil settlement instead. I don't know.

What I do know is that sexual assault/rape is a serious violent crime (which happens not only to women) and it happens too frequently on-campus and elsewhere. Suspected assailants shouldn't be given special consideration based on race, status, or anything else. Equal justice under the law -- there's still a long way to go, but I think the public awareness and exposure to the problem is a good thing.

[Duchess]

Was Kobe found guilty of something I'm not aware of?

[HairOfTheDog]

No, Kobe Bryant wasn't prosecuted or convicted.

But, he settled a civil suit with the woman and made a public statement apologizing to her. IIRC, he said that after hearing her account and listening to how she described the experience, he understood that she didn't feel like she'd given consent even though he thought the sex was consensual. And, when the woman asked him to stop, he stopped and asked if he could ejaculate on her face.

She told police that Bryant had held her against her will in the hotel room and made her wash her face before he let her go. That didn't hold up and she admitted that she lied about that because she didn't think police would believe her. It also turned out that she had a history of attempted suicides after rejections and some mental illness. That doesn't mean she was lying about Kobe raping her, but it might have hurt her chances of getting a conviction, though the prosecutors were ready to go to court when she dropped the criminal charges. She had also been raked over the coals in the tabloid press.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Well if there is anything to the whole Karma thing he might get some street justice. I think the judge is due some of that too

[HairOfTheDog]

Well if there is anything to the whole Karma thing he might get some street justice. I think the judge is due some of that too

I don't know about 'street justice' for the judge, Six, but he's definitely feeling some heavy heat and consequences.



The California judge who issued what critics called a lenient sentence to a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault has been removed from hearing an unrelated sexual assault case.

Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen filed a peremptory challenge Tuesday against Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky preventing him from deciding whether a former male Kaiser Permanente surgical nurse should be tried for the alleged sexual assault of a sedated female patient.

Rosen removed Persky a day after the judge abruptly dismissed charges against a San Jose woman in an unrelated misdemeanor theft trial. Apparently for Rosen, Judge Persky's decision in that case was the last straw.

"We are disappointed and puzzled at Judge Persky's unusual decision to unilaterally dismiss a case before the jury could deliberate," Rosen said in a prepared statement. "After this and the recent turn of events, we lack confidence that Judge Persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient."

The sentence of Brock Turner in the Stanford University case was so unpopular that at least 10 prospective jurors in yet another unrelated case last week asked Persky to release them from jury duty because they said they could not serve under him.

In his statement, District Attorney Rosen said his decision to remove Persky was "a rare and carefully considered step for our office" and he left open the possibility that he would seek to disqualify the judge in future cases.

Persky could not be reached for comment on Tuesday evening.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2...sault-case

[Love Child]

Wow. That is something good to happen. I am glad this case has not been forgotten about. I hope the conversation can continue, I mean in the broader sense in this nation.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'll be surprised (and pissed) if the convicted rapists in this college rape case get off with three months behind bars.



Vanderbilt University football players Brandon Vandenburg, 21 and Cory Batey, 21, were both convicted last month of raping an unconscious young woman who Vandenburg was dating at the time.

Vandenburg carried his passed-out date from the car into his dorm room after they'd been partying heavily back in June 2013.

As he carried her through the dorm building, Vandenburg invited three other football players to come with them to his room. There's surveillance video of Vandenburg carrying the woman through the dorm and the players dragging her out of an elevator and taking pictures of her before going into the room.

Inside the room, prosecutors say the 4 men raped the woman and recorded it on their cell phones. Vandenburg passed out condoms, filmed the men cheering each other on as the girl was raped and penetrated with a water bottle, and sent the cell video to friends as it was happening. Total effin' scumbags.

Vandenburg's defense was that he was too drunk to know what was going to happen and he hardly knew the three other players. Batey says if his father hadn't died of cancer when he was 9, he probably wouldn't have gotten so drunk and did what he did. Pfft.

Both rapists face 25 years in prison when they're sentenced (expected to be in July).

Brandon E. Banks and Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie, both 20, testified at Vandenburg and Batey's trials; they have not yet been tried.

Story and photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-room.html

[Duchess]

Vandenburg's defense was that he was too drunk to know what was going to happen and he hardly knew the three other players. Batey says if his father hadn't died of cancer when he was 9, he probably wouldn't have gotten so drunk and did what he did. Pfft.

Those black boys hadn't better get a stiffer sentence than the lame excuse making white boy. As if I could do something about that.

[HairOfTheDog]

Vandenburg's defense was that he was too drunk to know what was going to happen and he hardly knew the three other players. Batey says if his father hadn't died of cancer when he was 9, he probably wouldn't have gotten so drunk and did what he did. Pfft.

Those black boys hadn't better get a stiffer sentence than the lame excuse making white boy. As if I could do something about that.

If Batey gets a stiffer sentence, I don't think it will be due to race in this case. But, I think they deserve the same sentence too.

To me, Vandenburg is the worst of the four. What he did to the young woman who trusted him is a violation on all levels; disgusting.

But, while he orchestrated it, he reportedly didn't penetrate her during the gang rape. He tried to use that to present himself as less culpable than the others; it did not work with either jury. The defendants were convicted twice. The first convictions had to be thrown out after it was discovered the jury foreman had been a victim of statutory rape, so they had to be tried all over again.

The victim has had to look at pictures and video of herself in that horrible situation three times in court now. She does not remember the rape; she was out cold after drinking at the bar with Vandenburg (she suspects that he drugged the last drink, though that wasn't allowed to be presented at trial because it can't be proven).

She testified that she woke up in an unfamiliar room, bruised, confused and scared. She texted Vandenburg and asked him what the hell happened. He told her that they'd drunk way too much, she got sick, and he had to take care of her all night. She had no reason to disbelieve him -- they had a date that night and had consensual sex. Imagine finding out shortly thereafter what this 'caring good guy' had really done to her.

Ref: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/201.../85977018/

[FAHQTOO]

Why is it so hard to get rid of these shitty judges when it's clear they can't hand down a fair sentence for the crime committed?

Why can't they be fired like the rest of us for doing a crappy job?

[HairOfTheDog]

Why is it so hard to get rid of these shitty judges when it's clear they can't hand down a fair sentence for the crime committed?

Why can't they be fired like the rest of us for doing a crappy job?

The OP Stanford case is big news here.

Judge Persky is an elected judge; the people voted him to the bench.

There is a popular move underway to have him impeached. He actually wrote in his ruling decision that he believed Brock Turner's claim that, in his drunken mind, the unconscious woman had given him consent.

To be fair though, the probation board recommended a light sentence based on no criminal history, intoxication, age, and future impact. The judge sentenced Turner based on their recommendation. Still, the buck stops with the sentencing judge.

[Duchess]

I feel like I'm seeing more & more young people who have no fear of consequences. I see many with such poor decision making skills. That shit begins at home and sometimes I think the parents have failed.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

I feel like I'm seeing more & more young people who have no fear of consequences. I see many with such poor decision making skills. That shit begins at home and sometimes I think the parents have failed.

here is a shitload of that around. In the real world, there are consequences to some things, most of them probably. Getting a real job if you have facial tats, horns, implants and that sort of thing has about th same odds os landing a pro ball career right out of high school. When I ran a large office I straight up told several applicants NO because they looked or dressed like assholes. Other things like the chick getting raped because she got too drunk to take care of herself and was found incapacitated by a rapist....Its all about choices and consequences..