Dear Brock Turner,

I want nothing more than to put my hands around your neck and inflict more pain on you than the pain you caused that innocent woman whom you defiled; however, I won’t do that, because stooping to your level is something I’ll never do. In the early hours of January 17, 2015 you took it upon yourself to take advantage of a young woman who consumed more alcohol than her body could handle when she reached the point of unconsciousness. But that didn't matter to you, did it, Mr. Turner? Being the spineless boy you are, you saw an opportunity to please yourself, and you took it, not thinking about how your actions could affect that individual for the entirety of her life. Here’s the icing on the cake – the young woman had to read about what happened to her in the newspaper. She found out at the same time the rest of society did that a sorry excuse of a man (that would be you) penetrated her because he couldn't keep it in his pants for one night. Obviously, you weren’t as intoxicated as she was, because you had the capability to run away from the crime scene (I say crime scene because, as you are unaware, rape is, in fact, a crime) while witnesses chased you down, because they have the decency and common sense to realize what you were doing/did was downright immoral.

You went to college with a promising future – a freshman at Stanford University with a promising swim career. Unfortunately, you’re a rapist. Let that sink in. Your face is across every social media site and every excruciating detail about the incident that you are fully responsible for is embedded into the minds and hearts of humanity. You dug yourself a grave. Give me the shovel and I’ll go ahead and throw the dirt on top of you.

Time for a lesson, because clearly, you are an incompetent human being. Women are not objects. Women are not here for your personal indulgence. Women are not less of a person than men. Women and men must give consent before engaging in sexual activity. It’s clear your parents failed at their job of instilling morals and values into the family they decided to make, but you don't deserve any excuses because your cowardly actions are intolerable.

On top of that, a “Brock Turner Family Support” Facebook page has appeared. Now, I don't know if this is your family’s doing or not, but the commentary and posts on this page are almost as nauseating as your actions. Trying to allude what happened that night was a conspiracy theory is not going to help your case nor is there any solid evidence.

The woman whom you mistreated chose to be nameless and wrote you a letter as well. Here’s an excerpt from that letter:

She was assaulted physically and now emotionally. Regardless of whether you’re having a “really hard time right now,” that doesn't justify hurting others for your own personal gain.

This article isn’t to condemn you for your actions. What you did was wrong, and my heart truly hurts for the woman who fell victim to you, but this also needs to bring about awareness of the normalization of rape culture in the United States. It’s time to stop making excuses for other’s wrongdoings and start shedding light on serious issues that need to be stopped. We need to stop blaming the victims of sexual assault, which results in standardizing sexual violence, regardless of gender. People have been showering support for the victim, but this can’t be a one-time deal. For men and women who have experienced sexual violence whose case hasn't hit national news, they are the ones who need to be uplifted and shown love. It’s time to go to the source and stop this violent crime from continuing to spread.

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.”

Sincerely,

Madeleine Blundon