AP News is reporting that the two Steubenville high school students on trial for rape; have been found guilty. The students, Trent Mays and Ma’Lik Richmond were both sentenced to at least one year in juvenile jail. Mays received an additional year for illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material.
Some who have followed the case compared it to another high profile rape case in New Delhi (India). According to the Christian Science Monitor; lawyers stepped up to provide legal advice to men accused of gang raping a 23 year old student; then throwing her body into the street.
“Due process is one thing; but this is an insult to the family of this young woman. Women are hunted and handled like animals. And as long as people step up and defend; it won’t get any better.”
The Steubenville case involves 2 of America’s favorite topics: sports and social media. Some intimated that “sports were a bigger draw than God; while others stated that sports and social media “trump humility and harmony.”
“I am not looking to make little of rape; it (rape) is a big deal. What message are we sending about the value system we have as a country when we handle these cases differently? If we make them all a big deal; then maybe we see fewer of them. People think that being an athlete helps their (the defendants) cause, but it actually works against them. If they are not athletes; we may never hear about this.”
One key element of the Steubenville case was the emails and pictures surrounding the incident on the internet. Some viewed the videos as a “smoking gun and electronic admission of guilt;” while others saw it as proof that the kids were “just having fun.”
“Our children’s most shameful moments are splattered all over the internet for the world to see. Whether the verdict is rape or not; it’s a still a sad story. When did it become okay for kids to put these things out there?”
One parent suggested that all involved should pray for forgiveness.
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Source: AP News
Christian Science Monitor
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