8/6/2019 Open Letter to Cyrus Vance, Manhattan District Attorney
Regarding Sofitel Hotel Worker Victimized by DSK
1/2
BILL PERKINS
SENATOR, 30TH DISTRICT
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Ranking Member
Corporations, Authorities andCommissions
MEMBER
Civil Service and PensionsCodes/Cities
Environmental ProtectionFinance/Judiciary
LaborTransportation
ALBANY OFFICELEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING
ROOM 517ALBANY, NY 12247
(P) 518-455-2441(F) 518-426-6809
DISTRICT OFFICE
ACP STATE OFFICE BUILDING163 W. 125TH STREET, 9TH FL.
NEW YORK, NY 10027(P) 212-222-7315(F) 212-678-0001
E-MAIL
[email protected]
July 6, 2011
Cyrus Vance, District Attorney
New York CountyOne Hogan Place
New York, NY 10007
Subject: Open Letter to Cyrus Vance, Manhattan District Attorney
regarding Sofitel Hotel
Worker Victimized by DSK
Dear District Attorney Vance:
Recent news reports this past week across all forms of media
have generated two major concerns.
First, there have been allegations undermining the character and
credibility of the victim. Second,
there is growing fear that the District Attorneys office will
not vigorously pursue the case or evenworse, dismiss it. With
respect to the first concern, stories throughout the national
and
international press have cast a dark cloud on the integrity and
credibility of the victim to the extent
that it appears as ifshe has been criminalized. In doing so,
justification is being created, it
appears to dismiss the case prematurely effectively demonizing
her. Moreover it even hints that
the accused will be exonerated in spite of evidence specifically
and directly related to the incident
that points to him as the perpetrator.
Notwithstanding, these claims in various media from unrevealed
and anonymous
sources, maligning the credibility of the victim inappropriately
serves as a basis for
demonstrating that she was not sexually victimized and serves
further to demonstrate thatshe has been totally abandoned by your
office, who are sworn to protect her and other
women who are similarly victimized on at regular basis.None of
what is mentioned in the
media says that this woman was not raped nor does it justify
that the courts and the judicial
system abandon her. Indeed, there appears to be enough
compelling physical evidence in support
of the victims allegations for the District Attorneys office to
move forward with the pursuit of this
case. Nothing that has been said speaks to the original charges
of forced, unconsentual sex.
8/6/2019 Open Letter to Cyrus Vance, Manhattan District Attorney
Regarding Sofitel Hotel Worker Victimized by DSK
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To preserve the principle of due process, the decision to bring
charges should be decided
on its merits, not the character of the victim or the
victimizer. If anything less than due
process is delivered in this case then justice will have been
unduly denied. This will only confirm
the cynicism and fears many women have of coming forward when
they have been violated. In the
words of one of the religious leaders in the African community a
daughter of Mama Africa has been
violated and herdignity snatched and she is disgraced/dishonored
publicly by the media. No
wonder rape victims don't report rape.
Sincerely,
Bill Perkins, Senator
30th Senatorial District
