VOICES-The report on ‘LA Police Making It Safer to Rape in Los Angeles’ highlights several points, that it may not have intended.
First, the police and DA don't generally pursue he said/she said cases of sexual assault because they are making rational decisions based on the potential of getting a conviction. Our judicial system is based on "innocent until proven guilty" and without corroborating evidence of an assault it has to come down on the side of the accused. The state doesn't have the time or money to pursue cases that have a very low chance of conviction and while this is very unsatisfactory for the victim it is the way things are.
The second, and maybe more important point is that in the US, and especially in California, we have developed and accepted a culture of victimization. Liberal politicians would have you believe that the government should and can take care of you. When bad things happen the state is supposed to "kiss and make it better". It is time people woke up to the truth that the state is not your mother and cannot and will not protect your individual property or safety. All the police and courts can do is try to clean up the mess after the fact and even then, as correctly pointed out in the reported cited above, most of the time they can't even do that.
It is totally unproductive to lament over how unfair this is and we should realize that citizens need to, and can, do a lot more to protect themselves. Don't rely on the police to protect you they can't!
There is however a lot you can do if you are willing to stop acting like a helpless victim. Criminals are predators and like any predator they go after the weakest and most vulnerable pry. I'm not trying to justify or excuse criminal activity or excusing rape or assault but if you're going to act like helpless pry expect to be prayed upon. We all need to stand up and stop expecting the police, or anyone else for that matter, to protect our individual safety or security.
Men and women can do a lot more to protect themselves and stop criminal activity and assaults. It may provide some closure to see the scum bag who assaulted you go to jail but it's much better to protect yourself and avoid or stop the assault altogether. There are may programs provided by private groups, as well as the LAPD, available to teach you how to reduce the risks of crime and assault.
As citizens we need to accept more responsibility for our own safety and security and the safety of those we love. We also need to make sure politicians stop passing laws that promote our victimization by limiting our ability to protect ourselves.
(Robert Lamishaw lives in Los Angeles.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 84
Pub: Oct 17, 2014
