Let’s turn around the letter that Brock Turner’s dad wrote to the court. Let’s see how Dan Turner’s letter might read if the rape victim’s father wrote almost the same words–but from her perspective. For the purpose of the letter, I’ve used the name “Annie” for the girl Brock victimized.
“As it stands now, Annie’s life has been deeply altered forever by the events of Jan 17th and 18th. She will never be her happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile. Her every waking moment is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. You can see this in her face, the way she walks, her weakened voice, her lack of appetite. Annie always enjoyed certain types of food and is a very good cook herself. I was always excited to buy her a big ribeye to grill or to get her favorite snacks for her. I had to make sure to hide some of my favorite pretzels or chips because I knew they wouldn’t be around long after Annie walked in from a long swim practice. Now she barely consumes any food and eats only to exist. This rape has broken and shattered her and our family in so many ways. Her life will never be the one she dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. There is no reason for her to pay that price. She did absolutely nothing wrong. That fact that she now has to live as a rape victim and live with the memories and trauma for the rest of her life forever alters her ability to move with a feeling of safety, and to live, visit, work, and interact with people and organizations without anxiety and fear. What I know as her father is that she didn’t deserve this abuse and that no action of hers warranted a man violently violating her for 20 minutes–or even for two seconds. She has no prior criminal history and has never been violent to anyone. She didn’t ask to be raped, including on the night of Jan. 17th, 2015. Annie can do so many positive things as a contributor to society and we hope that she can overcome the pain and anguish caused by that night and educate other college age students about the dangers of rape culture and of failing to educate people about rape and the many subtle and not so subtle ways it’s encouraged. By having her rapist jailed for a long time, society can begin to break the cycle of blaming the victim and making rape seem acceptable. A long jail sentence is the best answer for Brock in this situation and allows him to understand the irrevocable impact of his heinous actions and the way it has forever changed my daughter’s life.
Very respectfully,
The heart-broken father of Annie”
Here’s what Brock Turner’s father wrote:
Updates:
Here, by the way, is the far more eloquent and heart-breaking letter the actual victim wrote to the court. I highly, highly recommend you read this woman’s articulate description of her experience and its impact. https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-letter-the-stanford-victim-read-to-her-ra
And, if you are as outraged as I am and want to do something, sign this petition to repeal the judge that gave an asinine six-month sentence to a blatant rapist. https://www.change.org/p/california-state-house-recall-judge-aaron-persky/sponsors/new