Project Unbreakable was created in October of 2011 by Grace Brown. Grace works with survivors of sexual assault, photographing them holding a poster with a quote from their attacker.
RAPE!!!
How would you feel if one day someone violated you sexually and all your cries for help went unanswered. Feeling ashamed and alone you managed to go through the process of reporting, reliving and re evaluating every moment of the nightmare to make sure someone is held accountable. Through it all, you hold on to the "one thread of hope" in a dark situation: "Maybe I can help prevent this from happening to another human being just by reporting it."
Well, for about 10,000 mostly women, children, and a few men, they were raped and the City of Memphis took their "one thread of hope".
I applaud the Memphis City Council for taking action to correct this horrific nightmare. The Council approved a resolution that re-appropriates $500,000 in the MPD budget to be used for the testing of some of the over 10,000 rape kits that have never been tested. Unfortunately, some of the kits were not only untested they were not maintained in one location. There were some in one area, a little or here and some kept who knows where. So, the Director Toney Armstrong asked for funds for a climate-controlled facility to store and catalog the evidence. That, will cost the public another $1million but it is more of a priority than a Tiger Blue Lane or International Paper's Crosswalk.
Councilwoman Wanda Halbert asked probing questions but was rebuffed as if they were frivolous questions. Excuse me, Halbert has a right to ask those questions and the public is waiting for the answers.
It is necessary to correct the situation but it is also important to know how this occurred. We need to hold those who breached the trust of 10,000 victims accountable.
It is necessary to correct the situation but it is also important to know how this occurred. We need to hold those who breached the trust of 10,000 victims accountable.
I recall the harassment of City Attorney Elbert Jefferson. The DA attempted to oust him from his appointment as City Attorney because he claimed he was negligent in his duties. A charge that was never substantiated, but evidently lead Jefferson to resign.
I recall the attack on Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware over a felony conviction for $5.00.
I recall the attack on Councilwoman Barbara Swearengen Ware over a felony conviction for $5.00.
I recall the "witch hunt" on Shep Wilbun and the charges were dismissed.
I recall the missing dog, Capone, who was found is Mississippi and to this day this is no account of how he ended up in Mississippi, but the charges against a low level animal shelter worker were dismissed. But her career was destroyed with their zealous prosecution.
I recall the missing dog, Capone, who was found is Mississippi and to this day this is no account of how he ended up in Mississippi, but the charges against a low level animal shelter worker were dismissed. But her career was destroyed with their zealous prosecution.
Well, today, I am hollering "Rape" for 10,000 who had a right to have their rape kits processed and the reports investigating as result of the information compiled through a criminal lab. I am looking for the Federal District Attorney to intervene and the Justice Department to ask questions. If the people who are responsible for this mess are in other high profile positions of authority for the public, they should be exposed.
We should demand to know how this happened, under whose watch, who authorizes the process for the testing, and who knew what when? RAPE!!!
