Don’t force survivors of sexual assault to go to the police

When I was sexually assaulted by a classmate during my first year in college, I thought that reporting to the police would help me feel safer. But the police told me that if I tried to press charges against my assailant, my traumatic experience would be made public -- so I decided to wait. I wasn’t ready for my friends and family to know what had happened to me. I tried to press charges again a year later, and had to go through many grueling interviews before the police told me that they no longer believed my story. After everything, I was forced to continue attending school with the person who had assaulted me.
If I had known then what I know now, I never would have gone through the shameful and traumatizing process of reporting to the police. But a group of lawmakers are pushing a bill that will force survivors to do just that. Misleadingly called the SAFE Campus Act, this bill would prevent colleges from punishing a student who rapes another student unless the victim reports the attack to the police.
Sign to tell Congress not to make our campuses unsafe for survivors by passing this harmful bill.
We know from survivors across the country that if forced to report to the police, the vast majority would choose not to report their assault at all. Only a fifth of the rapes reported to the police lead to the attacker being prosecuted; particularly in cases where the survivor knows their attacker, reporting to the police can cause violent – or even fatal – retaliation from their rapists.
For undocumented students who might be afraid of deportation, or students of color who experience police violence at disproportionate rates, going to the police is often the last thing that they would do to feel safe after an attack.
If this bill passes, schools will be able to punish students who cheat on a test or beat up a classmate, but not students who rape, unless the victim goes through a lengthy and difficult criminal process. That means rapists will be free to continue roaming campus and putting all students at risk.
We can’t let this happen.
Please stand with survivors calling on Congress to oppose this bill and keep our campuses safe.

Make Bullying Illegal In All Schools

This gorgeous 14 yr old little girl was another victim of bullying. The article explains it all. Sherokee lived 2 houses from me. As a mother of two, It is ripping my heart apart to see the anguish and pain this family is going through. In honor of Sherokee and the countless children who are bullied everyday I would like to get the required signatures to make "Sherokee's Law" pass making it illegal to bully anyone in School or off school grounds. Zero tolerance policies are in place, but, they are not correctly utilized. As parents in our communities we feel enough is enough, and we are ready for big changes f. Children who are relentlessly tormented and who are to scared to say a word should not have to live in fear. Passing this law will give bullied children the relief they need and extra protection from bullies. Retaliation and be ganged upon by the bullies friends will also be included. This Law will also help clarify and set the rules and consequences in plain sight and on paper. Let children who bully know this behavior is not and will not be tolerated. This will create a more stable and non-violent environment for ALL school children across the country. If a child does not have to worry about who is going to attack them on a daily basis in a place that should be safe they are able to focus and do much better in school academically and socially. We as a Parents/Guardians/Aunts/Uncles/Advocates have the opportunity to set a precedence for everyone. It is time to put "what if's" aside, put this together and protect our children, grandchildren, nieces & nephews. We as adults have the power to fix this and no one else.