Description:
Rape and sexual assault have, in many ways, become the “bedrock” of the culture of contemporary Florida, and just as they do their victims, these assailants will continue to walk all over society until a fundamental change takes place.
On behalf of the many victims suffering in silence in Florida, we demand a more robust penalty for rapists - castration or capital punishment, for those convicted beyond reasonable doubt, dependent upon the severity of the associated crime. Many communities in the county live under the shadow of this heinous crime, with rapists running rampant and their destructive actions ignored.
We have to allow the possibility for the victims of these crimes to be able to bring these conversations up in ways in which they feel understood, heard, and felt.
That is not what has been the norm — not in this country and not in this state.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, for every six women in Florida, one is raped. According to the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida had in total 53,693 instances of DOCUMENTED rape between 2003 and 2022.
Brevard County, a roughly small county in Florida, for example, accounts for 1,191 or 2.2% of the state’s total REPORTED instances within that timeframe.
Brevard County, FL has unfortunately become a hub for such atrocities, severely assaulting the mental, physical, and emotional stability of its residents. We believe that introducing castration or capital punishment, severe yet fitting penalties, can become strong deterrents against potential future offenders, providing justice and closure for the victims and their families. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Brevard County has consistently ranked among the top in the state for reports of sexual assault (FDLE 2020 Crime Report).
These grim numbers show the urgent need for more severe measures. By introducing castration and/or capital punishment as punitive measures for rape, we can make a strong statement against sexual violence.
No more shall we place the blame for sexual assault, violence, and rape on the ends of the victims – the only people to blame are those who made the choices to use another person for their own pleasure, for their own false sense of control, and to exert a perceived power which they do not have.
This strong message can also encourage the victims who have been keeping their painful stories to themselves to speak out. The assurance of justice will provide them with the courage to shed off their fears and shame. Rape is not the fault of the survivor, and they must not be the one living with the lifelong consequences.
This journey is personal to us. It's stemming from witnessing the agony of victims, it's for the suffering souls whose pleas have been ignored for far too long. Join us to reform the justice system and ensure that the price of a heinous act like rape is severe enough to remember. Kindly sign this petition and stand with us in our fight for justice.