RADAR ALERT: Tell State Legislators: Repeal Mandatory Arrest Laws Now!

Submitted by Matt on Wed, 2009-10-07 16:13

Domestic violence laws represent the biggest roll-back in Americans' civil rights since the era of Jim Crow.

Take mandatory arrest laws that disregard "probable-cause" protections that are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Then add in "primary aggressor" policies that say, "If you're the bigger and stronger of the two parties (in almost every case, the man), you're the one who will be arrested, regardless of what the evidence shows."

That's gender-profiling at its worst.

Not only do mandatory arrest laws trample on Constitutional protections, they also put victims at risk. According to a Harvard University study, mandatory arrest laws increase partner homicides by 57% – probably because at-risk persons are reluctant to call the police for help, knowing law enforcement is tied to a lock-step arrest policy.1

Like0 Dislike0

Comments

"Domestic violence laws represent the biggest roll-back in Americans' civil rights since the era of Jim Crow"

What about false rape accusations?

False Rape Society

-ax

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by axolotl on Wed, 2009-10-07 23:57

I completely agree with you ax, but I believe this is a matter of timing. Right now the general public is starting en masse to wake get the sense that the currently touted figures on DV are bullshit and the laws that were written based on those BS figures are starting to com into question. So it's a fantastic time to really get the message out there because people are starting to listen.

With false rape allegations, it's still allot harder to find a person who is willing to accept that they are a very serious problem. Most are still of the opinion that they are rare and that the few that do occur are justifiable casualties in the larger battle against all the monsters lurking in every shadow in the world.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Paragon on Thu, 2009-10-08 11:14

Since Duke and Hofstra have come into the limelight, people may be starting to get a whiff. Besides, I for one do not really think that most people actually, deep down, believe in the 2%. It goes against commone sense - people lie about everything under the sun...why not rape? I'm sure that more than a few people have asked themselves that question - but the people who count are scared to come foreward.

Check the site, there's some very interesting stuff on it.
-ax

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by axolotl on Sat, 2009-10-10 06:46

You've been here longer then me, and you know the shit I've been through regarding false rape allegations. That site was one of the first sites I found after I was arrested, got out of jail and was trying to figure out what the hell happened. I completely agree it is an awesome place with valuable information for everyone. It helped me figure allot out.

I was just talking in general from personal experiences talking to people who have not been connected in any way with domestic violence or rape.

It just seems that the general population still thinks that DV is often a matter best left to be resolved privately within families, where as rape ignites the fire of righteousness in many people who are ready to grab their torches and pitch forks before they hear any facts at all. Plus, anyone who's been in more then a few relationships with women has discovered some women are violent. Generally speaking, people are aware that females can be extremely violent. There is a case going on here eight now of a woman who tortured her daughter to death. She was 17 when she died and weighed only 35 pounds. She was beaten, starved, tortured to the point where one hip bone was protruding through her skin. Honest to goodness nightmare stuff. People do know women can be cruel and evil. Knowing women can commit acts of horrible violence and cruelty makes people more willing to listen to the truth about domestic violence.

I'm not at all saying false allegations are less important, just that many people feel that stopping rape is more important then anything and that falsely accused people are just acceptable casualties in a larger fight against evil. People just for some reason put rape in a special category and it evokes so many protective instincts in people that it is hard to get people to think rationally about it and weigh facts for truthfulness. Plus, many people still believe that women are not capable of committing rape at all. There are still many who think rape is something men do to women and children. They do not believe women can sexually hurt anyone. I of course - from experience - do not agree with this attitude.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Paragon on Mon, 2009-10-12 11:42

What kind of information did you get from the site? It has only been around for less than 2 years.
-ax

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by axolotl on Wed, 2009-10-14 06:06