Who Is Brock Turner? The Man Who Prompted Women to Warn Each Other on Social Media

Trigger Warning: This story mentions details of sexual abuse that may be disturbing to readers. 

Brock Turner first made headlines in 2015, after he was accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman at a party. In 2016, he was convicted for 6 months, but he walked out after serving just three months in jail, according to CNN. 

The former Stanford University swimmer's case went viral, and he was forced to register as a sexual offender. He will have to keep registering every 90 days, and anyone living within 1,250 feet of Turner’s address will be notified with a postcard. Additionally, he will not be allowed to live within 1,000 feet of schools or playgrounds, Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer told the outlet.

Even though it has been years since his trial and the victim has publicly identified herself, women are still looking out for each other and warning others about the sex offender via social media, according to Vice. 

“Brock Turner is now living in the Dayton, Ohio, area,” one recent post on Facebook read. “He is frequenting bars in the area. Do not let him leave with an intoxicated woman. Inform the women of who he is. Inform the bartender, bouncers. Brock Turner does not belong in public.”

Another post read, “Just trying to spread awareness that this r@pist is back in our midst. Please tell your female and femme-presenting friends, family members, co-workers, literally everyone. This man does not deserve peace.”

Ever since Turner was released from jail, he has been living at his home in Dayton, Ohio, so it is unclear why these messages have begun to suddenly pop up. It could be because women don't want to be another one of his victims, which explains why they're still relying on so-called “whisper networks” to keep themselves safe. 

“It’s scary to know that these types of ‘men’ get a slap on the wrist (if that) and then get to go on about their lives as if nothing happened,” yet another post read. “Please be vigilant, ladies. We are not safe.”

“Put everybody on high alert,” one woman declared on TikTok. Apart from the warnings, people also took to social media to express their shock and concern over how someone who sexually assaulted a woman was released from jail in just three months, after being given just 6 months in prison even after the prosecutor argued for a six-year sentence.

"Thank you for sharing. I am in Cincinnati. His victim's name is Chanel Miller. Read her memoir last year. He shouldn't have been released," another TikTok user said. "That case destroyed me. Three months at the county jail where his parents brought his favourite foods," a second person added.

As for the victim, Chanel Miller, she knows this incident will always be a part of her life, but as the Know My Name author told The Guardian, “There are no deadlines for healing. Ultimately this experience will always be a part of you, but you get to choose how it serves you; what you draw from it. I get to use my anger as fuel, I get to use my grief as strength, and my ability to empathise with anyone who’s going through this; I’m thankful for the ability to do that.”
 

References:

https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/02/us/brock-turner-release-jail/index.html

https://www.vice.com/en/article/3adany/brock-turner-tiktok-ohio-rape

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/25/stanford-sexual-assault-victim-chanel-miller-interview

Cover Image Source: Twitter | Henry K. Lee