THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING FORMER STANFORD STUDENT AND
SWIMMER BROCK TURNER CONTINUES.
THIS PART OF THE STORY HAS TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT IT WAS
VERY DIFFICULT FOR JOURNALISTS TO CONVINCE AUTHORITIES TO
RELEASE HIS MUG SHOT FROM THE NIGHT THAT HE GOT ARRESTED,
FOR RAPING AN UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN BEHIND THE DUMPSTER.
THAT IS WHAT HE WAS CONVICTED OF, AND HE WAS SENTENCED TO
A MEASLY SIX MONTHS IN JAIL AS A RESULT OF THAT.
THE HUFFINGTON POST MANAGED TO OBTAIN A COPY OF HIS LATEST
BOOKING PHOTO FROM JUNE 2 OF 2016, SO THIS YEAR.
THAT WAS THE PHOTO WE SHOWED YOU WHEN WE INITIALLY DID THE STORY.
YOU LOOK AT THAT AND YOU THINK, WHY WERE AUTHORITIES SO
AFRAID TO RELEASE HIS MUG SHOT?
HE LOOKS FINE.
BUT SOMETHING DID NOT MAKE SENSE BECAUSE HE GOT ARRESTED ON THE
NIGHT THAT HE RAPED THIS WOMAN, AND HE WAS INTOXICATED, HE HAD
BEEN DRINKING, PARTYING, HE WAS AT A FRATERNITY PARTY.
SO THAT MUG SHOT DID NOT MAKE SENSE, SO JOURNALISTS
CONTINUE ASKING FOR ñ CONTINUED ASKING FOR THE REAL MUG SHOT.
"WHEN TURNER WAS ORIGINALLY BOOKED FOR ATTEMPTED RAPE
ON JENNIFER ñ JANUARY 18, 2015, THE ARRESTING AGENCY WAS
THE STAMPER DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, AN ARM OF THE
PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA."
THEY WERE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR FINALLY RELEASING THE
ACTUAL MUGSHOT, AND TODAY WE HAVE THE REAL MUG SHOT.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
THINK ABOUT HOW DESPERATELY THEY TRIED TO CLEAN UP HIS
IMAGE, IT'S INCREDIBLE.
I DID SKIP A FEW STEPS, SO LET'S LOOK AT ALL THE OTHER PHOTOS
THEY DID RELEASE OF HIM BEFORE RELEASING HIS REAL MUG SHOT.
THERE IS HIM AT A HOMELESS SHELTER, AND THEN A PHOTO
OF HIM AT A COAT DRIVE.
LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT THE PHOTO OF HIM AS A WORLD WAR II
MEDIC, AND THEN FINALLY HIM AS SUPERMAN.
OBVIOUSLY WE ARE JOKING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE HE'S NOT ACTUALLY
SUPERMAN, BUT THINK ABOUT THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION.
WHEN DO YOU EVER SEE PROSECUTORS GOING THIS FAR OUT OF THEIR
WAY TO HELP A DEFENDANT?
CHARGED WITH RAPE, ONE OF THE WORST CRIMES THERE IS.
SO OF COURSE THEY DO THE BUTTONED UP TIE PICTURE.
ONE PRESSED UPON IT THEY ARE LIKE, OKAY I GOT IT, WE'LL
GIVE YOU THE BOOKING PHOTO FROM A YEAR AND A HALF LATER.
BUT HE STILL HAS A COAT JACKET ON AND A PICTURE, HE'S CUT
HIS HAIR, LOOKS MORE CLEAN-CUT.
AND THEN WENT ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY PRESSED HAIR
LIKE OKAY, FINE FINE FINE, WE'LL ACTUALLY GIVE YOU HIS MUG SHOT.
CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THEY DID THIS FOR EVERY DEFENDANT?
THEY ABSOLUTELY DON'T.
YESTERDAY WE DID A STORY ABOUT A 14-YEAR-OLD
BOY WHO HAD ALLEGEDLY THROWN A ROCK AT A POLICE OFFICER
DURING A RIGHT AT A TRUMP RALLY IN NEW MEXICO.
HE'S A MINOR, 14 YEARS OLD, AND USUALLY THERE ARE LAWS THAT
WILL PROTECT A MINOR AND THEIR IMAGE.
IN THE CASE OF BROCK TURNER HE WAS NOT A MINOR, HE WAS
ALREADY IN ADULTS.
WITH THE 14-YEAR-OLD,
THEY RELEASED HIS MUG SHOT RIGHT AWAY.
IT'S PUBLIC RECORD, EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO IT.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT AS A JOURNALIST TO GET ACCESS TO A
MUG SHOT OF SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE POOR OR A MINORITY, BUT WHEN IT
COMES TO SOMEONE WHO WAS AS PRIVILEGED AS BROCK TURNER IT
DOES NOT MATTER IF HE WAS CONVICTED OF RAPE, YOU HAVE TO
FIGHT TO SEE HIS ACTUAL MUGSHOT.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE TALK
ABOUT WHITE PRIVILEGE.
IF YOU ARE A POOR BLACK KID ARRESTED IN BALTIMORE, DO
YOU THINK THE COPS ARE GOING TO BE LIKE, HEY I'M SORRY I
DON'T WANT TO RELEASE HER ACTUAL MUGSHOT, DO YOU HAVE A
PICTURE OF YOU WEARING A TIE?
THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA.
THAT'S NOT HOW IT GOES.
AND SOMETIMES THEY WILL RELEASE PICTURES AND IN COMMITTING
EVIDENCE ABOUT PEOPLE THEY SHOT DEAD, WHO WERE UNARMED.
THEY'LL BE LIKE, OH YEAH BUT DID YOU KNOW HE ONCE SMOKED
MARIJUANA?
THEY WILL BURY PEOPLE.
IN THIS CASE, STANFORD STUDENTS, PRIVILEGED WHITE RICH KID, I
DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU THE MUGSHOT!
EVEN THOUGH I'M THE PROSECUTOR, EVEN THOUGH I'M SUPPOSED TO
BE PROTECTING THE VICTIM, AND PROSECUTING THE PEOPLE WHO
DID THE CRIME, NO I'M GOING TO GIVE THEM EVERY ADVANTAGE.
THE JUDGE, AS WE TOLD YOU YESTERDAY, SAID HE MAY NOT BE
ABLE TO ADJUST TO PRISON BECAUSE HE'S HAD SUCH A GOOD LIFE.
AWH.
HE MIGHT EXPERIENCE A SEVERE IMPACT IN PRISON.
HE WAS BASICALLY SAYING THAT THIS KID GREW UP IN A
PRIVILEGED LIFESTYLE, AND HE'S A CONVICTED RAPIST WHO KNOWS
WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO TO HIM AND PRESENT.
BUT OTHER PEOPLE DON'T GET THAT CONSIDERATION.
YOU NEVER ASKED THE 14-YEAR-OLD YOU PUT IN PRISON, ALL THOSE
MINORITIES YOU PUT IN PRISON, ALL THE POOR WHITE KIDS ALL
ACROSS AMERICA THAT YOU PUT IN PRISON.
BUT THE RICH STANFORD KID, HE DOESN'T BELONG THERE.
POOR KID, ALL HE DID WAS RAPE A GIRL BEHIND A DUMPSTER, SO
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE HE DOESN'T SUFFER IN PRISON.
YOU KNOW THAT HE GOT SIX MONTHS, BUT BECAUSE OF GOOD
BEHAVIOR HE MIGHT BE OUT IN THREE MONTHS.
IT'S INSANE.
FOR A RAPE.
LET ME GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION THAT WILL
FURTHER INFURIATE YOU.
THERE'S CURRENTLY A RECALL EFFORT FOR THE JUDGE WHO
SENTENCED HIM TO SIX MONTHS IN PRISON ñ
JAIL, HE WASN'T SENTENCED TO PRISON, LET ME BE A ñ
LET ME BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
HE IS SUPERIOR JUDGE ERIN PERSKY, AND HE WAS ACTUALLY
REINSTATED ñ NOT REINSTATED, BUT HE IS NOW ABLE TO SERVE A
BRAND-NEW TERM AS JUDGE BECAUSE THE ELECTIONS TOOK PLACE
TODAY, AND GUESS WHAT?
HE WENT UNCHALLENGED ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
SO FAR THERE ARE MORE THAN 300,000 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED A
CHANGE.ORG PETITION, AND THEN THERE IS AN OFFICIAL PETITION TO
GET HIM REMOVED.
HOPEFULLY IT WILL WORK AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET RID OF
THIS JUDGE, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT APPLYING THE LAW IN UNEQUAL
WEIGHT.
WHEN YOU MAKE THIS KIND OF CONSIDERATION FOR SOMEONE
WHO WAS CONVICTED OF RAPING SOMEONE WHILE THEY WERE
UNCONSCIOUS, I QUESTION YOUR JUDGMENT AS A JUDGE.
WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR BLOODLUST HERE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR
FAIRNESS.
IF YOU WERE GOING TO SHOW MERCY FOR SOMEONE, AND
COMPASSION, WHY CAN'T YOU FOR ONCE ASK THAT WHEN IT'S A
MINORITY IN FRONT OF YOU OR A POOR KID IN FRONT OF YOU?
AND SAY, I WONDER HOW THEY ARE GOING TO ADJUST TO PRISON?
I WONDER HOW PRISON IS GOING TO RUIN THEM, AND THEIR LIVES,
AND I WONDER IF I SHOULD DO THAT TO THEM FOR SMOKING POT?
WHICH YOU DON'T EVEN THINK TWICE ABOUT.
BUT WHEN IT IS A STANFORD KID, OH MY GOD YOU RAPE SOMEONE
BUT WHAT WILL PRISON DO TO HIM?
IS HE GOING TO BE OKAY?
LET'S MAKE SURE IT'S JUST JAIL AND HE CAN GET OUT IN THREE
MONTHS.
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON OF THE INJUSTICE HERE.
THE PROSECUTORS, THEY COULD HAVE ASKED FOR 14
YEARS, THEY ASKED FOR SIX YEARS.
WHY?
ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS IS THE ONE CASE THEY DON'T THROW THE
BOOK AT THE KID.
THE JUDGE GOES, NO, SIX MONTHS, AND BECAUSE OF GOOD
BEHAVIOR IT MIGHT BECOME THREE MONTHS.
AND WE WON'T GIVE YOU THE MUGSHOT, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO
PROTECT THIS KID.
YOU DON'T THINK THAT IS RICH WHITE PRIVILEGE?
YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE MIDDLE-CLASS OR POOR THAT YOU WOULD NOT
HAVE BEEN TREATED LIKE THIS.