1. I felt that the result of the case regarding sexual harassment was justified. I feel that while the defendant could have been viewed as a humorous and hardworking man in the bureau, his actions were sexual harassment. One of the most compelling facts is the fact that the defendant put up racy and inappropriate pictures which clearly affected the welfare of the plaintiff. The pictures were just the half of it; he made disrespectful remarks to the plaintiff. He would playfully flirt and tease with her. Although they may not have seen as serious to the defendant, the plaintiff clearly stated that she was uncomfortable. Whether or not the defendant agrees that his actions are inappropriate for the work place, he must respect the request. However, he blatantly ignored the plaintiff which was stated in the testimony. He could see that she was suffering and that is why she missed so many days of work. While she was disturbed, she still showed up to work as often as she could. One of the witnesses that really stood out to me was the head of the bureau. She, in addition to the defendant, ignored the complaints by the plaintiff. This makes her just as guilty as the defendant himself. By not stopping him, she is condoning the sexual harassment behavior. In order for me to reach the opposite outcome, I would have to have been given testimony that the plaintiff engaged with the defendants remarks. She would have had to flirt back or said mixed things. However, this was not the case. She always stayed true to herself by saying no; she was firm and should not have had to deal with the sexual harassment that occurred in the workplace. In the second trial between David Jones and Susan Williams, I disagree with the verdict of non-guilty. I feel that David Jones raped Ms. Williams because of the simple fact that she said “no.” Their relationship is long, and yes they have been intimate before, but in their most recent relationship, they had been taking it slowly. Mr. Jones was aware that Ms. Williams was not ready to be intimate, but still, he planned everything all along by putting on a condom. Before even discussing the possibility of being intimate, he put on a condom. This comes across as Mr. Jones fully intending on being intimate with her even if she did not want to. Another striking piece of evidence was the torn shirt that appeared to be ripped with a lot of force; she also had bruises along her arm. I feel that the testimony of Lee Streams, the psychologist, proved to be the weakest. His focus has always been on adolescent psychology. Neither Mr. Jones nor Ms. Williams are adolescents and he did not even know Ms. Williams. I feel that his testimony should have been disregarded. Furthermore, Ms. Williams’s testimony was difficult to listen to because she was obviously very distraught. However, it was honest and real. She was raped. In order for me to believe that she was not raped, I would have had to understand more of their relationship and of her leading him on. While she engaged in casually kissing, she did not intend on having sex with Mr. Williams that night. She was not ready; he should have respected her.
2. People must know that in both sexual assault and sexual harassment, people react differently. We must respect the boundaries of other people. While some people may enjoy flirty comments and touching, others may find it to be extremely offensive. People must be cautious and learn to understand and respect the emotions of other people in order to avoid problems such as these. I do not think that there is a problem of sexual harassment or sexual assault at DHS. I feel that the majority of guys respect the girls and their feelings. I have never seen any guy be physically or verbally abusive in school. That being said, I also do not look for it that much. If I saw something out of the ordinary I would notice it, but I do not go around analyzing conversations between the guys and girls. Both girls and guys are respected at DHS. The majority of everyone has an extracurricular activity that they are involved in. They work hard and understand the significance of treating others the way they would like to be treated. If sexual harassment or sexual assault was a major problem at DHS, I feel like it would be talked about more. Still, counselors and teachers look out for it and will react accordingly. I definitely feel safe at DHS. Overall, people must be aware of what is going on around them and understand that everyone behaves and reacts in different ways. There is no right way, but everyone should be respected.
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