A FORMER STANFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF
RAPE AFTER HE WAS CAUGHT AFTER A FRATERNITY PARTY THRUSTING INTO
AN UNCONSCIOUS GIRL BEHIND THE DUMPSTER. 2 PEOPLE SAW HIM
DOING SO, AND THEY STOPPED HIM AND THEN HE ATTEMPTED TO RUN
AWAY BUT THEY HELD HIM UNTIL POLICE SHOWED UP AND ARRESTED
HIM.
BROCK ALLEN TURNER HAS BEEN CONVICTED AND HE HAS BEEN
SENTENCED OUT THE REASON WHY HE IS IN THE NEWS TODAY IS BECAUSE
HIS SENTENCE IS INSANELY SHORT.
IN FACT, HE HAS ONLY BEEN
SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN
COUNTY JAIL AND PROBATION.
PROSECUTORS WERE HOPING THAT HE
WOULD GET SIX YEARS IN PRISON,
BUT OF COURSE I DIDN'T HAPPEN.
A JURY CONVICTED HIM OF MULTIPLE
FELONIES, INCLUDING ASSAULT WITH THE INTENT TO RATE ON A SAUCE
WARM AND GOT TO STANFORD GRADUATE STUDENT STARTED HIM
LAYING ON TOP OF VICTIM OUTSIDE OF A KAPPA ALPHA PARTY BEHIND A
DUMPSTER.
WHEN OFFICERS ARRIVED, THE WOMAN, WHO IS NOT A
STANFORD STUDENT, WAS COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE AND PARTIALLY
CLOSED, WITH A BLOOD ALCOHOL
LEVEL THREE TIMES THE LEGAL LIMIT.
THE JUDGE, WHO SENTENCED, IS
JUDGE AARON PERSKY AND NOW THERE IS A PETITION TO GET HIM
RECALLED.
DURING THE SENTENCING HE SAID THE FOLLOWING: A PRISON
SENTENCE WOULD HAVE A SEVERE
IMPACT ON HIM.
I DO NOT I THINK HE WILL NOT BE A DANGER TO
OTHERS.
A, PRISON IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SEVERE IMPACT ON
PEOPLE.
IT IS SUPPOSED TO REHABILITATE PEOPLE AND ALSO
THERE'S THE PUNITIVE ELEMENT TO
AS WELL.
ANOTHER THING IS YOU DON'T THINK HE IS GOING TO HARM ANYONE?
HE IS NOT A THREAT TO SOCIETY?
HE RAPED AN UNCONSCIOUS GIRL AND ATTENDED TO RUN AWAY WHEN HE
GOT CAUGHT.
THEY ARE MENTIONING THE GRAPHIC DETAILS OF HOW HE WAS
CAUGHT BECAUSE TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF, IT IS NOT A DEBATABLE
QUESTION.
HE WAS CLEARLY RAPING HER.
ACCORDING TO THE
WITNESSES, AND YOU HAVE YOUR
CONVICTION HERE.
SHE WAS CLEARLY UNCONSCIOUS.
THAT ARE
THE FACTS OF THE MATTER.
THEY SAY, THE LOW SENTENCES BECAUSE
OF THE REASON AND AS STATED AND TURNER'S AGE AND LACK OF
CRIMINAL HISTORY.
LIMITING THE
REALITY.
THE LOW SENTENCES BECAUSE HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL
YOUNG WHITE MAN GOING TO
STANFORD.
THAT'S RIGHT 20 YEARS OLD THAT WAS PART OF THE SWIM TEAM
AND WAS EXPECTED TO BE AN OLYMPIAN.
YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE BEHIND HIM SUPPORTING
HIM AND TRYING TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR HIM.
HE IS A RAPIST.
NO ONE ASKED HIM ARE FORCED HIM TO DO A HE DID.
HE DO IT RIGHT ON HIS OWN ACCORD AND THE FACT THAT HE IS NOT
REALLY SUFFERING THE REAL CONSEQUENCES FOR IS RIDICULOUS.
OF COURSE OUR CRITICS ARE GOING TO GO NUTS, YOU GUYS ARE
MAKING ASSUMPTIONS, ETC.
LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING.
WHEN WE
COVER AFRICAN-AMERICAN STORIES
AND TRIALS, DO YOU OFTEN GET JUDGES SAYING WELL TO BE FAIR,
HE WAS REALLY YOUNG.
NO, USUALLY IT IS ACTUALLY WHEN THEY
ARE UNDER 18 AND THEY SAY HE SHOULD BE TRIED AS AN ADULT.
LOOK AT WHAT HE DID.
RAPE.
THAT IS ONE ADULT DOES, NOT WHAT
A CHILD DOES.
THIS GUYS ABOVE 18 THAT HE IS 20 YEARS OLD BUT
THEY SAY AND SEES WHY, HE'S REALLY YOUNG.
20TH THE YOUNG
FOR A WHITE GUY THAT COME ON, EVEN IF YOU ARE REPUBLICAN OR
THE DEEPEST CONSERVATIVE THERE IS IN THE COUNTRY, IMAGINE THAT
THEY FOUND A 20-YEAR-OLD BLACK
GUY NOT GOING TO STANFORD, POOR BLACK GUY RAPES A WHITE GIRL
BEHIND THE DUMPSTER OR ANY GIRL.
AND THEY CATCH HIM IN ACTIVE
RAPING HER.
DO YOU THINK THE JUDGE WOULD SAY WELL, HE IS
YOUNG AND LACKS THE CRIMINAL
HISTORY.
THE PRISON SENTENCE MIGHT HAVE A SEVERE IMPACT ON
HIM.
NO, YOU CONSERVATIVES WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE TO SAY GOT THEM
RIGHT SHOULD HAVE A SEVERE IMPACT ON HIM.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT THAT IN FACT, THERE'S A STORY OUT
ABOUT TOM COTTON WHO IS TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR
JUVENILES TO BE THROWN IN PRISON OR JAIL OR DETENTION CENTERS
FOR THINGS LIKE RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME.
DO YOU THINK THAT TOM COTTON IS THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE
THIS RAPIST WHEN HE IS PUSHING FOR LIKE THAT?
PROBABLY NOT.
HE IS THINKING ABOUT THE MINORITIES IN SOCIETY,
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN
UNDERPRIVILEGED SITUATIONS.
THIS IS A HEINOUS CRIME AND I AM
NOT SAYING OH MY GOD, WE REALLY HAVE TO SO THE BOOK AT HIM AND
HE SHOULD BE IN PRISON FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
I JUST
BELIEVE THERE IS A TWO-TIER JUSTICE SYSTEM AND WE ARE NOT
APPLYING SENTENCING EQUALLY AMONG PEOPLE OF ALL DIFFERENT
BACKGROUNDS WHETHER IT BE THEIR
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OR THEIR RACE.
I WANT TO READ TO YOU
PART OF THE VICTIM'S LETTER, AND ASHLEY BANFIELD DID THIS ON HER
SEGMENT AS WELL AND I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY POWERFUL.
WE WILL
SEE THE VIDEO, BUT FIRST THE RAPE VICTIMS SAID, "YOU TOOK
AWAY MY WORTH, MY PRIVACY, MY ENERGY, MY TIME, MY SAFETY, MY
INTIMACY, MY CONFIDENCE, MY OWN VOICE, UNTIL TODAY.
I AM A
HUMAN BEING WHO IS MANY
REVERSIBLY HURT."
IT SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT'VE HAD A SEVERE IMPACT ON HER.
BOUQUETS ABOUT THE VICTIM QUESTO WHO CARES ABOUT THE
IMPACT ON HER.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ASHLEY BANFIELD READING ANOTHER PART
OF HER LETTER.
I HAD DRIED BLOOD AND BANDAGES ON THE BACKS OF MY
HANDS AND ELBOWS.
WHEN I WAS FINALLY ALLOWED TO USE THE
RESTROOM ñ SKINNING GRABBING NOTHING.
THE THIN PIECE OF
FABRIC, THE ONLY THING BETWEEN MY BUT CHINA AND ANYTHING ELSE
WAS MISSING AND EVERYTHING INSIDE ME WAS SILENCED.
I STILL DON'T HAVE WORDS FOR THAT FEELING.
IN ORDER TO KEEP BREATHING I THOUGHT MAYBE THE POLICEMAN
USE SCISSORS TO CUT THEM OFF FOR EVIDENCE.
AND THEN I FELT PINE NEEDLE SCRATCHING THE BACK OF MY NECK
AND I STARTED PULLING THEM OUT OF MY HAIR."
WE SHOULD THAT WITH YOU BECAUSE SHE DID SOMETHING VERY
POWERFUL.
SHE READ THAT LETTER
FOR 40 MINUTES STRAIGHT ON TV.
NEARLY UNPRECEDENTED AND I
WANTED TO APPLAUD HER FOR DOING THAT BECAUSE IT WAS
SUPERPOWERFUL.
YOU GET A SENSE OF WHO HAD A SEVERE IMPACT.
I
CAMPUS SIZE ENOUGH WHAT ANNA SAID.
WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR
BLOOD FOR THIS GUY NOW AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE HE SPENDS THE
REST OF HIS LIFE IN JAIL.
OF COURSE, HE PUT ON HIS OWN
DEFENSE SAYING NO, AT THE TIME
THAT WE STARTED INTERCOURSE WE WERE BOTH CONSCIOUS AND WE HAD
BOTH CONSENTED.
THAT IS NOT HER RECOLLECTION AT ALL.
WHAT WE'RE
SAYING IS EQUAL JUSTICE.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE DECENT AND HAVE
MERCY TO SOME PEOPLE, HAVE IT'S ALL PEOPLE.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO
BE SUPER HARSH AND THROW THE BOOK AS SOME PEOPLE, THEN BE
CONSISTENT ABOUT THAT.
LOOK AT THE ASSUMPTION BUILT INTO WHAT
THE JUDGE SAID.
HE SAID I THINK HE WILL NOT BE A DANGER TO
OTHERS.
WHY?
WHY DO YOU
ASSUME THAT?
AGAIN, IF A MINORITY HAD RAPED A YOUNG GIRL
BEHIND A DUMPSTER DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD GET THE SAME
ASSUMPTION, THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE THAT A DANGER TO OTHERS
YOU KNOW THEY WOULDN'T.