Oklahoma cop convicted of rape “picked the wrong lady”

After Sandra Bland died in police custody in Texas in July, a social-media movement sprang up to bring awareness to the experiences of Black women. Some of the women had previous run-ins with law enforcement.

For about six months, Holtzclaw preyed on women – all African-American – in one of Oklahoma’s poorest neighborhoods, exploiting his police badge to intimidate them into keeping quiet. “All kinds of sex offenders, particularly intelligent ones, they pick their victims because they know they’re less likely to be believed”.

That’s what Holtzclaw thought, anyway.

“He didn’t choose CEOs or soccer moms; he chose women he could count on not telling what he was doing”, the prosecution said in its closing statement this week. “Convince these ladies that someone does care about them”. Adams questioned several women at length about whether they were high when they allegedly encountered Holtzclaw. He groped women’s breasts and genitalia, saying he was checking for drugs.

Ligons recounted how the officer forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Her mother clapped her hands and screamed with joy at the verdict, while Holtzclaw hung his head and sobbed.

He said, ‘No, really, I’m serious.

“I was so afraid, I was out there so helpless”, said Janie Liggins, a woman who had previously been identified as J.L., the New York Times reported.

In Cosmopolitan, writer Treva Lindsey said the case demonstrated “the unique intersection of racism and sexism in the lives of black women”. They anxious Holtzclaw would tell neighbors they were a snitch or they would end up in jail themselves.

The woman was tearful after the verdict and prayed with supporters outside the courtroom. If you are assaulted by a police officer, why would you trust another police officer?

I just really can’t believe it because it’s the police. I feel like all police will work together and I was scared.

Holtzclaw’s victims ranged in age from 17 to 57.

“It’s a problem for the nation”, she told The Associated Press.

Holtzclaw’s defense strategy of re-victimizing the victims by parading their criminal records and past drug use before the jury was part and parcel of rape culture.

Soon J.L. was talking to Kim Davis, the department’s sex crimes detective on call. Now that the case is over and Holtzclaw has been found guilty, I still find myself dissatisfied with the coverage of the trial, if not the results themselves. “It matters just as if this were a group of 13 white women”, Crump said.

Oklahoma City Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw told Ligons he had pulled her over for swerving.

A second victim, Shaudae Harris, was sexually assaulted by Holtzclaw while handcuffed to a bed at an Oklahoma City hospital. That number grew to 13 as the year went on.

For the 17-year-old girl, who was the last to testify, the convictions come as a relief. After all, he was a police officer and former football star, while they were not “respectable” because they had used drugs or had some involvement with the criminal justice system. Others, however, assume their position grants immunity. Other police departments did not take action against police officers accused of sexual misconduct. She accused Holtzclaw of sexual assault and violating her state constitutional rights, and accused the city of negligence.

“Where is the national outcry for their justice?” asked Crump, who has also represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Jezebel reported that, as he passed the jury, he looked toward them in shock and sorrow, appearing to mouth the words, “How could you do this?”

Then came the court case.

Yet, lo and behold, a self-proclaimed celebrity influencer beat writer for soulsociety101.com caused a stir on Twitter after he subscribed to the mantra that Black men should shoulder some of the blame for Holtzclaw’s behavior.

Daniel Holtzclaw, the former Oklahoma City cop who is now facing 263 years in prison for sexually abusing women while on duty, has reportedly been put on suicide watch.

Aside from serving justice, this sends a major message.

It’s a message we don’t hear very often, and it bears repeating: All women – regardless of race, income, and lifestyle – must be heard and protected.