Students and community members gathered Friday to demand a public apology from Stanford University regarding its decision not to use quotes proposed by convicted sex offender Brock Turner's victim for a commemorative plaque on campus.
The event was held at the spot Turner was found assaulting an unconscious woman, who has become known to the public as "Emily Doe," near Kappa Alpha fraternity, Stephanie Pham from Stanford Association of Students for Sexual Assault Prevention said.
According to Pham, Stanford University agreed to community requests to replace the dumpster near the fraternity with a "scenic spot" including a fountain and a seating area last year.
The university planned to install a plaque engraved with a passage from the victim's letter, which she was supposed to choose, Pham said. One example was, "I'm right here, I'm okay, everything's okay, I'm right here," a passage from the letter she wrote and read aloud to Turner in court.
At the gathering, students plan to read quotes from the letter that they find empowering and discuss how Stanford can uphold their commitment to Turner's victim and the community in the fight against sexual violence, according to Pham.
The event stemmed from a petition introduced by the group asking for the apology and immediate installation of a plaque with a quote of Doe's choice, Pham said. Over 6,000 have signed the petition.
Pham, a co-founder of the group, called the university-chosen quote "an insult to the Stanford community."
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"Stanford choosing to reject the survivor's chosen quotes is an act that only further silences survivors," Pham said in a statement.
