“Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight.”

[deep]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRaw1A7REzs

This Alleged College Rape Survivor Continued to Walk With Her Mattress, Even on Graduation Day
Nine months ago Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz opened up about being raped in her own dorm bed. Sulkowicz didn’t file a formal report. Instead, she asked her school to take action.

When Columbia didn’t hold her attacker responsible, Emma took the issue on with her own two hands, carrying her mattress wherever she went on campus until either she graduated or her school made a new ruling. Her protest gained nationwide attention and become her senior thesis, “Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight.”

For Sulkowicz, the mattress represented the weight that she carried around since the night of her rape and that she said she’d continue to carry as long as her alleged attacker, Paul Nungesser, was at her school.

Yesterday, after the administration at Columbia failed to change their ruling, she kept to her plan and walked onstage with the mattress during commencement. Her friends helped her carry it as the audience cheered. Sulkowicz didn’t shake hands with the school’s President as she received her diploma. Nungesser also graduated yesterday.

This Alleged College Rape Survivor Continued to Walk With Her Mattress, Even on Graduation Day | RYOT News

Emma Sulkowicz has graduated from college, now what?

[deep]

Columbia President Ignores Emma Sulkowicz -- The Cut

[Oregoropa]

Why didn't she file a formal police report? I know victims are often too traumatized and don't go ahead with calling the police. The article doesn't go into it.

[DaveC]

I thought once the police got knowledge of a serious allegation of rape, they were obliged to follow up on it? Whether or not they actually do anything about it is another story of course but I'm pretty sure that's the case in Canada.

[Oregoropa]

Can see this on a Law & Order:SVU Ripped from the Headlines episodes. Except it would be at Hudson University (the skeeviest college in all the land)

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by Oregoropa

Why didn't she file a formal police report? I know victims are often too traumatized and don't go ahead with calling the police. The article doesn't go into it.

She did, and then withdrew the complaint.

The DA did not have enough evidence without her cooperation to continue.

The entire case is very strange.

The only cases that are actually moving forward are the two civil cases brought forward by the accused against Sulkowicz and Columbia for defamation of character.

[BigMacPhisto]

It's always a tricky situation because most of the on-campus rapes happen to people that are close to the victim. This was a guy she had boned months prior and was a close friend of hers, hence why she tried to deal with it directly with him.

For what it's worth, the accused had two other women bring cases against him. He was found guilty in one, but then the woman didn't show up at a later hearing, effectively freeing him. She was starting a new job elsewhere and didn't want to have to tell her employer what was going on by needing to take a day off work...

Accuser also has a man that says he was raped by this guy. I'm no scientist, but it's starting to get into Cosby territory here...sure, one or two allegations of rape? Maybe he's innocent. Four? Hmm.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

She has now filmed an "art piece" (aka porn) where she reenacts the alleged incident, with the disclaimer that she is in no way reenacting said alleged incident.

[deep]

Does the video exist?

Ceci n'est pas un viol