Why Steubenville Matters

First of all, I would like to point out a misconception about Steubenville as a whole.  There ARE good, decent, hard-working people who live in Steubenville, Ohio who are unfortunately being labeled because of the abhorrent behavior by a handful of miscreants who continue to victim blame and shame Jane Doe on a regular basis.  These good people are also afraid to speak openly about this behavior for fear of retaliation against them or their families, and with good reason.  I have been the target of harassment for over a year by these people.  I can't say that I blame anyone local for not wanting to speak out against them because they have to live there among these people.  I have also been the subject of a lawsuit filed against my anonymous commenters and myself for speaking out about this case. (copy of lawsuit here)

I have said little publicly about this case for a long time.  I have ignored the insults and hate speech for longer than anyone else would have.  The families of those involved have threatened to sue me for what amounts to nothing more than internet butt hurt for the past year now.  I have been accused of being everyone on the internet that speaks out against them and they have harassed, targeted, intimidated and shit talked my family, innocent friends and myself for over a year.   Their hatred of me has become a very sick, unhealthy obsession. I am reminded of the question I asked myself on August 22, 2012 when I first read about this case:  Why would these kids act this way? The answer is very clear:  Look at the examples they have in their lives.  They have adult role models in their lives who bully, harass and intimidate others for speaking out, so why wouldn't these kids opt instead to do nothing but shame, blame and bully Jane Doe on social media?

I am not a US citizen.  I am a German immigrant who proudly lives in this country and loves everything about America.  I have been a staunch defender of the right to free speech and vehemently fought for the rights of my anonymous commenters to remain anonymous when we were sued by the family of Cody Saltsman with regard to the Steubenville rape case.  I could have had the attitude every man for himself when I was sued, but I didn't.  I rallied behind my John Doe defendants and ultimately was able to enlist the assistance of the ACLU to represent them so that anonymous speech was protected; and more importantly that their identities were protected.  Even as an immigrant, I am entitled to "unalienable rights" as afforded by the Constitution:  the protection of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".  Over the past year, I have been a target of hate speech; I have been hunted like an animal by individuals wishing to expose where I live, where I work or who I may have relationships with.  Why?  Because I wrote about a rape case involving their not so compassionate children.  I have purposely not disclosed where I live because these people are unhinged, and people with stalker obsessions are capable of doing bad things.  So, yes...I am in hiding.  NO ONE should have to live like this.  They are so hell bent on destroying me as a person that they have and continue to inhibit my right to earn a living and the right of those who may work for me to earn their living.  Because of their behavior and absolute intent on destroying or causing me physical harm, I am not even in a position to file a police report...because that would disclose my location and potentially put me in danger.

Connie Lulla, who used to be my best friend and who is also the wife of a Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Officer  instrumental in the Steubenville case went so far as to post my partial address on her twitter timeline.  Was Connie trying to intimidate me because she and her posse were able to stalk down my address?  A reasonable person would assume so.

...but these are not reasonable people.

The mother of my former best friend, Georgeann Tennant Allen, has wished me to die of AIDS and has made other innocuous threats about me being "in hiding". She has made threats openly on Twitter, and has wished my best friend who suffers from mental illness to just take something to end her suffering.  I would hope that I am not alone when I ask - WHO DOES THIS?

My status as a legal permanent resident alien should have nothing to do with this case, but apparently among Mrs. Tennant-Allen and her friends - it makes my opinions or thoughts less important.  It also reveals a very dark side of this group:  their bigoted and misogynistic attitudes which feeds the hate and ignorance machine.

grannygeorge12

Even my deceased Vietnam Vet father was not off limits to these people.

This case has been important for a few reasons.  It opened the world's eyes to the word "rape culture".  The content put online that night allowed the world a bird's eye view of rape culture in action, and also revealed the insensitivity of a group of entitled kids who believed they were immune from accountability - an idea that the adults online reinforce regularly.  It is also an important case because it empowered so many survivors of sexual violence who may never have been able to let the unspeakable pass their lips to do so and that there were people out there who were willing to stand up and do the right thing...regardless of the personal cost.

Attorney General Mike DeWine summed up the Steubenville situation very eloquently in his statement on The Cleveland Plain Dealer

But the lesson of Steubenville is not just that rape is a horrible crime of violence. While this began as a rape of a 16-year-old girl, it also represents blurred, stretched and distorted boundaries of right and wrong. It started out being about the kids, but it is just as much about the adults. How do you hold the kids accountable if you don’t hold the adults accountable?

A 14-member special grand jury convened after the rape trial. The members listened to 123 witnesses over a seven-month period. The grand jury has now indicted six adults, each presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial. The charges, in connection with the juvenile rape, range from obstruction of justice, falsification of statements, tampering with evidence, failure to report child abuse and neglect, and allowing underage drinking.

What is obvious to anyone following what happened in Steubenville is that a lot of adults failed a lot of kids. Grown-ups provided alcohol to minors. Grown-ups protected some kids at the expense of others. Grown-ups preserved an image over exposing reality.

As parents and as adults, we have an obligation to lead by example. We must teach our kids right from wrong and teach them basic standards of human decency. But in this age of social media and instant communication, a culture of “anything goes” has evolved. Act now, think later, and don’t worry about the consequences. We use our devices to communicate -- leaving an electronic barrier that divorces us from shame and from taking responsibility for actions and how those actions affect others.(Source: cleveland.com)