49,000+ Call for Removal of Judge Persky from the Bench Following Sentencing of Stanford University Athlete for Rape
For Immediate Release: June 6, 2016
Contact: Brett Abrams | 516-841-1105 | brett@unbendablemedia.com
49,000+ Call for Removal of Judge Persky from the Bench Following Sentencing of Stanford University Athlete for Rape
UltraViolet Members Condemn Persky’s Decision to Sentence Stanford Athlete Brock Turner to Only Six Months in Jail for Sexual Assault
CALIFORNIA — Last week, California Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Brock Turner, a Stanford University student and athlete convicted of raping an unconscious woman last year, to jail for a mere six months, despite requests from the survivor and prosecutor for a longer prison term. In his decision, Persky suggested that a long prison sentence would have “a severe impact on him” and that Turner “would not be a danger to others.”
In less than three hours, more than 49,000 members of UltraViolet, a national women’s advocacy organization, have signed onto a petition calling on the California Commission on Judicial Performance to remove Judge Aaron Persky from his position on the bench and send a clear message to judges and law enforcement officials everywhere that rape culture has no place in our criminal justice system.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/stanford_removejudgepersky/
“To sentence Turner to a short six months in jail for his blatant, disgusting actions is a horrifying example of how rape culture has continued to run rampant on college campuses across the country and is reinforced by our legal system,” said Nita Chaudhary, Co-Founder of UltraViolet. “One in four women will be sexually assaulted while in college. With an epidemic of that proportion, survivors of sexual assault need judges that take these issues seriously. If Judge Persky is more concerned about the well-being of a rapist than the well-being of a survivor, or the importance of justice and public safety, it is clear that he’s not cut out for the job. The California Commission on Judicial Performance must move swiftly to remove Persky from his post and send a clear signal that rape apologists will not be tolerated as part of the criminal justice system.”
After Turner was found guilty by the jury, Turner’s victim read a powerful letter to her rapist, addressing him directly and detailing the impact of his assault on her.
You can read that letter here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-letter-the-stanford-victim-read-to-her-ra
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