Gang Rape of an 11-Year-Old Girl

Today I stumbled on a 14-month old story from The New York Times online which tells the story of  a middle school girl in Cleveland, TX, who had been gang raped by as many as 18 assailants.  The accused rapists range in age from “middle schoolers to a 27-year-old” (sic).  Some of the suspects were high school athletes; others had previous criminal records–including one suspect who had been convicted of manslaughter.

Yet the article didn’t focus on how the tragedy affected this young girl.  Instead, it focused on how the town, and even the suspects themselves, were affected by the news of the rape charges:

The case has rocked this East Texas community to its core and left many residents…with unanswered questions. Among them is, if the allegations are proved, how could their young men have been drawn into such an act?…

…The arrests have left many wondering who will be taken into custody next. 

How could their young men have been drawn into such an act?  Times reporter James McKinley almost makes it sound as if the suspects are the true victims here, relieving them of culpability by hinting that they were seduced into raping an 11-year-old child.

McKinley goes on to quote residents who worry about their town’s reputation, residents who point out that the victim dressed older than her age, wore make up, and was known to “hang out with teen aged boys at a playground.”  Throughout the entire article, the only references to the girl’s plight is use of the lurid phrase “Vicious Assault” in the headline, and a factual recounting of the details from the arrest afidavits.

This type of victim blaming is appalling, but it is especially shocking to me that it is coming from a reputable source like The New York Times.