MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

MADISON BROOKS: LSU president William F Tate slammed for 'problematic' statement

William Tate has been accused of twisting the rape incident into an underage drinking issue

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: Following the death of sophomore student Madison Brooks after being run over by a car on January 15, LSU president William F Tate IV has released a statement that received sharp criticism on social media. Brooks was allegedly also raped before being hit by the car.

Several people were arrested on suspicion of rape in connection with Brooks' death on Monday, January 23. While a 7-year-old juvenile and Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, were arrested and charged with third-degree rape, Casen Carver, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, were arrested and charged as principles to third-degree rape. They were present but not directly involved in the rape.

READ MORE

Who was Madison Brooks? LSU student was raped before being dumped on street where she was hit by car

EXCLUSIVE | 'Whoever did this is still out there': Murdered Allison Rice's friend says gun violence has got out of hand

William F Tate's statement

In a statement, William Tate said, "This afternoon, police arrested four individuals following an investigation into the events preceding the death of LSU student Madison Brooks, who was struck by a vehicle on Burbank Drive last week. Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you. By all accounts, she was an amazing young woman with limitless potential. She should not have been taken from us in this way. What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice."

"Our collective grief and outrage cannot be put into mere words. So what can we do? It is time for action. One place to target our attention is the very place where this encounter began," he added. "All but one of the suspects involved in this horrific scenario were underage yet were able to consume alcohol at a local bar. As such, our action plan starts with a deep and relentless focus on any establishment that profits off our students by providing alcohol to underage individuals. In the coming days, we will call a meeting with these business owners to discuss how their responsibilities directly impact the safety of our students. We will work openly against any business that doesn’t join us in efforts toward creating a safer environment for our students. Enough is enough."

"Real and long-lasting solutions require multiple strategies, so we will not stop there. That is why I am asking our entire Baton Rouge community, from business leaders to citizens, to work together and join us in this effort. We will share additional action items in the coming days, but for now please join me in keeping Madison’s family in our thoughts and prayers," Tate concluded.

'The rape occurred because of rapists'

Tate's statement has been slammed as "problematic" on social media, with some accusing him of twisting the sexual assault incident into an underage drinking issue. "I had a difficult time articulating just how problematic #LSU President Tate’s statement on Madison Brooks is" a user said, adding, "The rape occurred because of rapists, HARD STOP. Alcohol is a weak excuse to place blame on the victim and not the perpetrators. The user added, "How dare the head of our flagship university tell the world (yep, it’s in international papers) that the problem is underage drinking without acknowledging LSU’s troubled past with rape culture."

"What baffled me was that the statement completely overlooked the sexual assault that she went through. The email gives off the impression that those arrested in relation to the crime were drunk driving and hit her. It’s completely irresponsible and unforgivable," one user wrote, while another said, "Tate has quickly adopted the LSU culture, which has been and continues to be set by the board with very little blowback or accountability from literally anyone." One wrote, "LSU President Tate's statement is beyond irresponsible and clearly indicates how little progress has been made in countering pervasive rape culture on campus... embarrassing".

"How are you as the president of @lsu trying to twist this into an underage drinking problem? Alcohol doesn’t cause rape," one user wrote, while another said, "Since I saw President Tate’s statement yesterday something has been bothering me and I struggled for the words to express how I felt. It’s somehow simultaneously victim blame-y while also pointing out a real issue LSU should be addressing. This is fuc**** nails it."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.