Richmond High School gang rape victim awed by support

[Liberal_in_LA]

Richmond rape victim feels betrayed by attacker
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, November 6, 2009

Richmond police Sgt. Lori Curran spoke emotionally of the ordeal endured by the girl being referred to as Jane Doe, saying that the 16-year-old is in awe of the good wishes and gifts she has received as she recovers from the Oct. 23 attack outside a homecoming dance at the high school.

"The outpouring of support and love for Jane Doe is remarkable. In the 19 years that I have been here, I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like this," Curran said.

"When she hears about what people have e-mailed about her and what people have said about her at public rallies, the letters that she's receiving," Curran said, "more often than not she has clutched her heart and just is in awe that these people are really doing this for her."


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/06/BAP81AG00E.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0W735DUOd

[Jennicut]

1. Poor kid. I am glad she knows how many people support her.

[joeybee12]

5. Same here...that poor child...

:grouphug:

[YOY]

2. Whoever she is may she remain anonymous and remember always that most of the world is on her side.

n.t.

[Gold Metal Flake]

3. +1

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. She's not anonymous locally. All the kids at the HS know who she is.

[redqueen]

6. It's nice that she has this outpouring of support to help lift her spirits.

But these parts of the article are disheartening:

Curran said that victims sometimes become uncooperative, but Jane Doe has continued to provide what information she can glean from the flashbacks and nightmares she is suffering. "She doesn't shut down when we talk about painful things."

Is it just me or are those victims not so much 'becoming uncooperative' as they are just finding themselves unable to deal with those memories? Stating that they become uncooperative sounds like they're consciously clamming up for whatever reason.

"I think that because of Jane Doe's age ... they're so affected by it. Everybody has a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter; everybody has a relative that they can think of as Jane Doe."

IOW, if the victim was older, people would be less affected.

*sigh*

[Berry Cool]

7. I understand. Sometimes people who experience this have real trouble "cooperating."

It's just lucky this one doesn't. And yes--the situation is made especially horrible by the youth of the girl (in that it's always extremely bad when something like this happens to a kid), but you're right--if the victim were older, there would be a lot more gray fuzziness in the minds of many people, and probably a lot less sympathy. We would see arguments here about whether a grown woman doesn't "know better" than to go off with a guy like that, etc. As if gang rape were a fair and just punishment or "only what you should expect" from making a poor judgment. *sigh*