If Turner appeals his conviction and gets convicted again, can the judge give him a harsher sentence?

Now older, wiser, I can look back on the times that I 'almost raped' someone. Never with malicious intent, but as a horny drunken college student. Sometimes too drunk to be of any harm (in the traditional sense) and other times just not drunk enough to where I was able to say.. whoa, I don't think this person is fully aware. Yes, there were times that we were very close to doing the deed - and I think back now how close I was to being a 'rapist'. I am sorry for this girl and the sense of shame she feels, I wish I could reach out to the girls that I made out with at parties and tell them "I stopped, we didn't do anything beyond -this or this-" Drunk college students hook up, sometimes they go too far, sometimes they pass out... I think the punishment for this boy fits, I hope he can live a productive life... And I hope the young lady can heal, recover and one day lead a happy life.

it's not judge "Perksy", it's "PERSKY". get his name right so people can write to his office & tell him what they think! Web Link

What the victim went through and what her family went through is beyond incomprehensible. The young woman, "Emily Doe" was so courageous, and I wish her continued healing and a wonderful life.

I am deeply saddened that the Judge decided not to punish the rapist, Brock Turner. 6 months, reduced to three months in jail (not prison) and probation. I would have give a far more harsher sentence. What would have it taken for Judge Persky to sentence Mr. Turner to years in prison. I respect Judge Persky as a Judge, which is a difficult job; however, I do not respect his sentence. It's simply not just.

This is an incredibly powerful and brave statement by this young woman. I am disgusted by the leniency of the sentencing, and I am convinced that if this had been a less privileged assailant the sentence would have been much harsher. The message here is loud and clear, " Drunk boys will be boys, " and girls should not drink - they should take the responsibility. I DO tell my woman students not to drink! Because the danger in these situations is real. But many college students get drunk , and they don't do what this boy did. I am furious about this, and I wish I could speak to this woman personally and tell her how much I admire her for speaking up and for giving us the details of what a sexual assault really feels like from beginning to end, if there is an end. Shame on the judge.

Emily - you are my heroine -- brave, intelligent, articulate and wise. Thank you for the incredible courage and thoughtfulness it took you write this letter and share the real story. I'm sorry you had to bear witness to this travesty in the worst way. I admire you and am grateful you are fighting so hard to rebuild and raise yourself above the pain inflicted by [portion removed] Brock Turner. I know you will rise above. Let the world and me know how we can help -- truly ask for anything you need -- a job, therapy paid for, etc. There will be many strangers like me who want to be the wind at your back. Thank you for providing a lighthouse for other victims.
Shine on!
With much admiration.

I think this is the first time I have read a [portion removed] victim's testimony about her experience. How horrendous! I hope she continues with her therapy to regain her own sense of strength again. I feel she was too kind and understanding [portion removed] in her letter to the judge. The sentencing was terrible -- way too short. [Portion removed.]

I hope that this survivor can sue him and win.

Wishing her the best in recovering from this violent, abhorrent crime, and from the resulting travesty of justice.

This breaks my heart into a million pieces but it gives me strength... I wish this had been published in 2006. Brutally raped and left in a shed with a cracked head covered in blood. I went home and snuck into my house because I was afraid my parents would be angry at me for drinking at 15 years old for the first time. I cried in the shower and couldn't bring myself to tell them or to bring charges for fear of being known as the girl who was raped.... I had so much shame over the years for not going to the police and have always regretted it. I went 5 years later and was told it's a cold case that nothing can really be done.. I had to call my rapist and see if he would admit what he did, the call went to voicemail. Nothing ever happened. I hope this beautifully written statement will give other girls course to know that although it is a hard road to take to take your attacker to court that you can make it through and find some solace afterwards. The only thing that made me go to the police was the thought of him doing this to others. I meet so many women who have had to try and make sense of things like this happening to them ... I just hope one day we will be in a world where things like this don't happen

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To Emily Doe....I'm very sorry for what you have had to endure, and yet, you may have disclosed a pattern of behavior here. Perhaps finding ways to discontinue this pattern is in order so that more lives aren't ruined down the road. [Portion removed.]

Just re-read the Emily Doe comment....must be a different Emily Doe. Sorry for my poor observation.

Since the victim statement isn't so easy to find in the DA's release, here it is. It is both haunting and devastating. Brock Turner stole so much from this poor woman. I am glad she finally had her day in court. Here's her statement:

Web Link

Her words are powerful. Wishing her the best.

Although I do not live in this community, I hope readers will remember Judge Aaron Persky at election time.

I am sickened by the leniency of this judge. So much so, that I find myself wondering if there were bribes or threats or coercion involved. How else could any fair-minded, competent, intelligent person let Turner off so easily? He needs to be taken out of circulation for a long, long time!

I am also sickened by the gross insensitivity of this judge to the victim's physical and emotional pain. How could he take that so lightly? It was incredibly brave of her to address the court as she did!

Brock Turner was found to have a history of serious drug and alcohol use going back to his high school years. His actions spoke far louder than his words, and he appeared quite smirky and remorseless in reality. How could a competent judge ignore THAT?

This was a slap in the face to the victim, and a gross miscarriage of justice.

Aaron Persky is a stanford alum and was himself a Stanford athlete. He was captain of the lacrosse team. A recall campaign will be launched.

Of course Emily Doe won't see this post, but I still hope that somehow she feels how thankful I am for her strength and for her words, which validated my own experience in a way that nothing and no one, especially myself ever could. I hope that the disturbingly lenient sentence doesn't undercut your feelings of strength and accomplishment. Your courage cannot be undercut. Shame on Judge Persky for reading your statement and STILL not understanding the magnitude of the crime committed and for rewarding a rapist and a predator for having a bright future to lose when he chose to cruelly dim yours. The fact that this joke for a sentence is also being appealed is both disgusting and insulting on so, so, many levels. But I can still the light from your lighthouse and for that at least, I am thankful.

This judge must be recalled. It was basically a wink and nod to the defendant in the manner of: boys will be boys, you haven't done anything terrible, but I will give you the lightest sentence I could away with without triggering a huge outcry. This judge's message to jocks is:I've got your back. This is absolutely disgusting.

That Judge is a Stanford Graduate -why was he hearing the case?

I suppose the prosecution can't appeal the sentence, but this judge is a Stanford alum and a former Stanford athlete, which makes me wonder how in the world was he ever allowed to preside over this trial and if there's any recourse.

To Emily-
Thank you for speaking out. As a victim of rape myself, I have yet to find the voice to share publicly what happened to me, yet I hope that with time, I can have the same courage you have exemplified. Your words are a reminder of the violence many women face every day and throughout their lifetimes, a violence that so often goes unreported and unpunished. I cannot express just quite how thankful I am for your words, because they give me hope and strength that I and other victims can survive and thrive despite what was done to us. Thank you for sharing your story and shedding light on a crime that so often silences its victims.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Under the most reasonably lenient of circumstances this should have been five years. This is crazy and wrong.

This ridiculously light sentence is now making national and international news.

Unfortunately, the Stanford influence has infiltrated into the judiciary too. It's bad enough that Palo Alto keeps accommodating Stanford to the detriment of the Palo Alto residents, but this is a new low, and a terrible precedent when a judge who is a Stanford alum lets a Stanford athlete basically get away with sexual assault.

Thank you for your eloquence and your bravery.

This article is not written by a victim- it is written by a SURVIVOR. I am in awe of the strength and inspiration this brave sharing provides to so many others. This young woman is a hero. She may not know it but she will have inspired so many through how she has boldly faced this attack. What a powerful message. Thank you Emiky Doe for sharing.

Aaron Persky is up for reelection, yet does not appear on the primary ballots. (He is apparently running unopposed.) Vote no confidence when he appears in the November ballots!

I read about a recall petition drive but can't find a link online. Does anyone have a link? Thanks in advance.

Posted by mauricio
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
1 hour ago
mauricio is a registered user.
"Unfortunately, the Stanford influence has infiltrated into the judiciary too. It's bad enough that Palo Alto keeps accommodating Stanford to the detriment of the Palo Alto residents, but this is a new low, and a terrible precedent when a judge who is a Stanford alum lets a Stanford athlete basically get away with sexual assault."

I strongly agree with you, mauricio.

the snooty good old boy's network.

Here is petition Web Link

"Under the most reasonably lenient of circumstances this should have been five years. This is crazy and wrong."

The perp is very fortunate to be white and an athlete.

Julie D,

Thanks very much for posting the link to the web petition protesting the absurdly lenient sentence.

Here is again: Web Link

"After the hearing, Turner's attorneys notified the court they plan to appeal the conviction"...

dear jay thorwaldson,

please post info in the weekly (repeatedly) to let others know how to recall, or vote against, this judge!

Stanford Law Prof Michele Dauber is leading the recall. Email her at mldauber@gmail.com

Wow, this judge needs to be in jail for re-victimizing the victim.

Emily,
Thank you so much for all your bravery and resilience. You speak for all of us in your outrage and your compassion. Thank you, thank you. I hope you will go forth and do powerful, wonderful things. Keep up all your good work and thank you for being a voice of reason in the chaos of this landscape. You are a beautiful and strong woman, and I feel very lucky to have heard your voice in all this.

It's time to exercise our sovereign authority and remove this judge from the bench. I have emailed Prof. Dauber and I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to gather signatures and raise money to make sure Persky can't spend another 10 years denying justice to victims.

It is heart wrenching that the poor judgment of both individuals will impact their lives forever.

My heart is hurting but I so appreciate hearing "Emily Doe's" voice loud and clear! Rape and Sexual assault are heinous crimes- NOT ACCEPTABLE PERIOD. Those attacked need support and a legal system to back them. Laws and consequences need to reflect this. I appreciate the courage it has taken to tell her story and hope this will be a catalyst for change.

Emily, thank you for having the courage to be that lighthouse.

Here is a link on how to file an ethics complaint against Judge Persky based on his bias against victims of rape and sexual assault as demonstrated by the lenient sentence he issued in this case. Please circulate this-

Web Link

[Portion removed.] She made a powerful statement, yet was unresponsive at the scene? Normally you need be alert enough to experience something for it to have a genuine impact. His sentencing was not too lenient at all.

@James, your post is absolutely horrifying. You will probably never be as wrong about anything like you are about this matter. I don't know what background or mentality are capable of producing such a vile, awful post, just like I'm not sure what exactly cause the judge to betray his justice, and his profession, and I probably don't want to know.

Mauricio - [Portion removed.] This case became entirely too political to be fair and Turner was turned into a scapegoat for all sexual assault on university campuses - he is an individual and should have been tried as an individual. If he intended to rape the victim then he got off easy, but if consent was given then the sentence was too harsh. Two independent bodies (the Judge and Probation) reviewed the case and Turner and determined a reasonable sentence is six months.

@Alphonso - just to be clear - [portion removed due to inaccuracy] If consent were given, there would be no rape. So the jury, the sole finder of fact, determined beyond reasonable doubt that no consent was given. Period.

The appropriate punishment is a different matter, and I know less about that. But let's not muddy the water on whether a crime was committed here and the facts of the case. The trial was held and the jury has ruled. Guilty.

One More - And to be clear - OJ Simpson was found not guilty of killing his wife by a jury.

@Alphonso - seriously, that's what you've got? A light sentence for this convicted rapist is ok because you are pretty sure OJ was guilty? I"m embarrassed for you.

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How convenient for apologists for sexual assault :The case has become too political, therefore the defendant is being scapegoated for sexual assault in:pick one - campuses, the military, the work place. Since he can't receive a fair trial, being a scapegoat and all, he should get off lightly, perhaps not punished at all?. And don't forget the O.J. trial.

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Mauricio,

The only problem with your posts is that they are devoid of any objectivity whatsoever; is there any* accountability to the 23 year old who decided to drink before* the party, get hammered at* the party, and then have no recollection of her potential consent? [Portion removed.] He's not right by any means, but the sentencing doesn't seem too lenient.

Even if Turner had been sent to prison for several years what is wrong on our campuses would not be fixed; the culture needs to change. Enforcement of prohibited under-age drinking and more education about sexual assault would help. I'd like to see the "anger energy" go towards that so that tragedies of this sort might be avoided in the first place.

Using your logic, if you, Vince, get hammered or stoned at a party, as a college student or an adult, it's more or less ok for someone to penetrate you while you are unconscious. Have any more excuses for sexual predators, or was that it?

What would Stanford do about this? And what about Palo Alto? In my opinion, we shouldn't have a [portion removed] walking around our neighborhood. I think he should be expelled from the university.

@CT Resident - the defendant hasn't been on campus since he was arrested; he withdrew from Stanford at that time. He is now in jail. You needn't worry about this young man walking around College Terrace.

@Vince - "accountability"? What are you talking about? If you or your friend or your child gets drunk at a party, what kind of "accountability" do you think is appropriate? Sexual assault?? Or should they just be beaten and robbed? Publicly shamed? What did you have in mind?

What the woman did in this case may have been unwise. Her punishment should have been a hangover. What the man did was a criminal felony, as now determined beyond reasonable doubt by a jury. Get the difference?

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To sum up the gist of the argument of sexual assault apologists as I understand it:if the victim acted in a foolish and irresponsible way before being assualted, she is to blame, and her attacker should at most get a slight slap on the wrist, if any at all. The consequences for stupid, irresponsible behavior should be rape/sexual assault or perhaps a severe beating, and the consequences for a perpetrator committing such acts on someone behaving irresponsibly should be a light reprimand. Is it a wonder we have so much sexual violence in our society with such attitudes.?

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