I’ve been silent for 8 years and I can no longer remain silent. I can no longer stand by as a fellow sexual assault victim, in my own community, is dragged through the mud. A woman who is getting re-victimized by Mayor Pete Muldoon.

I was raped 8 years ago at the end of my sophomore year of college. I waited three days after I was assaulted before I told anyone. The first person being my dad. Four days after I was raped I finally made it home from Oregon. I came home to my parents’ house and was greeted by a lawyer, therapist, and later someone in law enforcement. Both the lawyer and a law enforcement professional explained how difficult it would be to prosecute my attacker and how I would have to stand trial and explain every detail of what had happened to me. And since it had been days since the incident, the evidence wasn’t strong.

Mayor Muldoon’s victim waited 7 days after the assault to report the crime. The victim was processing what had happened to her during those 7 days. I know, I’ve been there. That means in those 7 days she did not give the crucial evidence that would be used to charge him with first-degree rape. That means in those 7 days her credibility was questioned. This is where our system fails women and why most rape cases are never charged or reported. This is not the victim’s fault.

After my assault, I couldn’t leave my bed. I was so numb from what had happened to me and I didn’t have the strength to fight for justice against my attacker. Not many victims do, their minds and bodies are trying to process what just happened to them.

I will not let the Mayor blame the victim. I will not let the Mayor blame the police. I will not allow Pete Muldoon’s male entitlement to protect him as it has for the past four years.

In the paper Mayor Muldoon said, “Up until last week, the system worked as it should have.” The system DID NOT work. The victim has not seen justice. Pete has not been held accountable for first degree rape. For sexually forcing himself on his victim. As we learned from the #MeToo movement, prosecution is not the threshold for whether something wrong occurred.

“I’m not easily intimidated, and I’m going to continue to do my job of protecting public health,” said Mayor Muldoon. What a load of bullshit. You are the intimidator. We need to be protected from you. YOU are the predator. You are NOT the victim.

I am calling on all women, all fellow survivors, on all my fellow decent Jackson residents, on all our local candidates and electeds who have remained silent on this issue, to demand Pete Muldoon resign from his position as Mayor.