At a news conference held on Jan. 5, 2013, the city officials with Steubenville, Ohio said a website was created to present the facts of a teen rape case that has gained national attention.
“With looking at the facts of the case, the rumors, the social media… we proceeded in setting up SteubenvilleFacts.org that will present only the facts and provide information on the government of the city, as well as the transparency and the timeline of the evidence,” City Manager Cathy Davison said at the press conference.
The case involves two 16 year old members of the town’s high school football team who are charged with raping a girl in August 2012—allegedly while she was unconscious.
After a video was leaked by the hacker group Anonymous that showed local teens laughing about the rape, and The New York Times published a piece on the case, the town has been criticized as community that supports the defendants because they are athletes.
According to Davison, the city website is meant to dispel the notion that “everyone in Steubenville is acting or is like the individuals that are involved in the case. That we are a community that is run by football. That is not the case.”
Police Chief William McCafferty also spoke at the news event, saying a number of citizens of Steubenville have been harassed by outsiders, although they have no connection to the case.
“I have to protect our citizens,” he noted.
According to 5NewsOnline.com, protesters held a rally in the town last month to support the alleged victim in the case and a similar protest was held Saturday.
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