Officer Charged With Raping 7 Black Women Gets Online Support (725 hits)
Online supporters of people who have committed horrific crimes are starting to be problematic. The latest? According to MLive.com, the online supporters of Daniel Holtzclaw, the Oklahoma City police officer who was arrested last month and charged for s*xually abusing seven Black women, has supporters who have raised over $7,000. So far, Twitter, Facebook and GoFundMe pages have surfaced, all supporting Officer Holtzclaw and calling for “justice” for the serial rapist. He is alleged to have committed several s*x crimes while serving as an on-duty officer in an Oklahoma City neighborhood.
Charges expected to be filed later this week include first-degree rape, rape by instrumentation, three counts of forcible oral sodomy, two counts of s*xual battery and two counts of indecent exposure. His alleged victims are seven Black women ranging in age from 34 to 58. These seven victims have been the only ones to come forward thus far. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said he expects more women to come forward as Holtzclaw has been on the force in 2011.
Capt. Dexter Nelson of the Oklahoma City Police Department said that an investigation was launched after one of the alleged victims came forward claiming Daniel Holtzclaw s*xually assaulted her. After an investigation began, six other women came forward. Holtzclaw has been suspended with pay on June 18, 2014 and was arrested on August 21.
The GoFundMe page created by Holtzclaw’s sister, Jenny Holtzclaw reads: “Daniel Ken Holtzclaw, a 27-year-old Oklahoma City Police Officer, not only deserves, but is required by the law, to be given a presumption of innocence. The pursuit of justice will be lengthy, but with the support of family, friends, and the community, Daniel Holtzclaw will be vindicated and justice will prevail.”
Holtzclaw is currently being held in the Oklahoma County jail on $5 million bond. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sickening. Imagine how many cases go unreported, especially those that involve law enforcement. Those brave women who fearlessly named Holtzclaw as their attacker deserve some praise. s*xual assault is one of the most under reported crimes, with 60% still being left unreported. When the police are the people who you report rape to, what happens when it’s the police who rape you?
