As you all may or may not know, Brock Turner was released from his joke of a sentence three months early for good behavior. For those of you that are not familiar with Brock, he is a rapist. In January of 2015, he sexually assaulted an incapacitated young woman behind a dumpster. Brock Turner was sentenced to only six months in county jail because of Judge Aaron Persky on June 2, 2016. He didn’t want poor Brock to struggle too much, after all, he comes from a well-off family, he’s an excellent swimmer, and he’s from Stanford. His father eagerly agreed with the judge, after all, why should this POS suffer for twenty minutes of action? On September 2, 2016, only three months into his sentence our fishy friend was released from the county jail because he so well behaved. I bet daddy made a nice steak dinner for him as soon as he got home, too! All the while Brock was kissing ass in jail and daddy worried for his son who lost his appetite, there was and still is a young woman suffering. Brock’s victim is one year older than I am, and as a woman, I am horrified, sad, and angry for her. I may not know her, but I understand. I pray every day that she knows that she is not alone and that we are all still standing by her.
To try and make light of a disgusting situation, here is a list of three things I can do in Santa Clara County and go to jail longer than Brock Turner.
1. Vandalism.
According to California law, if I get caught vandalizing property I can serve anywhere between one to three years and face fines that are up to $10,000 all depending on the value of the damaged property. I can spray paint RIP Harambe on someone's property and spend more time in jail than Brock Turner. People may say that this is apples to oranges, but I think that rape is a little bit more severe than vandalism. Both are wrong, but if you ask me sexual assault is essentially vandalizing someone’s body. It may be car tires, or someone’s will to live; regardless you are destroying something, and you are in the wrong.
2. Trespassing
In the state of California, trespassing could land you in jail for six months. This is the amount of time that Brock Turner, a rapist, was sentenced to jail for sexual assault. I could go to jail for six months for walking in someone’s yard playing Pokemon Go. However, if you were to have bad intentions with trespassing, such as aggravated trespass (having the intentions of hurting someone) you can end up in jail from 16 months to three years. Right, because shoving your hand into an unconscious person’s privates is not intentional. Sure.
3. Petty Theft
I can obtain someone’s property under false pretenses and receive, again, only six months. I can borrow my friend’s car with no intention of giving it back and spend more time in a county jail than a rapist. How on earth is it possible that people go to jail for a longer period for shoplifting and embezzlement than a college athlete does for stealing the innocence of someone they hardly even know. How is that even comparable? How does a rapist only get six months in jail?
I do not pity you, Brock Turner. You are now a registered sex offender, and everyone in your neighborhood got the notice. People are roaming your street protesting your early dismissal from an already shortened stay. Are your parents worried for your safety? What about the parents of young women dropping their daughters off at move in day for college? Eyeing up the boys that take second glances at their younger daughters, the thoughts running through their mind when they notice her RA gives each of her residents a rape whistle. Do you know why parents worry, Brock? Do you ever wonder why women travel in groups, or why girls get rape whistles when they move in? Do you stop to think about why women walk briskly with their heads down and keys in one hand, mace in the other?
It’s because of people like you Brock. People like you who can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves, who can’t be bothered to ask for consent. People that take advantage of the unconscious because no sane person would ever say yes to you sober. People like you are the reason why I am afraid to walk alone at night, why I never feel safe walking down the street. You make me sick, Brock. I hope you like attention because you are getting quite a bit of it. Remember this the next time you try asking a girl for her phone number in a bar: she has probably seen your mug shot, and she probably knows what you are. Have fun.
