JUDGE

Stanford Students Plan Protest During Graduation, Congresswoman Speaks Out

Bicycle billboards decrying rape culture will also be on display outside the Stadium

College graduations are supposed to be a time to celebrate, but for many students at Stanford University, this year's commencement will not be a joyous occasion.

Following the lenient sentencing of Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, some students and activists are rallying together to hold a protest before Sunday's 10 a.m. ceremony.

Organizers say the goal is not to disrupt the commencement, but to use it as a public stage to decry the treatment of sexual assaults on college campuses around the country.

Those who are involved in the protest also would like the school to implement a new Campus Climate survey -- a standard tool used by universities to assess students' feelings of safety at school.

On Saturday, a student named Brianne Huntsman shared photos on Twitter of the signs she planned to hold. Written in black and red letters, the signs read "Teach Your Son Not to Rape," "Brock Turner is Not An Exception" and "Justice for Survivors, Not Leniency for Rapists."

UltraViolet, a women's advocacy organization, has seemingly spared no expense for the protest.

The group has hired a plane to fly over Stanford Stadium until 15 minutes before the ceremony starts with a banner reading "Protect Survivors. Not Rapists." 

The organization has also taken out a full page ad in the student newspaper that urges faculty and students to sign a petition to oust Santa Clara County Federal Judge Aaron Persky, who handed down the controversial 6-month jail sentence to Turner.

Bicycle billboards decrying rape culture will also be on display outside the stadium from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-14), an advocate for survivor's rights, has been fighting within the political arena to ensure that schools are held more accountable when instances of sexual assaults occur. Next week, she will read the viral letter that Turner's victim wrote during a House meeting. 

"This cannot just be a little pebble floating across the lake with a couple of ripple effects," Speier said. "This needs to be something that really drives us to do something significant on the issue of rape." 

Speier has frequently introduced legislation and spoken about sexual assault on the House floor. The congresswoman has introduced three bills to the House floor that deal with rape and sexual assault, including one that would do away with the statute of limitations on prosecuting rape. 

She has also been supportive of efforts to remove Persky from the bench. 

"For the judge to say when he actually announced the sentence, that (prison) would have a severe impact on this young man's life boggles the mind," she told NBC News and NBC Bay Area in an interview. "How about the severe impact on the victim's life?"

Persky, who agreed with a parole board's recommendation to the six-month sentence, slid into a new six-year term on Tuesday after running unopposed on the ballot. He is facing two recall efforts, one that is pushing for the state's judicial commission to review his performance, and another that would put his re-election before Santa Clara County voters in November.

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