http://www.democracynow.org - A rape case in Maryville, Missouri, has sparked national outrage after the charges were dropped against a well-connected high school football player and the victim's family was forced to leave town amid daily harassment from residents. Last January, 14-year-old Daisy Coleman blacked out after being given large amounts of alcohol at a party. She was then allegedly raped while another boy videotaped the attack. Coleman's 13-year-old friend was also allegedly raped the same
night. Coleman was then dropped on her front porch, barely conscious, in 22-degree weather, where her mother found her in the morning. Despite evidence and interviews supporting the case against the accused, prosecutors dropped the felony charges. Coleman's alleged rapist, Matthew Barnet, is the grandson of a powerful local political figure. In the months that followed, Coleman's mother was fired -- her boss admitted the case was a reason -- and her children were routinely harassed and threatened. Later, the family's house was burned down; the cause remains unknown. The case was described in the Kansas City Star and has since gone viral. On Monday, the hacker group Anonymous posted a video comparing Maryville to Steubenville, Ohio, where high school football players raped a 16-year-old girl.
Anonymous voice: "If Maryville won't defend these young girls, if the police are too cowardly or corrupt to do their jobs, if the justice system has abandoned them then someone else will have to stand for them. Mayor Jim Fall, your hands are dirty. Maryville, expect us."
night. Coleman was then dropped on her front porch, barely conscious, in 22-degree weather, where her mother found her in the morning. Despite evidence and interviews supporting the case against the accused, prosecutors dropped the felony charges. Coleman's alleged rapist, Matthew Barnet, is the grandson of a powerful local political figure. In the months that followed, Coleman's mother was fired -- her boss admitted the case was a reason -- and her children were routinely harassed and threatened. Later, the family's house was burned down; the cause remains unknown. The case was described in the Kansas City Star and has since gone viral. On Monday, the hacker group Anonymous posted a video comparing Maryville to Steubenville, Ohio, where high school football players raped a 16-year-old girl.
Anonymous voice: "If Maryville won't defend these young girls, if the police are too cowardly or corrupt to do their jobs, if the justice system has abandoned them then someone else will have to stand for them. Mayor Jim Fall, your hands are dirty. Maryville, expect us."
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