Sunday, April 28, 2013

What If Other Crimes Were Investigated Like Rape?


by Megan Sundance MacGregor

In rape culture the victim is suspect not the perpetrator. It is common to require the victim to prove the crime was not her/his fault.  This concept alone is insane. Yet rape victims must often prove they are not lying and generally report to officers not skilled in recording rape claims.
When one survives a traumatic event weather it is something like being fired or something like surviving rape the trauma affects the ability to recall information. This takes time to process the information, often weeks for everything to fall into place. Yet most law enforcement are not trained in this area or simply disregard this fact. The result is an inconsistent story is seen as lying rather than a victim processing what just happened.
What if victims of other crimes were treated like rape victims?  For example, a victim of armed robbery wants to file a report at the local police station. His clothes are disheveled and he has a large swollen wound on the side of his head. Blood dried on the side of his face. He approaches the counter.  
“I need to report a robbery.” He says patting the side of his head with a hanky he looks to see if the blood has dried. An officer leads him to a desk and offers a seat. “So you are saying you were robbed.” The officer asks.
“Yes.”

“Where did this happen?”

“A few blocks away. Outside of Jacks Sports Bar after closing.”

“You’ve been drinking?”

“Well ya it’s a sports bar. I was watching the game.”

“With friends?”

“No it’s a work night I went alone.”

“What was the final score?”

“The what, the final um… I don’t remember.”

“Okay let’s see if I have the gist. You went to a bar alone to watch the game. You have drunk so much you can’t remember the score. I can plainly see you are wearing an expensive suit. So people know you have money. Clearly you were asking for it. What do you think was going to happen dressed like that and drunk this time of night?”

“What? Hey I was robbed at gun point!”

“So you say. When did you say this happened again?

“Late, midnight maybe.”


“You said at closing before. Your story keeps changing.”

“I did?”

“How’d you get the wound on the side of your head?”

“He hit me with his gun before leaving.”

“You just let him hit you. A big guy like you. You expect me to believe this?”

“What the hell? He took my fucking wallet!”

“Now that’s your claim and you were under the influence, alone wearing an expensive suit late at night. You can’t even remember the score of the game. Know what I think? I think you got drunk, misplaced your wallet and fell down when they kicked you out. You don’t want to have to admit how you got the injury at work, I bet  you have a little drinking problem don’t you  and this would be grounds to fire you. So you came here to file a false report."

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Some jerk took my wallet at gun point and pistol whipped me for his trouble!”

“You need to settle down. Let’s say for sake of argument I believe you. And truth be told I am nowhere near believing you, but for sake of argument let’s say you are telling the truth. Do you have his name?”

“His name? He’s an armed robber I didn’t exchange pleasantries with the man. What the hell?”

“I see, you don’t have his name so we can’t get his side of it. That is convenient.”

“Are you kidding me! His side?”

“There are always two sides to these kinds of things. And let’s be honest. You don’t act like you were really robbed.”

“Are you fucking kidding me!? “

“I told you to settle down. I won’t tell you again!”

“You know what, fuck this, fuck you, fuck this whole thing, I’m out of here!” He stands to walk out.

“Hey you are not going anywhere. You are under arrest for making a false report.”

Yes, this does happen...far too much.  The links below will bring up two experiences.  One of the reasons so many sexual assaults go unreported is the fear no one will believe the victim or worse punish the victim for false report.
                The responsibility for rape does not fall upon what you wear, where you go, or even if you were intoxicated or the time. The responsibility for rape rests entirely on the rapist. I wonder how many would be shocked to find one is more likely to be raped in the safety of her/his own home by someone she/he knows than anyplace else. 

Wrongly charged with making a false report:
http://forums.officer.com/t163766/