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Facebook Supports School Officials Who Condoned Rape of Local Texas Cheerleader
Rapist Rakheem Jamal Bolton
Rakheem Jamal Bolton raped a fellow high school classmate from Silsbee High School in Texas and received a slap on the wrist by local judiciary due to his athletic status. Photo courtesy of KFDM.
Stories of small Texas towns ignoring the illegal activity of star athletes is nothing new, however the town of Silsbee has gone as far as to ignore the rape of a local high school cheerleader because jailing the assailant would hurt the team.
Silsbee High School athletic star Rakheem Jamal Bolton raped a 16-year-old female cheerleader from his high school at party in October 2008 along with a friend Christian Paul Rountree. Pending trial, the rapist was ALLOWED BACK TO SCHOOL by the court and the school district so he could continue with the school’s athletic program. During this time period, while playing basketball for the school, the victim refused to cheer for him during his free-throw shots. This angered local school superintendent Richard Bain, Jr. who ordered Principal Eldon Franco to kick the victim off the cheer squad for embarassing the school district by refusing to cheer for her rapist. It should also be noted that the town of Silsbee is so indifferent to the rape, Richard Bain is still permitted to sit on the board of directors for the Silsbee Chamber of Commerce.
In the mean time, the local prosecutor (David Barlow) and judge (Joe Bob Golden), both athletic supporters of Silsbee High School, agreeed to a plea deal whereby charges would be dropped from a felony to a misdemeaner and no jail time would be served. Judge Joe Bob Golden sentenced Bolton to one year in the Hardin County Jail, but the judge suspended the sentence and placed Bolton on probation for two years. The judge also assessed a fine of $2,500, 150 hours of community service, and ordered Bolton to attend anger management classes. While Bolton will have the conviction of assault on his record, he will never have to register as a sex offender and will be entitled to change his name to hide his identity as a rapist.
When asked about his sentenced, Bolton said, “Yes, I do feel like it was fair. Very fair.” Bolton says he wants to move on with his life and get back to the sport he loves. “College, play football,” said Bolton. “Everything else I wanted to do, I can finally do it now.” Special prosecutor David Barlow said, “I think it’s a fair resolution. The State is happy he has come forward and admitted his guilt.” [Reported by KFDM News]
As for the victim, she and her family sued Silsbee High School for removing her from the cheer squad for refusing to cheer for her rapist, however a small town Texas appeals court judge dismissed the case, saying, “In her capacity as cheerleader, [she] served as a mouthpiece through which the school could disseminate speech–namely, support for its athletic teams.” Not cheering for Bolton “constituted substantial interference with the work of the school because, as a cheerleader, [she] was at the basketball game for the purpose of cheering, a position she undertook voluntarily.” In other words, the “work of the school” is basketball, and H.S. was obligated to put on a robotic smile and cheer for the man who had assaulted her.
Rape supporter Richard Bain Jr
Richard Bain, Jr., the Silsbee TX school superintendent who ordered a raped cheerleader off the cheer squad for refusing to cheer for her rapist. He still maintains his job, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Silsbee Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of Silsbee Chamber of Commerce.
Numerous stories of this obscene miscarriage of justice in Texas by school officials, local prosecutors and judges have hit the internet, however none of the major news organizations have yet to carry the story. Both school district Superintendent Bain and high school Principal Franco maintain Facebook pages at this time. The rapist, in violation of Facebook Terms of Service, also has an active profile as of this posting: Rakheem Bolton. However, Facebook is sending out “harassment warnings” to ANYONE who messages any of them via Facebook to express outrage. Apparently, the “strong stand” against sexual predators and those who support them is no longer a priority at the social networking giant.
“You have been sending harassing messages to other users. This is a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Use. Among other things, messages that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. Continued misuse of Facebook’s features could result in your account being disabled.” – Facebook Customer Service.
The rapist, Rakheem Jamal Bolton, has moved on with his life, and he now resides in Miami, FL with a wife. His Facebook bio reads:
My name is Rakheem aka roc but my girl calls me daddy. in my spare time i like to chill wit my fat mama adriane…i love sports im a genius in football some may call it a master mind…well anything else yu wanna know yu can ask my adriane cause she knows more than me lol…
Unfortunately, his victim cannot move-on with her life as easily, and she will forever be haunted by the rape she received at his hands as well as being raped in conspiracy by Prosecutor David Barlow, Judge Joe Bob Golden, School Superintendent Richard Bain, Jr., and Principal Eldon Franco. Gentlemen, the world will not forget your names, and we will be there to remind everyone of YOUR crime against this girl for the rest of your political careers.
You can read more about this story at the following locations:
* KFDM news story on the rape and trial.
* Ms. Magazine coverage of the victim’s lawsuit.
* Change.org petition demanding apology from Silsbee school officials.
* Myspace page for Rakheem Jamal Bolton
* Facebook page for Rakheem Jamal Bolton