Vigilante justice: Student turns to public shaming of her alleged rapist

Article here. Excerpt:

'More than 100 posters plastered across the UC Berkeley campus Wednesday could not be more clear. “Rapist,” they declared in large, bold type, featuring a close-up photo of a young man above a caption with the word “rapist” also used as a title before his name.

The flyers were a call to action for Berkeley students to rally against the young man, who showed up on campus to appeal his August expulsion for violating UC’s sexual assault policy. As of this year, state law says all campuses must require affirmative consent between sexual partners. Students accused of sexual assault who can’t prove their partner said “yes” to sexual contact are subject to campus discipline.

And, in the case of the young man, subject to vigilante justice as well. Prosecutors never charged him.

“Just because the judicial system does not recognize that someone is a rapist doesn’t mean they’re not,” said Angela Dancev, a UC Berkeley alumna and activist from By Any Means Necessary, which printed the posters, organized a rally against the expelled student that drew some 50 people, and even held an “independent tribunal” that supported the student who accused her former friend of raping her on Oct. 2, 2014.'