Saturday, October 6, 2018

I am PRIVILEGED to know a sexual assault survivor

She has told very few people. I am privileged because she trusted me enough to share some of the details.

The police took her to a hospital thirty miles away and DNA evidence was collected.

She lost all of her bedding as that was considered evidence as well.

The young man was not a US citizen. He had been released on parole two weeks earlier. His crime, he had been convicted of two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct.

The string of text messages very clearly showed the act to be premeditated. The man denied everything. The texts proved otherwise.

While waiting trial, he committed another sexual assault That assault went to trial before the one that happened to my friend. He was found guilty.

My friend took time off work four times and drove to the courthouse an hour away only to find the defense attorney had filed for an extension and the trial was postponed. Still, she did it even though it was costing her money and stress related issues.

The fifth time, my friend was told that the man had copped a plea bargain, something he would not have been backed into doing if my friend had been a no-show any of the prior four times.

The plea bargain ended up being a misdemeanor and the non-US citizen is still in the US even after four convictions for CSC.

Ford vs. my friend
I cannot help but compare Ford with my friend.

In my friend's case there was DNA evidence, there were text messages, there was ample evidence that this man does not listen to "NO!"

My friend reported it to the police. It cost my friend money. It cost her a cherished quilt. It is not like they wash evidence before they throw it into the locker.

If memory serves, she was advised to be tested for HIV at six month intervals, "Just in case."

In Ford's case, she claims that it devastated her academically. Personally, I don't know too many people who had "devastated" academic performance and earned a Master's degrees, a Ph.D and is now a professor. But, hey, maybe those west coast schools have different standards.

According to Ford, the other injury she sustained was that Mark Judge slighted her when she tried to make-jolly with him at the Sav-way six weeks later. Does that ring true? Little Chrissy smiling and cutsie trying to get big Marks's attention and having her feelings bruised when he is not cordial? According to Ford's testimony big Mark tried to rape her six weeks earlier...and her reaction is "Hey, how is my buddy?"

My friend loathes her attacker.

My friend is also pretty torqued about the fact that he is still in the US in spite of four convictions. What will it take to get him airmailed back to his country-of-origin?

If the Liberals were actually concerned about women, perhaps they would stop defending foreign nationals at the expense of women.

I don't know what my friend thinks of the Ford/Kavanaugh fiasco. We don't speak of her trials. She does not even like the term "survivor." She thinks it is limiting. She intends to thrive, not survive.

My guess is that she is likely to dismiss Ford as an imposter. A swooning victim who is everything my friend is striving to NOT be.


3 comments:

  1. I'll bet the lady to whom your article refers (not Ms Ford) knows the details of the time/place/the clothing he wore, she wore. etc.

    And I will be she never forgets either.

    Tell her that she should be proud of her actions to put this man away. And I pray she can deal with the aftermath. My prayers are with her.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like your friend is a strong, successful person. Those folks come back after a tragedy and find a way to be successful. Good for her.

    ReplyDelete

Readers who are willing to comment make this a better blog. Civil dialog is a valuable thing.