“?Even if the justice system fails, the community is not going to fail”
Stanford University student Brock Turner officially registered as a sex offender in his Ohio hometown Tuesday morning, as required by his conviction terms. He will stay on the registry for the rest of his life.
After sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on the Stanford campus in January 2015, the 21-year-old served only three months of a six month sentence in Santa Clara County prison. The brief sentence has left Santa Clara judge Aaron Persky in hot water. After hearing the case and reviewing statements submitted by Turner, Turner’s father, and a close friend which pointed the blame toward college “party culture,” Persky handed down the sentence many believe to be far too lenient for the crime. The judge is now facing a recall.
Heads are turning outside the courtroom as well as Turner’s neighbors surrounding his Ohio residence have taken it upon themselves to protest the convicted sex offender’s return. Some residents stood outside Turner’s home with firearms, following the state’s open carry laws in an effort to keep Turner on edge and see justice through.
Greene County resident and protestor Micah Naziri told NBC, “No one is going to shoot him unless we see him victimizing people. Even if the justice system fails, the community is not going to fail.”
Turner will serve three years probation while living under his parents’ roof.