Soccer players intervene in a rape and are then threatened

[cally]

I found this interesting on many levels. I'm proud that women intervened to protect another. I'm also appalled that they were then threatened and that the men refuse to come forward and testify.

Alleged rape victim's rescuers threatened
Soccer players are called names after intervening at party
C.W. Nevius

Sunday, June 3, 2007

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April Grolle, Lauren Chief Elk and Lauren Breayans never expected to be called heroes. But they never expected to be called names either.

The three, all soccer players on the highly regarded De Anza College women's soccer team, were thrust into the national spotlight when they rushed in and rescued a 17-year-old girl who was, they say, being sexually assaulted at a March 3 party in San Jose. They say the victim was so intoxicated she appeared to be comatose, and that eight or more men stood around watching one of them sexually assault her.

The three broke in, grabbed the girl and carried her out. They took her to the hospital, notified authorities and volunteered to testify in any court proceedings. What more could you ask?

To keep their mouths shut. To butt out. To mind their own business.

That's the message the soccer players got from the men accused in the case.

"People I didn't even know were coming up to me and saying, 'Stop your lying. Shut your f -- mouth,' " Chief Elk said in an interview last week. "We'd be walking around, and people would actually come up and get in our face."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/03/MNG7EQ6QJ81.DTL

[ThomCat]

1. Damn, I'm ashamed.

Not one of the men at that party helped. Even after the women let the charge to help, not one single man had the courage and ethical center to help stop a gang-rape in progress. Being "one of the guys" was apparently too important.

And to then go that step further and harass the women, when they are clearly heroes. I'm disgusted.
:grr:

[cally]

2. I think it offers hope more than anything else

I like that these women intervened. Given time, I think the stand bys will be shamed into testifying. Yeah, I'm an optimist.

I hope all goes well as possible with you. :hug:

[ThomCat]

3. Hi Cally,

I hope so too. I'm adapting as well as I can, and I'm stuborn enough to keep going. Thank you. :hug:

[CrispyQ]

4. The author's final comment rips at my heart.

snip...

The three soccer players are waiting. They are waiting for someone to step up, to be a man. There were people in that room who didn't do anything. But they knew that what was happening was wrong.

My guess is the men in that room haven't been sleeping very well since this happened. They've been warned to stay quiet, to keep the code of silence.

"I could see this coming," Hirokawa says. "The culture now is not to be a snitch, not to say anything."

"What I think about is their mothers," Grolle says. "What do they think?"

My guess is they think they are glad their sons got off. And they don't worry about someone else's daughter.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

6. Sadly, I think you're right

Even some of the most progressive women lose their sense of justice, and even reality, when it comes to their own male offspring.

There was a DUer who was being really obnoxious in defending the accused Duke Lacrosse players. She posted on every thread about it and was emotional to the extent that it bordered on obsessive. Turns out she was afraid that her college-aged son might be falsely accused by some scheming trollop. She never came out and said it like that but her posts reeked of that implication. It even occured to me that her son was maybe already in a situation like that, since she was so defensive. It was really bizarre to see a supposedly progressive woman spouting misogynistic wingnut talking points so easily. It was very sad, too.

[CrispyQ]

7. I don't have children so I don't know how one copes when

a child does something that is so contrary to the values you tried to instill in them. I have no idea how I would deal with a son who raped a woman, or a daughter who falsely accused a man of rape.

It seems that there is a prevalence of "not my kid" attitude among many parents today. They will defend their child's behavior regardless of evidence to the contrary. I can remember a few incidents in my youth when I would have liked if my mother had taken a "not my kid" attitude. Of course, now, I realize I am a better person for having a mother who did not tolerate certain behavior.

[I Have A Dream]

5. These women are heroes. Much good karma will come to them for this act.

:applause:

I'm not at all surprised though that they were treated as they were. :(