Opinions On Steubenville Rape Case
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Rape culture pervades on every level in our society. It’s in our police, our schools, our sports. We have to stop it, and we will. Rape culture will be fought until it’s gone. Rise up and end rape culture and violence towards women!
By Amanda
Dear Steubenville,
While all the citizens of your town may not be a party to this atrocious CRIME, the guilty parties are in plain sight!! Surely a football team is not as important as this young girl and maybe your wife, daughter, mother, sister,cousin or aunt. To those that have slandered this young girl, SHAME ON YOU! When you sit in your aisle/pew on Sundays remember GOD knows your TRUE THOUGHTS and what is in your HEART. For all of those that have taken the high road of “not being involved” may a tragedy never strike your family.
Jane Doe, this is NOT your fault, God Bless your family and true friends that have stood by you. Be strong. We are one billion rising 2/14/2013 for you and all the women/victims before and after you. We will wrap your in our thoughts and in our heart. Steubenville the world is watching you, please be strong for the girls/women in your life and stand with Jane Doe. Don’t let silence be your shield. To all the Daddy’s in Steubenville what if this had been your baby. With Love, still Daddy’s Little Girl at 50.
By Martha
Anyone who thinks that the repulsive actions of these boys is okay, and all of the ones who participated by NOT stopping the brutal crimes, is what is wrong with this country. These were unforgivable acts of violence and all of the individuals who were any way involved need to be prosecuted. To the coach…. SHAME ON YOU. There are no words to describe my disgust at your response to this heinous crime. No wonder your players are brutal criminals. Look who they have as a mentor!
By Diana E
I’ve been following this now since mid December. I think that the school should be shut down until the trial ends. Those kids can’t be trusted. Especially when some of the teachers are trying to defend them. The teachers and parents are as responsible for their actions as the kids. It’s a crime in itself to cover up another crime. Therefore, I think the people covering up their crime should also be put away.
By Alex J
I grew up in Steubenville in the 50′s and 60′s and it pains me to see what has happened in this town. High School athletics were always a source of pride with the people of Steubenville. Now, they have become a source of shame. Where are the coaches when this was happening in a town the size of Steubenville these days? You can’t tell me some adults connected to the football program or school district were not aware of these parties and the consumption of alcohol by their athletes.
This glorification of athletes and the quest for winning at all costs has to end, not just in Steubenville but around the country. Sure, you practice to win, but the adults in charge of these programs ought to hold these athletes accountable for their actions and make totally clear that criminal behavior and lack of respect for other people and will not be tolerated or covered up. These adults need to be held accountable also, the principal, athletic director, school board, and coaches. Clean house if necessary to get adults who understand the first priority in the school system is prepare these children for adulthood not winning state championships at any cost.
This girl, the two charged boys, and all the kids who were at the parties where this happened will carry the wounds of these actions inflected on her and by them for the rest of their lives. At some point those who did this will understand they hurt another human being and pay a price for that. The adults in the school system should resign and feel shame for these actions.
Let justice be found, if this case needs to move into a federal court for civil rights violations in addition to the rape and child porn charges that should happen. My hometown of Steubenville needs to look at excessive importance being placed on winning high school football games and think more about raising children to adults of good character. To those who participated in the demonstrations thank you.
Solidarity from Occupy Las Vegas.
By David P
May we end our complacency with the rape culture, because it’s disgusting that something like this is even fathomable. What is worse is that it happens every day. Let us bring justice and–most importantly–solace to the victims of sexual assault and know they have our love and support.
By Charlotte B
I am so glad there are people taking a stand for what is right. It’s so sad that we live somewhere were a woman has the right to say no, but when she becomes a victim of such a horrible act, it feels like its just swept under the rug. What gets me the most is a year from now people won’t think about this, but this poor girl will everyday for the rest of her life. It’s not too much to ask for these kids to have consciences for what they did of their own free will because we all know it wasn’t her free will.
By Ruthann
I would have been there yesterday to show support if I had known more about it. There is much more to this case than a couple of football players having some “fun”. I hope it plays out in the end that there are consequences for ALL of those connected. There is plenty of evidence that many knew about the incident and NOBODY informed authorities. I think is just as bad as the rape itself.
By Pete S
We have allowed teachers to abuse our children. What’s their punishment you ask? They resign and get to keep there pension. We allowed little boys to be raped for years by a “star” football coach all for the love of a “football” team. Now we are going to allow a 16 old girl passed out to be raped, peed on and brag on what a well job they did raping a “dead” girl! Well buckle up boys, the BS stops here! We are not going away until justice is served to all the laughing boys involved!
By Wendy C
First of all, if no one says take it, it’s not yours. You cannot take a person’s car, house, not even their $5 bill because they are not sober enough to say don’t. Why is sex any different? Second of all, a 16 year old girl does not know how to drink yet. How can anyone blame 16 year old and say she let herself get drunk and therefore if she gets raped it’s her fault for not being able to handle her liquor?
I hate that I feel that I have to justify the whole drunk thing, but in this society, I don’t have a choice. But to be honest, bottom line, if no one says you can take it, you can’t BECAUSE IT’S NOT YOURS!
By Shanda Q
It is fabulous to see people standing up against this brutal event. More inspiring is to see the work done by Anonymous who is bringing information to world’s eye. This is definitively inspiring to see something like this. It makes me keep faith in humanity. Keep putting pressure on the powerful men to solve this crime. Keep doing this amazing job because this kind of example is what the world needs.
By Peter H
I watched the rally today via Ustream and I’m so proud of you all! I admire those who got up and told of your own rape. That takes a lot of COURAGE! You made me cry. At one time I lived and worked in Steubenville. Most of the people that I got to know there were good people. I now live far away from there, but am with you in spirit!
There are MANY INJUSTICES going on in this country and around the world. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by doing exactly what you all did today. Our own authorities in government consider us as TERRORISTS. THEY ARE AFRAID OF US when we EXERCISE OUR RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE and use FREE SPEECH. There are MANY OF US, more than them. EXPECT US!
Keep up the GOOD FIGHT and do so PEACEFULLY!
Love and Prayers to you all!
By AR
This horrible crime shows just how far the rape-culture and sports-worship have gone. I cannot express how disgusted I am with the people who did this, and even more so with the people who want to make it go away.
This has to be the worst case of denial I have seen in the news. Thank you Occupy for keeping this in the forefront. We should not let this poor girl be swept under the rug. Her life is forever ruined. She will remember these horrible things forever. The shaming and slander do not go away. And the town just shrugs and says it was her fault? That is not right and cannot be allowed to happen. We are supposed to be a civilized society. To me, that means not ignoring the rape of anyone and certainly not slandering and shaming them afterwards!
The people who did this, who participated in any way, are the ones who should be shamed and slandered. They are disgusting and I wonder what else they have done. This kind of behavior is not a one time thing, not some sudden inspiration. They have no doubt done other awful things to people and giving them anything but the harshest punishment will only encourage them to continue in their sick deeds.
By Sasha
I have been following this case since I found out about it 4 days ago. I have searched and researched and searched some more about all of this. I just have to say that as a criminal justice student I am ashamed of the local law enforcement in Steubenville Ohio. The sheriff in this town says that you can’t be charged for being stupid! Has this man of law been out of school so long that he doesn’t remember the actual law? There is such thing as guilty by omission. Even if this kid didn’t touch this poor young girl, he was clearly there, watched and did nothing! This is what we in the criminal justice field call guilt by omission! I wonder if this sheriff has ever heard of the word accessory or conspiracy or complicity or premeditation!
Anonymous has uncovered plenty of evidence to prove that there were more than just the 2 young men being charged involved in this. What about the ex-boyfriend and his present girlfriend that lured the poor girl to the party? And he has no charges against him, why? And this girlfriend of his is just as guilty as the boys that actually raped the victim!
The Ohio revised code for these types of crime are ORC 2923.01 conspiracy and 2923.03 complicity. I am 100% sure this sheriff and the SPD know these codes! And what about slander? The people posting on twitter about this victim being a whore and deserved it? It is high time for the FEDS to get involved in this case. Kidnapping is a federal offense and anyone forcibly moved or taken is considered being kidnapped. If the victim was unconscious when moved from party to party, it is forcible kidnapping PERIOD! I hope that this matter gets attention by more than just the local law enforcement because it is very obvious that they want to sweep it under the big rug that covers this entire corrupt town!
By Christy M
We are watching from Sacramento, CA. We demand justice for the victim and for the kids being raised around that poisonous mentality. Where are the adults? Where are the men with integrity? Nobody is that bold the first time. We are watching and we expect justice.
By Karen D
Rape is always wrong. Suspend football at the school and get back to basics and start teaching these young people something so they will be able to take care of themselves for the rest of their lives. Maybe if we had some educated young people with marketable skills in the schools we would have companies relocate to Steubenville.
By Kenneth K
The notoriety of this case has made it all the way to Portland, Oregon. I’d point out that there are similarities to the Greg Haidl case in Orange County, CA from a few years ago. What I find maddening and offensive is the community wide effort to maintain and to uphold the jockocracy. It starts with the school district’s attempt to sweep the incident under the rug. The dismissal of the superintendent, principal,athletic director, and coach are essential. Recall the school board, if necessary.
It’s time for Coach Reno to go the way of Joe Paterno. School districts have long known about which parents and kids are buttering their toast. A bad analogy I suppose. By catering to those parents, administrators are able to write their own hagiographies and to enjoy long, successful careers as “educators.”
Next up would be the recusal or dismissal of the judge who assigned the case to juvenile court. There’s usually a supervising judge in the court who has the power to move the case. That no request has been made speaks volumes. If only Ohio had a version of Oregon’s Measure 11.
My animus stems from having observed the same behavior in the suburbs of Portland. School district officials, law enforcement, and the local district attorneys are part of a cabal whose only goal is to produce a deception, i.e., that the wonderful kids of their communities don’t get in trouble. Given the disturbing lack of effort to get this case moved to adult court, this does not bode well.
The community officials seem to be doing their best to insure that all of the perpetrators walk with but a slap on the wrist and that they are ready to play spring football.
There’s a ray of hope, I suppose, but it will depend on what the Ohio state officials are willing to do: Call in the Federal government. If the perpetrators walk, nail them with civil rights violation charges.
Thank you, Occupy, for doing what all those lazy, intransigent, “community leaders” have failed to do. A little bit of sunshine is the best cure for an infection, or so they say.
By Mark
Thank you Anonymous for helping to bring justice to one of the most brutal crimes I have heard of in the U.S. as of late. There is too much in our culture that encourages this behavior. And while cultural change may be slow, it can only come if we can see and know the truth.
By Mary R
The fact that these boys were not supervised at all makes my skin crawl. I have some questions to go along with this fact. 1) How did these minors get alcohol? 2) Why were they aloud to drive a car/truck while intoxicated and not be stopped or questioned in any form as to what they were about or doing? 3) Whose home/houses were these parties held? 4)Where were the adults during all of this? 5)Do children run this town?
By Cecilia J
This story has totally shocked and disgusted me. I can’t stop thinking about what that poor girl went through and is going to have to live with for the rest of her life. What is wrong with these people? They all need to be severely punished. If this girl was my family, God only knows what I would do. If I were in the U.S. I would be at the protest today. Punish all involved.
By Lauren T
To the people of Steubenville,
You live in such a small town that everybody knows everybody else’s business. You know what happened and you know what happened was wrong. Instead of doing the right thing and seeing justice is done, you have done everything in your power to cover this up and turn the blame on this innocent girl. That stops now! You have anonymous’ full attention, ask Fullerton PD and Westboro Baptist what that means. Do what all of you know is right and tell the truth, if not you will make it worse for all involved!
By Ronald S
The YouTube video is disgusting I couldn’t watch the entire video. This story is sickening. I hope everyone involved either in the crime, at the site of the crime, or the authorities covering this up get prosecuted! SICKENING!
By Randy E
I am disgusted at some of the comments that have been posted on various sites regarding this situation. How people are trying to blame the victim because she was drunk and so therefore, “what’s wrong with someone getting (some) off of a drunk girl, that’s what goes on in high school”. It makes me wonder what kind of upbringing these people had. I wonder if they will feel the same way about prison rape when it is them being victimized. I mean “that’s what you get when you come to prison, right?” Wrong! That seems to be the mentality though. It really angers me to see how screwed up our society is. I was raped as a child and I know firsthand what that girl is going to go through for the rest of her life. What a shame. As well, those boys have opened themselves up to a whole new world, forever known as rapists. Rapists are even hated in prison and inmates take care of that all on their own. It sucks to be them. I pity them. For their ignorance has set a whole new path for their lives. Parents need to open their eyes and be more involved in what their kids are doing.
By Ceclia B
I am so disturbed, so sad for this girl and her family. When I heard this story I burst into tears. How can people haul a child around all night for the sake of victimizing her over and over? It’s time we admit that our culture is deeply sexist and we stand up to republicans when they mock us for being “feminazis”. The fact that many Americans think that females “open themselves up” to rape when they get drunk is DISGUSTING!
By Karen C
Criminal Behavior. This is one of the most horrifying stories I have seen in a long time. The YouTube video of that psychopath is chilling. I had to stop watching it after 5 minutes. I have three grandsons. I shudder at the thought that any of them would ever be in contact with young men like these young men. If they ever witnessed anything like this, I would hope they would stop it, call authorities and not remain silent.
By Beth W
This is another of many stories of a girl being blamed for bad behavior by little boys. To kidnap and violate a person is beyond comprehension. Being a huge fan of ID TV, I’ve seen this type of behavior all too many times. They are sociopaths. This girl will live with these scars for the rest of her life. I hope that justice will be given all who were involved and their lives will be ruined as well. I wish every college these players were thinking of attending knows who these boys are and what they did before considering them to represent their school.
By Drew C
Women do not come forward because “she wanted it” is an acceptable excuse. The Congress won’t renew the Violence Against Women Act and have created more laws against women’s rights than any other time since women did not have any rights. The justification that the coaches and people of authority are using is repulsive. There should be a law against “voyeuring a crime” and not helping. You get arrested for hiding a camera in a toilet and looking at people, peeping through windows, stalking, why not get arrested for taking photos and videos of a crime occurring and not calling police or helping the victim to only spread it via social media. Spreading it is as bad as the person who committed it. That person just watched, how barbaric. It’s a crime of humanity and only shows how children are being raised to believe that standing up for someone is ratting someone out. You’re only a rat if you participate and its obvious so many did participate by watching. I hope that Karma rears her ugly head and takes care of those who think they can hide their little secret. We know what you did last summer.
By Linda
I am so angry at the culture that makes these crimes possible. If true, these men are violent predators and shouldn’t be tried as “minors”. If you’re behaving this way at 16-18, you’re not going to suddenly develop empathy and a sense of humanity. In my opinion, these are sick people and the people at the party watched and did nothing to help are soulless.
If you have any decency and witnessed what happened, come forward so you can live with yourself.
I feel so awful for the young girl.
By Lu
Boy did these kids’ parents drop the ball! My oldest is only in middle school and knows better than to stand by and let this happen to this girl, much less participate. What were all of these kids thinking? Obviously, they weren’t. No home training whatsoever, epic fail. For all those who stood by and said nothing, this needs to be addressed as well. While I don’t think the witnesses should be jailed, they need to know that what they did was wrong.
By Bella
My heart aches for this little girl and my prayers go out to her and her family. Everyone involved, including teachers, should be prosecuted. Shame on the coach and the other adults. Would your football ratings be this important if this was your daughter? I am so ashamed of them all at how this case is being treated.
By Patti Jo
Unfortunately, I just recently heard about this tragedy. I cannot imagine the pain that she is going through and her family along with her. I praise the efforts of the many that have shed light on this and is bringing it mainstream. Our only hope as a civilized society is that there are people willing to put time and effort into correcting the things that are truly wrong. My hopes are that all the real facts come out and that everyone involved is punished according to the law with no favors given to anyone. I hope that the parents of the guilty have the common sense to know what they should do. Today I watched a video of this kid talking about the dead girl and it mad my skin crawl and more importantly made me and thousands of others angry. It is amazing how in a corrupt small town the examples these kids are shown as their leaders may be as bad as them. Remember all this starts at the top. I hope that justice ferrets all of them out. I am from Cleveland Ohio and I will be there on the 5th………..What are you going to do?
By Apple
The Steubenvillains are on the run from the hive, Paul Kersey would be proud. On Saturday, December 29th, the police, county and city should have had a press conference “staged”. The Steubenville City Schools, at some point, must separate themselves from the case and make a public apology to the city.
By Freedom Hawk
