Sunday, January 19, 2014

Justice 4 Daisy

#OpNodaway

The lives of Daisy & Paige, two childhood friends from Maryville Missouri were forever changed after one evening in January  of 2012. The girls were invited to the home of Matthew Barnett, a senior student at Maryville high school. While Daisy & Paige planned on spending a fun evening at a party Matthew & his friend had alterior motives. The two boys served these young girls alcoholic beverages until they were severely intoxicated. Afterwards Matthew forced his will onto Daisy who was practically unconscious and proceeded to rape her while his friend sexually assaulted Paige. Matthew & his friend decided to videotape this act of terrorism so they could show it off to their friends later on. Rapists are indeed terrorists of misogyny that contribute to a culture of violence towards women. Daisy panicked as she awoke the following morning unable to understand what just happened. Her legs were frozen, teeth chattering, anxiety building up by the second as her mind raced. She was being asked what had happened but couldn't make sense of it herself at that moment. Daisy Coleman had been unconscious on her front lawn for hours after Matthew & his friend dumped Daisy's body there. They left Daisy outside with no shoes on in 20 degree weather & took off quickly so nobody would see them drop her off.

Fast forward to March of 2012 when sexual assault charges against the two boys were dropped due to lack of evidence.
This response by local law enforcement sparked #OpMaryville  which was launched a year and a half later. Activists from all over the nation fought for Daisy & Paige. A whirl wind of support began growing on social media which eventually led to the rally held on October 2013 in Maryville. This event prompted a follow up review of the case which concluded that the initial investigation was improperly conducted and both girls had indeed been raped.

Anticipation grew over the next few months as people patiently waited until January of 2014. The shocking verdict was another example of how poorly sexual assault cases are handled by our justice system. Matthew Barnett plead guilty to a misdemeanor child endangerment charge which resulted in a mild sentence of only two years probation, 100 hours of community service & an insincere apology. oh i'm sorry, my bad, an apology to the victims. (eyes rolling)

Matthew Barnett will not serve a single day in jail for the rape of Daisy Coleman. The terrorist that raped a girl who was unable to speak and abandoned her body in the snow will walk freely.
  

we cannot allow rapists to walk the streets freely while survivors hide

  It's time to address the effects rape culture has on our communities. A rape culture that led to a family being driven out of their home. We will begin to put Nodaway County officials who handled this case in 2012 under a spotlight. Their methods of investigation must be analyzed & reevaluated so improvements can be made. The primary focus of every single community across our nation is to ensure that the streets are free of sexual predators. We will be asking for the assistance of state and/or federal officials. There is no doubt in my mind that the guilty parties would be serving a jail sentence if this case was handled with the level of importance is deserves 

.We've planned a rally & hope you will spread the word
We will create a public forum where you can gather in support of Daisy & contribute experiences that relate to her situation. We will continue to hold rally after rally until progress is made. We also urge schools to begin offering free courses for parents of high school students. Courses designed on on how to teach their boys specifics of what consent means. A prime example would be an emphasis on how Consent changes from moment to moment. So, even if she suggests that she may want to have sex later in the evening that doesn't guarantee an open invitation. Her body is not the property of a man just because she is being flirtatious earlier in the evening. This may all seem like common sense but guess what. Some people don't understand this concept. Hence, rape culture will prevail unless young people are educated on these issues. I Am SERIOUS. EVERYBODY WHO IS IN THE VICINITY OF OTHER HUMAN BEINGS NEEDS TO KNOW THIS SHIT!!! There is a major problem when society focuses more on protecting their daughters than it does on teaching their sons how to behave

     #Justice4Daisy & #Justice4Paige is not over. Let nodaway county officials know how we feel about the current situation. we all have a voice to to contribute so let them hear our words. What happened to Daisy will not be accepted and discarded into a cabinet with thousands of other numbered files. if we walk away from this it'll be just another incident swept under the rug.  every person involved will help create a future where rape culture is nonexistent. We need to be louder than those who shift blame from rapists to survivors. tolerate no more!!! when it comes to acts of sexual abuse/rape we must Tolerate Nothing. We have the power to raise our voices so they chime loudly into the ears of those who influence laws and mandatory rape sentences. We must act and accept nothing less. nothing less than what the beautiful minds and souls of our fellow humans deserve. Tolerate NO MORE!!! Follow OpNodaway on twitter to stay updated on future rallies/twitterstorms and feel free to contribute your own thoughts/ideas.