Advocates for the survivors of sexual assault crimes rallied in Grand Army Plaza Monday to demand more thorough investigations into alleged crimes.
"Imagine being dragged off a path, choked and raped by a serial rapist -- and then reading the newspapers that you were just about to be arrested for lying," says Jane Manning, of the National Organization for Women's New York City chapter, referencing a horrific crime in Prospect Park that happened 23 years ago and was only just solved last week. "It's inexcusable."
Investigators were able to use modern technology to identify the suspect in that old case, James Webb. And it turns out that he is currently in prison for raping multiple other women.
The incident has galvanized advocates who want to know how police failed to identify Webb in the 1990s. They accuse investigators of questioning the credibility of victims rather than seeking evidence and suspects.
"We're here to call on the NYPD to have better policing and better treatment of rape survivors," says Claire McCue, a rape survivor.