Gothamist reported this week that a woman who was drugged and raped in a LES bar was accused of being “a party girl” by one of the police officers she reported her rape to. The rape victim, Pepper Ellett, believes she was drugged and has no memory of much of the attack. Gothamist quoted Ellett as saying: “But [the officer] said, ‘That just doesn’t make any sense. Maybe you’re a party girl. You know regrettable sex is not the same as rape.’”
Woah. Hold up. We need to address this right now.
Here are 5 reasons why what this officer said was completely unprofessional, out of line, and should probably get him fired:
1. Just because you like to party, doesn’t mean you’re looking for sex everywhere
Wasn’t anyone paying attention when P!nk released U + Ur Hand in 2006? That was almost 10 years ago, people. There is such a thing as a woman going out with the intention of going home alone. Women aren’t at the bar for the purpose of entertaining men. They’re there to entertain themselves.
2. Just because you like partying AND sex, doesn’t mean you want to be raped
3. Just because you like to party, doesn’t mean you’re a liar
4. Just because you like to party, it doesn’t mean you don’t know the difference between rape and regrettable sex
5. Just because you like to party, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve justice after you’ve been victimized
Pepper Ellett posted her story on Facebook and was sent a flood of messages from women who were also raped, some of whom were also belittled or ignored by the police. This isn’t just the case in New York—it happens everywhere. And it needs to stop.
If you want to help rape victims recover, you can donate or volunteer with Safe Horizon or RAINN.