GUILTY CA - Audrie Pott, 15, suicide after sexual assault, Saratoga, 10 Sept 2012

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http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?id=19432436&ps=931&cat=&cps=0&lang=en

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Eight days after allegedly being sexually battered while passed out at a party, and then humiliated by online photos of the assault, 15-year-old Audrie Pott posted on Facebook that her life was ruined, "worst day ever," and hanged herself.

For the next eight months, her family struggled to figure out what happened to their soccer loving, artistic, horse crazy daughter, whose gentle smile, long dark hair and shining eyes did not bely a struggling soul.

And then on Thursday, seven months after the tragedy, a Northern California sheriff's office arrested three 16-year-old boys on charges of sexual battery............

"After an extensive investigation that we have conducted on behalf of the family, there is no doubt in our minds that the victim, then only 15 years old, was savagely assaulted by her fellow high school students while she lay on a bed completely unconscious."

Allard said students used cell phones to share photos of the attack, and that the images went viral............

The Associated Press does not, as a rule, identify victims of sexual assault. But in this case, Pott's family wanted her name and case known, Allard said. The family also provided a photo to the AP.

The girl's family members did not comment and have requested privacy until a planned news conference Tuesday. Her father and step-mother Lawrence and Lisa Pott, along with her mother Sheila Pott, have started the Audrie Pott Foundation (audriepottfoundation.com) to provide music and art scholarships and offer youth counseling and support.........more at link......
 
There are too many of these depressing stories right now. I don't understand this modern day rape culture where young boys believe this type of behavior is ok and our girls are continuously victimized.
 
Unfortunately for this girl, too little; too late.
 
what are we teaching our boys today? my goodness...how sad.
 
I just read that story this morning as well. So sad. I just dont understand what makes teen boys think this is ok. They not only dont seem to care that video is being taken, the video seems to spur it on, like they are "performing" for an audience. Then they and their friends (including other girls) seem to be perplexed that they are in trouble. "She shouldnt have gotten so drunk" they will say. There is just so little respect for others.
 
dammit

I am just so sick of reading case after case like this.
 
The elephant in the room that not one of these stories seems to address is: who is providing the alcohol for these minors? Moreover, who is providing the facilities for these children to "party" at?

As for what we're teaching our young boys? The google search for "drunk girl f*d" returns 12M hits. Yes, that's 12 million hits, folks. And yes, these represent *advertiser censored* videos of men raping women in various states of inebriation that are then uploaded by various people to *advertiser censored* sites. Sites that children have access to, bc all they have to do is to click the "Yes, I am over 18" button.

Seems to me the Communications Decency Act could use a major overhaul, to include making rape videos and revenge *advertiser censored* illegal.
 
PrettyWoman86 said:
There are too many of these depressing stories right now. I don't understand this modern day rape culture where young boys believe this type of behavior is ok and our girls are continuously victimized.
Click to expand...

It's not a modern day thing, as I doubt people decades ago were more sympathetic towards rape victims. And it's not just young boys either; People of all ages and genders contribute to rape culture. Heck, there are plenty of women/girls out there who believe that you can be "asking for it". Just think about the low sentences that rapists get. No exaggeration...The % of people who have messed up ideas about rape (like believe you can do something to deserve it or will defend a famous person, etc) is extremely, disturbingly high. It's like unless you're under the age of 12 or you were murdered/almost murdered (like the woman on the train in India)...you are somewhat to blame.
 
shadowraiths said:
The elephant in the room that not one of these stories seems to address is: who is providing the alcohol for these minors? Moreover, who is providing the facilities for these children to "party" at?
Click to expand...

I think this is a very important point. And not only who is providing the alcohol, but where do teens get the message that alcohol is a necessary component of a 'good time'?

If the parents' socializing revolves primarily around drinking, then is it any wonder that the teenagers aspire to join the drinking culture? They want to be 'grown ups' and in our society, drinking has to be one of the most significant signs of 'coming of age'. Want your kids to not drink? Well... drink responsibly, and be an example to them that socializing & fun can take place without a drink in hand.

I have actually heard parents say that they buy alcohol for their underage children & their friends and then allow them to drink at their home 'because they are going to drink anyway, so I'd rather they do it here at home'. Really? Well, if the bar is never set any higher than that, then undoubtedly they will drink, and likely to excess.

Will kids experiment with drinking? Likely, yes. But IMO, parents should let kids who experiment face all the consequences of that choice - so no sleeping in til noon the next day, automatic removal of privileges, grounding and no parties for a loooong time, etc. But to supply them with booze, and a place to drink it, and then go out or to bed while they are partying... that's just totally abandoning parental responsibility, IMO.
 
PrettyWoman86 said:
There are too many of these depressing stories right now. I don't understand this modern day rape culture where young boys believe this type of behavior is ok and our girls are continuously victimized.
Click to expand...

I don't understand the "modern day rape culture" statement.

Never, in the history of human civilization, have there been so many laws and societal norms that protect girls and women from being raped.

In the past, there was no age limit when a girl could have sex until Europe enacted laws of consent starting at age 10 or 12 for girls. Defense could be the girl had a prior history of sexual activity - a 13 year old girl who had a "history of unchase behavior" was open season. And that was STILL a defense when I was a teenager - a history of promiscuous behavior made more victimization by adult men legal.

There is no way a couple generations ago a woman could file charges on a man who raped her if she willingly went to bed with him - or even on a date with him alone. That was consent enough.

Remember the dear old nonsense poet Ogden Nash from the 1950's? He penned the oft-repeated line, "candy is dandy but liquor is quicker". That line even appeared in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a children's classic movie.

Just in this last generation have we moved toward saying it's not okay to get a woman drunk to have sex with her, and it's not funny, and it's not a joke.

So. Moving in the right direction. I don't think any student of history would make a statement like "modern day rape culture". There have never ever been so many protections for women and girls, and we've never had a society that was less shaming of women's sexual behavior and choices than now.

Ever read "the Scarlet Letter"? Talk about *advertiser censored* shaming.
 
These cases sicken me. Almost worse than the boys who think they are somehow entitled to rape any girl who gets drunk or is otherwise physically vulnerable (alone with a group of boys, for instance) and then mock HER for being 'sloppy', a '*advertiser censored*', etc. are the girls who do nothing to help another girl who is being assaulted then join in the victim shaming. That sucks. Boys who rape suck. Parents who enable or excuse this behavior suck. WTH is wrong with these people???
 
Minette said:
These cases sicken me. Almost worse than the boys who think they are somehow entitled to rape any girl who gets drunk or is otherwise physically vulnerable (alone with a group of boys, for instance) and then mock HER for being 'sloppy', a '*advertiser censored*', etc. are the girls who do nothing to help another girl who is being assaulted then join in the victim shaming. That sucks. Boys who rape suck. Parents who enable or excuse this behavior suck. WTH is wrong with these people???
Click to expand...

This x 100.

There were at least three boys involved in the assault, but there were witnesses who didn't stop it, and even more who forwarded the images, rather than going to their parents, teachers, or other adults to report it. Empathy. That is what is missing in these cases, imo. Basic empathy.

I agree with the other poster(s) who expressed that rape and victim-blaming is nothing new. But something about having the quick ability to document what's happening and then share it (e.g. smart phones) really enhances the mob mentality, IMO, both during the crime and afterward. And that is definitely something new, with the advent of social media. Maybe it has a minimizing effect, like "hey we're making a joke video!" as opposed to "hey we're raping someone!". And the victim becomes even more of an object, rather than a victim, when s/he's a prop for the cameras. You know, "the drunk girl getting f---ed", not "our friend being raped". Like a credit for a character at the end of a movie. That drunk girl in the video, not our classmate who was assaulted.

JMO, etc.
 
lack of basic empathy.

I can't post anything more correct or profound than that sentence from another.
 
I hope they are tried as adults and their entire lives ruined.
 
lillygator said:
I hope they are tried as adults and their entire lives ruined.
Click to expand...

As much as I hate what these boys have done, and believe that they must be held accountable... I also do not want to think that the answer is ruining the lives of 16 year old boys.

They are really just children yet themselves... children who have not been given the proper guidance, examples and limits... by their parents, the education system, society as a whole. Somehow, as a whole, we are not holding up the ideals of honour, respect, empathy, responsibility for our children, and that is failing a whole generation, IMO. As we know, children learn what they live, and live what they've learned.

It saddens me to think that these young boys have not been taught to be young men of honour... have they had any leadership from righteous and upstanding men in their lives? There aren't many examples of those kinds of men in movies, or on TV, or in music... so where are boys to learn how to be good men? We aren't promoting decency and accountability in our society much these days.

All just MOO.
 
The names of the suspects were not released because they are minors.


Ugghh sometimes laws tick me off!!!! I say plaster their names in the media, ruin their lives, just as they ruined the Pott Family. Afterall, these boys made the choice to break the law and rape this girl and brag about it by posting pics and videos. Why do the laws have to proctect the ones that broke the law?????
 
I mean.....I do understand that the alleged perps are minors. On the other hand, the 'alleged' victim was a minor and she is now dead. I just want to say, for the 'benefit' of those (especially the young female supporters of the alleged rapists) that reporting the rape did not 'ruin the lives' of the accused. I would submit that the decision to gang rape a young girl was what 'ruined the lives' of the accused, and also that once you decide to be a gang rapist your life probably wasn't going to amount to anything of value anyway, whether someone called you to account for your crime or not. IMO, etc.
 
Updates to the case:

Family and supporters fear that evidence was deliberately destroyed and are asking anyone with info about the photos (or the rest of the crime) to come forward. The Audrie Pott Foundation is pushing for a new law to toughen the penalties for cyber-bullying, and have adolescents accused of sexual assault be tried as adults:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...d-evidence-seek-help-20130414,0,6368261.story

Meanwhile, the high school paper (Saratoga Falcon) is reporting that the photos didn't go viral and were "only" seen by about 10 people. (A legal rep for the accused also maintains the photos were not distributed online, btw, and that her suicide can't be blamed on the actions of the accused.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...ewspaper-reports-her-photos-never-went-viral/

The parents have come out of seclusion and are filing a wrongful death suit:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/loca...bout-Daughters-Assault-Suicide-203013581.html
 
greenthumb said:
As much as I hate what these boys have done, and believe that they must be held accountable... I also do not want to think that the answer is ruining the lives of 16 year old boys.

They are really just children yet themselves... children who have not been given the proper guidance, examples and limits... by their parents, the education system, society as a whole. Somehow, as a whole, we are not holding up the ideals of honour, respect, empathy, responsibility for our children, and that is failing a whole generation, IMO. As we know, children learn what they live, and live what they've learned.

It saddens me to think that these young boys have not been taught to be young men of honour... have they had any leadership from righteous and upstanding men in their lives? There aren't many examples of those kinds of men in movies, or on TV, or in music... so where are boys to learn how to be good men? We aren't promoting decency and accountability in our society much these days.

All just MOO.
Click to expand...

16 is old enough to drive, hold a job. Not a child. If they are mentally handicapped yes, still a child emotionally, mentally.
Sorry, many people know right from wrong way before age 16!
 
x_files said:
16 is old enough to drive, hold a job. Not a child. If they are mentally handicapped yes, still a child emotionally, mentally.
Sorry, many people know right from wrong way before age 16!
Click to expand...

I agree that they should know right from wrong. And I did say that they should be held accountable.

But that is different from wishing that their entire lives be ruined, IMO. Just MOO.
 
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