I don’t have a proposal for a new law, I don’t even know the specifics of New York law at the time. My problem with this is that Tawana Brawley needed the protection of the state, but it turned against her. She had no one on her side, not her family, not her friends, not the government, and certainly not the political forces allegedly allied to support her, and certainly not those allied against her. All of her statements were obviously coached, and we’ll never know what kinds of abuse she suffered before and after this event. In addition, her statements were not malicious in intent, they were said for her own self-survival at the time, the words of a frightened and abused child. Pagones knew all that quite well and the fact that he sued her is a worse mark on his character than anything she said about him. She was a victim, and she continues to be victimized.
And how does this give her the right to ruin Pagones’s life? Furthermore, she doesn’t have to have malicious intent, just reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of the statements.
One can be both a victim and a perpetrator. The fact that one is a young teenager and in fear of her parents, and egged on by race-baiters does not absolve someone of their own responsibility to the truth, and it does not change the fact that Pagones had to endure what he endured for no reason other than Brawley’s fear of being punished.
She falsely accused him of rape. The accusation failed not because she recanted, but because to Pagones’ great good luck it was factually disprovable. Had she been a better planner and thinker, her false accusation might have never been disproved, and Pagones could have remained under the cloud of a sexual predator for the rest of his life.
But let’s say you’re right: she was a frightened and abused child.
You’re right. 15 year old girls who are beaten and raped and threatened with criminal charges and more violence and mental anquish should not be forgiven for making statements under threats of further harm that somehow put the spotlight on a corrupt law enforcement agency. Whatever was I thinking? She should come out immediately and praise her tormenters for their actions.
This might have relevancy at the time. What about today? And why does threats to her give her a free pass to ruin someone’s life?
Well, maybe if an organization is corrupt you could, y’know, go after them for the bad things they actually do instead of making up a complete story of bullshit that ruins people’s lives.