And some people wonder why vicitms of rape are reluctant to come forward!

[theHandpuppet]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RAPE_APOLOGY?SITE=OHCIN&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Dec 6, 4:48 PM EST
Wis. City Apologizes to Rape Victim

By RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press Writer

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- For years, police and city lawyers refused to believe a blind woman who said an intruder raped her at knifepoint. They even charged her with lying about it.

Now, five years after DNA connected a sex offender to the attack, the city has apologized to the woman, known as Patty, and is offering her $35,000.

(snipping)

A new book, "Cry Rape," by Bill Lueders, news editor of a Madison weekly newspaper, recounts how two detectives used a ruse to pressure her into saying she made up her story. Authorities charged her with filing a false report, but dropped the charge when investigators found semen on her sheets.

Lawyers hired to defend the city against Patty's lawsuit subjected her to 19 hours of depositions in which they asked her about her sexual history and mocked her for not trying to fight off the assailant, according to the book.

A judge dismissed the lawsuit.

(snipping)

In 2001, the state crime lab discovered that DNA from Joseph Bong, a convicted sex offender, matched the semen. Bong was convicted of Patty's rape in 2004 and sentenced to 50 years in prison....

MORE

[ComerPerro]

1. hell, that's just one of the reasons. But its a serious issue

[seabeyond]

2. just a few bad cops. nothing to see here.... n/t

[nosmokes]

8. yeah, it's always a *few* bad cops

when this sorta shit happens far too often. we really need to pay law enforcement lots more money but screen them a hell of lot more tightly and more often, like every other year or so. and i mean a whole battery of mental tests, not some 10 minute screening of putting the pegs in the holes and quizzing 'em about their ma.

[seabeyond]

i agree with paying them more. yes. because they earn it, not to bribe

them to do a good job. but.... this comes from the top. the leadership. just exactly like bush and the torturing. not going after the lowly soldiers. they are dependent on their leaders to guie them properly. bush didnt. rumy didnt. the generals didnt. that was their failure. same with the cops. the cops are about insignificant. it is the leadership that allows this and it is only getting worse. they must be held accoutnable. but only we the people can do it. and as long as we all reduce it to a "few" bad cops, with occurance after occurance. or forces like like oregon rally and the miami rally. literally breaking the law and laughing about it. not any damn "few" bad cops. way too many. but as long as we keep excusing the cops and not demanding more... it will get worse, for all, including our police force

[seabeyond]

13. i agree with paying them more. yes. because they earn it, not to bribe

them to do a good job. but.... this comes from the top. the leadership. just exactly like bush and the torturing. not going after the lowly soldiers. they are dependent on their leaders to guie them properly. bush didnt. rumy didnt. the generals didnt. that was their failure. same with the cops. the cops are about insignificant. it is the leadership that allows this and it is only getting worse. they must be held accoutnable. but only we the people can do it. and as long as we all reduce it to a "few" bad cops, with occurance after occurance. or forces like like oregon rally and the miami rally. literally breaking the law and laughing about it. not any damn "few" bad cops. way too many. but as long as we keep excusing the cops and not demanding more... it will get worse, for all, including our police force

[AIJ Alom]

3. Lawsuit time for Patty. Sue the $hit out of these a-holes. $35,000 is

not enough, an apology is not enough, every single individual who failed this woman should lose their job or give her 5 year's salary garnished over time, even if it means tapping into their retirement funds.

[zreosumgame]

5. my thoughts exactly

[Phredicles]

6. Add at LEAST a couple of zeros to that amount.

Just disgraceful.:grr: :grr: :grr:

[Fridays Child]

7. I agree and, given the fact that the city has admitted guilt...

...she should have no trouble, at all, getting a meaningful settlement.

[bobbolink]

10. *especially* if it means tapping into their retirement funds!

This is so ugly, and why it continues.

Just recently, there was a sneering post on DU about people who sue...Well, this is one good example of WHY. The only way to get justice is to sue, and the only way to bring about CHANGE in public policy is to sue enough so that it hurts, and stimulates the memory of those who would further injure an already injured person!!

:nuke:

[judaspriestess]

4. I recently took a part time job at drug store chain

I've been there a friggin month. One of the male employees started rubbing up against me, ie his crotch area on my butt. At first I thought it was an accident then it happened a few more times. I'm pissed but am not sure if I should say anything because I had just started. then one night he told me "I made his dick hard" Ok thats enough. I say something. NOW THE BURDEN OF PROOF is on me. This is bullshit. Now its a long drawn out process of having to "prove" what this guy did. Which I can. its on the work cameras. And they have seen it. I have an appt with human resources tomorrow, lets see what they are going to ask of me.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Best of luck to you

If they have the video, there should be no problem. I hope the tape caught all of it. Let us know what happens, please.

[QuestionAll...]

12. good for you for reporting this.

hope it works in your favour.

I had an incident like this with my supervisor, many years ago when I was in my early twenties. We were passing in the stairwell and he stopped to 'chat' and pinched my breast - deliberate. I just froze. I was so ashamed and frightened all at the same time - I thought it was somehow my fault. and I didn't talk about that for years after to anyone.

Two characters like this us women had to work with. Leering, trying to look under our skirts, smirking. fuggin filth - and had no where or no one to complain to, it was 'just the way it is, girls'.

[ThomCat]

15. Nail him to a wall!

x(

Good for you for not putting up with that behaviour. I hope HR takes this seriously.

[judaspriestess]

22. I spoke to HR today

they are very happy with my detailed written statement and now they are going to "talk" to him and get his side of the story. They were very supportive and said they have a zero tolerance for this type of behavior and would continue their investigation. I don't know what is going to happen next. (This dude also rubbed up against the security guard. She is a very nice lady and we are the only women on the late shift so she confided in me and told me what he did. I then told her what he did to me, I did not know prior)
She also reported her incident after she saw I did.

I was too suffering from guilt and feeling like it was my fault. I was also feeling guilty if he had kids to feed or needed to put a roof over his head. I did not want to be a catalyst in getting someone fired. thats why I did not say anything initially but now get this, he has turned hostile towards me. That is simply unacceptable and giving him an erection comment is where I drew the line.

I am glad I reported the incident too.

[ronnykmarshall]

23. Good for you!

If he doesn't get canned, you might want to keep a mouse trap handing the next time he gets "excited".

[ThomCat]

24. You definitely did the right thing.

I hope they fire him after hearing from both you and the security guard. There's no way you should have to deal with that, or feel guilty about it.
:hug:

[judaspriestess]

26. thanks all

I hope this guy learns not to do something like this again. Its just srupid and disgusting. I am not trying to hijack this thread btw. I only mentioned this because of having to prove myself as this blind woman. My heart goes out to her.

[raccoon]

16. Good luck to you, and get yourself a good lawyer. nt

[lpbk2713]

11. It's a lot easier for them to blame the victim and hopefully shut her up

than to do all that time consuming and expensive investigating and (maybe) prosecuting and incarcerating.

[jgraz]

14. I'm ashamed that this happened in my home town

Thank God for Bill Leuders and the Isthmus Weekly -- they've been the soul of that city for as long as I can remember.

[Heywood J]

17. Her lawsuit should target

the DA, the cops who tried to trick her, the attorneys who defended the city, the city itself, etc. Hit them hard enough such that their pensions and their assets (houses, cars) are at risk of being signed over to pay the judgment - after they're fired.

That'll send a message to everyone else in the system that egregious misconduct is not tolerated and will be punished. $35,000 is chump-change and insulting. It won't change anything in that police department.

[bloom]

18. "They even charged her with lying about it."

$35,000 wouldn't be close to justice done.

[Shakespeare]

19. They're only offering her $35,000?

They need to apologize to her again--for the pathetic offer--and pony up a REAL settlement. This is disgusting.

[ccorces1]

20. Ridiculous.

That's so ridiculous; why would they accuse her of lying to begin with?

[bloom]

25. That's how some people like to minimize the problem.

They pretend that rape is not the problem that it is - that women just make this stuff up.

As if - if you are not stabbed or shot or some other thing - then you shouldn't even make the accusation.


People who would make the charge against the rape victim are saying - that if the women does not have the evidence - she should not come forward.

It's almost as bad as the law in Pakistan (recently overturned) - where you needed to have 4 men who will testify that they saw the rape take place. Or the women were punished.


It's a very patriarchal - protect the men of society - attitude.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.