Posted on 08/09/2010 6:48:11 PM PDT by geraldmcg
All our young lives we’re taught to seek out the authorities when we’re in trouble. For young women who are victims of rape, this includes reporting the crime in the face of one’s own personal shame and agony to seek justice where it is due and prevent the perpetrator from raping again.
In a suburb of Pittsburgh, a startling lawsuit turns this conventional wisdom upside down. And, according to high-profile criminal attorney, Rene Sandler, no matter how the suit plays out, it reveals a disturbing lack of judgment on the part of those authorities we’re taught to trust.
The suit alleges that when a female student at Upper St. Clair High School (pictured) approached a teacher about a boy who had forcibly had sex with her after school, on school grounds, USC’s principal concocted an unusual idea.
Instead of connecting the girl with police, or even taking the teacher’s offer to walk the girl to her bus every day, the suit says the principal wanted the girl to continue roaming the grounds after school in a sting operation that would draw the boy out under security-officer surveillance.
The result? The boy took the ‘bait.’ But, because security lost track of him and the girl, he succeeded in raping her again.
A court filing on behalf of the school district revealed doubt on the part of the principal that the sex wasn’t consensual, and that he didn’t believe anyone was in danger. Instead, his objective was to put a stop to students having sex on school grounds.
Either way, Sandler says this case is “wrong on so many levels.” With any doubt at all, the strategy of the principal and security officers was beyond irresponsible. “Using a rape victim, even a self-proclaimed rape victim, as ‘bait’ to catch the alleged rapist violates all social and moral standards.”
Having established that, Sandler goes on to be a harsh critic of the tactics as well. “I think it speaks to the ineptitude of the authorities,” she says. “the lengths they will go to for cases beyond their competence. What happened to school officials and police officers walking the beat, per se, and staying connected to the public they serve in order to keep their finger on the pulse of the bad guys?”
Possibly, but the story indicated that the principal didn’t believe the sex wasn’t consensual. That makes it even sicker. He may be a voyeur or he let his pop psychology get the best of him.
Terrible decision maker - dumb, low moral standards, and paid a mint.
Sounds like government work.
For some bizarre reason, crime on public school campuses is rarely reported to the police and action is seldom taken unless the parents push for it themselves.
There’s tons of theft in the school district in which we live and whenever the kids complain, the school tells them to fill out a report, chew the kids out for not locking their stuff up, knows who the perps are, and does NOTHING about it.
I don’t know why schools administrators seem to think that they are above the law or outside the law, or that they don’t have to follow ordinary legal proceedings when dealing with lawbreakers, but they act as if they are sovereign and not bound by the laws that apply to the rest of this country and society outside the public school system.
They’re sanctuaries for criminals, who only get rewarded for their criminal behavior by continually getting away with it and everybody knows it, and everyone knows that everyone knows about it.
“knows who the perps are, and does NOTHING about it.”
Dollars to donuts, the perps are members of a “protected class”. If so, the Puklik Scruel officials will do as little as possible, lest the “Da’t Rasis’! cry occur on their watch.
This case is a new angle on an old rape case, with this new wrinkle popping up completely unexpected. Right now the only info in the Pittsburgh media is from the lawyer. One can imagine that the school district is restricted in what they can say at this point. BTW, the school district is one of the ritziest in the South Hills suburban area - full of liberals who voted for Obama.
We live in a tiny town where everyone knows everybody else.
The kids who aren’t related to each other might as well be, they know each other so well.
We do not live in a very ethnically diverse community, however, it is political. If your parent works for the school district, you’re in. Lots of perks and awards, and protection from consequences.
It reminds me of the webcam case. That was also a ritzy school district.
The poor ones just have the run of the mill kinds of crime. This kind of rocket fuel grade stupidity seems to be inherent in rich districts.
Well she probably wanted it anyway?
Really?
Public school is child abuse, no public school employee is innocent.
This is in one of the most affluent areas of Pittsburgh
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Most of these school outrages are in schools that would be considered “good”. Yet...conservatives persist in insisting that their child’s schools is “different”.
This is in one of the most affluent areas of Pittsburgh
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Most of these school outrages are in schools that would be considered “good”. Yet...conservatives persist in insisting that their child’s schools is “different”.
I’m missing something here.
Read the article from this link-
http://kdka.com/school/Upper.St.Clair.2.760814.html
and that the perp was 14 for the first attack—
5 girls raped..
1 twice-
where the hell were their parents and WHY woud you continue to send your victim daughter back to that school ?
and why didn’t at least 1 parent out of this group go to the police ?
something’s wrong here.
USC is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Pittsburgh. It is a nice school, I still am shocked this happened there, or anywhere for that matter. You are suppose to call the police, report the incident. This was plain stupidity on the teachers part.
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Quick! Someone call Obama’s “safe-school” czar!
Wow, I know people who live in Upper St. Clair. There’s a “but MY school is different!” place if EVER there was one.
I just can’t - forget what Dad would do, if something like this happened to my daughter I’D be in there with the gun.
Bare hands would work and be much more satisfying.
No, I might not have a chance to finish things with my bare hands.
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