Article: "Steubenville High School football players found guilty of raping 16-year-old girl"

Mike DeWine, the attorney general, stated, "This community desperately needs to have this behind them. But this community also desperately needs to know justice was done and that no stone was left unturned."


It is not fair to the girl, her family, the defendants, or the community to "have this behind them." The community especially needs to sit with this, learn from it, and come together for a real conversation about sexual education, morals, small town ethics, pride, honesty, bullying, accountability, and understanding for the girl and her family. They cannot afford to push this incident to the past and try to forget this ever happened, because if they do, then this certainly will continue, though perpetrators may not be as public and bold as they were in this incident.

I want to know how the school, parents, and local media are talking about this. I want to know what the school and parents plan to do moving forward regarding education, accountability, and assistance. I understand that this is asking too much, but I want them to become aware of the culture and environment in which this happened, and to understand why things happened and how to prevent this from happening in the future, even if that means changing the culture.

The young men sentenced and the witnesses who, rightly or wrongly, received immunity will have to live with this forever. And I feel it is only fair for the community to do so, too. When these young men are released, don't treat them as heroes wronged who are returning home, but do not ostracize and vilify them, because everyone in the community contributed to their environments, upbringing, and mindsets. Welcome them home, support them, and endeavor for all to take real lessons from the experience that, moving forward, may enact lasting and appropriate change.

I am so very sorry for the young woman victim. I am very sorry for the young men. I am very sorry for their parents. I am very sorry for the community. But I hope that there will be hope in the future for growth and understanding.

Moving forward, I have a feeling that there will not be stories and articles detailing the importance of addressing issues such as bullying, sexual education, female on female violence, alcoholism and drug culture, and accountability. But I can always hope.

Here is the article from Yahoo: Steubenville High School football players found guilty of raping 16-year-old girl