VIDEO: Brooklyn survivors of sexual assault speak out on Kavanaugh proceedings, ask to be believed
Alison Turkos told a crowd of hundreds gathered in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court she had been raped three times during her life. The first two times she kept silent, fearing that no one would believe her. The third time was a year ago, when she was kidnapped and gang raped by three men; this time she decided to report it to the NYPD.
“I did the right thing and I reported, and the NYPD was terrible,” Turkos said in tears. “I was treated like a criminal, so I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”
Turkos shared her story Wednesday night to a group of protesters who were supporting survivors of sexual assault and demanding the U.S Senate stop Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.
Several allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct have been placed against Kavanaugh throughout his confirmation process, including from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified in front of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee last week.
“We allowed people to share their stories because we’ve seen in the past week that sharing stories is what changes senators’ minds,” said Paola Mendoza, one of the event organizers. Mendoza added that the vigil was also a healing space for women after a tough two weeks.