NATIONAL HEADLINES: The Fight Is Real and Worth It
This page is filled with national updates that remind advocates that the fight is long and arduous against sexual assault/abuse, sex trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse, and hate crimes. It is also a fight that is WORTH IT.
INDEX
- USA Gymnastics & Michigan State Doctor Sentenced (JAN 2018)
- The Stanford Rapist Appeals His Conviction (JAN 2018)
- Thirteen Turpin Children Imprisoned & Tortured by Their Parents (JAN 2018)
- Child Kills Man to Get Away from Trafficking; Gets Life
- Cosby Found Guilty!
- 40 Years Later, Rapist Found by DNA
ARTICLES & LINKS
DNA Finds Rapist and Murderer 40 Years Later
- East California Rapist (sacbee.com)
COSBY FOUND GUILTY
- Bill Cosby — Jury is unanimous: GUILTY (NY Times)
CHILD KILLS MAN TO GET AWAY FROM TRAFFICKING; GETS LIFE
- Article: Cyntoia Brown (NativeAllNews.com)
- Me Facing Life: Cyntoia Story (pbs.com; 2011)
USA GYMNASTICS & MICHIGAN STATE DOCTOR SENTENCED
RACHAEL: THE FIRST VOICE
- The Price I Paid for Taking On Larry Nassar (NY Times)
- Rachael Denhollander shares what it was like being the first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar about his abuse
RE: publicly accusing Nassar
“… absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the pain of being the first to go public with my accusations in The Indianapolis Star. I lost my church. I lost my closest friends as a result of advocating for survivors who had been victimized by similar institutional failures in my own community. I lost every shred of privacy.” — Rachael Denhollander
RE: the courtroom
“It felt surreal at first … the pain we shared knit us together instantly. We knew what to do when someone began to weep or shake in court, because each of us had cried those tears before. We knew what to say when a grieving survivor expressed guilt or doubt, because we had experienced that same shame….” — Rachael Denhollander
- Denhollander’s interview & victim impact statement are also available on CNN.com
- She discusses those adults in authority whom she first told
- One in authority said to Larry — after she accused him — “Good luck, I’m on your side.”
- Denhollander’s Facebook Post Update on Dean of MSU
- Exposing the Dean’s personnel file and how much MSU was aware of in the years before and during Nassar’s abusive reign
- The Dean, William Strampel, was arrested this week for collecting nude photographs of students on his computer
RETURN TO TOP
JUDGE, PROSECUTOR, & CONSEQUENCES
- Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina’s Full Statement from the Larry Nassar Sentencing (CNN.com)
- Nassar was found guilty of molesting seven girls — a small number of those who read statements as his trial (more than 150)
- The judge who sentenced the USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor continues to serve as an advocate for survivors everywhere with her full statement including the quote:
“The national crime victimization survey that’s done by the (US) Justice Department annually reports that 310 out of every 1,000 assaults are reported to the police, which means that two out of three go unreported. To the voices of everyone that report, keep your voice up.” — Judge Rosemarie Aquilina
- Commended as an Advocate for Sexual Assault Victims Everywhere: Judge Rosemarie Aquilina (USAToday.com)
- Staring down a monster — who had spent seven days listening to more than 150 victims recount how he had traumatized their lives — Judge Rosemarie Aquilina expressed her contempt for Larry Nassar, stating:
“It is my honor to sentence you.” — Judge Rosemarie Aquilina
“The breadth and ripple of this defendant’s abuse and destruction is nearly infinite. …it spans the state of Michigan and reaches club and elite training gyms, collegiate athletics and even the United States and international Olympic communities. ….we know his access to children and young women and his abuse did not end until an investigative news report and one brave woman came public to stop him.” — Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis
- US Olympic Committee Give USA Gymnastics a January 31st Deadline to Dismantle Its Board of Directors or Lose its Certification as a National Governing Body (NPR.org)
- The USOG CEO demanding the resignation of each member by Wednesday, January 31, 2018
- Or the organization will lose its certification
- The order comes after the sentencing of Larry Nassar, the former doctor of the USAG team members who he was convicted guilty of molesting
RETURN TO TOP
THE ARMY OF SURVIVORS
“Victims of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor…revealed themselves to be powerful survivors who refused to be victims any longer.”
- Most Powerful Quotes from the Army of Survivors (Buzzfeed.com)
RETURN TO TOP
THE STANFORD RAPIST APPEALS HIS CONVICTION
- Brock Turner, Stanford University Student Receives Outrageously Lax Sentence for Sexual Assault (WashingtonPost.com)
- Proof that the reality of victimization and injustice still exists in the United States
- This infuriating story ends with a possible fourteen-year prison sentence ending in a six-month jail term, with three months served at his release
- As of December 2017, Brock is appealing his conviction to the court (NY TIMES)
- The Brave Sexual Assault Victim’s Response to Her Rapist’s Acts & Conviction (WashingtonPost.com)
- Answering the privilege and unsatisfactory results of her court case, the victim speaks out with bravery and strength when describing her attack
- One year later, Emily Doe’s letter inspired millions (USAToday.com)
- Viewed more than 11 million times in four days
- Women everywhere responded with their own stories of survival
“To girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought everyday for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you.” — Emily Doe
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THIRTEEN TURPIN CHILDREN IMPRISONED & TORTURED BY THEIR PARENTS
- The Turpin Children Imprisoned by Their Parents for Years Are Starting to Tell Their Story (Time.com)
- “Victims in these kinds of cases, they tell their story, but they tell it slowly. They tell it at their own pace…. It will come out when it comes out.”
- Perris Couple Barred from Contacting Their Kids until 2021 (PE.com)
- “Protective orders are standard in domestic violence cases to shield victims from contact with defendants, who might otherwise affect their desire to testify. They typically last three years.”