Mr. Brock Turner,
I'm sure that before June 2, 2016, a number of people have known who you are, as the media won't let us forget that you're a star swimmer. However, since then, your name has become a household name. In my house, your name has come up in conversation at least twice per day since June 2nd. I, as well as a plethora of people across the nation, am outraged and disgusted by your actions.
Your father and others close to you attempt to downplay the crime in their letters by telling how sweet you are and claiming that you are not a monster. Maybe you're not a monster every other day; but on that night in January, you certainly acted like one. Your father, Dan Turner, talks in his letter to Judge Aaron Persky about how you used to love steak and had favorite snacks, and how now, you only eat to exist. I'm sure that the young woman you raped had foods that she loved to eat, too. She said in her letter that she could not talk to loved ones, sleep, or eat. It's unfathomable and ironic to me that you and your father still think you're the victim here.
I noticed in one of the countless articles that I've read that you have an older sister named Caroline. So, tell me this.
What if Caroline was at a party one night, with only the intention of having a good time, and was later found unconscious, half-naked, and being raped behind a dumpster? Would your family's viewpoint have changed? I'd like to think that your father would have referred to it as "20 minutes of hell" versus "20 minutes of action," as he did in your case. What I find ridiculous, though, is that often times, rape cases need to be personalized in order for people to understand the severity of them. Indeed, the young woman you assaulted is someone's sister, daughter, niece, and/or cousin. However, she is a person, and that alone is a reason not to rape her.
Alcohol is neither your friend nor your defense here. Both your father and your friend Leslie talk about the involvement of alcohol in this situation. Leslie claimed that your judgement was clouded and that your emotions were more intense than they normally would be. It's a fact that alcohol impairs your judgement. However, alcohol does not make the decisions; the person does. And your decision here was to rape an unconscious girl who never gave verbal consent to anything. She never said "yes, I want to have sex with you" or anything close to that. You know why? Because she was unconscious. Consent is a key element when having sex with someone. You did not have her consent, and that's why it's safe to say that you raped her.
Your father and friend also say that you now want to be involved in campus organizations to educate people "on the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity." The funny thing here is, though, that those don't have anything to do with this. What your fellow peers need to educate people on is rape and sexual assault on college campuses.
USA Swimming was right to never allow your membership to their organization. Those two bikers, grad students Carl-Fredrik Arndt and Peter Jonsson, were right to intervene in the horrible event, tackle you, and call the police.
Judge Aaron Persky, however, was not right to only give you six months of jail time, fearing that a harsher sentence would severely impact you. Both her life and yours have been affected by this event, but it's all your fault. You could and should have chosen to not rape her, and neither of you would be in this situation. However, your idiotic choice you made that night in January 2015 is the reason that her life will forever be changed, and there's nothing you could do to change it.
I know you'll probably never see this letter, or any of the ones like it out there on the Internet. I just want to clarify one last time, though, that you are not the victim here. That young woman is the only victim in this case. People keep saying that you aren't a monster or a rapist, but on that night in January 2015, when those two bikers saw what you were doing to that unconscious girl behind a dumpster, you were both. And today, you still are a rapist, and always will be.
Sincerely,
A frustrated girl
Side note: I wrote this article on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Anything written in here that resembles content in other articles is truly an accident, as this article was my own original thoughts and work.
