Savannah Dietrich was raped, as so many victims are, by someone she knew. Two someones, in fact. The two teen boys who raped her committed the crime while she was unconscious from excessive alcohol consumption (which apparently means your vagina becomes community property) and the vile meat sacks of putrid evil took pictures of the rape and spread the pictures around to their friends. This was, unsurprisingly, emotionally agonizing for their victim. Savannah said:
“For months, I cried myself to sleep. I couldn’t go out in public places,” she told the newspaper, as her father, Michael, and attorneys sat nearby. “You just sit there and wonder, who saw (the pictures), who knows?”
Dietrich and her parents went to the police. With the rape documented by her attackers, surely it was an open and shut case? Well, not quite. The district attorney’s office gave her attackers a plea bargain for first-degree sexual abuse, which is a Class D felony that carries with it a maximum penalty of 7 years, but not the same thing as rape, which is a class B felony that requires a minimum of 15 years imprisonment. The DA also added a charge of misdemeanor voyeurism, probably because the sick little rapists took the pictures. Now, the DA might have offered a plea bargain because it is harder than hell, even when there is a shit load of evidence, to prosecute a rape. A woman has to be the Virgin Mary and covered in bruises, and even then the jury might not convict a rapist — because what if she actually wanted it?
At least with the plea bargain the scum who raped Dietrich would serve some time behind bars for their crimes.
However, the DA and police didn’t give the victim a warning or an explanation for why her rapists were getting away with lesser charges, so when it came out in court “Dietrich and her family … were upset with what they felt was a slap on the wrist for the attackers”. Even worse, the judge put a gag order on the proceedings. Why? Melissa McEwan over on Shakesville has some theories about that:
Well, gee, we wouldn’t want to ruin the lives of a couple of nice boys just because they raped someone.
Rage. Seethe. Boil.
One of the rape culture’s greatest lies is how we will collectively take seriously those rape cases in which there can be no doubt of guilt, that all the one zillion metric fucktons of rape apologia and victim-blaming and disbelieving survivors and erring on the side ofcautionrapists is just something we have to do so as not to besmirch the Fine Reputations of Good Men, ha ha you know he-said she-said and all that, you know how women are, but we’ll definitely for sure totally take seriously those rapes where guilt is unequivocal.
Well, guess what.
It seems that no man is ever guilty enough of rape that he should be known as a rapist.
The gag order was the final straw for Dietrich:
“I was crying as she (the judge) was reading that,” … “They got off very easy … and they tell me to be quiet, just silencing me at the end.” Dietrich decided to fight back. Thus, she knowingly violated the order and tweeted the names of her assailants … Dietrich said that despite the judge’s order, she needed to stand up for herself. “I’m at the point that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it.”
In retaliation, the attorneys for the rapists asked the judge to slap Dietrich with a contempt of court charge. This unleashed a shit storm of rage from everyone who thought it was monstrous to punish a victim for wanting a little justice. It even engendered a petition on Change.org to try to get the judge not to find Dietrich in contempt.
Under tremendous public pressure, the rapists’ attorneys withdrew the motion for contempt. However, there was some more last minute sniveling for the poor widdle rapists:
Chris Klein, an attorney for one of the boys, said publicizing their names may create problems for them in the future.”There’s always that possibility and in any type of scenario like this you run that risk,” he said. “Now whether both these boys can overcome those hurdles, it’s too early to determine that.”
It could have been a lot worse, Mr. Klein. They could have needed to overcome the diverse trauma of a rape.
*snarl*
WTF is up with people who think there should be no consequences for rape???
I signed that Change petition and I’m glad to know that the motion was withdrawn. Perhaps we should consider castrating rapists?
I would like to volunteer to carry out that particular line of sentencing….with a spork and a bottle of Tabasco.
I would also like them branded with the word “rapist” on their forehead, but then I’m just sentimental that way.
Unbelievable. Asshats.
Why weren’t they placed on a sex offender registry???
Surely the fact they tweeted the photos of themselves committing rape meant they had already named themselves? How could she, therefore, be at all responsible for naming them? FFS…
The gag order is totally ridiculous. Unless the judge does something really outrageous like giving them community service, they will be spending time in prison. I don’t care if they were tried as juveniles and the records were sealed. The fact that they were in prison will be part of the public record. And they will have to say “yes” to “have you ever been convicted of a felony” on every application they fill out for the rest of their lives. That will automatically disqualify them for many jobs. Depending on the rules of the state, they may lose their right to vote. They may be banned from public housing or assistance. They will go on the sex offender registry. Now that they have been convicted there will be real consequences for the rest of their lives. So holding the victim in contempt for tweeting their names is nothing more than a power play. And it shows the contempt they have for the victim in the non-legal sense as well.
My first response was exceedingly vulgar and wouldn’t have sufficiently expressed my feelings. So, as a two-time rape survivor, I’m going to say ditto to Sweet Babou’s comment and meander away before I get my blood pressure up with a flashback.
That judge should not be relected or retain their job based on that gag order decision alone. WTF.