Comments on: Seattle Weekly Furthers the Myth of Common False Rape Allegations http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/ Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:47:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: NHer http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12623 NHer Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:11:17 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12623 As one of the 2% who suffered from a false accusation, I can tell you that the mere accusation is the worst. Even after I had to go to the police to have them investigate myself, she said she made it up and walked away scott free. I know rape is real. I know false rape accusations are real. I must admit to being angry about how there are two "sides" when really in both cases there is a bad person and a survivor. The issue is complicated and very gray, but don't for a second think that the 2-8% don't matter. I survived a false allegation of rape, and I am proud of that. As one of the 2% who suffered from a false accusation, I can tell you that the mere accusation is the worst. Even after I had to go to the police to have them investigate myself, she said she made it up and walked away scott free.

I know rape is real. I know false rape accusations are real. I must admit to being angry about how there are two “sides” when really in both cases there is a bad person and a survivor. The issue is complicated and very gray, but don’t for a second think that the 2-8% don’t matter.

I survived a false allegation of rape, and I am proud of that.

]]> By: Anna http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12484 Anna Thu, 21 May 2009 14:50:54 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12484 J.Love: Not from Seattle, but when I was raped at 17 in England those were the police officer's exact words to me too (bar the fact I'd been taking drugs as well as drinking). It's incredibly sad it's a global thing. J.Love: Not from Seattle, but when I was raped at 17 in England those were the police officer’s exact words to me too (bar the fact I’d been taking drugs as well as drinking). It’s incredibly sad it’s a global thing.

]]> By: Cara http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12483 Cara Thu, 21 May 2009 13:37:49 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12483 J.Love, I'm so incredibly sorry to hear that they did that to you. I bet that you're not the only one either. I would suggest contacting a rape victim's advocacy group in Seattle, if not because you still want to press charges (though they might be able to help with that, too), but so that they can know about and work on the problem if they're not already. Just a suggestion. But no. You did not expect to be raped. Nor should you have. And even if in some weird universe you <i>had</I> expected to be raped, that <i>still</i> wouldn't make it your fault. No one rapes her or his self. It would still have been a result of a rapist choosing to rape you. J.Love,

I’m so incredibly sorry to hear that they did that to you. I bet that you’re not the only one either.

I would suggest contacting a rape victim’s advocacy group in Seattle, if not because you still want to press charges (though they might be able to help with that, too), but so that they can know about and work on the problem if they’re not already. Just a suggestion.

But no. You did not expect to be raped. Nor should you have. And even if in some weird universe you had expected to be raped, that still wouldn’t make it your fault. No one rapes her or his self. It would still have been a result of a rapist choosing to rape you.

]]> By: J.Love http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12482 J.Love Thu, 21 May 2009 08:25:44 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12482 As a recent victim of rape in King County (Seattle) I reported it and SPD came to my house. I explained the circumstances and the officer replied, "So what do you want us to do?" I said, "I don't know, your job, investigate." They told me that the prosecuting attorneys office (PAO) would never consider my case because I was intoxicated, and therefore an uncreditable witness. Regardless of my creditability, several people saw what happened to me that night in the parking lot of this local restaurant. The police never went to the restaurant or talked to anyone! They simply wrote a half page report ended with she admitted drinking and flirting. I provided a rape kit to the hospital including DNA and pictures of all the bruises from the violence. Nevertheless, a detective from the Seattle Special Assault Unit called me to tell me why he wasn't going to investigate...because the PAO would never consider my case and he knew that from his "22 years of experience working with the PAO." He said so many awful things, but the worst was, "A jury is going to say, you were drinking, and flirting. What did you expect?" I didn't expect to be raped! Nor did I expect to be denied investigation because the Seattle Police Department feels that an intoxicated victim is not creditable. Why do the cops have the power to play judge and jury? I cannot believe they did this to me, and probably other victims too. I bet that I am not the only one who has experienced this type of treatment…. As a recent victim of rape in King County (Seattle) I reported it and SPD came to my house. I explained the circumstances and the officer replied, “So what do you want us to do?” I said, “I don’t know, your job, investigate.” They told me that the prosecuting attorneys office (PAO) would never consider my case because I was intoxicated, and therefore an uncreditable witness.
Regardless of my creditability, several people saw what happened to me that night in the parking lot of this local restaurant. The police never went to the restaurant or talked to anyone! They simply wrote a half page report ended with she admitted drinking and flirting.
I provided a rape kit to the hospital including DNA and pictures of all the bruises from the violence. Nevertheless, a detective from the Seattle Special Assault Unit called me to tell me why he wasn’t going to investigate…because the PAO would never consider my case and he knew that from his “22 years of experience working with the PAO.” He said so many awful things, but the worst was, “A jury is going to say, you were drinking, and flirting. What did you expect?”

I didn’t expect to be raped! Nor did I expect to be denied investigation because the Seattle Police Department feels that an intoxicated victim is not creditable. Why do the cops have the power to play judge and jury? I cannot believe they did this to me, and probably other victims too. I bet that I am not the only one who has experienced this type of treatment….

]]> By: Emmy http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12024 Emmy Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:58:39 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12024 ... iirc, the real mess of the Duke case was that the prosecutor wanted to make a huge splash, threw everything into the limelight, pushed the case too fast, lied about it, and kept going long after the point where "you know, this is probably a bad idea" should have been invoked, because he couldn't admit he'd made a mistake. Also, that the jerk who made some highly disturbing comments about killing strippers wasn't punished, but the coach of the team lost his job. A lot of people acted badly. A lot of people harassed, frightened, and damaged each other. Most of them will not suffer any consequences for it. … iirc, the real mess of the Duke case was that the prosecutor wanted to make a huge splash, threw everything into the limelight, pushed the case too fast, lied about it, and kept going long after the point where “you know, this is probably a bad idea” should have been invoked, because he couldn’t admit he’d made a mistake.

Also, that the jerk who made some highly disturbing comments about killing strippers wasn’t punished, but the coach of the team lost his job.

A lot of people acted badly. A lot of people harassed, frightened, and damaged each other. Most of them will not suffer any consequences for it.

]]> By: milica http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12023 milica Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:02:40 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12023 Two steps forward and one step back... this feels like a whole leap back... :( Two steps forward and one step back… this feels like a whole leap back… :(

]]> By: abyss2hope http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12015 abyss2hope Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:51:30 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12015 I had more thoughts on this Seattle Weekly article than would fit in a comment so I wrote a post titled: <a href="http://abyss2hope.blogspot.com/2009/04/responding-injustice-that-doesnt-just.html" rel="nofollow">The responding injustice that doesn't just happen</a>. I had more thoughts on this Seattle Weekly article than would fit in a comment so I wrote a post titled: The responding injustice that doesn’t just happen.

]]> By: Jet http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-12010 Jet Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:02:10 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-12010 Thank you for posting this. Thank you for posting this.

]]> By: Femmostroppo Reader - April 27, 2009 — Hoyden About Town http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-11998 Femmostroppo Reader - April 27, 2009 — Hoyden About Town Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:01:43 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-11998 [...] Seattle Weekly Furthers the Myth of Common False Rape Allegations [...] [...] Seattle Weekly Furthers the Myth of Common False Rape Allegations [...]

]]> By: Sunday Catch Up « The Gender Blender Blog http://thecurvature.com/2009/04/24/seattle-weekly-furthers-the-myth-of-common-false-rape-allegations/#comment-11996 Sunday Catch Up « The Gender Blender Blog Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:25:02 +0000 http://thecurvature.com/?p=4977#comment-11996 [...] Only 2% of reported rapes are false reports, so why do people still argue that crying rape is so common? [...] [...] Only 2% of reported rapes are false reports, so why do people still argue that crying rape is so common? [...]

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