Woman sexually assaulted by Stanford swimmer won't participate in memorial
SAN FRANCISCO -- A woman sexually assaulted by a then-Stanford University swimmer outside a campus fraternity party will no longer participate in the creation of a memorial plaque after the university rejected her suggestions for a quote marking the place where she was attacked. The university rejected two quotes offered by the victim that were taken from the statement she read during the January 2016 sentencing of Brock Turner, Stanford law professor Michele Dauber said Monday.
Dauber proposed the plaque for the victim, who is a family friend and wishes to remain anonymous.
Turner served three months in jail after a jury convicted him of sexually assaulting the young woman behind a trash bin during an on-campus 2015 fraternity party. Turner also had to register as a sex offender.
Stanford spokesman Ernest Miranda said the university agreed to suggestions made by the victim and Dauber to turn the on-campus site of the assault into a garden and "contemplative space." Last year, Stanford put a scenic marker, including a foundation and two benches, at the site of the assault, reported The Stanford Daily, the university's student newspaper. Stanford had planned to install a plaque at the location.
But Miranda said one of the victim's proposed quotes was inappropriate and the other may upset other sexual assault victims.
Dauber said the university offered unacceptable alternatives, including a quote that reads: "I'm OK, everything's OK." She said the university's suggested quote was an out-of-context reference to the victim trying to comfort her sister upon their first meeting after the assault.
Dauber said the decision to reject the quotes the victim suggested "was a very poor choice."
"Given the situation, Emily felt the best course was to decline to participate in the memorial plaque," Dauber said, The Stanford Daily reports.
Known in court as Emily Doe, the statement she read at Turner's sentencing detailed the assault, the investigation and her reluctant participation in Turner's trial and called for better treatment of sexual assault victims. The statement was widely circulated on social media and has served as a rallying point for sexual abuse victims.
The case itself also prompted nationwide protests and criticism of the justice system's treatment of sexual assault victims.
Dauber leads a campaign to remove Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky from office because of his sentence of Turner. The campaign gathered enough signatures to place the recall election on the June ballot.
