Office of the
Common Council President
Alderperson Austin King, District 8 City-County
Building, Room 417
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Madison, Wisconsin
53703
October 5,
2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ald. Austin King (608)
213-0104
Laura Dunn (608)
217-0600
Angela Rose (312)
758-7283
“Justice for
Patty” Campaign Kicks Off
Community,
national leaders seek passage of resolution apologizing to rape victim
Madison – Community and
national leaders today are calling for passage of a Madison Common Council
resolution related to the incredible story of Patty, the visually impaired
Madison rape victim whose heroic struggle for justice is chronicled in Bill
Lueders’ new book, Cry Rape.
Patty was disbelieved by a Madison police detective, pressured into
momentarily recanting, and then for seven months actually faced charges from
the District Attorney for obstruction of justice. It was only a few years later, when a DNA “cold hit” connected a
convicted criminal to the evidence at the crime scene, that Patty’s rapist was
found and prosecuted, and Patty finally received some small measure of
justice. Still, after so much time, the
City has never apologized for the horrible ordeal she endured and has never
taken action to make amends.
Common Council President Austin
King, district 8, has introduced a resolution calling for an apology and action
on behalf of the city. “This resolution
is not just the right thing to do for Patty, but for all people in the
City. These events were a tragedy for
Patty, and a black eye on our city’s reputation. It’s long past time for us to make things right with a sincere
and meaningful apology, and take corrective action to ensure that no other
Madison resident ever suffers through such a horrifying ordeal,” said King.
Angela Rose, the National
Director of PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) called the Patty
resolution “personally touching and profoundly important.” Rose herself survived a stranger assault,
and despite burn marks on her wrists from being bound by zip ties, her story
was immediately disbelieved by the police.
“This case strikes very close to home for me, because I was treated
horribly in my first interaction with the police after the assault, and I can’t
even imagine what Patty went through in facing charges,” said Rose. “But this resolution is also of immense
importance on a policy level, and it shows that the City of Madison is serious
about being a national leader in humane treatment of victims of assaults. Given that sexual assault is the most
under-reported crime in the United States, removing barriers to reporting isn’t
just compassionate, it’s smart police work.”
UW-Madison senior, survivor,
and Roosevelt Institution policy head Laura Dunn called for swift passage of
the resolution, saying, “This resolution is more than just a hollow apology to
a rape victim who was subjected to humiliation and pain in our criminal justice
system. It also makes amends to Patty for having to fight, not only to get her
rape taken seriously, but to clear her name, and forces the City to recognize
the harm it caused. Patty fought valiantly in the face of every injustice, at
her own expense, and currently to no avail. This resolution not only
acknowledges this grave miscarriage of justice, but gives it meaning by making
her whole economically.”
Kelly Anderson, executive
director of the Rape Crisis Center, said, “We at the Rape Crisis Center see
this resolution as a great opportunity to send a powerful message. We know Madison to be a caring community
when it comes to sexual assault, because we see it every day with people who
donate their time and money to this fighting this awful crime and caring for
victims. I have no doubt this
resolution will be met with broad support throughout Madison, and hopefully on
the Council itself.”
Former Madison Police Captain
Cheri Maples, now an assistant Attorney General in Wisconsin, appears in Cry
Rape. She remarked, “This situation
is proof that well-intentioned officers in a community-oriented, progressive
police department can still make grave mistakes that ruin lives. That’s why structural and policy reform are
so important, and why this resolution is right to call for such changes. I sincerely believe that Chief Noble Wray
will work to produce the right policy standards, even without prodding, and I
commend him for his keen interest in this subject.”
The resolution calls for four
actions: An apology to Patty on behalf of the City; a cessation of city
contracting for the next decade with Axley Brynelson, the private firm that
subjected Patty to unspeakable harm in the nineteen hour depositions; financial
restitution to Patty to cover her lost wages from losing her business, and the
legal bills that still saddle her with debt; and a report from the Police Chief
about changes to departmental policy that will halt the use of improper
interview and interrogation techniques designed to break down people who are
reporting being a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence. The full Common Council will take up the
resolution at its meeting of October 17, 2006.
“With the support of Mayor
Cieslewicz, I am confident that this resolution will find a warm reception
among my colleagues on the Council,” said King. “Although we’ve had plenty to disagree about in recent years, my
strongest hope is for a unanimous vote on the floor that will send a crystal
clear signal to our constituents and victims of this awful crime.”
A copy of the resolution is
attached.
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