And I Thought I Could Leave it with Only a Positive Post!

And I Thought I Could Stop with Only a Positive Post!

Trigger Warning:  But your help is needed.  All you need to do is read the First line of this and you'll know what it's about.

A 14-year-old girl was raped in Maryville, Missouri, but her well-connected rapist

is walking free--despite a mountain of evidence and even a taped confession.

Tell Attorney General Chris Koster: Investigate the rape and cover-up, and get justice

for Daisy.

click here

Click Here

Local authorities in Missouri need to hear from you right away.

Nearly 2 years ago, 14-year-old Daisy Coleman* was raped at a party by a high school

football star and grandson of a powerful local politician in Maryville, Missouri.

But now,

he’s walking free while Daisy and her family struggle to survive with what happened

to her.

1

Immediately after the rape, Daisy and her mother went to the hospital and reported

it to police. Matthew Barnett was charged, and he confessed on tape.

2

But a few months later, county prosecutor Robert Rice--who has close ties to the

alleged rapist's influential grandfather--dropped the charges.

 Worse, the town and high school ganged up not on the rapist, but on Daisy and her

family. Classmates said they hoped she "gets what's comin," calling her terrible

names. The Colemans were forced to move out of town, Daisy's mom lost her job over

the case, and their house was even burned to the ground--the cause of the fire still

undetermined.

3

This is Steubenville all over again.

 And just like the Steubenville case, if thousands of us speak out and shine a national

spotlight on Maryville, we can get justice for Daisy and her family.

 There’s a lot of national media attention on this case right now, and news just

broke that a special prosecutor will be appointed to investigate.

4

 But this case has been slow walked for years. We need to make sure every single

person responsible for delaying justice--including local officials--is investigated

and held accountable.

Will you sign the petition to demand justice for Daisy

?

Sign the petition to ask the Attorney General to investigate everyone involved in the rape and the cover-up.

After the rape, Barnett left Daisy in her yard, barely conscious and wearing a t-shirt.

The temperature in Maryville that night was just 22 degrees. When Daisy’s mom found

her passed out at her front door at 5 a.m., her wet hair was frozen, and she was

injured from the attack. She cried when her mom asked her what had happened.

5

The town of Maryville seems happy to move on and forget the rape now that the charges

have been dropped and the Colemans have left, but Daisy's recovery has been slower.

 She has attempted suicide twice, has been hospitalized multiple times, and spent

three months at a residence for struggling teens. "You’re the s-word, you’re the

w-word… b-word. Just, after a while, you start to believe it," she told a reporter

about the constant torment. Barnett has gone on with his life, enrolling at Central

Missouri University this year.

6

Rape is an epidemic in this country--1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted, but

only 3% of attackers ever spend a single day in jail.

7 And

 when authorities ignore attacks on young girls and let rapists go free, it perpetuates

a culture and justice system that tolerates rape and blames survivors for the crimes

against them.

Prosecutor Rice told the Kansas City Star

 that this brutal rape was just "incorrigible teenagers" drinking and having sex--ignoring

evidence collected from rape kits and bedding from the crime scene, witnesses' accounts,

and even the taped confession of the rapist.

8

 And if you thought this story couldn’t get worse, since the rape became public,

Daisy's mom has learned that other girls had tried to come forward before--but according

to the sheriff, they were "all liars and... just wanted to crucify those poor innocent

boys."

9

Horrific cases like this one are becoming too familiar--from Jane Doe in Steubenville,

Ohio; to Rehtaeh Parsons in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Cherice Moralez in Billings,

Montana.

10

 But we can't let this keep happening. Can you sign the petition to make sure that

Daisy's rapist is brought to justice?

Add your name.

Thanks for all you do,

-Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Malinda, Adam, and Gabriela, the UltraViolet team

*We wouldn't normally identify a sexual assault survivor by name, but Daisy and her

family have come forward publicly in pursuit of justice, and their names have appeared

in the media with their permission.

Sources:

1.

Nightmare in Maryville: Teens’ sexual encounter ignites a firestorm against family

, Kansas City Star, October 12, 2013

2.  Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4.

Maryville, Missouri sex assault case: Hack group Anonymous plans 'Twitter storm'

, NBC News, October 16, 2013

5.

Nightmare in Maryville: Teens’ sexual encounter ignites a firestorm against family

, Kansas City Star, October 12, 2013

6. Ibid.

7.

Nearly 1 in 5 Women in U.S. Survey Say They Have Been Sexually Assaulted

, New York Times, December 14, 2011

Reporting Rates

, Rape Abuse & Incest National Network

8.

Nightmare in Maryville: Teens’ sexual encounter ignites a firestorm against family

, Kansas City Star, October 12, 2013

9.

Maryville Mom Says More Girls Came Forward With Tales of Assault

, Jezebel, October 15, 2013

10.

Sexting Scourge

, Slate, April 10, 2013

Montana judge criticized for 31-day sentence for ex-teacher who raped teen

, Reuters, August 28, 2013