Dear Mr. Turner,

You don’t know me, but I know who you are. I know about the horrible thing you did back in January of 2015. I know you only served three months in jail for this crime. I’m not here to tell you how much I hate you or how horrible of a person you are. But, I am going to tell you about what you did, and how much harder it makes every day life for young women like me.

Because of people like you, my mother wouldn’t let me leave for college without a can of mace. Women take self-defense classes to protect themselves from violent men and sexual predators. Special underwear that is impossible to cut or rip off is being developed, and there are several products that test drinks for date-rape drugs.

Because of cases like yours, it makes it difficult for victims of sexual assault to press charges. Because they know that their rapist will never serve the time that they deserve. They know that they could be forced to endure a never-ending trial, just to have their rapist walk the streets again in a few months. Because our justice system is more concerned with “protecting” women from transgendered people trying to use a public restroom than they are with convicting rapists like you.

Yes, Brock Turner, you are a rapist. Not a “former college athlete.” Not a “young man who lost his swimming career.” Not a “kid who made a mistake.” You are a rapist. And I do not feel sorry for you.

I don’t feel bad that you had to spend time in jail for what you did or that you are now being “harassed” by dozens of people outside of your home. I do feel sorry for the young woman that you raped. I cannot imagine the horrible pain she must be going through right now while you walk the streets again. I can only hope and pray that she will one day find closure for what has happened to her.

Your parents say that they fear for your life now that you have been released. Meanwhile, I fear for my life every time I walk to the library after dark. Because of men like you, women like me will never feel safe on their college campuses, going to and from the grocery store, or walking down the street at night. Because it could have been me that was raped that night. It could have been my roommate, my best friend, one of my sorority sisters, or my neighbor.

I hope you’ve learned your lesson from all of this. I hope that your short sentence was enough time for you to reflect on what you did. I hope that the thought of what you did keeps you up at night and that you never get a full-nights sleep again. But most of all, I hope that no woman ever falls victim to you again and I hope that no one ever forgets what you have done.