Anyone surprised this happened in Kentucky? Not really.
A 17 year old rape survivor, Savannah Dietrich, faced jail time after she tweeted the names of her rapists. The District Attorney decided not to press charges which would have carried a punishment of 180 days and $500 fine.
A plea deal was struck between the DA and her rapists, and she was angered by the lenient punishment. Dietrich said:
“There you go, lock me up,” before tweeting their names, “I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell…They said I can’t talk about it or I’ll be locked up. So I’m waiting for them to read this and lock me up. F**k justice. Protect rapist is more important than getting justice for the victim in Louisville.”Dietrich was interviewed by The Courier-Journal, and she spoke about her decision to breach the confidentiality agreement:
“So many of my rights have been taken away by these boys,” said Dietrich, who waived confidentiality in her case to speak to The Courier-Journal. Her parents also gave their written permission for her to speak with the newspaper.
“I’m at the point, that if I have to go to jail for my rights, I will do it,” she said. “If they really feel it’s necessary to throw me in jail for talking about what happened to me … as opposed to throwing these boys in jail for what they did to me, then I don’t understand justice.”
Dietrich's rapists shared pictures of the attach around their school after it happened. Resulting in her being afraid to leave her house. So it seems to me kind of fair, their names go on the internet and no one can un-see those pictures. Why are the rapists protected and not the survivor?
Surviving sexual assault involves dealing with the shame alone and in private. People do not understand and they do not know how to talk to you. Additionally, people think you are supposed to deal with it quickly and with dignity somehow. Being told you can't talk about it reinforces the shame and victimization surrounding the assault. There is also something seriously wrong with protecting the identities of rapists, minors or otherwise. If you rape, your name should go out into the world, even if you plead out.
I am completely disgusted that the DA is concerned about ruining the lives of the rapists, but has little concern for the survivor. Dietrich will not be serving time because of the publicity she received
from her story.
