Intersectional feminism: Okla. police officer rape trial

[tacosforlife]

A white female friend of posted this article on Facebook:

www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a49050/daniel-holtzclaw-trial-oklahoma/

It's a good article about how we as society overlook sexual violence perpetrated against black women. I won't copy the whole thing, but this is a good excerpt:

The invisibility of these women's stories on the radars of most news outlets and many of those invested in ending police brutality against black people speaks volumes about how black women figure in both national and social justice discussions about racial injustice. Without black-women-centered initiatives such as #SayHerName, the suspicious death of Sandra Bland may not have become a national news story. Similarly, without black women taking the lead on reporting on and organizing around Holtzclaw's accusers, there would be minimal coverage of these black women accusing a police officer of various acts of sexual violence. Most of the conversations about police violence against black people continue to focus on the police-involved killings of black men.

A white male supposedly-liberal-feminist-ally friend of hers basically posted a "So what?" in response. Paraphrased: "Of course black women can be victims. Who thinks they can't?"

OH MY GOD, ASSHOLE, READ THE ARTICLE!

My friend and I have taken him to task. I am glad to see Cosmo, which I assume has traditionally been seen as a white women's magazine, writing about this, and I am glad to see my white friends talking about it. But it's so frustrating to someone claim to be an ally in the fight against patriarchy turn around and dismiss the experiences of real women of color.

Before we had our intersectional feminism threads, I think I would have been bothered by his response but probably couldn't have put a finger on why. And I also feel better equipped to respond to him than I previously would have. So the more you know and all that.

[jojoandleo]

There is a "justice for Daniel Holtzclaw" facebook page with over 1000 likes. 

I live in OK, so I have been following this.  I wonder what all those supporters will say in response to the new DNA evidence linking him to the 17 year old victim. 

[marriedfilingjoint]

It's sad to me when Cosmo is the only one reporting on this (well, they were when the trial began). Aren't closing arguments today? The DNA evidence is pretty damning. If they don't lock him up, Oklahoma's going to burn.

[LadySusan]

Good on Cosco for writing this.

Oh. Just now a Cosmo banner ad popper up showing a man (in pants) with a woman's legs wrapped around his waist. Not great after an article about sexual assault.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Cosmo has impressed me lately.

It's like they're trying to redeem themselves from their whole glazed donut bj advice.

[tacosforlife]

FIX IT, JESUS.

This douchebag's response is that THE POLICE know that black women can be victims of sexual violence. This was in response to an article about a police office raping black women. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???

[marriedfilingjoint]

Bumping this because the jury deliberated until 2AM this morning and there's still no verdict. They are at 16 hours over 2 days now. No one is covering it so I'm having to follow on Twitter. Any one else?

@okcartists4justice is covering the protests and @schwabkyle is a local reporter who has been tweeting from the courtroom.

[jojoandleo]

Dec 8, 2015 18:22:42 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

Bumping this because the jury deliberated until 2AM this morning and there's still no verdict. They are at 16 hours over 2 days now. No one is covering it so I'm having to follow on Twitter. Any one else?

@okcartists4justice is covering the protests and @schwabkyle is a local reporter who has been tweeting from the courtroom.

I read last night they were sent to a hotel without having come to a decision, but hadn't heard anything today. I don't have twitter, though. I live in Oklahoma, you would think some local news would cover this. Ugh. I am so nervous. 

[marriedfilingjoint]

Dec 8, 2015 18:28:53 GMT -5 jojoandleo said:

Dec 8, 2015 18:22:42 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

Bumping this because the jury deliberated until 2AM this morning and there's still no verdict. They are at 16 hours over 2 days now. No one is covering it so I'm having to follow on Twitter. Any one else?

@okcartists4justice is covering the protests and @schwabkyle is a local reporter who has been tweeting from the courtroom.

I read last night they were sent to a hotel without having come to a decision, but hadn't heard anything today. I don't have twitter, though. I live in Oklahoma, you would think some local news would cover this. Ugh. I am so nervous. 

The only thing new I've heard today is that the judge announced that he will allow the verdict to be televised.  

I imagine it's taking so long because they have to come to a verdict for every single charge, right?  

The lack of coverage is maddening.  

[jojoandleo]

Dec 8, 2015 18:37:55 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

Dec 8, 2015 18:28:53 GMT -5 jojoandleo said:

I read last night they were sent to a hotel without having come to a decision, but hadn't heard anything today. I don't have twitter, though. I live in Oklahoma, you would think some local news would cover this. Ugh. I am so nervous. 

The only thing new I've heard today is that the judge announced that he will allow the verdict to be televised.  

I imagine it's taking so long because they have to come to a verdict for every single charge, right?  

The lack of coverage is maddening.  

NewsOK has some pitiful updates:https://twitter.com/NewsOK

Just says 14 hours and no verdict and discusses the protestors outside the courthouse.  Apparently the jurors have asked the judge questions, but no info on what those questions were.

They do have to consider each charge.

[secretlyevil]

Something is really wrong when Cos.mo is the media outlet putting a spotlight on this monster's trial. Why is the jury all white? How is that a fair representation of this country?

[jojoandleo]

Still no verdict. Reconvening at 9:30 this morning.

[cville]

It is appalling that I had no idea this trial was going on. I remember an article back when he was arrested (maybe from here?) but never saw any follow up. And shame on me for not seeking it out.

[marriedfilingjoint]

My heart hurts so much for these women. They all said the same thing: "why would I come forward? No one would believe me." That conniving POS knew exactly what he was doing.

[redwino]

I'm really worried about the verdict.
There had been some local outcry here that the black community has not supported his victims, particularly the black churches. The media is doing a piss poor job on reporting. Just a snippet here and there.

[jojoandleo]

Dec 9, 2015 9:44:58 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

My heart hurts so much for these women. They all said the same thing: "why would I come forward? No one would believe me." That conniving POS knew exactly what he was doing.

The prosecutor called them "perfect victims" because no one would believe them. The Defense Attorney called them, "perfect accusers" because they were all liars and drug addicts. Which I thought was the dumbest thing ever, because the perfect accuser would be someone with a squeaky clean background. Fucking moron.

But the prosecutor had a point.  Holtzclaw chose women no one would believe for a reason. 

[josieposy]

Dec 8, 2015 18:37:55 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

Dec 8, 2015 18:28:53 GMT -5 jojoandleo said:

I read last night they were sent to a hotel without having come to a decision, but hadn't heard anything today. I don't have twitter, though. I live in Oklahoma, you would think some local news would cover this. Ugh. I am so nervous. 

The only thing new I've heard today is that the judge announced that he will allow the verdict to be televised.  

I imagine it's taking so long because they have to come to a verdict for every single charge, right?  

The lack of coverage is maddening.  

That's what I'm reading. There are so many charges and the judge provided very detailed instructions. So at this point I'm hopeful it's just the long drudging process and not a hung jury.

[okla]

I am also local to this and I'm terrified of what the verdict will be. They're just taking so damn long. Someone upthread mentioned @schwabkyle, he's great to follow for updates; I think he's been there every day. Also there daily and live-tweeting is twitter.com/AIwasinski.

[iammalcolmx]

While some people may learn about slavery and the Jim Crow era in their high school and college classrooms, most will not learn about enslaved black women enduring forced breeding, rape, and brutal physical assaults. Most will not read about how the rape of black women functioned alongside the lynching of black people as a tool for maintaining the racial status quo after slavery ended and through the height of the civil rights movement.

I need future movies about slavery to address how Black women have been sexually assaulted during history. I remember watching someone say " Well the European settlers didn't' bring any woman so got with the Black woman instead" ^o)   I had to take a walk..........

[jojoandleo]

Dec 9, 2015 10:42:32 GMT -5 okla said:

I am also local to this and I'm terrified of what the verdict will be. They're just taking so damn long. Someone upthread mentioned @schwabkyle, he's great to follow for updates; I think he's been there every day. Also there daily and live-tweeting is twitter.com/AIwasinski.

Thank you! Someone mentioned in the Twitter page (I don't tweet, I don't know the lingo!) that the jury in the OKC bombing case took 23 hours with only 11 counts, so the number of counts is probably what is taking so long. I feel like if they were going to find him not guilty on ALL charges, it would have been faster. I think they are picking which counts he will be found guilty of. With the DNA evidence, I just can't imagine a not guilty verdict. Well, I can imagine it. It would actually not be totally surprising...

[iammalcolmx]

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[downtoearth]

Why are they still deliberating 2 days later?! I don't understand when you read how the GPS in his cruiser was tracked to all/most of these locations at exact times. I don't get it!!!

[jojoandleo]

Dec 9, 2015 13:40:31 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Why are they still deliberating 2 days later?! I don't understand when you read how the GPS in his cruiser was tracked to all/most of these locations at exact times. I don't get it!!!

He is charged with 36 counts. They have to debate each one. That is the only reason I can come up with for why it is taking so long.

They also have DNA evidence inside and outside his pants from one of the accusers.  One who would have been a minor at the time of the alleged assault.

[gazpacho]

I have been following. But, the thought of him getting off makes me ill. I am nervous about the jury's decision.

[iammalcolmx]

Look at all the shit those motherfucker did!! Note he was fired from the department.

December 20, 2013: The first known account comes from a woman who was arrested by Holtzclaw for drug possession. He drove her to a hospital for treatment, where he proceeded to fondle her while she was handcuffed to the bed. Later, the 24-year-old woman would testify that Holtzclaw “stuck his hand in my privates” and forced her to perform oral sex. He reportedly contacted the woman again after she was released from jail, drove to her home, and exposed himself to her in his car.

February 27, 2014: A woman was sitting in a parked vehicle outside of her house when Holtzclaw allegedly pulled up and made her expose her breasts in the back of his patrol car. He fondled her, and allegedly told her, “I’m not going to take you to jail. Just play by my rules.” The woman would later testify that she didn’t think anyone would believe her. “I’m a black female,” she said when she testified this month. Holtzclaw returned to this victim's house multiple times, once even allegedly breaking into the house without permission, waking T.B.'s boyfriend, Terry Williams, who also testified.

Early 2014: Holtzclaw forces a woman, admittedly a drug-user, to expose her breasts and genitals in order to avoid arrest.

March 14, 2014: A woman is stopped by Holtzclaw while walking to a friend’s house. He asks her whether she has drugs on her, and then allegedly makes her expose her breasts.

April 24, 2014: Holtzclaw stops a woman who was prostituting herself for drugs. He drives her home and asks her, on the way, what her specialty is as a prostitute. When they arrive at the house, he makes her perform oral sex and then rapes her.

April 25, 2014: Holtzclaw pulls over a woman, claims he is taking her to detox in jail, but instead drives her to a field and rapes her. After he was done, he drove away and left her there.

May 7, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly stopped a woman while she walked to her cousin’s house. Holtzclaw searched her and touched her breasts and genitals. After finding out she had some warrants, he made her perform oral sex, and then have sex with him behind an abandoned school.

May 8, 2014: A woman, known in court documents as T.M., reported that an unidentified officer forced her to perform oral sex after he found a crack pipe in her purse. Although she filed a police report later that month, no connection was made to Holtzclaw at the time.

May 21, 2014: After stopping a woman in northeast Oklahoma City, Holtzclaw allegedly drove her to a secluded area called "Dead Man's curve," and gave her an ultimatum: sex or jail. The woman performed oral sex on Holtzclaw before he raped her.

May 26, 2014: Holtzclaw stops a woman who is walking, touches her breasts, and puts his hands in her pants. She tells a roommate, but not the police, because she doesn't think she will be believed.

June 17, 2014: A 17-year-old female is first stopped by Holtzclaw when he arrives to investigate a verbal dispute between two of her friends. Later, he tracks her down while she is walking home, threatens to arrest her for an outstanding warrant, and then takes her to her mother's house, where he forces her to perform oral sex and have intercourse with him on the enclosed porch.

June 18, 2014: Around 2:00am, Holtzclaw allegedly has an encounter with a 57-year-old grandmother, who would ultimately be the one to reveal him. During a traffic stop, Holtzclaw forced the older woman to expose her breasts and perform oral sex on him, even while she begged him to stop. Unlike the other women, this lady was not poor nor did she have a record, so she was not as hesitant to report the assault. Prosecutors say that it was this “mistake”—incorrectly profiling the older black woman—that eventually got him caught. The grandmother immediately reported the violation to the police.

June 18, 2014: Holtzclaw's last encounter, before being placed on administrative leave that day, was when he allegedly stopped a woman early in the morning as she left a hotel where she had been staying with her boyfriend. After running a check on her, he took her to an area between a park and school, and made her expose herself and submit to sexual acts before raping her. She told her boyfriend after, who told her to call the police. “He is the police,” she recalls responding.

August 2014: The similar descriptions and accounts between T.M. and the grandmother known as J.L. led investigators to identify Holtzclaw as the perpetrator for both attacks. Investigators cross-checked the women’s accounts against the GPS system on Holtzclaw’s car and his searches on the police system. The stories seemed to line up. A review of the other names Holtzclaw ran through the system—at times more than once—helped police identify six more women. Holtzclaw is charged with 16 felonies. Bail is set at $5 million.

September 2014: Holtzclaw is released after he posts a cash bond on a reduced $500,000 bail. He stays with his parents and wears a monitor to track his movements. Two more women come forward after seeing Holtzclaw in the news, adding 10 additional counts to Holtzclaw’s steadily climbing list of offenses. At this point, 10 victims have come forward. DNA of an unidentified woman is found on Holtzclaw’s police uniform, implying other victims.

November 2014: Three more victims come forward, including a 17-year-old girl. The formerly unidentified DNA is found to belong to the 17-year-old girl. Ten more counts—including first-degree rape, second-degree rape by instrumentation, forcible oral sodomy, and sexual battery—are filed against Officer Holtzclaw. The total number of accusers is now 13. At this point, the officer is still on paid leave.

January 2015: Holtzclaw is fired from the Oklahoma City police department. In a letter to Holtzclaw, Oklahoma City police Chief Bill Citty wrote, “Your offenses committed against women in our community constitute the greatest abuse of police authority I have witnessed in my 37 years as a member of this agency.”

July 2015: After a second bond violation—the first was in November 2014 when he went to a doctor’s appointment without permission—Holtzclaw is ordered to spend 15 days in jail. Holtzclaw allowed more than 24 hours between charging sessions for his monitor, which is a violation of his bond.

August 2015: Holtzclaw is forced to remain in jail after the bail bondsman insurance company withdrew the bond. They considered him too much of a risk.

October 2015: The Oklahoma City Council rules that taxpayers do not have to pay Holtzclaw’s legal fees, because sexual assault is outside of his job description.

November 3, 2015: The jury selection is revealed to include eight white men, and four white women. Not one black juror is selected. The trial begins. All the alleged victims testify.

December 7, 2015: Closing arguments conclude, and the jury begins deliberation.

[secretlyevil]

Should have taken five minutes - guilty of everything.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Dec 9, 2015 15:05:06 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Should have taken five minutes - guilty of everything.

No. That would mean that if they already ha a foreperson selected, they would've spent 8.3 seconds deliberating each charge. That's not how you want the criminal justice system to work.

I mean, this guy is clearly guilty as sin, but you want the jury to take their job seriously, not act like they can't wait to get home on time to watch Scandal.

[secretlyevil]

Dec 9, 2015 15:08:31 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Dec 9, 2015 15:05:06 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Should have taken five minutes - guilty of everything.

No. That would mean that if they already ha a foreperson selected, they would've spent 8.3 seconds deliberating each charge. That's not how you want the criminal justice system to work.

I mean, this guy is clearly guilty as sin, but you want the jury to take their job seriously, not act like they can't wait to get home on time to watch Scandal.

very true

[Deleted]

Dec 9, 2015 15:57:59 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

I am not trying to trivialize this at all, but OMG that list of accusations iammalcolmx posted is straight out of Law & Order.

And what made him go after the 57 yo woman? All the others seem to have drug possession or prior, but she doesn't fit the profile. What made him target her? I am glad he finally "slipped up" and she reported it. And then the same day he does it again. Definitely escalating. I am so glad she reported him because he could have killed the next person. And I am glad the Department immediately put him on administrative leave. Departments do not always cover up for officers.

You're placing a logical thought process on a sociopath. He never thought he'd get caught so to him it didn't matter. 

[okla]

Dec 9, 2015 15:57:59 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

I am not trying to trivialize this at all, but OMG that list of accusations iammalcolmx posted is straight out of Law & Order.

And what made him go after the 57 yo woman? All the others seem to have drug possession or prior, but she doesn't fit the profile. What made him target her? I am glad he finally "slipped up" and she reported it. And then the same day he does it again. Definitely escalating. I am so glad she reported him because he could have killed the next person. And I am glad the Department immediately put him on administrative leave. Departments do not always cover up for officers.

He got cocky. 

I have read previously that she was driving home from a friend's house in the typically lower-economic area where he picked up all of his victims. He probably made some pretty shitty assumptions.