If the convulsions of school redistricting did not provide enough of a moment of self-revelation in Howard County, the responses to a post by the Howard County Police Department give us an even more thorough view.
It’s not pretty.
Yesterday afternoon the Police Department posted about an arrest in a sexual assault case at Reservoir High School. And then the comments started. Victim-blaming reared its ugly head.
Christine McComas, creator of Grace’s Law, was moved to respond:
I surely hope that EVERYONE living in this county and especially within that particular community, with children or not, back away from gossiping/hating/judging/shaming on social media and warn others not to as well, particularly friends of the boy.
Read these comments and know that some of what they express is absolutely being aimed directly at this girl in much more damaging or threatening terms from her peers as they take sides
("you're a slut/whore trying to ruin his life", "snitches I will kill you")
Imagine not only being a young teen and having a horrendous experience, but publicly having the entire community involved in the maelstrom of social media badgering.
It is dangerous and can be deadly.
Let's get in front of it before tragedy strikes again.
Should abuse occur, save it and use Maryland's Grace's Law against cyberbullying to charge and get it to stop.
Grace K. McComas Memorial Webpage
Thank goodness many of the responses were pushbacks against the ugliness. But it is easy to see why women often decide not to report sexual assault. The pain of the event itself is doubled by those who refuse to believe that a crime was committed and undertake to attack the victim instead. If you knew those were your odds, would you report?
Howard County, you are breaking my heart these days.
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