Remember the Brooklyn "gang rape" from last month? Never happened, all charges dropped.

[Nye Bevan]

Prosecutors in Brooklyn plan on moving to dismiss first-degree rape charges against all five teenagers accused of attacking an 18-year-old woman on a playground in Brownsville, Brooklyn, in January, officials said on Wednesday.

Almost from the moment the explosive allegations were made public, the case was dogged by questions about the accounts by the woman and her father, who later admitted they had been having sex in the park that night, and about the city’s handing of the case, which was criticized as being too slow.

.....

The woman gave several conflicting accounts of what had occurred on Jan. 7 in Osborn Playground, two law enforcement officials said. The father admitted that the assailants had not had a gun, as he had initially told the police. And in recent days, the woman has told prosecutors that she was unwilling to testify or otherwise cooperate further with the investigation, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that have not been made public.

......

Snippets of cellphone videos, as well as other evidence prosecutors gathered, did not support the woman’s allegations that the suspects had forced themselves on her, the officials said. In interviews, they said, she and her father both admitted that the teenagers who approached them had not brandished a gun. And the woman and her father ultimately admitted they were having sexual relations in the park before the encounter with the five teenagers, the officials said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/nyregion/move-to-dismiss-brownsville-rape-case-charges.html

Lots of outrage on DU when this story first came out, including calls for the "thugs" to be castrated, etc. (http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141309998). Kudos to those who resisted the rush to judgment.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

1. Wait, what?

The woman and her father had sex in the park????

[Nye Bevan]

3. Indeed they did.

It's kind of a disgusting story all around. But as it turned out, no actual rape occurred.

[StevieM]

9. It sounds like a case of genetic sexual attraction, between a daughter and father who were separated

during her childhood.

And it also sounds like CPS made no efforts to facilitate a reunion between the girl and her mother, instead preferring to have her grow up in foster care.

[snooper2]

38. The father was just taking a page from Donald Trump apparently

sick asshole

[Sanity Claws]

2. The young woman is very troubled

[exboyfil]

28. What about the father

He is one sick puppy.

[Sanity Claws]

32. Yes, he is a sick puppy

I feel so sorry for that young woman. She's 18, so she must have aged out of foster care and had nowhere to go. She initiated contact with her biological father who than abuses her. Poor girl doesn't seem to have a safe place to go.

[elljay]

4. Pet Peeve of Mine

In another life, I was a prosecutor for 6 years, then defense attorney for two. It drives me crazy when people immediately assume that the story they have read is true and complete. The most people should say is that IF true, the story is horrible, and that there should be a thorough investigation. No need to leap to a conclusion without all the facts- if anything, what appears to be true in this case is as bad as the original accusations.

[Nye Bevan]

5. And when the accused are five black teenagers from the city,

there is an especially noticeable tendency to assume that the charges are true.

[elljay]

10. Absolutely correct

yeah, black teens committing a gang rape in a NYC park. We've heard THAT story before and it didn't end well....

[cwydro]

12. The supposed "victim" and her dad were also black, correct?

This is just a horrid story all round.

I thought bullsh@@ the minute I heard it.

[Nye Bevan]

16. I smelt a rat when the father supposedly left to go to a store to call 911 during the gang-rape

of his daughter. As a father myself that did not ring true, to say the least.

[cwydro]

17. That was my first red flag also.

No cell phone?

Bullshit.

[philosslayer]

6. I posted on that thread.

All apologies will be humbly accepted. (of course, I don't expect to get any)

[Nye Bevan]

8. Major kudos for your posts #38 and #49.

philosslayer (1,845 posts)
38. Oh by all means

Maybe even drawing and quartering them. Or the rack? Do we still have one of those laying around?

How about another idea. How about a trial to see if they are actually guilty of the crime they have been charged of? Think we should have one of those first?

Wow, the rush to judge around here sometimes is breathtaking.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1310285

philosslayer (1,845 posts)
49. "Yeah, they'll get a trial"

Hope it doesn't delay the hanging.

We have due process in this country for a reason. Maybe the parents turned them in because warrants were executed. And wanted to protect these children from cops breaking down their doors and dragging them out. We all know how THAT might have gone. Just because a warrant has been executed doesn't make someone guilty.

And does the surveillance camera show the actual crime? Or just them hanging around the general area? You believe what the police say without actually seeing it for yourself ? Hahahaha. Funny.

Remember the so called Central Park wilding case many years ago? Exact same sentiment as I'm reading on this board, yet those young men turned out to be not guilty. So lay down your pitchfork for a bit.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1310319

[Denzil_DC]

13. Add gwheezie and a few others to that roll call.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1310081

I just sat it out and held my piece - social media makes it too easy to kneejerk when faced with sketchy news stories that touch nerves.

I'm glad DU isn't a physical space and the five teenagers weren't present at the time or they'd have been torn limb from limb. Some really ugly sentiments on that thread, based on no evidence other than the report of the allegations and arrest.

I feel sorry for the young woman - she's had a rough life, and this won't help - but the consequences for those teenagers could have been far worse than they were. Suppose one or more of them had panicked when faced with arrest.

And it makes it more difficult for rape victims to come forward each time a bogus allegation like this happens.

[closeupready]

19. Yes. DU's resident armchair warriors strike again.

Another example was the woman walking home late in Brooklyn one night, having a slice of pizza, while behind her was a fatal car crash, and video showed her (GASP!) continuing what she was doing! Can you imagine!!! Yet everyone on DU seemed to be dead CERTAIN that she was an awful person, that somehow I guess 'if she had wanted to', she could have twirled around in a Wonder Woman getup and saved everyone involved, etc. etc.

THAT story and the (predictably) ugly discussions here almost made me completely swear off all social media because it has been abused on so many occasions, even in the hands of supposedly educated liberals.

[a kennedy]

7. and another "news" item that in the beginning was already decided

NOT BY TRUTH OR ANYTHING......

[CommonSenseDemocrat]

11. There's something seriously fucked up with this story

The girl was consensually having sex with the father then consensually had sex with the 5 boys in a public park during the daytime.

I believe the DA, but I think the DA must prosecute the father, even without cooperation.

[Nye Bevan]

15. I suspect he would be charged if the woman had been under 18.

However, she was legally an adult. I don't think prosecutors make consensual adult incest a priority, regardless of how disgusting it is, especially when neither party is interested in cooperating or pressing charges.

[jberryhill]

29. Um.... falsely reporting a crime

I don't think the poster meant prosecute the father for the sex part.

[Nye Bevan]

34. Ah, OK. But the woman might be a better target for such charges.

She claimed that the rapes occurred while the father had left the scene to go to call 911.

[obamanut2012]

31. No, he can still be charged under NY law

The DA wants him charged.

[aikoaiko]

14. It was also a good opportunity for all the anti-gunners to go full demogogue.

The false charges ended up being a Thematic Apperception Test for irrational hate.

[CommonSenseDemocrat]

18. The other way around

The pro gunners, including myself at the time, saw this as a very compelling rationale to promote legal concealed carry.

I won't backtrack or apologize, because I went off the information at the time, but initially this story elicited a very strong response for the right to self defense of family.

[closeupready]

20. But if you are not contrite, then I'll disregard all future arguments from you

the next time a topic comes up, given that your views are, as you have just conceded, sometimes hasty and formed without a knowledge of facts which would be required in most any court in which you'd try accused individuals. (and I guess I don't mean to direct this at you, but rather at anyone who seems to think they don't need to find out what actually happened, or what the other side of the story is.)

Or maybe I'll just avoid these types of discussions in the future. I don't enjoy bickering with people online.

[CommonSenseDemocrat]

21. Here's why I'm not contrite nor do I think my views were invalid

Had that hypothetical occurred, absolutely the father had a right to be armed against those with illegal guns so he could protect his daughter. In New York City, this right does not exist and that is a very helpless situation to be in.

I live in New York City so this issue was a bit personal for me. Gun control only works if we can actually ensure guns are off the street. In this hypothetical, the guns were not off the street. Only the bad guys had the guns.

Here's where I might be a bit contrite. In NYC specifically, there may not be as big of an illegal gun problem as I previously perceived. I think a lot of that has to do with increased penalties for illegal gun possession enacted in 2006 as well as greater enforcement of misdemeanor offenses as Bratton eloquently explains as reducing felony crimes. And where I will also be contrite a bit is that my reaction was a bit knee jerk as an NYC resident.

However, I don't think it's intellectually honest for me to say I wouldn't act the same way again given the circumstance, with the only exception being if another case like this came along I'd be a bit calmer. That being said though, rape is a very emotional issue and the right to self and family defense should be inviolable.

Apologies for thinking out loud here with this post. It's more disjointed than when I'm trying to make an argument.

[closeupready]

22. Ok, understood.

Cheers.

[Hoyt]

27. Ha. Most gunners probably oiled their lethal weapon when they heard that story.

Did you buy some more ammo for yours?

[friendly_iconoclast]

40. You lot just can't seem to stop yourselves from validating Markley's Law, can you?

http://www.google.com/search?q=Markley%27s+Law&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

You might want to discuss this with someone who doesn't have a Internet degree
in telepsychology

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. Ugh

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. Lawsuits to follow

[ManiacJoe]

25. Why did this case take so long to be dismissed?

That story started to fall apart almost immediately.

[malaise]

26. Let me see if Igot this right

the woman and her father were having sex in the park????

[obamanut2012]

30. It's not true it didn't happen

The young woman, who has been in and out of foster and group homes all her life, has quit cooperating with teh authorities. The DA is still considering it a crime, and is there if the young woman wishes to talk to them.

She reconnected with her biological father, and the night it happened, he was having sex with his 18-year-old daughter in a dark playground, when the five young men appeared. At least two had non-consensual sex with her, as per the DA and the rape kit, and the young woman's testimony.

The DA wants to charge teh father and the two young men whose DNA was found in the victim. I've been following this closely, and locally the scuttlebutt/leaks are that the father was raping his drunk daughter when the boys interrupted him and pulled him away and started taking their turns, and that the father was allowing a "train" on his daughter, but it got out of hand (the young woman had some injuries consistent with being hit).

The whole entire story is so awful and sad, and I hope someone helps the young woman.

[Nye Bevan]

33. The charges against all 5 will be dismissed "with prejudice",

meaning that they can never be refiled. Yes, there was DNA from two of the suspects but no evidence at all of nonconsensual sex (except the woman's initial testimony, which she has recanted).

[Denzil_DC]

39. Consent to sex is a tricky subject when alcohol (or other drugs) is involved.

Which makes it hard for even the people present at the time to characterize what happened accurately, let alone those of us who can only rely on the patchy reports in the media.

I still feel sorry for her, but I think she has little to gain and much more to lose if a case were ever pursued.

As for the father ... I try to mind my own business about what others do sexually, as long as nobody gets hurt (unconcensually), but it sounds from what little I know like this is a particularly vulnerable woman. And he's her biological father. The fact she was reportedly drunk just adds to that. Ugh.

[malaise]

35. Do you remember Trump's role in the Brooklyn five

Never forget that racist scumbag's role in that

[Nye Bevan]

36. He took out a full-page newspaper ad saying they should be executed.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/donald-trump-and-the-central-park-five

About the only good thing regarding last month's allegations is that the cops did not coerce bogus "confessions" from the five suspects.

[malaise]

37. Yes indeed

Trump is a racist scumbag