Accusation of Rape < VIP Treatment

What I do know is that nothing in the world can justify a man being thus thrown to the dogs. (Bernard-Henri Levy – Daily Beast)

French “philosopher” Bernard-Henri Levy on how US treatment of accused rapist Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) cannot be justified.

One hopes Levy is protesting DSK being photographed in handcuffs, and not being detained for an accusation that he sexually assault a maid. I wonder if Levy would protest so strongly at a friend being handcuffed during arraignment if the individual wasn’t a rich VIP white male , but rather an ethnic minority or lower class citizen.

But I guess poor people aren’t given the benefit of preserving their reputation? The slander of such photographic insinuation. Mon Dieu!

While he’s not going to grope a girl in a police station – at least you’d expect not – and he’s not a threat like those scary big black guys who had too much pot on them (yeah that’s sarcasm), rape is a violent crime. Maybe the NYPD could have held off on the perp walk, but DSK should be in handcuffs.

I can see why a normal rape accusation procedure would be to handcuff the suspect. While this assessment seems about right for crimes in  general (that providing a calm demeanor, no one should be handcuffed during arraignment as the innocent is presumed such) let’s not forget that rape is a brutal, violent action and the people who commit rape are typically dangerous. Just because he wears expensive suits and is so important as to get fantastic, literally in the realm of fantasy, deals like staying in a midtown luxury hotel suite for just $525 a night when it normally costs $3,000/night, doesn’t mean he isn’t potentially dangerous to the public and women specifically.

Interest in the details of Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s case is seemingly bottomless. For example, questions arose as to how he came to stay in a $3,000-a-night suite at the Sofitel and fly first-class on Air France.

On Monday, William Murray, a spokesman for the International Monetary Fund, said that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had paid $525 for the room, according to a Travelocity reservation receipt provided by Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s office. Mr. Murray said that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had stayed at the Sofitel several times before, and that the I.M.F. had not expected to reimburse him for the cost. Mr. Murray added that the I.M.F. had paid for a business-class seat on Air France for Mr. Strauss-Kahn, but that he received an upgrade. NYT