If you have not come to the realization that for many judges in America, Black lives really don’t matter, then the results of a rape case should change your mind. As reported by rolling out, a White student named John R.K. Howard brutally sexually assaulted a Black special needs student at Dietrich High School in Dietrich, Idaho. The Black victim endured taunts at school from his teammates and football coaches, who called him “fried chicken”, “grape soda”, “n-word” and many other racial slurs.
The racial intimidation eventually led to a brutal rape in the locker room where the Black victim’s pants were pulled down and a coat hanger inserted into his rectum. Another White student, John Howard, kicked the hanger five times, pushing the hanger deeper into the teen’s rectum and causing tears that required surgery. This past December, Howard walked out of court a free man for his horrific actions against the victim. He struck a plea deal for a lesser charge of injury to a child and faced 2-3 years of probation and 300 hours of community service. In addition, he did not have to register as a sex offender despite his sexual assault against the victim. He faced final sentencing last week in the courtroom of Judge Randy Stoker.
Last Friday Judge Stoker decided that Howard should receive no punishment, declaring from the bench that “People from the East Coast have no idea what this case was about.” Stoker further declared that “This is not a rape case. This is not a sex case. This started out as penetration with a foreign object … Whatever happened in that locker room was not sexual. It wasn’t appropriate. There’s nothing in this record that supports anything close to the sexual allegation against this young man. In my view, this is not a case of racial bias.” He told Howard from the bench, “If I thought that you had committed this offense for racial purposes, you would go straight to the Idaho penitentiary.” With that said, Judge Stoker sentenced Howard to 300 hours of community service and three years probation. If he violates his probation, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Many are asking what it takes to prove a Black person is being racially victimized. In Idaho, apparently, calling a Black teen an n-word while shoving and kicking a hanger up his rectum is not racist, nor is it rape.
The victim’s family has a $10M lawsuit against the school district pending for its callous disregard of his torment in school.
