Leslie Rasmussen, of the all-female band Good English, came out in support of childhood friend Brock (the Standford rapist) and lost their gig at the Northside Festival.
The Stanford rape case has been making waves all over the news and social media. The majority of the buzz is surrounding the controversial mere six month imprisonment and three year probation penalty for the offender Brock Turner as the judge believed anything longer would have “a severe impact on him.” In addition to his unapologetic behaviour and his father’s outrageous letter, Drummer/Vocalist Leslie Rasmussen of Ohio band Good English also sent a supportive letter to the judge. She claimed that Brock shouldn’t be called a rapist as she knew him since several years to be a great person and instead blamed it on the influence of alcohol.
On learning this, the Northside Festival cancelled their shows previously listed for June 9 and 10 at Brooklyn’s Bar Matchless which was part of the festival along with a June 11 date at Industry City Distillery. After facing backlash on social media, Good English deactivated their Facebook account while confirming their cancellation in a tweet. Industry City Distillery also commented saying that they have “zero tolerance for the act or the justifying of the act.”
Leslie later wrote another open letter explaining her original statement which you can read below :
“Two months ago, I was asked to write a character statement for use in the sentencing phase of Brock Turner’s trial. Per the request of the court, I was asked to write this statement in an effort to shed light on Brock’s character as I knew it to be during my childhood, adolescence and young adulthood when I interacted with him as a classmate and friend. I felt confident in my ability to share my straightforward opinion of him and how I knew him. I also felt compelled to share my deep concern over the misuse of alcohol that was a well-established contributor in this case. Beyond sharing my personal experience with Brock, I made an appeal to the judge to consider the effect that alcohol played in this tragedy.
I understand that this appeal has now provided an opportunity for people to misconstrue my ideas into a distortion that suggests I sympathize with sex offenses and those who commit them or that I blame the victim involved. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and I apologize for anything my statement has done to suggest that I don’t feel enormous sympathy for the victim and her suffering.
Perhaps I should have included in my statement the following ideas that explain my perspective on the complexities of what may have happened. As a young female musician who has spent years (since I was in fourth grade) performing as a drummer in live music venues, clubs, and bars with my two sisters, I have had the unique opportunity to observe over 10 years of public American drinking culture and the problems that invariably arise through alcohol misuse. I have watched friends, acquaintances and complete strangers transform before my eyes over the course of sometimes very short periods of time, into people I could barely recognize as a result of alcohol over-consumption. I am currently 20 years old. I have made these observations through sober eyes. I have been repeatedly reminded by my family and coached by police to hold my personal sobriety closely and seriously because of the industry I work in and the risks to my own life that I could face as a young woman playing regularly in venues across the country where alcohol is served.
Additionally, I have grown up and currently reside in a university town that is affected every year by the tragic consequences resulting from undergraduate students’ excessive enthusiasm for binge drinking. Student arrests, violence, injuries, and sexual assaults occur with some regularity, and I have often wondered why this culture continues to thrive seemingly unquestioned and unchecked.
There is nothing more sad than the unnecessary, destructive and enormous toll that overuse, misuse and abuse of alcohol and drugs play in people’s lives, and I don’t think my effort to point this out in confidence to a judge while commenting on Brock Turner’s character, as the sober person I knew him to be, was an irresponsible or reckless decision. Unfortunately, due to the overzealous nature of social media and the lack of confidence and privacy in which my letter to the judge was held, I am now thrust into the public eye to defend my position on this matter in the court of public opinion. Now, my choices to defer college to write and play music, to finally introduce 10 years of hard work to a national audience while working consistently and intentionally on my own personal and professional integrity, has led to an uproar of judgement and hatred unleashed on me, my band and my family.
I know that Brock Turner was tried and rightfully convicted of sexual assault. I realize that this crime caused enormous pain for the victim. I don’t condone, support, or sympathize with the offense or the offender. I was asked by a court in California to provide a character statement as a standard and necessary part of the sentencing process. I believe that Brock’s character was seriously affected by the alcohol he consumed, and I felt that the court needed to consider this issue during their sentencing deliberations.”
Several individuals have voiced their support and approval towards Northside’s decision. This is not the first time a musician has run their mouth and gotten their performance/festival cancelled. Most recently to face a cancellation and possible UK ban was Azealia Banks after she went on a racist Twitter rant against Zayn Malik. Why can’t people think before they speak?