Franklin Street Rally Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn: 'We Want a Fair Trial'

Franklin Street Rally Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn: "We Want a Fair Trial"

By Esther Zuckerman Fri., Jul. 15 2011 at 9:24 AM

Esther Zuckerman

The block surrounding 153 Franklin Street -- Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Tribeca residence -- was quiet around 6 p.m. last night. One cop car with two officers was stationed there, along with some lackluster barricades, and people smoked and rested on stoops. But then, at around 6:15 p.m., a group of people came from the direction of Varick Street. A woman wearing orange led the way, holding a megaphone.

"There is no hiding place, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, for you tonight," she said.

The woman, chief of staff of the New Black Panther Party Khadijah Shakur, was one of about 20 people that eventually gathered to rally in front of the home of the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund accused of sexually assaulting a maid at the Sofitel Hotel in May. Since that time, the situation has become far more complicated.

After prosecutors began to doubt the veracity of the accuser, Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest and it now appears that charges against him could be dismissed. But the group that gathered Thursday evening, which never reached the 100 that Shakur hoped for early in the evening, wanted to send a message to Dominique Strauss-Kahn and prosecutors that he has not been exonerated in their eyes, and information that has since emerged about the victim is irrelevant to the crime. There is DNA evidence that a sexual encounter of some sort did occur.

Esther Zuckerman

Signs bearing Strauss-Kahn's face featured slogans like "We believe the victim has a case and she needs to heard," "We want equality under the laws," "Rape is rape no matter who raped," and "Mr. D.A. don't give up on justice." Chants of "hands off Africa," "black power" and "no justice, no peace" were heard.

"We want to bring public attention that they have turned a rapist loose in the city of New York," said Imam Akbar, the national minister of justice of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense.

But Strauss-Kahn wasn't even home, activist Danette Chavis said the group was told.

Souleymane Diallo, a man from the Guinean and African community who took the megaphone to speak with the crowd, explained to the Voice that one of the reasons he came out was that the progression of the case has sent a negative message to immigrants from the District Attorney.

"That message is, if you are an immigrant and you have trouble in this country, you better not speak out because if you do they will be digging into your past, they will not be focusing only on the problem that happened," he said.

He said that the immigration papers and tax returns of Strauss-Kahn's accuser do not "have anything to do with the case."

As the group chanted and spoke out, across the street onlookers gathered, taking photos of the proceedings. One person snapping pictures was elderly Upper East Side resident Renée Suaid, who said it was "historic." She had been celebrating Bastille Day nearby.

"I think they are right, this guy has to be prosecuted," she said.

The rally ended around 7:50 p.m. with the group joining hands in a circle, listening to a closing prayer from Imam Akbar, blocking the street. Shakur said the rally will happen weekly.

[ezwrites]

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Geoff Quartermaine Bastin

I understand that the plaintiff provided oral sex to DSK?

I can buy the possibility of rape (i.e., forcible entry to a vagina) but forcible entry to an orifice equipped with teeth capable to severing the errant member? I honestly don't think so.

She was intimidated? By a short, fat 60 year-old and French into the bargain? Oh please.

That DSK is a dirty old man, for sure... but then most of us are if we are honest and have the opportunity. Did she look at his wallet and figure this might be an OK thing to do, then follow up with a scam? Friends, if you've been ANYWHERE you'll know this the oldest ploy in the world.

Give the old freak a break, ship him back to France where he deservedly belongs and thank God he no longer runs the IMF - OMG! They elected ANOTHER French person!

Heleen Mees

While they were holding a mini rally in Franklin Street, the Strauss-Kahns visited Tanglewood to celebrate Anne Sinclair's birthday: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07...

missx

Do these people come out to harraas black men who are accused of rape?

cassandra777

The message, I hope, is that lying about being gang raped and lying to the grand jury about your rape accusations mean that you are not credible.

Of course its true that falsely claiming rape in the past doesn't mean you can't be raped, or that lying about circumstances surrounding your alleged rape doesn't mean you were not raped...but it stretches credulity to the breaking point.

Heleen Mees

The case should not be terminated because of the maid lying on her asylum application. After all that would mean that many asylum seekers would de facto be outlawed. But the maid also lied to the grand jury about her actions immediately after the incident. That is more serious. Moreover, she told the councillor in St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital right after the alleged attack that she stayed in the room and watched Mr. Strauss-Kahn getting dressed, which is not what she told the grand jury or the prosecution. Finally, her alleged injuries (a bruise on the vagina and a torn ligament) seem highly dubious. The DA's office does not want to confirm them (while confirming that Mr. Strauss-Kahn did not incur any bruises or scratches), and according to the defense the medical report does not prove that force was used.

You're right Heleen, it's not about her past, it's about her lies about this crime to cops, da and grand jury. To tight it to her part, though, she also lied to investigators (cops and DA) about being gang-raped before coming here. She got so emotionally vested in her lie, she ended up crying on floor and a few of these seasoned investigators shed tears. Those people are so desperate to make it a race issue now, it's completely ridiculous. This has nothing to do with this, this has to do with a "victim" who got caught lying too many times about the crime she allegedly lived through. And calling your boyfriend in his jail afterwards and already talk about potential financial gain is all the more suspicious. Unfortunately, no matter what happened, this is now a matter of impossibility to go beyond rational doubt. DNA is no proof of rape and DSK has no sign of fight on his body - what happened to the scratches he was supposed to have on his torso early on?

Heleen Mees

I agree. The fact that she appeared to be traumatized after the incident (according to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital's psychological report that her lawyer leaked to Le Parisien), is not really strong evidence either. After all, she apparently had some previous experience lying about rape and appearing traumatized.

Rob Thorne

"according to the defense the medical report does not prove that force was used."If the defence lawyers had said there was proof of force, DSKwould be pleading guilty. It is a meaningless statement and you have to remember how Brafman lied to the press back in May about Kruger, to understand the context.

buddgie

The medical report that "DSK didn't incur any bruises or scratches" was prepared by the police, hence the DA.

Wahrheit

The accuser could tell her (fake) life stories until even very experienced criminal investigators cried but she would later recant them and calmly said she just lied. The DA didn't leak anything about medical reports but both the defense lawyer and accuser's lawyer. The accuser said to a counselor from St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital that she watched her "attacker" DSK getting dressed in the room where she allegedly was raped. She sat there until he left. Incredible!

Heleen Mees

Sure. But I trust that the DA's office also has access to the maid's medical record. Moreover, the maid's attorney did leak the psychological assessment in the medical report (to Le Parisien), as well as her account of the incident (to the New York Times), but he did not leak the part of the medical report that deals with her physical injuries. Odd, isn't it?

Heleen Mees

I don't think it is a meaningless statement. In Le Monde Mr. Taylor quite explicitly denies that there is prove of the injuries in the medical report. Also, why does the DA's office not confirm the maid's alleged injuries, even on a background basis, while the DA's office does confirm that Mr. Strauss-Kahn did not have any?