04.10.2013 08:41 AM

An open letter to Anonymous about Rehtaeh Parsons

Dear Anonymous:

I have never written to you, the global hacktivist group, before.  Like everyone else, I have read about your exploits and, more than once, nodded my head with approval.  It’s comforting to see citizens periodically bring certain groups to heel, like child pornographers or the Church of Scientology.

I am writing to you today about something else, however.

In Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, a girl named Rehtaeh Parsons killed herself last week.  She was 17 years old.  That’s her, up above.

Her name was Heather spelled backwards. Rehtaeh was a straight-A student, she was much-loved by her family and others.  She was a good kid.

In November 2011, when she was 15 years old – just a child – she was raped by four males in a basement.  One of them photographed her being raped, and then circulated it to many others.  They thought it was funny.

Rehtaeh was thereafter harassed and abused and bullied by students at her school.  The torment got bad enough that Rehtaeh had to move to another town.  Months later, she returned, but the bullying and abuse never stopped.  She was sent messages calling her a “slut.”

You may ask what happened to the four males who raped her, and who circulated the photograph of Rehtaeh being raped – which, incidentally, meets the definition in Canadian law of child pornography.

Nothing.  Nothing happened to them.

The RCMP, who allegedly investigated, are led in Nova Scotia by Alphonse MacNeil.  He calls himself a “consensus builder” and has two daughters.  I’m sure you could find his email address if you needed to.

The Nova Scotia government, which agreed with – and energetically defended – the RCMP’s decision to do nothing about the rape or the child pornography, is led by NDP leader Darrell Dexter.  Interestingly, he represents Cole Harbour in the provincial legislature.  His email isn’t readily available, either, but I know you’ll find that, too.

His Attorney-General is Ross Landry.  Yesterday, Landry refused to reopen the case; by the afternoon, he had seemingly changed his tune.  His constituency office email is here.  I don’t know what his email is.

The names of the little bastards who did this, and who are still alive and walk free in Cole Harbour, are unknown to most of us.  But, as in the Steubenville, Ohio case, I am certain anyone who is sufficiently motivated can find out who the little bastards are, and name and shame them.

I’m unclear how to appeal to you, Anonymous.  But if there was ever a case that cried out for your attention – and if there were ever men like MacNeil, Dexter and Landry who deserved to be fired, or worse, for their pathetic responses – I don’t know what it is.  What happened to Rehtaeh and her family is so horrible, so evil, I am ashamed that it happened in my country.

In closing, I should note that Rehtaeh’s heart was sent to Toronto yesterday, to be transplanted into another person.  I don’t know why I feel a need to mention that to you, but I do.

Maybe because, in some way, it feels like Rehtaeh is still watching now, to see who will do something, and who will do nothing.

Sincerely,

Warren

185 Comments

  1. Sb says:

    Hear hear! Over to FB.

  2. Pipes says:

    Oh man, I so hope they read this, and they help. Nice one Warren, and if Anonymous is reading your comment section, please know that I too, implore them for some help. Please.

    The mother needs help and closure and someone has to pay for this. Our justice system with all the enabling legislation protecting it, is a disgrace in matters such as this. Who are the rapists? The good mother has to sue them and everyone else involved in this. This poor child lived a life dominated by little pieces of shit-terrorists, payback say I!

    • ray says:

      I just finished a great book on Anonymous. Most of the good hackers were arrested by FBI or police in England on tips from one of their own in exchange for immunity. Some of the crap these “hackers” were into was as bad or worse than what happened in Nova Scotia. What I want are names and the more the better. I’ve had it with anonymous enablers who get away with this whether it’s the cops firing rubber bullets at the G20 or the government goons who spray toxic fumes at anyone who dares dissent. When rodents like these kids see how those who oppress us continually get away with it then why be surprised that they feel entitled to the same thing.

  3. Her friends know, the names, a hacker is not required. But, who wants to be responsible for what happens to these 4? I would suggest the police should now do the job they should have done in the first place, arrest and charge the criminals and let a judge and jury decide their fate.

    • Pipes says:

      Good idea, give them a call.

      Cole Harbour Detachment

      1171 Cole Harbour Road
      Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
      B2V 1E6

      Phone: 902-244-7208
      Fax: 902-426-4185

  4. Timothy O'Malley says:

    WWVD? (What would Vic do?)

    Regardless, thanks for this, Warren.

  5. J.W. says:

    My little letter.

    Premier

    Long time NDP supporter and voter in Ontario.

    What has happened in Nova Scotia.

    Has the NDP in power lost its bearings totally?

    I’m no tough on crime Harper Tory, but really it’s time for you to personally get a hold on this issue right now. The province is a laughing stock. Pathetic.

    —-

    Good work Warren.

  6. Basilisk says:

    How sad is it that we need to appeal to a group of vigilantes to do the work of elected governmets?

  7. mrburnsns says:

    No need to call in those guys, you just need to know where to look.

    Darrell Dexter
    Office of the Premier
    7th Floor, One Government Place
    1700 Granville Street
    P.O. Box 726
    Halifax, NS
    B3J 2T3
    Phone: (902) 424-6600
    Fax: (902) 424-7648
    premier@gov.ns.ca

    Constituency Office
    971 Cole Harbour Road
    Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
    B2V 1E8
    Phone: (902) 462-5300
    Fax: (902) 462-5306
    E-mail: ddexter.mla@gmail.com

    Ross Landry
    Department of Justice
    4th Floor, 5151 Terminal Road
    P.O. Box 7
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    B3J 2L6
    Phone: (902) 424-4044
    Fax: (902) 424-0510

    Constituency Office
    115 MacLean Street
    New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
    B2H 4M5
    Phone: (902) 752-7677
    Fax: (902) 752-7922
    E-mail: pictoucentremla@rosslandry.ca
    justmin@gov.ns.ca

  8. Massimo Savino says:

    I’ll do what I can to spread this over FB and Twitter too. Thanks Warren.

  9. GPAlta says:

    I can’t wait to hear what Barbara Amiel thinks of this girl and her parents.
    No doubt she thinks that these boys’ crimes were only “minor vices”
    I think this is a further opportunity to name and shame Amiel, because the attitudes that killed this child are exactly the same ones that Amiel has distributed in the mass media.

  10. Chubsy Ubsy says:

    Very interesting the conversations I have to have with my 7 year old daughter about the internet that I thought would wait until she was at least 12 or 13. My wife and I make no bones about it that the internet is a tool of evil and should be used sparingly. ANYTHING you don’t want people to know about you, don’t put it on-line. ANYTHING you want people to know about you…think it over 10 times before you post it. We defintely need some better laws to protect young ladies and especially a ban on creepy “ex-girlfriend” porn sites and the like. How do that, though…is beyond me. I’m not a legal expert.

    • Mindfuller says:

      The internet is not a “tool of evil” it is a tool that can, like any other tool, be used for “evil” purposes. Just to make that clear. The internet itself does not have a consciousness, a conscience or any concept of morality, but the people that operate within it do. We need the laws to regulate people, not technology (at least for now…). And yes, treat the internet like any other public platform, except that there will likely be a permanent record of everything you say in public and in private, and anyone in the whole world can listen in.

      • Michelle says:

        Your comment about the internet not having a conscience is right on target….but make no mistake; nothing in life is free. It is not free.

    • Angela says:

      The Internet is evil? That’s what you get out of this story? Are you freaking kidding me? How about “HEY, BOYS, WHEN GIRLS ARE TOO DRUNK TO SAY YES OR NO, YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE SEX WITH THEM”? Or how about “HEY, GENERATION WHATEVER, SEX ISN’T SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM PEOPLE FOR YOUR SHITS AND GIGGLES”?

      Good grief. Of all the wrong things to take from this …

  11. po'd says:

    Shouldn’t the Crown Prosecutors office be questioned on their part in this as well?

    “Parsons said after a year of investigating, police told her it was a “he said she said” case and there was not enough evidence to lay charges.

    RCMP confirm they investigated the allegations and consulted with the Crown, and it was determined there was not enough evidence to proceed.

    “We have to deal in facts and not rumours,” said RCMP Cpl. Scott MacRae. “We may not be able to go down certain roads because of the tragic circumstance.

    “I feel like the door is always open for people to talk to a police agency.”

    The family said they were told the photographs were not a criminal issue even though Rehtaeh was underage.”

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/04/09/ns-rehtaeh-parsons-suicide-rape.html

    I don’t want to be a Tim Horton’s Lawyer type, but I know of a case where a young person was sent to jail for a year for being an accessory to a convenience store robbery. He drove two friends to the store and they robbed it. Although he swore up and down he didn’t know they were going to rob the place, the Cops and the Crown charged him anyway. A Country made of laws that are randomly applied seems to fit.

    • Wendy says:

      He was PROVEN to be at the scene…….that is the problem, this picture did not show any of the boys faces, NO ONE would testify that they were there except Rehtaeh…….unfortunately, since it was 3 days later they had no hard evidence (rape kit) to help them out…….they did their job, maybe the assholes that were at the party will now come forward and tell who these boys were. Anyone with information on this is an accessory, they are aiding 4 criminals by not letting the police know what happened, maybe they can get enough evidence now to do what should have been done at the time of the crime

      • po'd says:

        He didn’t go into the building with the other two, unlike the accused rapists in this case.

      • Anne says:

        Media reports all 4 boys said they had sex with her. There is no doubt they were at the scene. The difficulty is likely in proving whether it was consensual. However, surely their are laws against distributing child pornography and harassment?? Charge them with something! Or were their families able to dissuade the authorities when they finally got around to talking to the boys 10 months after the incident?

        • Brian says:

          This is a case of statutory rape … someone know who the perpetrators are, and if the pressure is kept up they will be outed, sooner or later. At that point we can hope the law handles the situation properly, or vigilantes may well do it for them.

          What is Canada’s age of consent?

          The age of consent for sexual activity is 16 years. It was raised from 14 years on May 1, 2008 by the Tackling Violent Crime Act.

          However, the age of consent is 18 years where the sexual activity “exploits” the young person — when it involves prostitution, pornography or occurs in a relationship of authority, trust or dependency (e.g., with a teacher, coach or babysitter). Sexual activity can also be considered exploitative based on the nature and circumstances of the relationship, e.g., the young person’s age, the age difference between the young person and their partner, how the relationship developed (quickly, secretly, or over the Internet) and how the partner may have controlled or influenced the young person.

  12. Ridiculosity says:

    On March 3rd, Rehtaeh posted a photo of herself on Facebook next to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

  13. theUktoday says:

    Justice always neds to be seen to be done, what a very upsetting end to a life

  14. TimL says:

    Amen.
    But aside from how the authorities acted, what is WRONG with these teenagers? I might be 20 years removed from high school, and we had our share of little scandals and gossiping, but never anything like the kind of merciless cruel hounding kids now seem to get subjected to. Would it have been different if we’d had Facebook, or are teenagers just nastier?

    • JH says:

      What is wrong with these kids? They are of a self-entitled generation that feel it is owed. Their parents are the same way. They should get what ever they want from government and the society that elects it and pay no dues themselves.
      No morals, no backbone, and certainly no idea of right and wrong- just gimme gimme gimme.
      And yeah I blame politicians and government at all levels, who give into this blackmail for the sake of electoral success. Just coddle us all from the cradle to the grave – we shouldn’t have to do one damn thing to justify our existance.

      • JW says:

        JH…get a grip. You would think this generation invented rape. Yes these little pigs ought to be brought to justice but face it, your generation and the generations before you have raped…and the penalties have never been severe enough. The big difference now is that these creeps seem to think it is a good idea to film and post their crimes. And STILL the authorities do nothing. I am not a parent but I know a lot of em and their tremendous kids, almost all of whom go to school and work part time jobs.j It is never wise or useful to label entire generations based on the actions of a few.

  15. patrick says:

    Nothing to add. Just that I agree with this action as necessary – in the face of the failure by a community – and moral.

  16. Anony Mouse that roared says:

    THe 4 individuals and their parent should present themselves at the RCMP detachment and surrender themselves for charges and prosecution. They will be safer on the inside that on the outside. So mom and dads you know who you are. Get them a good lawyer and surrender them now!

  17. Gordon Rumbolt says:

    Some one give me the names of those little bastards and I will make the trip to Cole Harbour and do what the people of Cole Harbour should have done. They certainly should have at least stormed the Mounties office and protested until the police got off their fat asses and solve this disgusting case. Come on people, get out there and protest for the good of all the children in your community because if you think this can only happen to someone elses child you are living in a dream world. If nothing is done about this then it makes Cole Harbour the armpit of Nova Scotia. Shame, Shame, Shame on you.

  18. Debie says:

    Warren, I follow one of the Anonymous groups on Facebook. I’ve posted a link to this on their Facebook page.

  19. Debie says:

    Ok – I think you’ve got their attention. I see Anonymous accounts on Twitter tweeting this link. 🙂

  20. tim says:

    Here is Darrell Dexter’s email premier@gov.ns.ca

  21. sharon criss-oneil says:

    This is so very tragic, it is breaking my heart, she was a beautiful and intelligent young girl whose life was cut short because of a bunch of bullies. They should be found out and prosecuted by the fullest extent of the law.

    Why isn’t our Premier of the Province Darrel Dexter taking the issue of bullying in the schools all across Nova Scotia more serious, this is very serious when a young child that age takes their own life because of what was going on in her school at Cole Harbour.

    Please everyone help her family deal with this tragedy in any way that you can and pray for them without ceaseing.

    Hopefully the RCMP and the Justice Minister will deal with this properly and that a full investigation will be launched into this young childs untimely death.

  22. Abe says:

    “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke

  23. Ted K says:

    Dear J.W, of course the NDP are no supporters of getting “tough on crime”, they vote against any measure whatsoever and along with the Liberals who gave us these joke weak hug a thug laws, and both continue to vote against everything, it’s all about the criminals rights. “A better deal for today’s families” is the NDP in Nova Scotia’s motto. We slash and tax you to death and we don’t want anybody put in jail for any reason” should be the NDP’s motto. It’s so sad that these kids have to kill themselves to get away from the pain. Even the recent “maximum” sentence to “send a stiff message” or a 15 yr old to 3 years in a youth facility for randomly shooting a senior out for a walk, and then returning to rob him of his wallet. 1 year in custody, and 2 under community supervision, which means nothing was the sentence! These left wing social activist judges we have are a joke. That kid would have, and should have been sentenced to at least 30 to 50 years in jail for the crime. That’s just one example in a long daily list of sentences they impose. Had they not continually vote against any stronger sentences, criminal such as murderers and bullies, and home invaders and swarmers would have some fear of the law, they do not because they know nothing will happen to them.

  24. Anon says:

    OpJustice4Rehtaeh engaged. We are coming.

  25. Ridiculosity says:

    Investigators reportedly told Rehtaeh’s mother that nothing was done because they couldn’t prove who pushed the button when the photo was taken. It doesn’t matter WHO pushed the button. They’re ALL guilty. Guilty of being in that room. Guilty of watching it happen. Guilty of doing nothing to stop it. Guilty of not reporting it to the authorities. End of story.

  26. Phyl says:

    Thank you, Mr. Kinsella. I’ve been growling at people for the last twenty-four hours or so, “When the legal authorities continue not doing justice, sooner or later the people WILL see justice done.” The horrible thing is that they have left us no one else BUT Anonymous, in this world, to defend justice. It’s a desperate case of their own making.

  27. Curtis Joynt says:

    A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.
    – John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

  28. ray says:

    someday the epitaph of these four and their enablers will say

    contrary to popular opinion
    not all sins are forgiven
    least of sins of omission
    against the weakest of all our children
    who now sleep in the folds of the robe of the Prince of Peace

  29. Susan says:

    I strongly feel if people don’t take a stand and be the voice for Rehtaeh Parsons she will be forgotten and these criminals will continue their path.How many more young people have to die because of Bullies.

    Can we get a petition going and have it posted on all the sites including Facebook to make people aware of what happened to her.When people hear of this tragic story maybe the police and government will pass laws to Stop Bullies once and for all !! I will post this article on my Facebook and Twitter….the more people that do the same we Can make a difference.

    Just look back at what happened in BC when a young girl 15 year old Amanda Todd took her life because of being bullied.It was on the national news not sure if the guy was caught yet but I hope he will….these people need to Stop !! There are pages and groups on Facebook where these bullies post nasty things about people,pictures and all.I sent a complaint when I saw some on Facebook about Amanda Todd an some were removed not all.I don’t know either girl but as a society I feel well all need to take a stand and stop this behavior.

    Rest in peace Rehtaeh Parsons you will not be forgotten.

    Lets get Justice for her and all those who have been bullied !!!

  30. This is the request I made to Attorney General Landry today. We should e-mail him and demand that he not only reopen the case, but open an investigation into the manner the case was initially investigated.

    Attorney General Landry:

    I am sending this correspondance to you to ask you to reopen the case of the rape of a child in your province, your country of Canada. In addition to this request to reopen this case, I am also requesting an investigation into the manner in which this investigation was handled by Alphonse MacNeil and the people under his purview This child committed suicide not only because of the rape, but because of the callous treatment of the judicial system in your country.

    The name os the perpetrators of this crime should be publicized, they should be arrested, charged and convicted of not only rape but manslaughter as well, or whatever charge is applicable when a person commits suicide because of their actions.

    I find it reprehensible that a civilized country such as Canada allowed this crime to go unpunished.

    Please right this wrong and reopen the case in the interest of justice, and the morally correct thing to do.

    Sincerely,

  31. Anon-115 says:

    Don’t Worry Justice Will Come…

  32. Mark says:

    Incase anyone wants it, the justice ministers email address is justmin@ns.gov.ca I would not recommend being too nice to him. He didn’t give this victim that same respect.

  33. Dana says:

    Kinda makes me wonder who those boys are related to.

  34. Fear of saying this out loud says:

    Here’s the thing… the facts are not publicly known. This poor girl’s mom has said that Reteah said she was very drunk and could only remember bits and pieces. What if–just what if–this was consensual. I know that the word “rape” is being used, but it’s unclear whether this is statutory rape, or the other kind. Both are terrible and illegal, please do not misunderstand me. But if she consented, and the males participating were under 18, then possibly no crime was committed in the sexual activity.

    As to the picture, if they can’t prove who took it, then they can’t prosecute. If the males who were engaged in sexual activity (on the presumption that it was consensual) were not the photo takers, then they cannot be charged with that either.

    Some complexity: can a drunk person actually consent? I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer. But if she was in a room with people that acknowledged that she agreed to the activity with all four males, the AG is going to have a real hard time prosecuting that case.

    I don’t know what actually happened. I live on the whole other side of the country. If those males raped her, then prosecute the bastards to the fullest extent and jail their parents for raising such horrible and predatory people. But if it wasn’t a forced act, it gets a lot more grey. And it could be this reason, rather than incompetence of officials, that the males were never charged.

    • Warren says:

      You’re not a lawyer, and you’re also not someone with the courage to use their real name.

      That’s meaningful, on both counts.

      • Cin says:

        If she was drunk, it is impossible to give legal consent to sex in Canada — and that is clearly spelled out in case law.

        Therefore, it was DEFINITELY rape.

        • Brian says:

          See my note further above. Not only the drunkenness, but without needing that the use of the photos themselves and her being 15 made it statutory rape.

    • Elonwy says:

      No, drunk people cannot consent. The fact that you actually think they possibly can is disturbing. Also a 15 year old cannot consent to being a victim of child pornography. Actually, a 15 year actually cannot consent to having sex at all. I believe they sometimes take into consideration how much older the person having sex with her is but in this case a gang rape with someone too drunk to consent at all is hardly a case where their age should be relevant.

      Who cares who took the picture. Everyone that shared it is guilty of child pornography and I guarantee that once the police start charging these “children” with child porn that the name of the photographer will surface immediately.

      YOU “Fear..” are the problem. Your ignorance and complacency is disgusting and the fact that you are already on here trying to make excuses for the gang rape of a child makes me sick.

      By not charging these boys we are saying it’s OK for it to happen again and again and again…

    • Rn says:

      No you moron, a drink person can not consent!

    • RLS says:

      Drunk people cannot consent. The correct action to take with a drunk person you may be attracted to is to safely escort them home, deposit them on their own sofa, and lock the door behind you on your way out. Leaving a note behind is probably a good idea. Sex with a drunk person is dubious consent at best.

      I am not using my real name to protect my children.

  35. Mat Benton says:

    Sadly, this is only the tip of the iceberg. I just feel so disgusted with the world, Canada and males. What is needed is a profound, extended collective soul searching – I mean sack cloth and ashes and fasting soul searching – to extract the poisonous roots of this plague of misogynistic violence.

    A case in point:
    http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/04/10/sex-pistols-john-lydon-goes-on-sexist-rant-to-female-tv-host-when-a-man-is-talking-do-not-interrupt/

  36. Justin Flontek says:

    HEAR, HEAR! Anonymous, do your thing!

  37. Jeepers says:

    It’s terrifying to me that not one person in this thread has any problem with demanding vigilante justice despite only knowing the facts of the case that have appeared in the press. Obviously the police know more about what really happened, and there ought to be a search for truth before demanding extrajudicial punishment of those alleged to be involved.

    You should all be disgusted with yourselves in this rush to judgment. This is how lynchings happen. Get a fucking grip.

    • Warren says:

      Have the courage of your convictions, then. Use your real name.

      • Lawrence Garvin says:

        Real name, real opinion.

        This is an idiotic thing to do and you, Mr. Kinsella, ought to be ashamed of yourself. Your attention-seeking behaviour would be merely sad, if you were an actual adolescent. In an adult, one with some alleged legal training, it is shockingly stupid.

        Everyone is horrified and distraught when they hear of an event like this, but it’s not a bloody contest and you don’t win a prize for losing your marbles in the most dramatic fashion possible.

        Get a grip on yourself and retract this stupidity.

        • Warren says:

          Says Lawrence Garvin, the charming guy who thinks it’s funny to mock the Holocaust.http://damianpenny.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/a-joke-too-far/#comment-23178

        • Angela M. says:

          Lawrence, I can’t stand Warren’s left-leaning politics but what he has done today is more than admirable. He has taken action where none was being taken. Did you know that Canadians held rallies to support the family of the gang rape in India? Why are we not protesting in Cole Harbour, Halifax or Ottawa? Who is taking up the charge for Rethaeh Parsons and her family, outside of a handful of media stories?

          Thank you, Warren. I was a drunk, underage girl who wasn’t given the opportunity to consent. It was a long time ago but there are days when I struggle. Rehtaeh’s story has hit me in ways you cannot imagine and I am grateful that you’re leading a charge to make something happen.

      • Lynn says:

        I agree with Warren , JEEPERS probally knows who the 4 youth are, its ok they will get theirs one way or another.

    • CB in BC says:

      Justice have always been a work in progress in human history. IME those who are the most resistant to advances in justice tend to be those who have suffered inexcusable crimes themselves without ever knowing restorative justice. Thus they tend to have the most kneejerk criticisms the moment they see that another victim’s suffering might possibly be honored. “If I can’t have justice then neither can you” kind of mentality. You would think that victims would have compassion for other victims. However oftentimes just being a victim incites shame-based rage in others who cannot bear any reminders of their own impotent vulnerability.

      IMO the presence of a vigilante such as Anonymous is a good reminder to RCMP and politicians that collaborative efforts to pick and choose justice is NOT what’s in the best interests of our society. It IS in the best interests of our society to have the courage to see the need for justice in the suffering of others, as well as to have the courage to speak to that truth. With the suicides of OUR young Canadian women becoming more prominent in the public consciousness, the presence of such a vigilante gently reminds us that we have much work to do on ourselves as Canadians. Or, shall we start shooting our young people in the face for having the audacity to plead for change, like they do in some other countries?

    • Heather says:

      I completely agree with you. People are so quick to believe whatever the media says without knowing any facts.

    • Heather says:

      I totally agree with you. People are so quick to believe everything that the media says, it’s scary.

  38. Emily Schooley says:

    The fact that women can downplay and endorse crimes against another women is apalling, in the case of Amiel.

    Nicely put, Warren. Follow #OpJustice4Rehtaeh on Twitter. They’re on it.

    I believe in Anonymous and it’s refreshing that you do as well.

  39. Sophie says:

    It shouldn’t matter who pushed the button on the camera. What I don’t understand….

    Someone caught with child pornography on their computer, who DIDN’T hit that shutter button on the camera, is charged and jailed for simply having it on their computer.

    HOWEVER

    People who have taken and distributed this poor girl’s picture, others who have received this atrocious picture and probably still have it, are walking free enjoying life followed by a pitiful excuse from investigators.

    I’m far from a lawyer, I’m just an “average Joe”. It doesn’t take a diploma to see there’s a big problem here.

  40. Two days ago a man approached my 11 yr old daughter on a busy street in broad daylight offering her $500 to go with him for sex. I have not slept since for worry. As a father of two girls, already frightened for my darlings. I am horrified at this story. We live in danger from sick and violent people all day every day. It has always been this way, since the dawn of time. I am going to go out on a limb, and ask why there are close to zero resources to treat mental illnesses in any Province in Canada? Whether a perv on the street, or ‘boys will be boys’ rapists in NL, will anybody ever make a serious effort at diagnosing and treating root causes? Those boys in Newfoundland definitely need to feel the heavy hand of the law, but will they grow up to become serial molestors? They need to be sequestered from society, and no stone should remain un-turned to ensure they will not be released ready and able to re-offend.
    As it stands now, Toronto Police claim that about one third of the calls they respond to deal with a mentally ill person who is seldom being treated. Is that really the best way to deal with mentally ill, to send amateurs in the form of Police, for the simple reason that there are no trained mental health practitioners to spare for dangerous people who have not done something bad enough yet?
    My heart goues out to the parents and family of Rehtaeh, may she rest in peace.

  41. I'm just sayin' says:

    Here is what I don’t understand. There was a rape, it was documented by a cellphone camera, the cellphone is owned, either by one of the rapist or his parents. How could the RCMP not use this information as leverage in having the owners of the cellphone flip on his three partners in crime when they charged the cellphone owner with creating and distributing child pornography? I believe when all this comes out, the facts will show that the RCMP are protecting either someone rich, a politician son or a well know sports figure within the community.

    • Lynn says:

      I totally agree with the comment by “Im just saying”

    • wes says:

      i’m more pessimistic than you. in many many places in this world (and i unfortunately have no reason to suspect that north america is any different) the police need no special incentive to perpetuate rape culture. from their perspective drunk girls were probably asking for it, and no wealthy or well-connected individual is needed to get them to translate that fundamental belief into the flimsiest of procedural excuses

  42. i live in the uk and the justice system is just as bad here, i agree her family need justice so i hope anonymous can help

  43. Alexander says:

    I’ve been thinking. A lot of what I heard through Highschool/Juniorhigh of many girls going to parties getting drunk/high and having sex. Yes, very terrible she has passed, but what if she consent to sex before hand, then getting drunk and carried up stairs?..
    I mean if I was her I couldn’t hold myself to having sex with a bunch of guys, I would just say rape, cause its easier just to say that, just so I or she or whoever wouldn’t get looked down upon.. I have heard girls at my school having sex with 3 or so guys on a weekend and they were only 16 or 17, really disgusting when heard that. Then girls that have sex with guys, then being called a slut, they can’t handle it. Kids are pretty good at hiding truths, its surprising what you don’t know about your kids. I know I did when I was a little younger than I am now, there’s just not point in lying, usually just to not get in trouble in a sense. And don’t be blinded just because she’s passed. But this is just a scenario I ran in my head. Went to auburn, graduated last year. I’m 19 now. My apologies if I have offended at all, wasn’t intending to if so. I just hear a lot of things through school, Though it may not even be true.

    Thanks.

    • Danuta says:

      Canadian law indicates that consent to sex cannot be given when the person is intoxicated or unconscious. “He said, she said” doesn’t even enter into the equation. The “pre-consent” argument isn’t supposed to be a legitimate argument for the accused either (or the argument for not accusing in this case). That is Canadian law or at least the precedent for interpretation of Canadian Law with regard to consent. Once a precedent is set, it is supposed to become the norm for reasoning future cases. That is how the Canadian Legal System is supposed to work.

  44. Staci B says:

    I have no doubt the RCMP tried to see how they could try the case UNDER THE EXISTING LAW, and likely knew they would not get a conviction. THAT is what is pathetic about this case, and others like it.

    The Child Pornography unit is equally frustrated by lack of heavy sentencing, the judges frustrated by the rules of law they need to abide by… I could go on.

    Where are these boys mothers/parents? thats my question.

    I had my kid sign a cell phone contract, with consequences should he violate rules.

    We have had many dinner conversations about how to treat people, what bullying feels like, how to react, who to call etc.

    Parents need to educate their kids on compassion and empathy. That’s all.

    As I tell my own: It takes more effort to be cruel than to be kind. Thank you Warren for continuing this conversation. Our Youth clearly have learned nothing from Amanda Todd.

    • CB in BC says:

      I would caution against demonizing all youth as having learned nothing. You are silencing those who have taken in these lessons and remain silent in the face of authority figures who continue to neglect the need for justice.

  45. deb s says:

    to the apologists…heres what should happen to drunk 15 yr olds …get a grip and stop allowing society to victimize the victims…rape is only the rapists fault…period!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=D3aiRa0cnrA

  46. MNT says:

    Allow me to preface this by saying that this series of events is appalling and tragic, more so when you consider that its not an isolated incident –even in Canada. I wish there was tougher sentencing for this type of crime. However…

    With regards to releasing names, public indignation is not a good enough reason to expose four kids to all the cruelty that the media and internet can muster. It would be in the same spirit as the bullying that teenage girls labelled as “sluts” get at school, TIMES A MILLION. Granted, it doesn’t come with the devastating violation of person that occurred in this case and I’m not arguing that they don’t deserve consequences, but think for a second about what you’re suggesting. It wont solve the problem. It wont bring her back and it wont make anyone hurt less. Much as I would like to tar and feather the little bastards and let all the English-speaking world tell them how terrible their actions were, I think a judge doing that would be sufficient. Reason free from passion and all that. So lobby the governments. Demand that police and the judiciary do better by this young woman. But don’t use moral high ground as reason to repay cruelty with cruelty in the national press. Because thats crap, and we Canadians are better than that.

    • po'd says:

      You have a great deal more empathy for the perpetrators of these crimes than they did for their victim.

      If they were to suffer public shaming and be ostracized, then perhaps they would have a better understanding of the impact of their actions on the girl they assaulted.

      • MNT says:

        “You have a great deal more empathy for the perpetrators of these crimes than they did for their victim.”

        Correct. I don’t take joy in other people’s misery. Even if those people have done terrible inexcusable things that make me very angry.

        “If they were to suffer public shaming and be ostracized, then perhaps they would have a better understanding of the impact of their actions on the girl they assaulted.”

        I’m sure they would, but still dont think that’s the answer. I think stern consequences as prescribed by the law and then a chance at normal life having learned their lesson would be preferable. Nothing good comes from the public shaming. They might die young –teenage mental health is a fragile thing, and people have received death threats for less. Or they might grow up to be adults who are so traumatized themselves that they can’t function normally, or worse think that the way to respond to something objectionable is to go on the attack. Its a lose-lose-lose long-term to go the media circus route.

        • po'd says:

          “I think stern consequences as prescribed by the law and then a chance at normal life having learned their lesson would be preferable.”

          The Law did nothing. Therein lies the basis of the issue and opens the door for action by those who will do something, and make an attempt to bring about an effect of some measure comparable to the actions of those who chose to perpetrate these terrible acts against this young girl.

          I’m not a person who believes in over reacting or punishment that’s distorted beyond the reality and consequences of the act (s), but nor am I inclined to turn my head away because what’s in front of me is so ugly it’s easier not to deal with it.

        • wes says:

          actually you’re totally wrong, in appropriate contexts (such as against rapists instead of against their victims) public shaming is in fact one of the strongest and most effective ways society can regulate itself. strictly law- and state-based regulation have their (obvious in this case) limitations. here’s john stewart mill’s take on the appropriateness of public shaming: “The acts of an individual may be hurtful to others, or wanting in due consideration for their welfare, without going the length of violating any of their constituted rights. The offender may then be justly punished by opinion, though not by law.”

          so that’s the sort of technical, philosophical, legalistic reason you’re wrong. for the moral outrage proper to your entire line of questioning i have to pull up a quote from a person in some ways very different, in others very similar to js mill: maximilien robespierre. “A sensibility that wails almost exclusively over the enemies of liberty seems suspect to me. Stop shaking the tyrant’s bloody robe in my face, or I will believe that you wish to put Rome in chains.”

  47. dave says:

    We have in our crim code sanctions against aiding and abetting suicide.

    Can bullying be interpreted as aiding and abetting suicide?

  48. Melinda Rooke says:

    Thank you Warren for being a supportive voice for young soul that can no longer speak for herself. Rehtaeh Parsons was systematically revictimized in an evil, criminal method until she gave up the battle for survival and now what little justice there is will be swept under the rug by hypocrites there. May we support the Parsons in their loss of their beautiful daughter and whatever path of remembrance they choose for her. In complete agreement with deb s, stop allowing society to victimize the victims which is the ultimate crime in this age of the internet and social media not pursued enough.

  49. Marc L says:

    Anonymous has issued a press release saying that they have two of the names, are close to getting a third, and that it’s only a matter of time before they get the fourth. They are threatening to publicly release the names if the RCMP doesn’t press charges.
    I truly hope these monsters are brought to justice, and suffer all the consequences if they are proven guilty. They deserve to rot in hell.
    However, at this stage I would be really concerned about what happens if the RCMP sticks to its line and doesn’t press charges, and anonymous releases the names. I’m all for justice. But not for vigilante justice. I wonder how long these guys would have to live.

  50. Mark says:

    I’d rather see Anonymous out the asshole police officers who refused to treat rape, assault, bullying, child pornography as a crime.

  51. Marc L says:

    By the way, to those here who are promoting that they be “publicly shamed”, please remember that we have courts of law in this country and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. By some of the comments here, I get the impression that I’m reading posts by the right wing of the Conservative Party.

  52. Benjamin says:

    The four boys worked hard to earn the scorn of others and deserve the fallout coming their way.

    • Marc L says:

      Agree, but only once they are proven guilty in a court of law.

      • wes says:

        john stewart mill disagrees, and he’s smarter than you

        The acts of an individual may be hurtful to others, or wanting in due consideration for their welfare, without going the length of violating any of their constituted rights. The offender may then be justly punished by opinion, though not by law.

  53. Maniacalmom says:

    If this was a consentual, all parties on board, yahoo gang bang party as so many now seem to believe, WHY AREN’T ANY OF THE BOYS FACES IN THE PICTURES? Why is her face the ONLY face that can be seen? Seems to me that these rapists…excuse me…boys…went out of their way to NOT be identified in pictures. That shows forethought. It also seems to me that if it was a gang bang (with a 15 year old girl and four boys…you have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME) and she only reported it as rape because pictures surfaced and she was embarrassed and cried wolf, is the biggest crock of horseshit ever.
    She was not a troubled youth acting out sexually prior to the attack. She was a straight A student who ended up in a horrible place. These boy need to be publicity outed JUST AS SHE WAS. The parents of these boys need to quit shielding them from the CONSEQUENCE of their actions. She was victimized, bullied, RE victimized by the police, RCMP, the school administration, the courts and her government and she took her own life. This crap has got to stop. We need to rise up for our children and say no more!

  54. David Oickle says:

    I agree getting a dig in at a government that you don’t particularly support is ridiculous. Which is exactly what the writer was attempting to do in part here -albeit very poorly-. But there has to be some accountability at some level though (doesn’t it?) for this piss poor excuse of our justice system at work or lack there of… I fully agree “yes” society is and has been on spiral-down course morally for a very very long time, long before the NDP took the reigns but in this particular case they are the higher ups that are in power and as you said this is a deep systematic problem so the blame does in part lay solely at the feet of those who failed this beautiful young woman… which unfortunately in THIS CASE is the full justice system and that doesn’t stop at the officers who did nothing. They say shit runs down hill but there are circumstances where rules of gravity do not apply and this is one of those circumstances. Someone should be held accountable and unfortunately it won’t happen here I don’t believe. Hopefully the 4 pieces of trash that raped Rehtaeh and ruined what was up to that point a seemingly average, happy and joyful young life meet with karma it the harshest of ways. I also am the father of a teen girl nearly the age she was when this happened and I’d want blood!!!

  55. Jack says:

    The only thing here that is appalling is that this case never even got presented before a judge.

    Sure, it could have been consensual at the time and regret is not rape… but should that possibility mean that it is automatically what happened?

    The opposite is also true, everyone and their mothers seem to be condemning the boys without even knowing what happened. The only thing we know is that she is dead. But is it really the sexual activity that she killed herself for? Did she have other problems at home? Just her name sounds phonetically quite close to “raté” which is an insult in French, meaning ugly. So based on that should we commence to attack her mom calling her a bad mom?

    About Anonymous:

    Asking Anonymous to act as your personal army under your real name is basically only going to attract skiddies who claim to be Anon just so they can put up a facade where they believe in their own minds that they are accepted and wanted. Perhaps in the end the suicide is only about that. She didnt feel wanted. We dont know and never will. I think suicide should lead to ignoring since going all up in arms like that only teaches other teens that they can only make a statement through suicide.

    • Aimee says:

      Her name was given to her because it is Heather spelled backwards.. just sayin’.

      I don’t condemn those boys of rape without first being proven guilty but there’s no doubt they should have been punished for what happened afterwards with the photos regardless. She was 15 years old. Anything under 16 is considered child pornography and they could have traced those photos I’m sure had the RCMP wanted to put forth the effort.

  56. Clarence Woodworth says:

    Well, GOSH, MagicalMom, we all know that straight A brilliant students don’t make things up!
    They also never have group sex, either, Right?
    http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/no-criminal-charges-for-student-s-false-rape-accusations-1.1475704

    This girl was a straight A genius(read profiles on her, she was considered a ‘good girl’) who had sex with 4 men and claimed rape to cover it up from her boyfriend. Thank goodness the fifth recorded it , and it was that recorded video that showed that what she was telling police was a huge pack of lies.
    But before that happened 4 of the five spent the better part of a week in jail, received death threats and basically got tried in the press as a bunch of gang rapists.

  57. MCBellecourt says:

    I agree with your letter to Anonymous, Warren, one reason being is that I have a granddaughter on the way, and I want her to grow up in a country where she can be safe wherever she goes, whenever.

    I feel so badly for this sweet young lady’s parents, so, so bad. And for her.

    May she rest in eternal peace.

  58. Robert Pearson says:

    Years of Liberal ‘leadership’ and NDP socialist phuckovers have driven our once great country into the abyss. The young offenders act is just that . An act in a very bad play forced upon us. What was done should have been brought to light. When was a guaranteed conviction the reason for an arrest. If that is so then we no longer need any police at all. The cops should have pursued this matter and let the courts decide. As for contacting those responsible for this travesty, write a proper letter,on paper,with an envelope and send it Canada Post. E-mails are little use when they can be deleted with a push of a button.

  59. anons says:

    K got some anons working on it

  60. Anonymous says:

    From Press release:
    Operation Justice For Rehtaeh —- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    Anonymous engaged #OpJustice4Rataeh this morning in response to the suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons. Justice Minister Ross Landy says that it is important for Nova Scotians to have faith in their justice system. Mr. Landy, justice is in your hands.

    Anonymous has confirmed the identities of two of the four alleged rapists. We are currently confirming a third and it is only a matter of time before the fourth is identified as well.

    Our demands are simple: We want the N.S. RCMP to take immediate legal action against the individuals in question. We encourage you to act fast. If we were able to locate these boys within 2 hours, it will not be long before someone else finds them.

    We do not approve of vigilante justice as the media claims. That would mean we approve of violent actions against these rapists at the hands of an unruly mob. What we want is justice. And That’s your job. So do it.

  61. Slobeck says:

    That story is tragic and it makes me as mad as anyone but NEVER EVER make the mistake of trying to enlist Anonymous to take up your cause. Anonymous gets 100’s of naive little requests like this a month and you will probably hear at least once the term NYPA. Which means “Not Your Personal Army”

    Anonymous does what it does for its own reasons. It’s not a vigilante group. It is not a legion of do-gooders. It is not a human rights organization. No one can define what it IS per se but we do know what it is not. It is NOT YOUR PERSONAL ARMY. As an individual who has aided in a few fights including the victory over Scientology’s attempts to silence critics, I have seen many people approach Anonymous as naively as you are walk away wounded and depressed that what you thought was the saviors of the internet turns out to be a bunch of kids out for “teh lulz”. There are arms of Anonymous that are out for justice. they’re called “moralfags” within the group. But they are more concerned with the freedom of Palestine and Syria than the suicide of teenage girl. Sorry but that’s just reality. Google “whatistheplan” and read about what happened when someone tried to create an organized “anonymous Army” to carry out the very type of thing you’re asking. (hint: it didn’t end well and many many egos were crushed. I know, I helped shatter some of those dreams and attempts at controlling Anonymous myself).

    Go visit one of Anonymous’ central planning sites called “Why We Protest” …lurk around and get yourself familiar with the norms of Anonymous culture before you jump off with letters like this. Trust me. You’ll thank me later.

    An invidual anon my act on your behalf but that is NOT i repeat, NOT Anonymous et al and that person does NOT act on behalf of Anonymous. Good luck finding people to help you out. But best not ask Anonymous (the group)

  62. hopelite_i says:

    Proving anything here may be beyond the scope of time and death. Having said that, here is what I believe is going to happen here. Those kids and their parents are going to go to the authorities and ADMIT what they did. They will do so because it will become very clear to them that if they don’t, either somebody is going to harm them or the public scorn and guilt will cause some suicides in those families. There is no place they will be able to hide. Life will be unbearable. Their only choice is to admit what they did and pay the price. Then go on and lead the rest of their lives the best they can.

  63. Legion says:

    We do not forgive
    We do not forget
    http://pastebin.com/mwW6HLdv

  64. Gail says:

    I for one am not going to sit back and let this go., I will be writing to every official that was listed on the media. No other person female or male, should ever feel that suicide is their only way out, after being bullied. This needs to be open up and seriously reviewed by people, who are suppose to be in charge. Very disgusting!
    Such a beautiful girl that now doesn’t have a chance to enjoy life with her family and friends. We hope her family knows that she definitely will be remembered by so many and that she touched each and every one of us, in ways that you can’t imagine.

  65. oliveloafhead says:

    If this were actually the kind of thing that Anonymous were likely to focus on, then I’d gladly be among those applauding them.

    Sadly, I have a feeling that most “true” anons would be more likely to be on the side of those who bullied Rehtaeh, judging by the anons I’ve personally encountered. Don’t believe me? Just google “4chan” or “encyclopedia dramatica”. As a group, anons consider treat nearly everything as a joke and are engaged in a perpetual contest to see who can be the most offensively-racist, homophobic, and/or misogynist (with bonus points for accomplishing all 3 at once). The majority seem to be little more than script kiddies, and the minority who have any technical competence are usually people who dropped out of the first year of computer science.

    While I have my complaints about miscarriages of justice committed by elected/appointed officials (who DOESN’T?), is “mob justice” really an improvement? Mobs have no accountability or oversight of ANY kind, what’s to guarantee that their “justice” is actually aimed at a deserving target?

    For example – a year or two ago, Anonymous tried to perform a denial of service attack on a Canadian company called EasyDNS. This was in revenge for EasyDNS shutting off service for WikiLeaks… except it wasn’t actually EasyDNS who did that, it was a completely different company in the US called EveryDNS. But some clueless anon read the wrong name on some news site, repeated it as fact, which the mob mindlessly accepted as fact.

    Now, imagine if something similar happens in this situation. Say, an anon finds the names of the four rapists – and “doxes” someone with the same name, but who didn’t have any involvement. I’m guessing most anons don’t live in or have a great deal of familiarity with NS, how likely is that some teenager in (say) Syracuse will miss the difference between (say) Ingonish and Antigonish, inadvertently directing harassment at the wrong person?

    I can fully understand the motivations & the desire to see SOME kind of justice, etc… but frankly, encouraging mob justice is dangerously irresponsible.

  66. Judy MCkNIGHT says:

    The boys who did this need to be brought to justice.
    This should never happen in Canada, and then have the perpetrators get off scott free !
    We are not a third world country – we are a country where the rights of all are believed to be protected.

  67. Mr. Boyo says:

    When a lawyer joins the call for a lynch mob, it’s time to take a step back and reassess. Not cool.

    • wes says:

      its interesting that there’s two distinct ways of interpreting the scenario you mention (although i vehemently disagree with your characterization of the situation with rehtaeh as being that scenario). you could say, gosh, things have gotten so bad, the courts have so badly lost their way, that even the lawyers are joining the call! or you could interpret as you do. i will observe, without further comment, that you seem to have defaulted to the position which functionally ends up being rape apologia.

  68. Cake says:

    I’m noticing some rape apologists on this thread, so i think there needs to be some clarification over the rape laws in Canada. Whether or not Rehtaeh wanted to have sex with those 4 boys, the fact she was -intoxicated- makes he legally incapable of providing consent. If someone is too drunk to remember giving explicit verbal consent than technically in the eyes’ of the law whatever occurred would have been rape. I think this is important to remember when we look at this case, even though it also sounds like she may have been coerced or bullied into sex.

  69. jimmy says:

    as if anyone gives a fuck what any of you say about this. people who comment on shit on the internet are the stupidest people on the internet.

  70. Anne says:

    We’ve had enough (women, that is). It’s like a jungle and we are the prey and no one gives a flying fuck. It has been my life long dream to see women stand up and fight for justice, to give, in equal measure, to society, the blows it has given to us; first through violence; and then thru the silence and the slut blaming. What women have done thus far, in response to the atrocities committed against our gender, is like a tender kiss on the forehead when it should be a brutal fist to the face. The world is waking up. In countries around the world, women have had enough. Our bodies are not there to be taken as you please. Try to take mine and see who winds up where. That’s the attitude we must take; give me liberty or give me death… we need to fight, to the death, if need be to make the world know the time has come. The time for change is now. What anonymous is doing makes them heroes. Patriarchal society gives women very little hope of justice, Anonymous evens that score. Thank you Anonymous… Thank you Thank you.

  71. fdtc says:

    Let’s give our tax dollars to ANONYMOUS, who appear to be prosecuting this case — instead of the RCMP, who have not!

    • Where was mom? says:

      RCMP don’t prosecute cases, so while your point is true, it also shows your ignorance… Much like most of the people posting about this debacle. Hopefully no one ever accuses your sons or daughters… I take that back… I hope they do.

  72. Lejok says:

    People need to realize how many suicides actually happen, that teenage girls are not a particularly vulnerable demographic for them, and that the only reason this is news is because she’s a white teenage girl whose mom is making a fuss. How many other suicides have you heard about this year? How many of those triggered outrage?

    And do you think the guy who was molested by 4 fat chicks in Toronto might feel shitty after people say he should feel lucky, while at the same time giving the royal treatment to a girl who tweeted about depression and drug-abuse, and which nobody apparently noticed until it was too late?

    • wes says:

      christ you’re dense. although, i think subconsciously you must understand exactly why you’re so so totally wrong–it’s very telling that you speak of this as though the *suicide* was the reason everyone was outraged. instead of, you know, the *rape*.

      at any rate your ludicrous equivocation is missing a little thing called context. proper investigation into violent sexual assault is not “the royal treatment”–it’s respecting basic human rights. literally nobody who gets outraged over rape would suggest that the guy you mention should “feel lucky”. they *might* bring some of the context in about the relative rates of sexual violence directed against men or women if it gets used to perpetuate rape culture, as you’ve done here. but, and i think you probably know this on some level, the only people who would be so ignorant and insensitive as to say the guy should feel lucky are people who would, faced with a different situation, engage in misdirection about depression and drug use when they hear a girl killed herself after being raped–i.e., people like *you*. to the extent that you personally did not behave so atrociously against the man as you are against this girl, that’s a result of your own personal sexism

  73. Stephen Moore says:

    What’s interesting is that Minister Landry is a former RCMP officer and this is the second time in less than one year that the Dexter government refused to take decisive action when the RCMP failed. It’s a conflict of interest and it continues to get in the way of justice. He needs to be moved out of his current portfolio and the move needs to happen sooner rather than later.

  74. J. C. Adams says:

    Anonymous, please out these creeps. (Names, addresses, photos, etc.) Maybe they will never face a criminal trial because of their ages at the time of the gang rape. Or the time that has passed since their vicious criminal episode. And filming the rape episode and putting it online to cruelly further harass Ms. Parsons was perhaps even more destructive than the gang rape itself. Exposing their identities will have a dramatic impact on the life of these creeps. No college or university worth attending will ever accept them as students. (Accepting a known rapist would put a college or university a risk for a civil suit if they were to repeat their rapist activities.) And no professional licensing process — doctor, lawyer, real estate broker, cosmetologist, etc. — will easily accept them in the future without intense scrutiny. That will give them some small measure of much deserved punishment. Exposing their identities and the viciousness of this gang rape will follow them the rest of their lives.

  75. Marc Morin says:

    First, when you, Warren Kinsella write : “I’m unclear how to appeal to you, Anonymous. ” I find this, let’s say, perplexing, on the edge of ironic and manipulative at best. Come on man ! With the books you wrote, you oubviously know what buttons to push for your letter to reach the hackers syndicate. Let’s just put that aside on account of not being guilty by “association”. That being said, I, of course, strongly agree with the objective behind yout letter (who wouldn’t) and the subject deeply resonates in my heart. Unbearable sadness. And I’m not saying that I condemn Anonymus. In this digital era, that group or wannabe factions are nearing becoming the 5th Element and getting ahead of corporate media and they know it. And I ain’t complaining. But for the sake of principles and in all fairness, they also are on both sides of the legal border. I mean if we are talking about any kind of legal infringment on the part of the 4 suspects who used Internet to post their crime, let’s keep things in perspective and let’s try to keep away from inquisition and public lynching. What Anonymous (and Internet) did, is already too big to stop and the public outrage is now international. It’s obvious to me that the NS gouvernment doesn’t have a choice anymore. They must re-open the case. But still, not to minimize anything, if there are more people involved I.e. the people who kept silent as pointed out by Anonymous (parents, teachers, cops, politicians, peers, etc.) The solution is to bring THEM to justice and throw the book at ALL responsible. But not burn the book. Otherwise, we all lose. And everybody starts shooting everybody like our southern neighbors. I read ALL 170 comments and some comments raised interesting questions. If everything is true (and it’s probably not), some people seem to know a number of troubling details like two of the suspects being brothers, details of pictures of the rape, questions about the NDP premier possibly living in the area of the rape, people who seem to want to protect the suspects, etc. All this seem to point to the fact that there’s a lot of people who know. A classic case of “Omerta”. Everything in that crime is beyond horrible. But what is even more horrible is the silence of those who know. The silence and the twisted, sick non responsabilty of key witnesses who saw and were there when it hapenned. And their, parents, their friends, friends of friends, etc. By now, it’s likely that pretty much all the students at Rehtaeh’s school know who the 4 suspects and the other teens who witnessed the rape are. And if THEY know, chances are that a lot of parents, and other adults also know. That’s what scares me the most. The kind of stuff you see in movies or in Stephen King books. It’s not a case of finding the guilty. Their names and adresses and statements are there. All that’s needed here is to re-open the case, get a solid criminalist to break the silence. It’s now obvious that a lot of these people in that small community are under tremendous pressure and stress. In a few days/weeks, some of them are going to start freaking out. It’s all a question of time. However, I can’t help asking myself how many thousands of similar cases stay unkwonwn for the same reasons, but I think that this case will hit home somehow…

  76. SB says:

    Sydney Crosby(NHL player) went to Cole Harbour High, where Ms. Parsons was when this happened. It’s a school with a history of racial conflict and there have been a number of violent incidents there over the years.

    I wonder if these alleged perpetrators might be affiliated with a sports team there? Much like Steubenville, smaller towns with big sports cultures and collective sports egos breed a form of narcissism and elitism in the young men who are on the teams.

    I’m thoroughly disgusted with the way this has been handled, but it is the RCMP after all. This is a policing service that should not be trusted, the RCMP have an appalling record when it comes to dealing with violence against women. Interestingly, the new Halifax police chief is ex-RCMP.

    This is a quote from an article by Tim Bousquet, a reporter at the Coast paper in Halifax:

    “We’re not privy to the police file on Rehtaeh’s case, so we don’t know why the RCMP chose not to pursue the matter with any urgency. Leah Parsons says police waited 10 months before interviewing the boys she suspects raped Rehtaeh. Nor can we tell you why prosecutors chose not to lay charges.

    But we’re talking about the same police agency that just concluded an 11-month investigation, involving 120 police officers and likely costing millions of dollars, in order to bust 28 people for (allegedly) growing, and smoking, marijuana.

    This is also the same police agency that is accused of using an undercover officer in order to make arrests of three people involved in providing medical marijuana to sick people.

    Although the warrants are not yet public, in both cases it is apparent that judges signed off on search warrants justifying SWAT team raids leading to the arrests.

    So we have to ask: Were similar resources employed to investigate the Rehtaeh Parsons matter? Were 120 police officers assigned to the case? Eighty? Ten? Were millions of dollars sunk into investigating Rehtaeh’s four alleged rapists? Were undercover officers used to advance the investigation? Did anyone bother to work up a search warrant application to find the source of pictures floating around social media for months?

    If not, why does the crime of growing a plant warrant a bigger police response than the crime of rape?

    Make no mistake: Where and how to allocate limited police resources is a political decision. It starts with political decisions made by police commanders, but extends to the prosecutorial offices as well. Ultimately, the responsibility for these decisions are rightly laid right at the feet of Ross Landry, the provincial minister for justice, and his government. ”

    Taken from this article,

    http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2013/04/10/the-rehtaeh-parsons-story-in-context

  77. Marc Morin says:

    I want to second RLS’s comment about the “yesmeansyes” blog.
    Some interesting reading here : http://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/author/thomasmacaulaymillar/

  78. Brian4382 4382 says:

    7D8Y

  79. R. Mckinnon says:

    A picture of the boys was just posted on Newschasers, but was quickly removed….Has it been released in the media?

  80. forgreatjustice says:

    Rofl’d at “Too late we are already here.”

  81. Heather Joiner says:

    Well, many interesting comments. Let me say that now I know all about Rehtaeh- she was a slut -as stated by her many schoolmates ( I shudder to think they may be in positions of any note in the future) – she may have been drunk – she may have given consent – she was 15 so that makes the consent issue a non-issue. I know that there is at least one photo of her having “sex” on the internet. I know that someone took that picture and posted it. I know that many of Rehtaeh’s ” Friends” shared the photo. I also know that no one has come forward yet. I also know that she is dead. What I do not know are the names of the boys who had “consensual sex” with her. I think I should know their names. I am not advocating ANY type of vigilante justice – no violent acts. But I do think we should all know all of the names of EVERYONE who was involved- That seems just the least we should know.

  82. backlyt says:

    Legion, what is the status on this so far?

  83. KxWaal says:

    If you want Anonymous to help find justice in this case, all you have to do is BECOME anonymous. Anonymous is all of us.
    Also, it seems like Anonymous has already answered your call. I’m glad to hear this.

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