The stories goes onto report that the girl accuses Brookins of forcing her into the bathroom, putting her in a headlock and rapes her. The alleged victim is 14-years-old and neither accused or victim attends Campbell High. Brookins comes from a middle class family and the son of a school principal. That's all fine and daaandy, but they acted like 'poor poor Chandler'. They mentioned he's in shock and can't believe this is happening. How the only evidence (from what they can tell from the police report) is his testimony, and that maybe the sex was consensual.
I almost came unglued! First of all, let me point something out here. Here is this white kid, from a pretty well-off family, whose good-looking and the son of a principal, but what if the boy was a different ethnicity and from a poor family? Would the news report have been different and less sympathetic? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say- HELL YES!!! Does it make a difference that his father is an associate principal at the same school Chandler attends? Does that mean the crime wasn't possible because of who his father is? Just because he's a good looking white kid, he is presumed innocent? HELL NO! But HLN does not see it that way.
The other detail that HNN failed to mention was that he has been charged with rape, aggravated sexual assault, and false imprisonment. New details also emerged today about him having put her in a headlock on the floor of the bathroom. They forgot to mention that little detail. HNN made it sound like she's accusing him of raping her standing up.However they did mention that he will be charged as an adult in this case and brought an "expert" (can't recall the woman's name) on to say that without scratches or bruises for evidence, it will be difficult to prove that the sex wasn't consensual. The whole story was spun in a way that cast doubt on the credibility and truthfulness of the victim!
Shame on you HLN! Obviously there is enough evidence to take to the District Attorney, to get charges filed in this case. Most District Attorney's won't even consider filing charges until they have collected enough substantial evidence on a case.
So let's take a look at some statistics I found...Here is the link if you're interested.
Rape Statistics
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Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1995, 354,670 women were the victims of a rape or sexual assault. (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
Over the last two years, more than 787,000 women were the victim of a rape or sexual assault. (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S.Department of Justice, 1996.)
The FBI estimates that 72 of every 100,000 females in the United States were raped last year. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Statistics, 1996.)
One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. The most common reasons given by women for not reporting these crimes are the belief that it is a private or personal matter and the fear of reprisal from the assailant.
Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. (Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994)
The FBI estimates that only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.
In 1994-1995, only 251,560 rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials -- less than one in every three. (National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
An overwhelming majority of rape service agencies believe that public education about rape, and expanded counseling and advocacy services for rape victims, would be effective in increasing the willingness of victims to report rapes to the police. (Rape in America, 1992, National Victim Center with Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.)
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I don't know what the truth is here. I don't know the history between the victim and the accused, so I can't say one way or another who is ultimately telling the truth. I don't know all the details of the case. That is not my job. I leave that to our justice system. My beef is with big news media. Just report the news, stop slanting it, stop trying to persuade your audience to believe that a 14-year-old girl is lying. If she is, hopefully lack of evidence can clear Chandler Brookins name. Otherwise, report the facts and leave it at that. Also-
DON'T LEAVE OUT FACTS SO YOUR CRAP-ASS SLANT WILL BE STRONGER!
The only other thing I am going to say is, it is a damn shame if the way the media portrays these stories influences whether or not rape victims come forward. What message are we sending to women in this country? Don't report it because we won't believe you anyway? It's better to stay quiet than take the chance the blame will be turned around on you? This whole thing has just made me sick! It should make you sick too! One in four women will be raped at some point in their lifetime, so it's safe to say you will know someone who has been victimized and the chances are they will suffer in silence.
It's just really sad that people don't wait for the justice system to clear the accused, and instead blame the victim!
On a side note, I went to CNN's website and could not find anything on this story, only what they showed on T.V. If anyone can find it, I would very appreciative. You might want to also look up another recent story where an 11 yr-old-girl is blamed for being raped by 18 different men ranged in age from 14-27.
11-year-old girl, alleged victim of Texas gang-rape. blamed for attack at town hall meeting
I feel so very sorry for the boy who has you for a mother.
ReplyDeleteOh? Why is that?
ReplyDeleteThis boy lives in my neighborhood. The entire family is trash. I live in an upper middle class neighborhood where all of the teenagers run free. Somehow they believe that through material things the children will turn out normal. Shame on them; I hole hardheartedly believe he committed this heinous act. He and his other siblings are awful children. They would pick on the smaller children at the pool in the summer time. All three children are bullies. It is a shame that their father is in the school systems. I understand having one bad egg, but three disrespectful children... something is wrong. For example the daughter speeds through the neighborhood in excess of 50 mph during the summer time. Our neighborhood prides itself on its safety. We have tried everything to stop this girl. I believe she is away at college now. It is a relief that I won't have to worry about her ruining another life just as her brother.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that you can earn money by locking special pages of your blog / site?
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Funny thing is the blogger Shannon has a brother that has raped four women all by knife point and did some horrible stuff to her older sister when she was little and Shannon had a relationship with this man regardless of the horrible rapes he committed. Go figure that one out.
ReplyDelete