Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image">Screenshot/NBC Today ShowDaisy Coleman</div></div>The teenage girl at the center of the controversial <keyword id="1906387" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Maryville-Rape">Maryville rape</keyword> case was hospitalized on Sunday after she attempted <keyword id="6356238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Suicide">suicide</keyword>, her mother <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2535015/Daisy-Colemans-mom-reveals-bullied-teen-potentially-brain-damaged-suicide-attempt-attacks-Anonymous-dumping-daughters-football-rape-case.html">confirmed</a> to the Daily Mail.
Daisy Coleman might be left with brain damage after an attempt to kill herself by drug overdose, according to her mother, Melinda.
She had reportedly been bullied following a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/maryville-rape-case-coleman-family-driven-out-town-2013-10">high-profile rape case</a> that drove her family from their home in Maryville, Mo. Daisy accused a football player of raping her in 2012.
Once the case got national attention following <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">a story</a> in The Kansas City Star, hacking collective Anonymous <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-takes-on-maryville-rape-case-2013-10">stepped in</a> and promised to help, launching a cyber campaign to raise awareness about the case and pressuring prosecutors to launch an investigation.
Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice initially dropped felony charges against Matthew Barnett, the football player Daisy accused, but <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marryville-missouri-rape-case-reopened-2013-10">the case was reopened</a> in October.
Melinda <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melinda.coleman1">took to Facebook</a> on Sunday to express her frustration with the ordeal. She posted this status:
"Where is anonymous now? My daughter has been terrorized to the point she tried to kill herself last night. She may never be ok. Where are you and your super hacking skills and internet help now.......we really need them."
The online bullying reportedly worsened after Daisy briefly attended a party last weekend.
Daisy is now in stable condition at a psychiatric hospital, <a href="http://fox4kc.com/2014/01/06/daisy-coleman-hospitalized-in-kansas-city-after-suicide-attempt/">according to</a> Fox 4 in Kansas City.

Teen In Notorious Maryville Rape Case Attempts Suicide

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image">Screenshot/NBC Today ShowDaisy Coleman</div></div>The <keyword id="39493" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rape">rape</keyword> case that drove a family out of a small <keyword id="6576196" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Missouri">Missouri</keyword> town after a 14-year-old girl accused a popular high school football player <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/17/4557776/missouri-teen-sex-assault-case.html">will be reopened</a>, the Associated Press reports.
Outcry followed last weekend's <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">story in the Kansas City Star</a> that described Daisy Coleman's case.
Daisy accused 17-year-old Matthew Barnett, a senior defensive end on the Maryville, Mo. football team, of raping her while she was at a party at his house in January 2012.
A special prosecutor will review the allegations, according to the Associated Press, giving Daisy another chance to bring the case to court.
Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice dropped felony charges against Barnett in March 2012, citing a lack of evidence despite Barnett confessing to having sex with Daisy. Another boy at the party allegedly raped one of Daisy's friends that same night.
Investigators say Daisy's family stopped cooperating with the investigation, and Daisy's family says they were bullied. 
Rice told the AP that he was only asking a special prosecutor to review the case because of the recent media attention it has gotten, with many people criticizing the county's justice system. Hacker collective Anonymous <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-takes-on-maryville-rape-case-2013-10">has even launched a campaign against the town</a>.
Barnett comes from a powerful family in Maryville - his grandfather was a longtime member of the Missouri House of Representatives - and some have accused the prosecutor of dropping the charges because of this connection.
Daisy's case has been compared to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/allegations-in-steubenville-rape-case-2013-3">the infamous Steubenville, Ohio rape case</a>. The alleged Maryville assault, which involved alcohol, was also reportedly captured on camera. Police were unable to retrieve any footage during the investigation.
Daisy woke up the morning after Barnett's party outside her house in freezing weather. Her mother found her outside. 
The Coleman family - who had moved to Maryville shortly before the alleged rape after Daisy's father died in a car wreck - eventually moved out of the small town after locals who were tied to the accused boys turned against the family.

Rape Case That Forced Family Out Of Missouri Town To Be Reopened

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image">Screenshot/NBC Today ShowDaisy Coleman</div></div>The teenager who was accused of raping a younger classmate and dumping her outside of her house in Maryville, Mo. in 2012 will not face sexual assault charges, a prosecutor <a href="http://www.jacksongov.org/content/8829/8837/9863.aspx">announced Thursday</a>.
Matthew Barnett, 19, made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of child endangerment, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said at a press conference.
He will serve two years of probation, do 100 hours of community service, and pay restitution of $1,800 to the victim's family. Barnett has also been ordered to apologize to his victim.
The charge relates to Barnett allegedly leaving Daisy Coleman, who was 14 years old at the time, semi-conscious and out in the cold in her yard after she attended a party with him, but does not relate to Daisy's alleged rape, The Kansas City Star <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/09/4739016/misdemeanor-charged-filed-in-contentious.html">reports</a>.
Baker said there wasn't enough evidence to convict Barnett of rape.
"Our system of justice works because it is evidence-based," she said. "I trust this system, I believe in this system. It is not always a system in which we can triumph the outcome."
There was allegedly a video being passed around that showed Daisy and a 13-year-old friend being sexually assaulted at a party, but Baker said she was unsuccessful in obtaining it.
Daisy's family left Maryville after the town turned on them when Daisy decided to pursue sex assault charges against Barnett, <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">according to what they told The Kansas City Star</a> in October. Barnett was a popular player on the high school football team.
Once the case got national attention, hacking collective Anonymous <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-takes-on-maryville-rape-case-2013-10">stepped in</a> and promised to help, launching a cyber campaign to raise awareness about the case and pressuring prosecutors to launch an investigation.
Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice initially dropped felony charges against Barnett, but <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marryville-missouri-rape-case-reopened-2013-10">the case was reopened</a> in October.
Daisy, now 16, was hospitalized after she <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/daisy-coleman-suicide-attempt-2014-1">attempted suicide last weekend</a>.
She released this statement that was read at the press conference Thursday:
"I want to thank everyone who supported me and my family during the past two years. ... Today I am grateful that the defendant took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges. I am ready to move forward."
Although prosecutors weren't successful at obtaining a felony conviction, Baker said the system still worked.
"Today, Mr. Barnett was held accountable for his actions," she said. "It is a conviction, it will remain on his record, and it will never go away."

Football Player Accused Of Notorious Maryville Rape Gets Off With Misdemeanor Charge And No Jail

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image">Rahman Roslan/Getty Images</div></div>
Infamous hacker group <keyword id="169875" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="anonymous">Anonymous</keyword> has announced a cyber campaign in response to news about the failure to prosecute the alleged <keyword id="39493" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rape">rape</keyword> of two young teens girls in Maryville, Mo.
<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">The heartbreaking report from Dugan Arnett of the Kansas City Star</a> described how, in January 2012, 14-year old Daisy Coleman and her 13-year-old friend got drunk at the home of 17-year old Matthew Barnett, and then Coleman had sex with Barnett and her friend had sex with 15-year-old Jordan Zech - with the latter allegedly filmed by a third boy. While the boys were initially charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence, spurring allegations of corruption.
The Anonymous campaign, which is being hashtagged under <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OpMaryville&amp;src=tyah">#OpMaryville</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Justice4Daisy&amp;src=typd">#Justice4Daisy</a>, offered the following <a href="http://pastebin.com/3rq0ZSrY">statement</a>:
Two young girls have been raped in the town of Maryville, Missouri. Another high school football star, the grandson of a Missouri state official, has walked free. The people of Maryville turned their backs on these victims and one family has been forced to flee the town. Their house was later burned to the ground. …
If Maryville won't defend these young girls, if the police are too cowardly or corrupt to do their jobs, if justice system has abandoned them, then we will have to stand for them. Mayor Jim Fall, your hands are dirty. Maryville, expect us.
Their objective, <a href="http://pastebin.com/G0ahgG6Q">according to Anonymous' "Twitterstorm package"</a>:
Raise Awareness in social media, put pressure on Attorney General Chris Koster to launch an investigation into the lack of charges against Matthew Barnett (despite a confession and evidence of his guilt), and promote that on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, at 10:00am we will meet at the Nodaway County Courthouse in Maryville, Missouri with daisies in our hands for a peaceful protest in support of Daisy Coleman.
The October 22nd Justice For Daisy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/648396251860031/"> event</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/648396251860031/"> already has more than 900 participants on Facebook.</a> 
The campaign appears to be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-hacker-deric-lostutter-raided-by-fbi-2013-6">similar to Anonymous's involvement in the Steubenville rape case in 2012.</a> During that campaign, Anonymous released a Wikileaks-style dump of new information about the case including emails, videos, background information, and social media posts. In addition, Anonymous hacked an unaffiliated website demanding an apology from school officials and local authorities and the emails of those involved in the case. 
It remains to be seen what strategy Anonymous will actually take. Deric Lostutter, the Anonymous member who headed the Steubenville campaign, has urged those taking part in the campaign to go through legal methods of protest and investigation.
"It's highly important not to obtain evidence by hacking, but rather cybersleuthing in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/opmaryville" class="_58cn" data-pub="{" type:hashtagid:438297322942162source:null="" data-ft="{" tn:Ntype:104="">#opMaryville</a> because hacking could make such evidence found, inadmissible," Lostutter posted.
Prior to the start of the campaign, however, the official Anonymous Twitter (or as official as Anonymous gets) sent out this tweet:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Deric Lostutter has not been consulted, or involved in anyway, with <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OpMaryville&amp;src=hash">#OpMaryville</a>, other than to get his name printed by the press.
- Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/statuses/390162395630673920">October 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
But Anonymous may be oversimplifying a complex case, at least in regards to how the local authorities handled it. In a radio interview earlier this year, Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White (who had previously said that a "horrible crime" occurred between the boys and Coleman), <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-missouri-maryville-rape-20131014,0,586421.story">said that the victim's family was largely to blame for the failure of the case.</a> According to White, the Coleman family stopped cooperating with officials.
"What really fell apart were the victims and the victims' family," White told KCUR. "They're the ones that actually absolutely destroyed this case, all on their own, all by themselves. At least the suspects were smart enough to keep their mouths shut after it all happened."
To keep up on what is happening with #OpMaryville, <a href="https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews">head over to Anonymous' Twitter account</a>. Below is the full video statement from Anonymous:

Anonymous Launches Campaign Against Missouri Town That Failed To Prosecute Alleged Teen Rapes

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LaYjaTbNOA">YouTube</a></div></div>Melinda Coleman and her family had to move from Maryville, Missouri after her daughter was allegedly raped by a <keyword id="64" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Football">football</keyword> player, according to <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">a heartbreaking story from Dugan Arnett of the Kansas City Star</a>.
It's an all-too-familiar story that has some similarities to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/allegations-in-steubenville-rape-case-2013-3">the Steubenville rape case</a>.
On a Saturday night in January 2012, 14-year-old Daisy Coleman was dumped semi-conscious on her porch in the middle of the night. 
She had been at the home of 17-year-old Matthew Barnett, a senior defensive end on the football team. At his house, Daisy, her friend, and three boys including Barnett got drunk. Barnett and Daisy (who was allegedly "unable to speak coherently and had to be carried from the bedroom" afterward) had sex.
She woke up the next morning on her porch.
<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">From the KC Star</a>:
"Coleman tried to process what she was seeing. Daisy had a history of sleepwalking - years earlier, she had wandered outside. Had she done it again? In her daughter's bedroom, Coleman found the 13-year-old asleep. She, too, seemed confused.
"Still struggling to make sense of it all, Coleman carried her daughter to the bathroom, to be undressed for a warm bath.
"That's when she saw the redness around her daughter's genitalia and buttocks. It hurt, the girl said, when Coleman asked about it. Then she began crying."
Barnett was later charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. According to the KC Star, the sheriff Darren White thought he had a case that would "definitely" result in prosecutions.
Two months later, though, the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. Melanie Coleman believes favors were called in for Barnett's well-connected family.
The town turned on the Colemans.
Melanie Coleman was fired from her job, and she thinks it's because her boss had ties to the Barnett family. Melanie had moved her family to Maryville after her husband died in a car crash, and she believes her "outsider" status is responsible for the treatment from the town.
Threats were made against the Coleman kids. Daisy, who was the target of victim-blaming from students, has been in therapy since the incident. She tried to commit suicide twice, the KC Star reports.
The Coleman's eventually left Maryville and moved back to Albany, Missouri. In April, the Mayville home that they were trying to sell burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.
<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/12/4549775/nightmare-in-maryville-teens-sexual.html">Read the entire story from the KC Star here &gt;</a>

Family Forced Out Of Missouri Town After 14-Year-Old Girl Accuses High School Football Player Of Rape

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/safe_bae/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SafeBae</a> cofounder Ella Fairon recently launched a <keyword id="6391249" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="consent">consent</keyword> <keyword id="25938" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="underwear">underwear</keyword> line called <a href="https://www.instagram.com/asskfirst_panties/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Assk First</a>. </li><li>The hand-drawn underwear designs are meant to start conversations around consent and safe sex. </li><li>Fairon told Insider her new venture was inspired by the death of her close friend, Daisy Coleman. </li></ul>In the words of Ella Fairon, a sexual-assault survivor and cofounder of <a href="https://safebae.org/">SafeBae</a>, "nothing is hotter than asking first.""Talking about consent is cool. Getting consent is cool. Everyone should be aware of it," Fairon, 24, told Insider.That's why Fairon decided to launch a line of underwear, <a href="https://www.asskfirst.shop/">Assk First</a>, which features her hand-drawn designs and eye-catching phrases that serve as reminders and praise for active consent, in February.On the brand's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/asskfirst_panties/">Instagram page</a>, Fairon and other models don the black breathable underwear and let the messages do the talking."Ask the cutie before touching the booty," one black thong reads, while a feline-themed pair says "Cool cats get consent" in memory of Fairon's close friend, Daisy "Cat" Coleman. Coleman, a sexual-assault survivor and activist, was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-audrie-pott-daisy-coleman-sexual-assaults-tralier-2016-8">featured in the 2016 Netflix documentary "Audrie and Daisy"</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/daisy-coleman-suicide-audrie-and-daisy-netflix-documentary-1040197/">died by suicide</a> in August.<div type="image" title="Ella Fairon.JPG" height="1536" width="2048" msid="81321561" hostid="261"></div>For Fairon, a noted activist and advocate for sexual-assault survivors, creating this line could push the topic out of the classroom and into everyday discussion."If someone is in an intimate scenario and it gets down to the underwear, I imagine their partner being stopped in their tracks, like 'Wait, what does your underwear say?'" said Fairon.Fairon spoke to Insider about <keyword id="10864787" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="assk-first">Assk First</keyword> and why making consent a cultural norm is still so important.<h2>Designing an underwear line is a creative way to spark conversation around consent</h2>According to <a href="https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence">RAINN</a>, one in six American women has been the victim of attempted or completed rape in her lifetime - a harrowing statistic that underscores the importance of creating dialogue around consent."At the end of the day, your underwear is the last thing on you," Fairon said. "I felt like it was important to start there because it could reach a lot of women and resonate with them."Assk First, which is <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/asskfirst/assk-first-panties/description">currently fundraising on Kickstarter</a>, is releasing three official collections to start: Classic Consent Collection, Consent Cat Collection, and the Consent Cat Collection in a bikini cut. A limited-edition Valentine's Day collection was also released.<div type="image" title="Ella Fairon.JPG" height="3072" width="4096" msid="81321567" hostid="261"></div>Each package, available in sizes XS to XL, contains six pairs of underwear adorned with individual designs and crafted with comfort in mind.Although Fairon's first collections were designed for women, she plans to expand into men's underwear and add additional sizes (starting with 1X to 4X) to her brand in the future.Assk First's underwear was created with 86% Polyamide and 14% Spandex. They're also laser cut, meaning each pair won't leave a visible line under clothing.<div type="image" title="Ella Fairon.JPG" height="1536" width="2048" msid="81321574" hostid="261"></div>Pre-orders kicked off on February 6, with the first set of deliveries expected to ship out between March and April.All proceeds will go to <keyword id="10864786" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="safebae">SafeBae</keyword> - Safe Before Anyone Else - a national youth-led organization that raises awareness about <keyword id="46530" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="sexual-assault">sexual assault</keyword> in middle and high schools. The group, which has reached an estimated 5.5 million people through social-media campaigns, conferences, events, and speaking at schools, was founded by young sexual-assault survivors and advocates including Fairon, Coleman, Coleman's brother Charlie Coleman, and Jada Smith.<h2>Fairon developed Assk First in December, a few months after Coleman died by suicide</h2>The first collection Fairon created for Assk First was the Consent Cat Collection that Coleman inspired."This collection is very special to my heart, as it embodies Daisy's spirit and <keyword id="7" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="style">style</keyword>, and I know she would love it," wrote Fairon on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/asskfirst/assk-first-panties">Kickstarter</a>.She continued, "The cats were inspired by her ferocious spirit and, of course, her name. As consent is something that she and I have traveled the world to teach to teens and young adults, I know that this line would truly be a work that she would be proud of."Coleman died by suicide on August 4 at the age of 23.Coleman was one of the titular subjects in the Netflix documentary, "Audrie and Daisy," which detailed her experience with sexual assault at 14 years old, the subsequent trauma, and ostracism from her Maryville, Missouri, community.She became a prominent advocate who raised awareness about dating violence, sexual assault and harassment, Title IX rights, and survivor care."After losing her in August, I was coping through art," Fairon said. She began drawing small pictures of Coleman and herself, which soon blossomed into her current project."I started drawing these little cats, and I thought, 'Oh my God, these are so cute. She would be obsessed with these,'" Fairon added. Once Fairon set her mind to the project in December, she hit the ground running."It's very much with my artistic style. This branding fully exudes me as a person," said Fairon, who serves as SafeBae's media director, pointing out the brand's incorporation of <a href="https://www.insider.com/people-are-getting-coronavirus-themed-tattoos-nurses-masks-2020-9">flash tattoo art</a>.Fairon, like Coleman, has a love for tattoos and sports several on her arms. Coleman became <a href="https://www.inkedmag.com/original-news/colorado-tattoo-artist-embarks-on-innovative-therapy-journey-following-one-of-the-most-publicized-sexual-assault-cases-in-american-history">interested in tattoos at an early age</a>and later became a tattooist in Colorado.<h2>Crowdsourcing on Instagram also played a role in Fairon's design process</h2>Although Fairon is the mastermind behind Assk First, it was, in part, a collaboration with its budding online community."I took polls on our Instagram and really connected with the audience we had. We started from zero. Now we have around 1,300 very active followers that communicate with me," said Fairon."I took all that data and shaped what would be the most popular, in terms of fabric, design placing, and even color," she added.<h2>Fairon says conversations around consent are getting better, but there's still a long way to go</h2><div type="image" title="Ella Fairon.JPG" height="982" width="1310" msid="81321578" hostid="261"></div>Before the <a href="https://www.insider.com/me-too-allegations-movement-a-list-celebs-streamers-bieber-tiktokers-2020-6">#MeToo</a> movement and <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-times-up-reese-witherspoon-selena-gomez-2018-1">#TimesUp</a> brought sexual harassment to the forefront of headlines, Fairon recalled how prevalent victim-blaming was."People forget that Daisy, Jada, and I went through our trauma before the #MeToo era," said Fairon.Fairon was drugged and sexually assaulted by a peer <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/23/rape-victim-ella-fairon-makes-film-to-change-that/">when she was 14 years old.</a><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-am-jada-alleged-rape-victim-speaks-out_n_5588482">Jada Smith was 16 years old</a> when she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a party. Both women faced intense scrutiny and bullying after the assaults."There was a time where people straight up did not believe you. They looked you in the face and told you they didn't believe you," Fairon said.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nypd-rape-reports-increase-amid-sexual-misconduct-allegations-2017-12">Social scientists have suggested</a> that the #MeToo movement and other similar campaigns have helped shift the stigma around sexual assault. However, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/sexual-violence/index.html">CDC</a> noted that the official numbers for sexual assault are likely an "underestimate because many cases go unreported."<div type="image" title="Ella Fairon.JPG" height="1536" width="2048" msid="81321584" hostid="261"></div>"We're getting to a better place as a culture, but there's still so much work to be done. Consent should be fully rounded," Fairon said.With Assk First, Fairon was determined to "bring the consent conversation to everyone's inner circle," including people who aren't ordinarily talking about consent."I wanted to reach a demographic of people that still think this could never happen to them and still think that certain actions aren't assault, but are," said Fairon."I don't want anyone to go through what I went through," she added. "I never want to hear of another young girl waking up and having her life completely different - not knowing who she is anymore."

A sexual-assault survivor designed 'Assk First,' a line of underwear that reminds partners to ask for consent

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=352843511482063&amp;set=pb.352644484835299.-2207520000.1365713652&amp;type=3&amp;permPage=1">Angel Rehtaeh/Facebook</a>Rehtaeh Parsons was bullied for more than a year before she finally killed herself.</div></div></div>The New York Times Magazine has a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/magazine/the-online-avengers.html?hpw&amp;rref=magazine&amp;_r=0">disturbing article</a> that questions the mob mentality of online activists who use extreme measures to go after teen bullies and rapists.<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/magazine/the-online-avengers.html?hpw&amp;rref=magazine&amp;_r=0"></a>
The article by <a href="http://emilybazelon.com/">Emily Bazelon</a> focuses on a group of activists called <a href="https://twitter.com/OpAntiBully">OpAntiBully</a>. These avengers use encrypted chat rooms and email accounts to publicly shame and intimidate bullies by linking their online profiles to their alleged transgressions.
The group has gone after teenagers accused of raping a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rehtaeh-parsons-hangs-herself-2013-4">Canadian teenager who later hanged herself</a> as well others who allegedly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marryville-missouri-rape-case-reopened-2013-10">assaulted a girl in Maryville, Mo</a>.
"People need to learn from their mistakes," one avenger, a 25-year-old named Ash, told Bazelon. "If it takes shocking or scaring them to do that, so be it."
Of course, there are big problems with vigilante justice. For one thing, it's hypocritical to bully teen bullies and rapists. The other big problem with these online avengers is that they could "out" innocent teenagers. Unlike the police, vigilantes don't necessarily need to gather sufficient evidence before pointing fingers.
One boy, Adam Barnes, says he feared for his safety after he was falsely implicated in the case of the Canadian teen who was allegedly raped, Rehtaeh Parsons.
"It is really ruining my life because I had to deactivate my Facebook because of this. Going out in public and stuff, I always have to worry about who recognizes me ... I always have to look out, behind my back all the time," <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/teen-says-he-was-wrongly-named-in-rehtaeh-parsons-case-1.1355053">the boy told CBC News</a>.
Another boy linked to the Parsons case had his Facebook account hacked by anonymous vigilantes after he sent a message online to the deceased girl's mother. The boy's sister came to his defense in a Facebook post, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/magazine/the-online-avengers.html?hpw&amp;rref=magazine&amp;_r=0">according to Bazelon</a>.
"Your saying your sticking up for a girl who was bullied but yet you nasty people are nothing but cowards to hide behind anonymous and hack teenagers Facebook profiles," the boy's sister wrote on Facebook. "Your just as bad as the ones who bullied her."
Bazelon's story in The Times Magazine is not the first to suggest that online vigilantes may be doing more harm than good. This summer, The New Yorker's Ariel Levy, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ariel-levys-new-yorker-steubenville-article-2013-7">questioned the tactics</a> used by the hacking group Anonymous to try to expose boys who raped a drunken 16-year-old in Steubenville, Ohio.
Those hackers may have sought justice for the girl, but they also immortalized her most humiliating experience by bringing attention to horrific online photos of the assault.
"What the bloggers did was make sure that five hundred million people saw those pictures of her," Jefferson County, Ohio prosecutor Jane Hanlin told Levy. "I wouldn't want that picture to be seen by one person."

You Searched For "Maryville Rape" and got 7 results

Teen In Notorious Maryville Rape Case Attempts Suicide

Pamela Engel

Rape Case That Forced Family Out Of Missouri Town To Be Reopened

Pamela Engel

Football Player Accused Of Notorious Maryville Rape Gets Off With Misdemeanor Charge And No Jail

Pamela Engel

Anonymous Launches Campaign Against Missouri Town That Failed To Prosecute Alleged Teen Rapes

Harrison Jacobs

Family Forced Out Of Missouri Town After 14-Year-Old Girl Accuses High School Football Player Of Rape

Tony Manfred

A sexual-assault survivor designed 'Assk First,' a line of underwear that reminds partners to ask for consent

Lauren Edmonds

New York Times Exposes The Dark Side Of 'Online Avengers' Who Go After Teen Bullies

Erin Fuchs

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides