Protest Planned Friday Against Acquittal Of Cops Charged With Rape

If you're outraged by the "not guilty" verdict handed down today in the trial of two NYPD officers accused of raping a drunk East Village woman in her home, there will be a demonstration Friday outside the Manhattan Criminal Court building at 100 Centre Street. It's set to take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the organizers have posted this message on their Facebook page:

On Thursday May 26, New York police officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata were found not guilty of charges that Moreno raped a woman in her apartment while Mata kept guard, despite the fact that the amount of evidence against the officers in this case was overwhelming. Instead, the jury convicted both officers of official misconduct for entering the woman’s apartment, but found them not guilty of all other charges, including burglary and falsifying business records. This despite the fact that one of the officers had been recorded on tape admitting to using a condom when having sex with the woman who made the accusation. The cornerstone of the defense required that the woman was too drunk to have a credible account of the incident, but sober enough to consent to sex.
Join us in protest. Because raping a drunk women while on patrol is more than “official misconduct”. Because calling 911 should not be an invitation to be raped. Because NO behavior, including being drunk, is an invitation to be raped. Because rapists do not deserve the protection of our tax-funded police department and city officials. Because we recognize this incident as part of the NYPD's long, horrific history of violence - sexual and otherwise - often and disproportionately against people of color. Because the people of NYC will not accept victim-blaming, cronyism, and a culture of silence that allows rapists to roam free, without consequence.

Reactions to the verdict across the Internet have ranged from revulsion to relief. On the CBS 2 website, one commenter invoked the infamous Duke lacrosse rape fiasco, in which several students were falsely accused of rape: "Thank goodness for a sane jury! This case was a repeat of the Duke lacrosse case: A couple of lying hose monsters falsely accusing men of rape for a pay day. This broad belongs behind bars, period. Granted, cops used horrible judgment, and should look for another line of work, but they were not rapists. Hats off to the jury." On the NYPD Rant message board, one likely law enforcement member writes, "So they are fired and 'could' get minor jail time. Someone post that lawyers phone number! I want to keep it handy if I ever get jammed up."

On the other side of the spectrum, Julie Klausner writes on Twitter, "Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata: you can change jobs, but you'll always be the Rape Cops. Wish Brad Pitt could brand you, INGLORIOUS style." Also on Twitter, Shelby Knocks writes, "To the young woman brave enough to bring charges against the cops: we believe you, we stand with you. We should take to the streets." (Just not tonight?)

Update (9/9/11): Gothamist has published a long-form feature about the Rape Cop case, written by one of the jurors. It takes you behind the scenes during their deliberations, and explains how they came to their controversial verdict. Buy it today as a PDF or on Kindle.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on May 26, 2011 2:31 PM

Comments [rss]

86_100club

I agree. I say save the protest for a day that is most effective. Like the day of this trial of an NYPD officer aquited for sodomy will be suied in Civil court in JUNE.
http://articles.nydailynews.co.... Good luck to you all. Houston Texas is experiencng the same malice. A beating of a 15yr old boy and many others

86_100club

If I were in NY I would definitely protest with you. I pray that this woman finds peace and that justice will prevail

Kiki Valentine

Can we get her name already so we can find out who this accuser is?

Guest

the system is corrupt and designed to feed the greed of shysters , clerks and brown shirts run wild

Guest

It is funny how some people here (probably law enforcement) are saying to totally respect the jury verdict and accept that the cops were innocent, but remember what the same people said when O.J. Simpson was acquitted. They all wanted the jury to hang. They insisted that he was guilty. Well now the shoe is on the other foot. Sometimes juries just get it wrong. REMEMBER: Being acquitted is NOT the same as being innocent!

groganz

Bullshit. Everyone knows OJ is still searching for the real killers.

Mr. Know-It-All

Yeah, exactly: acquittal is not a judgement of innocence. It is, however, judgement that the prosecution did not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Respect for a jury verdict is not necessarily acceptance that "the cops were innocent." It is respect for a process that requires more than moral outrage and anti-police prejudice to convict someone of a felony.

Guest

I respect the process, It's just that we all know that these two did a horrible deed, whether rape or just 'cuddling'. This is not the type of behavior ant decent human being should be involved in.Not guilty of the charges does not negate the fact that the two cops were completely wrong in their actions. I just wish that all the ex LEO's out here would realize that acquittal does not negate the misdeeds that we know they committed. Maybe not rape but the two definitely acted as low as a person can get. Maybe not guilty but still scumbags.

Guest

So that whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing? Meaningless?

Mr. Know-It-All

Are you replying to my comment? What are you talking about? Where do you see me impugning the standard of "innocent until proven guilty"? I'm pointing out that a judgement of "not guilty" simply means that there is not enough evidence to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It may preserve the presumption of innocence, but, paradoxically, you don't have to believe a defendant is "innocent" to find that he has not been proved guilty.

Guest

i find it amazing when people's screen names actually match their egos.

Mr. Know-It-All

Btw, why are you suddenly picking on me just when I was starting to take a liking to you, you lobster claw-headed freak?

Guest

SOOOOOO SOH-REE. MAH-EE APOHROGEES PURREASE... SINCEREST.

Mr. Know-It-All

Yeah, I chose a cartoon moose as my avatar and screen name because I actually believe myself to be the font of all human knowledge.

Mr. Know-It-All

"despite the fact that the amount of evidence against the officers in this case was overwhelming"

Really? So the organizers of this protest have access to evidence that 12 jurors who sat in a court room for 7 weeks and deliberated for 6 days weren't aware of? What is the goal of this protest? To nullify a jury decision and convict these 2 defendants based on public outrage?

It absolutely astonishes me when people who call themselves defenders of justice and liberalism form a sort of feckless lynch mob and call for summary justice and torture (see this idiot Julie Klausner's Twitter comment above) whenever the crime itself falls within what they see as their particular ideological jurisdiction.

blindmalice

As reprehensible as these cops seem to be, the fact remains that they had a trial by jury in an open court, and were acquitted of the most serious charges. This is the basis of our constitution, our legal system, and hundreds of years of established law. As the NYPD seems to trample lately on these very concepts, we have to respect that this is the system in place.
I hope that the NYPD remembers that same constitution on Friday when they confront people w/ the right of assembly and free speech. Somehow I doubt it.

Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv

Friday is also Critical Mass. Should be fun.

silver

If you, a woman, hit on a cop, your wanting to get fucked by a cop. Every yankee hat wearing orange B&T girl dreams to marry a cop or firefighter. Yes I am blaming the victim.

unretrofiedforu

But the woman wasn't the fake-tanned LI/NJ B&T type. She was an overpaid-knowledge worker/'acct executive' type @ a media agency, most-likely-transplant who was partying in LES.
C'mon; B&T chicks are JUST discovering LES/east village.

nice job

It doesn't sound like this woman was a "yankee hat wearing orange B&T girl" but a Manhattan-living, college-educated, uppwardly-mobile career woman. Just a gut feeling but those types don't really go for cops...