Roll Red Roll: Ending Rape Culture
Anna Schroedl, Loveland Victim Services Intern
Offered on Netflix, Roll Red Roll is a documentary about a tragic case of sexual assault in the town of Steubenville, Ohio. This town and high school, known for their football accomplishments, came into global headlines in 2012 when two football players were accused of the rape of a 16 year old girl, Jane Doe.
A Tragedy
This story is one we see in countless towns across the United States, while rape culture and victim blaming are seen in our communities everywhere.
Jane Doe, a 16 year old girl, had no recollection of the night she was assaulted, finding out from pictures posted online the following day. There were students claiming she was incoherent, yet no one stepped in and stopped it. A group of girls told her to not go home with the boys. A student who witnessed the assault walked away because he “didn’t want to be around it”. Three boys watched and took pictures to later post on social media. This bystander effect is seen in many cases of sexual assault, as the presence of others and lack of responsibility felt by an individual, keeps them from stepping in. With that, it is important we educate our young people and communities alike on rape culture and sexual violence in our communities.
The lack of knowledge on what rape and sexual violence is in a community can lead to victim blaming and the protection of perpetrators. Alexandria Goddard, a crime blogger from Steubenville, claims the town is “not a women friendly environment”. Jane Doe faced victim blaming from the community of Steubenville, claiming that her assault was not rape, that she should be more careful of the kind of pictures she posted, and questioned what she was wearing. Two students from the high school said she was “at a party she shouldn’t of been at” and that she “needs to take responsibility”. A tweet from a community member refers to the perpetrators as “those poor boys”. This kind of victim blaming is seen in more towns than just Steubenville, Ohio.
The Investigation
Once the pictures surfaced, a report by Jane Doe’s mother was made. The role of social media in this case was documentation for the prosecution. The cell phones told the story, when the victim could not remember. There were texts that came out where the suspects admitted to sleeping with Jane Doe without her knowledge or consent. Consent in the state of Ohio states that if one is substantially impaired, they can not properly give consent and that if consent is given under impairment, the consent is negated. Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond, two high school football players in Steubenville were arrested for the rape of Jane Doe. Three other football players were present at the assault, and given immunity in order to prosecute Mays and Richmond. They spoke about how Mays and Richmond had talked about “training” her before the assault occurred. According to the Domestic Violence Services, 90% of group rapes are planned.
Ma’lik Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a juvenile detention center.
Trent Mays was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a juvenile detention center, with an additional year for taking and sending photos of the incident.
The Reaction
1000’s of people rallied together during this trial, as it had shaken the whole community of Steubenville, Ohio. These advocates stood up for Jane Doe and told their stories of their own sexual assault, in hopes of bringing attention to a matter close to our hearts here at SAVA. This sparked news around the world and shed light on the rape culture our society supports. In addition to the arrests of Mays and Richmond, charges were filed against four adults in Steubenville. The superintendent, principal and two coaches faced charges due to another incident that happened in the April prior to Jane Doe’s assault. A 14 year old girl was raped and the mishandling of the situation led to the charges on the adults involved.
The town of Steubenville, like many others in our nation, are more worried about protecting the suspects, rather than the victims. This is the type of culture that contributes to cases of sexual assault. Rachel Dissell, an investigative reporter, wonders “is this town putting their daughters at risk by protecting their sons?”.
Ending Rape Culture
Rape culture is defined by Marshall University as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture”. Rape culture uses misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence which in turn, disregards women’s rights and safety (Marshall University).
As taught by our prevention team here at SAVA, the Pyramid of Violence starts with stereotypical roles, which is grouping individuals based on their demographic. Without this, we would not have the second level, which includes racist, sexist, and discriminating speech in the form of language and jokes. As the pyramid moves up, the behaviors become more violent. Objectification and dehumanization, discrimination, victim blaming, verbal abuse, physical violence, sexual violence, and then murder. To end sexual violence and rape culture, we must start at the bottom, by removing stereotypical roles from our society. You can see the Pyramid of Violence in the image provided.
References
Domestic Violence Services. Rape Myths and Facts. Retrieved from
http://www.domesticviolenceservices.com/rapemythsandfacts.html
Marshall University. Rape Culture – Women’s Center. Retrieved from
https://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/
Roll Red Roll (2019, March 22). from https://www.netflix.com/title/81087761