Let me say this: I BELIEVE THIS WOMAN. I am choosing, going forward, to believe ALL women who report being assaulted. When the Bill Cosby scandal started coming to light, I questioned the motives of all of those women, waiting so long, etc. And look how that turned out. I myself have a history. How can I not believe these women? I was wrong to question them, and I have vowed not to make that same mistake. I believe her.
BUT... at the same time, women who are attacked, assaulted, raped... if we want to stop being called liars who are just after
money, we have to stop going after money. This woman,
who alleges that she was drugged and gang raped 2 years ago, is pursuing a
civil case against Derrick Rose. She states she did not come forward at the time of the incident before because she
was ashamed, embarrassed, and was afraid at how her conservative family might react. All very understandable. We as a society tend to not believe a victim when she accuses Joe Q. Public. When the accusation is leveled at a celebrity... she has to be a liar! And even when we acquiesce that an assault occurred, we blame the victim for her attack.
If I am being honest, though, where I have an issue is with her decision to pursue a civil
suit (i.e., money) without filing criminal charges and pursuing a criminal case
(i.e., justice). The statute of limitations for forcible rape, in California,
is 6 years. Since the incident occurred 2 years ago, she’s well within the time frame to report and file. She says that a friend helped her escape
Rose’s house, where he and his friends initially tried to assault her. This
friend is a corroborating witness. I understand that rape cases, under the best of circumstances, are difficult to prosecute. But just because it’s hard, does that
mean we don’t even try? My reaction would be different if she tried to pursue justice, was denied, and her only option is to proceed civilly. It's bypassing justice and going directly down the money path that makes me uneasy.
Instead, she’s filed a civil case against an NBA star with
boatloads of money. When they reach an out-of-court settlement, she will have
money and he will move on with his life. No criminal
settlement on his part where, if he’s guilty, he will have a criminal record and most
importantly, have to register as a sex offender. This will get swept under the
rug as another whore who got paid for sex.
And on the opposite side of the issue... what if Rose really is innocent of these charges? What if she's a bitter ex who's trying to exact a little revenge for being dumped? What if she liked the lifestyle of being Rose's girlfriend and is trying to get a piece of that back? When Rose settles this suit, we will, as we always do, assume that the settlement is an admission of guilt.
