Forest Hills Rape: Principal Tells Victim to Keep Silent to Protect Rapist's Sports Career

Impact

I'm not even surprised. I'm not even shocked. At this point, I'm just enraged.

Another young girl has been silenced after she was raped by a varsity sports team member. After the principal of Michigan's Forest Hills Central High School was informed that one of his students was raped in a soundproof band room in 2010, he told her to keep quiet to make sure she doesn't ruin his prospects of being recruited by a top-college.

Yes, because she's the one who would ruin his chances, not him by, you know, by ... raping someone. The principal did not investigate the sexual assault, even though he is required to under Title XI. He advised the parents not to file charges because they would ruin his chances of playing basketball for a Division 1 school. The parents (boldly?) went to police anyways while the school deliberately sat back and swept the whole friggin' thing under the rug. 

Think this is bad? Well, it gets worse. Much worse.

The player raped another girl two weeks later. Why? Because rapists often rape again. Especially when they don't get caught. Or in this case, are intercepted only to be coddled by a principal who prefers to protect a guilty attacker rather his innocent victim.

Thought this story couldn't get worse? Well it does.

Just like Jane Doe in Steubenville, Audrie Pott in Saratoga and Rehteah Parsons in Halifax and many other cases have shown us, the shame of rape rests on the victim, rather than on the perpetuate. When the young girl's rape went "viral" around the Forest Hills high-school, she wasn't met with compassion; she was met with cruelty. The entire school proceeded to bully the hell out of the victim. Students flooded her with messages calling her a "whore" and "liar." 

No one tormented her more than her rapist. He would walk around with his group of friends stalking the young girl as she moved around campus and between hallways. He violently shoved her into groups of students in the hall so that she would slam against lockers. Her parents and friends complained. The school did nothing. They stood by the rapist. They protected him as he continued to physically and psychologically harass his victim.

Thankfully, law enforcement did do something. Five weeks later, the boy was charged and he pleaded guilty to assault and battery of both victims. The school's punishment? Benching him for a few games, which I believe is the appropriate punishment for cutting line in the lunch room, not raping another human being (or two for that matter). 

Remember the Onion's College Basketball Star Heroically Overcomes Tragic Rape He Committed clip? Well, it looks like real news has now become more screwed up than fake news. Peachy! Anyone else wishes there was an eject button from Earth right now?

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Original lead via Jezebel.