Horror of Maryville Pt.1

Horror of Maryville Pt.1

While perusing the Internet between classes the other day, I noticed two startling articles on both Buzzfeed and Jezebel that centered on a horrific event in Maryville, Missouri last year. Bearing a strikingly creepy resemblance to the Steubenville case of last year, Maryville sheds additional light on the growing problem of rape culture in America. This disheartening story entails the rape of fourteen year-old, Daisy Coleman, and her thirteen-year old friend by high school football stars after a night of drinking. Daisy was left passed out on her front porch in the freezing cold January air where her mother found her the next morning. Football player, Matt Barnett and his friend committed the heinous act, while their other friend recorded the entire scene.  Furthermore, the county’s police dropped the entire case because the rape kits and video apparently did not count as enough evidence for the conviction of Barnett and his friend.  But wait, this story becomes even more disturbing.

The county court issued a statement about the case being dropped and stated, “We did our job,“We did it well. It’s unfortunate that they are unhappy. “I guess they’re just going to have to get over it.” I can’t begin to understand how this sheriff could believe they had “ done their job well” when two rapists walk free from raping a thirteen and fourteen year old girl. Coleman was kicked off her cheerleading team because of “ her role in the night’s event”. I’m sorry but what exactly was her ROLE? It’s so egregious I can barely contain my feelings of nausea when I think about the social ostracizing these girls had to endure over a crime that was entirely NOT their fault. This leads back into the Steubenville case in which the young women raped were repeatedly blamed for being “ sluts” and that they “ should have known better”. The perpetrators, on the other hand, were given all the sympathy in the world because god forbid their future football career be ruined by an act as harmless as rape!

Daisy’s mother was fired from her job, Daisy attempted suicide two times, and their house was mysteriously burnt down. Inevitably, the Coleman’s were forced to move to Albany.  It astonishes me that a case with blatant evidence ( they were FILMED for heaven’s sake!) could be completely written off, and what’s worse, the victims are ostracized by their community. Is this really how America views rape, as a regrettable teenage boy tendency that is something to pardon? Why are we continuously blaming the victims instead of pointing fingers at the community’s clearly flawed justice system? Stay tuned for next week’s follow up post on the harm behind blaming the victim!

For more of a in depth look at what occurred that January night, take a look  this article in the Kansas City Star