Rape, the Podcast

In this episode, local advocate, Janice Thompson met with me to record our conversation on the day that Roe V Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. Our emotions are pretty raw as we talked about how that official slap in the face to women will affect victim-survivors of sexual assault. She'll tell me how Springfield's City Council's Sexual Assault Task Force report and recommendations are moving forward. We talked about why we may not be getting all of the answers we need, but we seem to be coming up with more questions. Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

The conversation with Casadi Mazurkiewicz of #metooSpringfield continues as our community works to hold officials accountable for the recommendations made by the Springfield Sexual Assault Task Force. Casadi and I try to get to the root of what causes anyone to commit sexual assault and we discuss the "Holden thing." Learn more about MeToo Springfield Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

Casadi Mazurkiewicz sits down to tell us how MeToo Springfield came into our community and the progress they've made. In this first part of our conversation, she'll reveal their view of how officials and the SATF have reacted to their push to affect change. Learn more about MeToo Springfield Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

My conversation with Springfield City Councilman Craig Hosmer continues as he widens the scope of the problem to consider all of the crime and poverty affecting our community. He says we've tolerated too much for too long. He presents a holistic view that leans toward healing and uplifting Springfield's citizens to have a safer place to live. There is good news in this interview. We are getting better, but he'll admit the process is excruciatingly slow. But since we aren't seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet, this podcast pushes onward and upward to seek accountability from officials and community members. It takes a village, right? Learn more about Springfield, Missouri's City Council Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

In this episode I talk with another Springfield City Council member, Craig Hosmer to discuss where Springfield, Missouri is at in improving our response to victim-survivors in a fair and sympathetic manner. He'll discuss the training of not only police officers but also judges and prosecutors in becoming trauma informed in their jobs. He reveals his view of the justice system and admits that the process is slow and often traumatic for victim-survivors. This is the first part of our conversation about the important role City Council has in protecting our community from sexual assault and rape. Learn more about Springfield, Missouri's City Council Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

This is the second part of my conversation with Dawn Day, R.N. from Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. She'll talk about what it was like being a SANE nurse around the time that the CNN article came out about the trashed rape kits, and what she was experiencing from the police's response to sexual assaults. She explains how she charts the experience the patient is going through at the time of the rape exam and what the classic responses to trauma can be. She also talks about the physiological medical concepts that occur during the exam which can be later used as evidence. We'll get into exploring areas where our community needs to grow. She says that it's a work in progress. Please keep your eyes on some of the bills she's working to get passed through Missouri's political process. Here is a link to the bills that are important to SANE nurses in Missouri. --- Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

When someone has been sexually assaulted in Missouri, they have the right to go get a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam, even if they choose not to report to the police. The exam can feel as traumatic as the assault, so it is important that the SANE nurse is properly trained to handle patients with care and be trauma informed. In this episode, I talk with Dawn Day, RN., the Sexual Assault Program Coordinator at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo about the process and what you can expect. In the next episode, Dawn will discuss legislation to watch in Missouri. Here is a link to the bills that are important to SANE nurses in Missouri. Tell your story --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

We've come a long way baby! Since the days of the Code of Hammurabi all the way to the #metoo movement, we really are actually progressing. We know we've got a long way to go, but in this episode, you'll hear just how far we've come. It helps to know we are on the right path. On September 23, 2021, I attended a press conference announcing the end of the backlog in Springfield Missouri. No more untested rape kits! Tell your story --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message Referenced Articles in this episode: A Reflection on the History of Sexual Assault Laws in the United States - The Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service (ualr.edu) Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.030, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.125 State by State Guide on Statutes of Limitations Article IV - Relevance and its Limits — 2022 Federal Rules of Evidence (includes Rules 412 -415) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

What works for me, just might work for you. I've been processing my sexual trauma in a whole new way since I started my podcast journey. In this episode, I'll tell you how you can be your own best friend, learn to love people again, find truth, and trust that the universe has got your back. These are some of the things that I've learned since season 1 that have changed my life. I'm fighting the big bad wolves by telling my story. I hope that you will be inspired to start your soul search by revisiting your story and maybe even sharing it with someone you feel comfortable with, or you can go my route and share it with the whole world! Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

Welcome back to Rape, the Podcast. This episode includes a quick recap of some of the stories and interviews from the first season. Articles and Resources from Season 1 Self-Care Tips for Mind Body and Soul --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rapethepodcast/message

In this final episode of Rape, the Podcast, I found the perfect way to end this series with a talk with Jamie Willis of the Greene County Family Justice Center. It's not as institutional as it sounds. They offer everything a victim needs under one roof. Here we are at the end of this limited series. I've been surprised by the audacity of many of my guests and so happy to get to know our city's leaders who have taken this issue to heart. We have come so far and all we have to do is keep working hard to help victims of sexual assault. Thank you for listening. I'll keep tabs on my community's results from this effort and update you with some bonus episodes later on in the year. Finally, I forgot to mention, if you think your city could use a sexual assault task force, please call your city council. Give them examples from Springfield, Missouri, and information about Family Justice Centers.  I also ask you to share this podcast with anyone who needs to hear it. Thank you!

Stay-at-home orders, intended to protect the public and prevent widespread infection, left many victims trapped with their abusers. In this episode, I talk to Janice Thompson again about why this is happening and what we can even do about it. Then I finally talk to Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams about his role in Springfield, Missouri’s Sexual Assault Task Force, and answers questions about how far his department has come since the destruction of rape kits.   Rape, the Podcast is hosted and produced by Julie Belew and Chickedits: www.chickedits.com If you need anything, information, a person to listen to, contact me through www.rapethepodcast.com, springfieldapc@gmail.com,  or the Rape, the Podcast Facebook Group. I have met some amazing people in this project and I’m continuously inspired by them! Thank you to everyone who has participated. You can also visit www.rainn.org for further information and help with anything related to sexual assault. In the Springfield area, call 417-864-SAFE to talk with trained advocates ready to listen, believe, and help.Please review and rate this podcast and share with anyone you think could benefit from knowing that they aren’t alone! Thank you.

I have a candid conversation with Springfield City Counsel Member, Phyllis Ferguson. She, along with only a few other city leaders get to turn the Sexual Assault Task Force's recommendations and turn them into reality. If you've ever wondered what the City Council does, this will give you an idea. How do we get every facet of our community to sign up for this incredible undertaking? We are gonna need your help! As we tiptoe into the holidays and Christmas,I am so thankful and prayerful for you. Click here for 50 of simple self-care practices for a healthy mind, body, and soul. 

In this episode, I need to alert you to triggers as we talk with more victims about their experiences surviving sexual trauma. First, I talk with a teen who has just begun to process what happened to her when a friend violated her. Inspired by my podcast interviewees, I'm going to tell you what happened to me and since I never dealt with it, how those experiences have reappeared in my body. I also talk with Tachianna Ortis who has written a book, Surviving Trauma, about how through her many childhood and adult exposures to sexual violence, she's managed to come out on the other side with help from her church.Rape, the Podcast is hosted and produced by Julie Belew and Chickedits: www.chickedits.comIf you need anything, information, a person to listen, contact me through the www.rapethepodcast.com, springfieldapc@gmail.com,  or the Rape, the Podcast Facebook Group. I have met some amazing people in this project and I’m continuously inspired by them! Thank you to everyone who has participated. You can also visit www.rainn.org for further information and help for anything related to sexual assault.Please review and rate this podcast and share with anyone you think could benefit from knowing that they aren’t alone! Thank you.

Listen to the story of Millie Sawyer, a strong woman of color who won her freedom in Greene County before the Dred Scott case. And before you listen to this episode, check out the link below to hear my friend, Frances Cadora's podcast, Look at Me Now, Episode 9 where she talks to a life coach specializing in families that have gender issues. Fran and Sarah Kennedy discuss the importance of introducing yourself along with your pronouns. I feel like it's important for you to hear that before you hear the statistics of sexual violence in the trans community. In this episode, we'll also talk about race and underserved communities and how to stop the cycle of power and violence with fellow podcaster, Theresa Willard Hughes of:TEARING DOWN THE WALLS OF SILENCE, SECRETS AND SHAME – RAPE, CHILDHOOD SEXUAL VIOLENCE, AND INCEST.  She's a 72-year old black woman who isn't taking any more crap, exhibiting that you're never too old and it's never too late!Look at Us Now, Episode 9 Rape, the Podcast is hosted and produced by Julie Belew and Chickedits: www.chickedits.comIf you need anything, information, a person to listen, contact me through www.rapethepodcast.com, springfieldapc@gmail.com,  or the Rape, the Podcast Facebook Group. I have met some amazing people in this project and I’m continuously inspired by them! Thank you to everyone who has participated. You can also visit www.rainn.org for further information and help with anything related to sexual assault. Please review and rate this podcast and share with anyone you think could benefit from knowing that they aren’t alone! Thank you.

Springfield Police and The SAFE Kit Initiative from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are dusting old rape kits off and crafting a victim-friendly plan to get every single one of them tested. The results of the addition of successful DNA results to CODIS is going to be a challenge for authorities and advocates. We’ll need to be sure we are working towards a trauma-informed community to support especially the victims who end up with hits in that system. I speak with Brandi Bartel who has worked with Springfield’s The Victim Center for over 16 years about the incredible strides in Springfield alongside the metoo movement and what it means to be “trauma-informed.” Rape, the Podcast is hosted and produced by Julie Belew and Chickedits: www.chickedits.com If you need anything, information, a person to listen, contact me through the www.rapethepodcast.com, springfieldapc@gmail.com,  or the Rape, the Podcast Facebook Group. I have met some amazing people in this project and I’m continuously inspired by them! Thank you to everyone who has participated. You can also visit www.rainn.org for further information and help with anything related to sexual assault.Please review and rate this podcast and share with anyone you think could benefit from knowing that they aren’t alone! Thank you.

An especially important recommendation from Springfield's Sexual Assault Task Force was to educate the community about victim rights. In the next episode, we will learn about these rights. Plus, a local survivor talks about how the community of Springfield has held her up as she goes through the arduous process of seeking justice while trying get one more predator off our streets. Finally Springfield Prosecuting Attorney, Dan Patterson will tell us more about the process. Other communities can learn from what we are doing in my city. Please share this podcast with others hoping for a better way for survivors.Rape, the Podcast is produced by Chickedits. Visit www.chickedits.com for help editing your podcast.Please visit www.rapethepodcast for links to information discussed in this podcast.Thank you for your support!

In this episode, we talk more about what Springfield, Missouri is doing to improve response to sexual assault. We hear more from Lisa Farmer from the Harmony House about how that organization works to help various segments of the Springfield community. Then we look at what other cities are doing and speak with Janine D’Anniballe, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and a nationally recognized expert in sexual assault and traumatic stress, and treatment for survivors who works with MESA (Moving to End Sexual Assault) serving Boulder County, Colorado. Most of our communities do have amazing individuals to help victims, and especially here in Springfield, Missouri. That means we have the tools/people to fix this systemic problem. Building a strong support system for children is vital. We also talk with a very important part of this support system, a parent of a young lady who was raped at a party. This mom talks about how hard it was to hear about what her daughter went through and sets a wonderful example for parental response. Please review and rate this podcast. Visit www.rapethepodcast.com for more information about anything discussed in this podcast and feel free to contact Julie if you need anything, want to contribute, or even if you just want to talk.Take care of yourself and thank you for listening!Rape, the Podcast is produced by Chickedits, a full-service podcast production business powered by Julie Belew. If you have a story you’d like to tell in podcast form, or if you have a topic that you think would make a great podcast, let Chickedits help you to share it with the world.

Springfield's Sexual Assault Task Force released their report on November 12, 2019. I'll tell you what was in the report and talk with task force member, Lisa Farmer from the Harmony House about the way they went about processing the tasks that the task force laid out. I also speak again with Janice Thompson about ways that everyone can help victims of rape.  The final discussion in this episode is with a former political candidate who is a survivor of child molestation. He'll tell us about the trauma in his family and since he is also a truck driver, we talk about how the truck driving industry is tackling child trafficking.How are you doing? I hope you are taking care of yourself! If you could use some TLC, please visit: https://www.rapethepodcast.com/self-careThere are so many facets to cover on a podcast about sexual assault. I can't promise that I'll get to every single one, but if there is something you want to be brought to the table, please contact me via the website or Facebook. Thank you so much for listening. I feel like, by your interest in learning about this topic, we are making a difference already. Rape, the Podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Julie Belew of Chickedits, LLC.www.chickedits.com

In this episode, I'll tell you more about the Springfield Police Chief's response to the CNN article and what efforts he says his department has made that were not included in CNN's reporting. Plus, our local chapter of #Metoo meets with the Chief to get questions answered. And a member or the Sexual Assault Task Force talks about how her violent ex-husband has impacted her life and the effect he's had on how she is raising her sons. I've added more information to www.rapethepodcast  to include acknowledgements, resources, self-care tips, and a way that you can help support production costs of this project. If you need to discuss something that happened to you, please call 1-800-656-HOPE or visit www.rainn.org. Rape, the Podcast is hosted and written by Julie Belew and produced by Chickedits.

In the 2nd episode of Rape, the Podcast, I talk with a victim of rape who went through the reporting system one time and was spit out dirty. When she was raped again, she refused to press charges. Also in this episode, Springfield Police Chief Paul Wiliams apologizes to victims whose rape kits were destroyed; and I talk with a friend I went to high school with about the rape she experienced and how it's affected her life. If we just keep blaming this on the system we will never be able to trust it. We need to look deeper into our communities for answers so sexual assault survivors can live free of the stigma. You can support or participate in this podcast at www.rapethepodcast.com. Rape, the Podcast is produced by Chickedits (www.chickedits.com). 

I kick off the first episode with the CNN story that got me thinking about how our community of Springfield, Missouri responds to rape. Hundreds of rape kits, trashed by the Springfield Police Department years ago exposed at https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/11/investigates/police-destroyed-rapekits/. I want to help desensitize this topic so that we can freely talk about rape and work together as a community to respect victims, help them get justice, and deter it from even happening. I’m holding everyone in Springfield, Missouri accountable. Produced by Chickedits, which I forget to mention in the podcast.www.rapethepodcast.comwww.chickedits.comPlease contact me at springfieldapc@gmail.com if you would like to contribute or add to the conversation of this podcast. Thank you for your support! Together, we can!

I'm Julie Belew (aka Julie Barry from my radio days) and I am producing a podcast about how my community of Springfield, Missouri responds and supports (or doesn't support) victims of sexual assault. An article from CNN exposed some pretty awful practices by the Springfield Police Department but because of the article, a sexual assault task force was formed, I'm hoping to keep our town accountable so that survivors will have better experiences than they had before. www.rapethepodcast.com