Star Tribune’s rape series shouldn’t have surprised people

The Star Tribune produced a Pulitzer Prize-caliber section on what happens when women in Minnesota report they’ve been raped (spoiler alert: too often, nothing).

The message the series conveyed shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The story of Abby Honold, also told by reporter Brandon Stahl a few years ago, should have been enough to push politicians into the action they’ve said they’ll take in the days since Sunday’s stories were published.

It wasn’t, as Honold’s incredible tweet thread yesterday proved.

“I still struggle to feel safe,” Morath, 24, told the Star Tribune in the series. “Not only because I don’t know the identity of my rapist, but because I don’t trust the law enforcement officer assigned to my case.”

The failure to vigorously investigate sexual assaults is endangering women across Minnesota, the Strib series said.

Maybe Sunday’s efforts will be a wake-up call to law enforcement and politicians. If so, it should give us pause to ask why they’ve slept on the problem to now.

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