USA Swimming bans Stanford rapist for life—Petition to impeach Judge Persky surpasses 1 millon

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Friday June 10, 2016 · 2:46 PM PDT

2016/06/10 · 14:46

Brock Allen Turner, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky — Brock Allen Turner (front), Dan Turner (back), Judge Persky (right)

It’s no surprise former Stanford University freshman and champion swimmer Brock Allen Turner was removed from USA Swimming this week. It should also be noted he is now banned for life from ever competing in the Olympics, a lifelong dream. Still, this along with being kicked out of Stanford University, and having to serve several months of jail time hardly seems penalty enough for raping a 23-year-old women behind a dumpster while she was unconscious — and then raping her again in court.

Here is the statement by USA Swimming via Lindsey Foltin with USA Today :

“Brock Turner’s membership with USA Swimming expired at the end of the calendar year 2014...He was not a member at the time of his crime or since then. USA Swimming doesn’t have any jurisdiction over non-members.”

“Brock Turner is not a member of USA Swimming and, should he apply, he would not be eligible for membership. ... Had he been a member, he would be subject to the USA Swimming Code of Conduct. USA Swimming strictly prohibits and has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, with firm Code of Conduct policies in place, and severe penalties, including a permanent ban of membership, for those who violate our Code of Conduct.”

Convicted rapist Brock Allen Turner exemplifies how one person can flip his life upside down within minutes after making a violent misogynist decision. But let’s make no mistake — Brock Turner brought this problem upon himself. The problem with the problem is he also flipped the life of an innocent human being who was unable to defend herself as he violated her. The victim/survivor (who goes by the alias of “Emily Doe”) thought she would begin to move on after the crime. Given the witnesses and evidence against Turner, most rapists when caught would settle and make a formal apology. Instead Turner opted to hire a powerful attorney, expert witnesses and private investigators whose main goals were to destroy, discredit and humiliate Emily Doe after Turner sexually assaulted her on a hard ground one January night in 2015. We’ll never know how much more damage Brock Turner would have inflicted upon Emily Doe had two students not come across the scene of the crime and stopped him.

Emily Doe’s astounding statement that she wrote to Turner was published on Buzzfeed last weekend and immediately when viral. Soon the world knew what Brock Turner had done, how he lied in court, and how his father tried to make him appear as a victim to get an lighter sentence from presiding Judge Persky (and it worked). Perksy, who handed Brock a six-month jail sentence (which has been discovered to be only three months) for three felony counts of sexual assault, may lose his job. A petition created last week to have Persky removed from the bench has surpassed one million signatures.

On Thursday, Vice President Biden penned an open letter to Emily Doe. In his letter he called her a warrior and said she has saved lives through her courage. On the same day Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) announced Emily’s statement would be read aloud on the House floor to Congress members in both parties next week.

We are seeing some justice in Emily’s case, though it greatly fall short and nothing can remove the devastating experience she has to live with the rest of her life. Most rapes are not reported and when they are, most rapists go free leaving the victim to be violated again, this time by the courts and America’s warped society. Many rape victims never break their silence and instead they live with pain and shame for the rest of their lives. For them, for anyone who has ever been raped or sexually assaulted, there is help.

If you or someone you know is, or has ever been, a victim of rape/sexual assault, you are not alone and it’s never too late to seek help. You can find free support via the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and/or by visiting the Rape, Abuse Incest National Network/online.RAINN.org. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. You do not have to live with guilt and shame. You are not alone. If you can hold on to one thing, remember this —

It’s. Not. Your. Fault.

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