Anonymous Announces Maryville Protest Supporting Teen Rape Victim Daisy Coleman With #OpMaryville

[Jefferson23]

By Jill Heller
on October 15 2013 5:36 PM


Months after Anonymous launched extensive social media operations targeting two different teen rape cases, the infamous Steubenville, Ohio, rape and that of Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons, the shadowy hacktivist group has announced plans to stage a live demonstration in Maryville, Mo., in support of another teen rape victim, Daisy Coleman.

In a message uploaded on Pastebin, Anonymous announced that they were organizing a peaceful protest aimed at urging Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to reopen the case, and investigate the lack of charges against the accused rapists. According to a Facebook page created for the event, the protest will take place at the town’s Nodaway County Courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 22, beginning at 10 a.m. Central Time.

The event’s organizers state that the objective of the demonstration is “to get the case reopened so that justice may be served.” The group has been using hashtags like #OpMaryville and #Justice4Daisy to circulate news about the story. Protest organizers have urged outraged citizens to contact Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rice, and to send daisies over to the courthouse.

Anonymous has also encouraged the media to file FOIA requests for information that might link one of the rapist's grandfathers, Missouri state Rep. Rex Barnett, to the prosecution team.

http://www.ibtimes.com/anonymous-announces-maryville-protest-supporting-teen-rape-victim-daisy-coleman-opmaryville-1427322

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. There needs to be Federal investigation of Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

and possible corruption of the police, the prosecutors, and the State Attorney General (who has tried to wash his hands of the case).

[roamer65]

3. That would be absolutely wonderful.

It would put these small town hick officials on notice that it's "game over" on corruption.

[davidn3600]

9. Good luck getting Holder to do anything

[randome]

2. Not to rain on anyone's parade but...

...did they check with her to see if that's what she wants? I mean, pressing the issue the first time got her house burned down.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[Jefferson23]

4. She and her family want an investigation re-opened..that Anonymous checked with her, I can't

confirm. I imagine they approve of the assistance, it has been a nightmare for her
and her family.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. It's gotten way beyond that now. There seems to be Obstruction of Justice, possibly Conspiracies

The other people secondarily involved (beyond the rapists and the victims) need to be investigated: the police, the prosecutors, the grandfather. They seem to have Obstructed Justice when the evidence is so blatant.

The whole mess will have to be fully exposed and gotten to the bottom of. There is no other way forward. To do anything less would be a step back to days without the rule of law: feudalism and droit du seigneur, which is a metaphor and not a fact.

Sorry, but it has mushroomed and is way bigger than rapist versus victim.

[seabeyond]

6. yes. she wants justice. nt

[Dash87]

11. I doubt it. Anonymous is usually fairly random.

They'll take someone down regardless if you want them to or not.

[xmas74]

7. I know the person who set this up.

I know another person who is making pins for the event.

The pressure is on the prosecutor, which is why it is being held when it is. She is trying to get him to reopen the case, which many say is doubtful.

Another option I've heard thrown around is to have everyone flood their assemblyperson's offices with calls demanding a bill be presented on the floor and passed that allows the state AG to step in. As of this time, the AG cannot step in because of the laws keeping him from doing so. (From what I've heard, one of the laws that hamstrings him was passed while Nixon was still AG. Nixon is our current governor.)

[Jefferson23]

8. Interesting, incredible corruption and no clear way to justice for the victim.

Thanks for the info.

[xmas74]

10. Pete Kinder, the Lt Gov,

is possibly angling for Jay Nixon's job as governor. He'll do what he can to make it sound like there is corruption in the state Dem party.

Tim Jones, who has been quoted here on DU, is a loon. Before anyone takes what he says as gospel they need to be advised that he is a proud member of ALEC and a birther who "may or may not" be angling for Koster's job.

As to Koster: he's a jerk but I do believe that he would gladly prosecute if he could. I've met the man a few times in work conditions and he loves what he does. The problem is that the AG is used more for class action, consumer rights issues in Missouri. Remember, Missouri is the state who sued (and won, bankrupting) Miss Cleo and more than a few debt collectors. That's what our AG's office does. The only way they can take a criminal case like this is if the prosecutor steps down, if help from the prosecutor is requested or if a circuit court finds that the prosecutor cannot do his/her job properly.

[Jefferson23]

12. Opportunists are everywhere, even in a case as vile as this one. I appreciate hearing about the

politics and it appears that Kinder is asking for the circuit court to convene a grand jury.

The girl's doctor who saw her the following day said he was surprised there were no charges, and
then there is Barnett, grandson of a four-term Missouri state representative. Claims of a video
and then one not found, then a questionable and devastating house fire. It's not hard to see why
the family is suspicious. The mother claims the state attorney is lying when he claimed that Daisy
was not willing to testify.

This is a mess on many levels.

[seabeyond]

13. i think most were surprised what they did in steubenville. they stepped up. we may be surprised

here. fingers crossed, voice loud.

[Jefferson23]

15. The victim and her family deserve a review, that's for sure...hope they get it. n/t

[xmas74]

14. Well, Rice (the prosecutor)

has political ties to the family. The grandfather is friends with Graves, the US Rep for their district. The family has volunteered on Graves campaign and Rice has family who work for Graves. I believe I read somewhere that Rice also has ties to the boy who videotaped it (his family owns a popular restaurant in Maryville).

Heck, the sheriff thought the case was a slam dunk. The rapist had a DWI charge when the rape occurred.

[Jefferson23]

17. Ties to the boy who video taped it?!!! Had not heard that one...unreal. n/t

[xmas74]

19. And there is no copy of the videotape,

even though it was passed around the school. That's why charges have been dropped on the other boy-no proof of the video, even though he admitted to it. They can't prove how much was shown.

If the video surfaces it'll become a federal case. I can see Koster pushing the feds to intervene if the video is found, since it could be charged as making and distributing child pornography.

[Jefferson23]

20. I knew about the video being passed around at the school, victim's brother reports.

Had no idea about the connection of Rice and the boy's family....wow.

[xmas74]

22. Small town and lots of connections to each other.

I didn't grow up there but grew up in another smallish Missouri town, about the same size, and knew quite a few kids who attended Northwest after grad. This is exactly how some of the small towns work and it doesn't surprise me at all.

[xmas74]

16. Anonymous is not planning this rally and has nothing to do with the rally.

I'm glad to see the message is getting out but give credit where credit is due-Courtney Cole, a Missouri woman who has held rallies in Jeff City over women's rights, is planning the rally. The plan was made Sunday evening, shortly after the article was released by the KC Star and before Anonymous picked up the case.

Saying that Anonymous planned the protest takes away from how disgusted the people of this state are about the case and makes it sound as though we are doing nothing about it.

Link to a thread I started yesterday about the rally:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023849159

[Jefferson23]

18. No problem, when you stated earlier you knew who was involved in the planning, I thought you

might be speaking about Anonymous....thanks for the clarification.

I did not see your thread from yesterday.

Kudos to Ms Cole.

[xmas74]

21. Check out her page on Facebook for the rally.

She's good people.

She ran for state rep a few years ago. What the state Republican party did to her with those phone calls still makes my blood boil.

[Jefferson23]

24. Thanks, great exposure of Rice...what a schmuck. n/t

Missouri NOW shared a link via Courtney Cole

.
6 hours ago
Here's a way to support Daisy!
Sexual assault case casts national spotlight on Maryville
fox4kc.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A teenager in Maryville, Mo. accused a classmate of sexual assault. Her family said because of small town politics, her family was harassed and driven out of town.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Missouri-NOW/134351572496

[xmas74]

25. Courtney knows her stuff

and isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone in her way.

[xmas74]

23. Just sent you a pm

with a blog link to another case that is close to me right now. Read it and tell me if your blood doesn't boil afterward.