Sexual Assault/Rape

The Facts...
In the state of Mississippi a total of 865 rapes were reported in a population consisting of
2,978,512. 

Statute of Limitations...
Regards Statutory Rape, Mississippi appears strict. (Which is very good!) Basically, a rape qualifies as a Statutory Rape when a person, 17 years old and over, engages in sexual intercourse with another person under the age of 14. The law goes on to state that there can be a gap no larger than 3 years without intercourse becoming rape. 

Also, it's important to note that "even if the crime took place years ago, there may still be time to prosecute" according to Mississippi state law.
http://www.rainn.org/public-policy/laws-in-your-state


The Laws...
From my understanding, rape in Mississippi mainly concerns Statutory Rape. The weight of age is heavily enforced. Mississippi state law clearly states that an offender cannot be over 3 years older than the victim. It is also very clear about not marrying if you are under the age of 15 years. I found it strange that I was able to found information on requesting legal assistance regards rape which included aggravation, yet the main topic on many of the sites I looked up spoke of Statutory Rape.



Oh! Almost forgot! In the state of Mississippi, forced sex in a marriage apparently doesn't constitute as rape. (Yikes!)


This Actually Happened!!!
In July of 2012, a 21 year old woman was carjacked, raped, and shot in Mississippi. The woman was driving home after a late night movie when she was caught off guard as a man entered her car and told her to drive at gunpoint. She was then raped, and shot twice as she tried to escape. She was able to hide until the man left. Once he did leave the scene, she managed to find a home where the police were contacted. The man was caught and taken in, but on other charges. There wasn't a follow up on this particular article of what became of the offender.

http://www.wlox.com/story/19074580/woman-survives-carjacking-rape-shooting-in-lamar




Media to Munch on...
This is a small but important public announcement, in my opinion, because it is all about how Date Rape is NOT okay. Using drugs to take advantage of another person is just absurd and low. Also, the ad emphasizes that you can in fact go to jail for Date Rape. It isn't something that you think you can just get away with.
 


 





This video highlights how drugs are made to take advantage of unsuspecting victims of Date Rape. It relates to the previous video I posted. It's important to be educated. Knowledge and instinct are key to avoiding such occurances from happening to you. 

 

Hate Crimes

The Facts...

In the state of Mississippi, a total of one incident involving a hate crime was reported from a population consisting of 748,806.

What is and isn't a Hate Crime in Mississippi?

Recognized hate crimes in the state of Mississippi include bias-motivated violence and intimidation; hate crimes regarding race, religion, and ethnicity; gender and institutional vandalism. Hate crimes not recognized by the state of Mississippi are crimes involving civil action, sexual orientation, disability, data collection, and training for Law Enforcement Personnel.


Recognized Hate Crimes

• bias-motivated violence and intimidation
• hate crimes regarding race
• religion
• ethnicity
• gender
• institutional vandalism

Unrecognized Hate Crimes

• civil action
• sexual orientation
• disability
• data collection
• training for Law Enforcement Personnel
  
   
  What is a Hate Crime in Mississippi?
  By doing a google search on Hate crime legislation in Mississippi I came across a blog an interview conducted by NPR. In the interview, “A hate crime is defined as one where the victim is chosen on the basis of or because of his or her race, ethnicity, religion, or the like”. The interviewee explains how this general definition is also applied to Mississippi’s state law of hate crimes.
  http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139536082/murder-of-mississippi-man-hate-crime
  
  

  Related Article  

  According to an article from CNN, in 2011 a man named Joseph Dominik pleaded guilty to committing hate crimes towards African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi. Amongst the crimes he committed, one instance included him and others hurling metal ball bearings and another instance where glass beer bottles were thrown at African Americans. The article goes on to discuss the murder of James Craig Anderson who was beaten and run over with a truck whilst being recorded. Those men faced up to life in prison and fines of $250,000.  
  http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/justice/mississippi-hate-crime
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  Media to Munch On...

  
  

  
  

  I first heard this song on 91.5 WPRK sometime during December of 2012. I was driving at night on the highway. The road was pretty empty except for a few cars. I remember listening to these lyrics and being floored as I passed the golden glimmer of highway lights. I couldn't believe I was actually listening to lyrics that were positive, true, and unhindered by the thoughts of "haters". I made sure to take note of the song and the artist. As soon as I got home I searched for the song on Youtube. I found it very quickly and hit Play. Again, I was floored by the beautiful imagery I was witnessing. It brought a great smile to my face. I'm an advocate for Love. I believe that everyone has a right to it. Simple. What made me even happier was when the artist Macklemore exploded onto the mainstream music scene recently. I hope that his fans will find a way to this particular song he made.
  
  
  
  
  In this media example, a Sikh man was beaten by five other men in Queens. I found it interesting how the segment goes on to mention the increase of hate crimes against Sikh's after September 11th though "Sikh's are not Arab or Muslim". The first assumption that comes to my mind is that people committing these hate crimes are assuming that Sikh's are related in some way to Arab's or Muslim's because of their similar attire being the turban.