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Getting away with rape
I was so sure Dominic Jones would be convicted of raping that woman it never occurred to me he’d walk. The Hennepin County prosecutor had him dead to rights. On film. So, when he did skate, I was so upset I couldn’t see straight. Still am.
What those jurors – eight of them men, surprise – did was declare open season on young women who drink. Especially those who drink a lot. They co-signed the concept that is perfectly okay to prey on these girls. Now, guys – particularly athletes (I don’t know what it is them) — will be gunning, armed with a good liquor cabinet. Or least a bottle. Count on more date rapes through RHP with predators simply waiting for a girl to drink at least enough so she’s forgetful about her glass – and then toss the pill in, figuring, What the hell: lights, camera action, baby!
It was plain as day the woman in that dorm room laying there on the bed, spread-eagled with Jones having himself a good old time between her thighs was incapable of consenting to sex. Yet, the jury winked at Jones. They spanked his wrist with a conviction for, get this, “unwanted sexual contact.” Well, damn it, if that’s not rape what the hell is?
The judge should’ve set the verdict aside. The system failed this young lady. Those jurors made pretty much certain that it will fail young women after her.
Dwight Hobbes is a writer based in the Twin Cities. He contributes regularly to the TC Daily Planet.
Comments
According to the news
According to the news accounts, the video did NOT show “Jones having himself a good old time between her thighs” but maturbating above the victim’s face. This is reprehensible but it does not meet the definition of “sexual penetration,” so Jones got acquitted of that charge It is unwanted “sexual contact” – the crime Jones was convicted. That is why it is important to have juries to sort out the facts instead of decisions made based on public emotions.
The Department of Justice
The Department of Justice needs to create a special department within itself that spcecifically focuses on sexual assault and rape investigations. Just like the Justice Department has the Drug Enforcement Agency for illegal narcotics investigations, it needs to have a special department for sexual assault and rape investigations. Present statistics are a s follows: An average of 1 in 6 women report being raped every year. However, seeing as how most rapes are not reported, it is estimated that actually 1 in 4 women are raped every year. And, in the rape cases that are reported, the conviction rate is about 5 or 6 percent. That is a deplorable conviction rate! I believe this low conviction rate is why many women don’t report their rapes. They know there will probably be no conviction, so why bother? If men were being raped with such frequency and the conviction rate was that low, I believe most of the Justice Department’s investigative resources would be geared toward bringing those rapists to justice. I believe that if the Department of Justice created a special agency for investigating sexual assault and rape, state and local law enforcement agencies would follow suit, just as they have done with illegal narcotics investigations (i.e. the drug task-forces they have set up). Think of a woman in your life; your mother, daughter, wife, sister, aunt, niece, etc. In our society today, she stands a very good chance of being raped and very little chance of being served any justice for that rape. And rape murders the soul. The Justice Department needs to do much more to stop sexual assault and rape.
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