Where do we go from here?
Posted 7/08/2009 by WHayes in Labels: delightful afternoon reading, Eric Frimpong, ESPN, law and order
Hello Art Star fam,
Today, I came across the story of Eric Frimpong, star UC Santa Barbara soccer player, and (wrongly) convicted sex offender.
I've linked the original ESPN article, but aside from this YouTube video, and a handful of blogs, I can't find the story mentioned on any major news network. Therefore, here's the short version: Frimpong was indicted, tried, and convicted in 2008 of raping a UCSB freshman, despite the complete absence of any physical evidence linking him to the crime. To make matters more difficult, his accuser admits she cannot remember many details of the attack, as she had been drinking much of the evening (her blood alcohol level registered at 0.2), except that her attacker had "big lips" and an "island accent." It would be easy for me to preach on the dangers of sex and alcohol and the re-victimization of assaulted women by blaming the liquor, but I won't do that. I'm not qualified to talk about that, and I don't want to. Yet.
That brings me to the question, what happens with this now? A dialogue on the case seems inevitable, but what should we talk about? Race, sex, or the sometimes haphazard collision of both? Where do we start? How do we advocate for justice for both Eric and the assaulted woman?
Help me out here, guys.
3 comment(s) to... “Where do we go from here?”
3 comments:
Finding justice for him and her.
Justice for both may have happened: She may feel that justice has been served, he was guilty and deserved the sentence. Justice for just one: She feels that her crime against her body has been righted.
Or justice for neither.
Justice is not an equation that balances.
Or is it?
On another tangent, it really is unfortunate that the key information that seems to be used for the procecution is that of ethnic traits (I believe in this case it is different than racial-yes or no?).
The other unfortunate thing here is the collegiate use of alcohol. These type of things are unavoidable (not inexcusable) in campuses across America. The culture is setting youth up for many consequences that they are not prepared for and would probably not encounter otherwise.
While I, as a victim of sexual assault on multiple occasions (hence anonymity), empathize deeply with Jane Doe, I have to say, that is definitely not enough evidence for a conviction. And in fact, I think I've come up with a scenario that could explain the physical evidence.
It's entirely possible that she was touching him and that her jealous boyfriend raped her. So, she remembers "Eric," there's DNA on him from her, and the sexual DNA from her boyfriend is the actual rape evidence. This is very similar to the narrative that the defense used.
I am not at all saying that she made this up to purposely shield herself and her boyfriend. She may not remember anything. She may remember just the pieces that she told the court, and those might not be accurate. (Especially since she was two times over the legal alcohol limit.)
Or, she may legitimately think that Eric did it. Whether or not he did is, unfortunately, immaterial in most courtrooms. It's all about evidence, and the evidence points overwhelmingly to the boyfriend in my opinion.
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