Incoming Missouri legislator faces rape accusation from colleague

[TexasTowelie]

A woman set to begin her first term in the Missouri House of Representatives next year has accused one of her future legislative colleagues of rape, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported early Saturday morning.

Cora Faith Walker, of Ferguson, emerged victorious from a Democratic primary in August and will run unopposed this November. In a letter to House Speaker Todd Richardson, House Minority Leader Jake Hummel and House Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, she says that she was a victim of sexual assault and that “my rapist is Steven Roberts, Jr., who hopes to be in the Capitol in January as the Representative of the 77th District.”

“You have spoken about systemic changes you hope to make toward improving the culture at the Capitol so that women can work safely,” her letter states. “I commend and support the changes you have proposed. To that end, I ask that you do everything in your power to prevent Mr. Roberts from perpetrating sexual violence, sexual assault or sexual harassment against me or anyone else in the Capitol. I respectfully request that you not allow Mr. Roberts to be sworn in until this investigation is complete. In the alternative, I ask that his presence in the Capitol be monitored by security.”

She says she filed a police report earlier this week.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article105379786.html

[jtuck004]

1. "...Richardson, a Poplar Bluff Republican, took over as House speaker last May after the resignation

From the article:

"Richardson, a Poplar Bluff Republican, took over as House speaker last May after the resignation of John Diehl, who left office after The Star revealed his sexually charged relationship with a 19-year-old House intern. Two months later, Sen. Paul LeVota of Independence resigned over allegations of sexual harassment by two former interns. And dozens of women — including former and current lawmakers, staff, interns and lobbyists — told The Star last summer that sexual harassment was commonplace in the Missouri Capitol."

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article105379786.html#storylink=cpy

One has to look at the politics, but now "dozens of women"?

[TexasTowelie]

2. And all of those women were luridly tempting those legislators

so that they could not observe proper decorum. Yes, it sounds like they have a problem.

If I was a parent I wouldn't want my college age daughter interning at the Missouri Capitol. For that matter I'm not sure that I would want my son interning there either since they don't need to learn that it is okay to act in such a depraved manner.

[Sherman A1]

3. Precisely

It was a rather big issue with one of the Universities withdrawing their student interns from the Capitol as I recall. I too would not want anyone there as a potential victim. The Missouri Legislature really needs to spend some times on both ethics reform and getting their heads out of their backsides.