In 2015, she was sexually assaulted by a member of the Stanford University swim team, brock turner. He was later sentenced to just six months in jail sparking nationwide outrage in the recall of the judge. The text of her victim impact statement was read by millions around the world. Today Chanel Miller will join us to talk about her remarkable new memoir titled know my name. In court was so stripped of identity. You dont have any. You dont have characteristic traits. Your spoken about in terms of being a some of your body parts and really nothing more than that. So coming forward is my way of saying, i have a history. I have people that love me and i also have talent in writing. Amy today, Chanel Miller for the hour. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In northern syria, dozens have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes amid the Turkish Military offensive against kurdishcontrolled areas. The kurdish red crescent said at least 11 civilians have been killed, including one baby. Aid groups say a half a Million People are at risk of being forced from their homes. Turkeys Ground Invasion began just days after President Trump ordered u. S. Troops to fall back from their positions on the turkishsyrian border. To see our full coverage of the Turkish Military invasion of northern syria, go to democracynow. Org. Two associates a President Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been arrested and charged with campaign n finance violations. The men, lev parnas and igor fruman, were arrested at Dulles International airport wednesday night trying to board a oneway flight to vienna. Where they were to bebe meeting with giuliani. According to the indictment, the two florida businessmen pressured former texas republican congressmember Pete Sessions to push for the ouster of the u. S. Ambassador to ukraine, while simultaneously funding his campaign. The ambassador was fired in may. The former ambassador, marie yovanovitch, is slated to testify in front of congress today. Federal prosecutors are also accusing the businessmen of bankrolling political candidates using foreign money in exchange for political influence, including in nevada, where they hoped to set up Recreational Marijuana businesses. Energy secretaryry rick perry hs also been issued a subpoena, as democrats move forward with their impeachment inquiry into the president s efforts to have ukraine investigate political rival joe biden. Pres. Trump i dont know those gentlemen. It is possible i have a picture with them because i have a picture with everybody. I have a picture with everybody here. Somebody said there may be a picture or something at a fundraiser or somewhere. But i have pictures with everybody. Amy President Trump attacked democrats, including democratic president ial candidate joe biden, during Campaign Rally in minneapolis thursday. Pres. Trump he was never considered a good senator. He was only a good Vice President because he understood how to kiss Barack Obamas ass. Amy President Trump came under fire for playing princes purple rain at the rally, despite confirming a year ago the campaign would not use princes music. Princes estate has refused to give trump permission to use his songs. Cities are also complaining that the Trump Campaign is not reimbursing them or service is provided by local police and Fire Departments during his rallies. A study by the center for Public Integrity says these Services Total more than 800,000. Democratic president ial candidates attended a cnnhosted town Hall Thursday night focused on lgbtq rights. The event was repeatedly disrupted by activists demanding attention to the epidemic of violence against black and brown trtransgender women. South bend, indiana mayor pete , buttigieg s interrupupted by activists holding a banner and chanting trans lives matter as the openly gay mayor was being questioned by anderson cooper. In another interruption, activist blossom c. Brown took the mic from another audience member. Let me tell you something about black trans women are being killed in this country and cnn, you have erased black trans women for ththe last time. Let me tell you something. Black k trans women are dying. Our lives matter. I am an extraordinary like trans woman and i deserve to be here. Arelack transistors that here. I am tired. I am so tired. Not one black trans woman has taken the mic tonight. Not t one black trans man has taken the mic tonight. Amy at least black transgender 19 women have been killed so far this year. Ethiopian Prime Minister abiy ahmed ali has been awarded the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in an announcement this morning. The Prime Minister helped broker a historic peace deal between ethiopia and eritrea last year. From 1998 to 2000, ethiopia and eritrea fought a border war in which 70,000 people were killed. A state of war continued betwtween the two countries forr the next 18 years. The Prime Minister also freed thousands of political dissidents from jail and lifted the state of emergency in ethiopia. To see our full coverage of the historic peace deal between ethiopia and eritrea, go to democracynow. Org. He will receive the Nobel Peace Prize on december 10. The nobel prize for literature was also announced thursday, awarding the prize to polish novelist Olga Tokarczuk and rightwing austrian writer peter handke. Handkes selection sparked widespread condemnation. He was close to the former serb leadader slobodan n milosevic, o was charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. Handke delivered a eulogy at his funeral. Iranian news media has reported missiles struck an Iranian Oil Tanker in the red sea early friday, raising fears of increased tension in the region. The missiles reportedly struck the tanker about 60 miles off the coast of jeddah, saudi arabia, destroying two tanks and causing oil to spill into the water. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. In ecuador, at leaeast five protesters have been killed amid a government crackdown against the massive indigenousled antiausterity protests that have swept the country. On thursday, protesters briefly took eight Police Officers hostage in the capital quito. The protests began after ecuadorian president lenin moreno ended a decadesold fuel Subsidy Program as part of a socalled reform plan imposed by the International Monetary fund. The leftleaning online news outlet splinter has been shut down, with multiple staffers saying theyve been fired. Formerer splinter employees are lambasting the sites hedge fund owner, private equity firm great hill partners, for the closure. In a vice article titled private equity vultures killed splinter. Your company could be next, former gawker writer Brendan Oconnor wrote great hill didnt care about making splinter, a good website, even better. That would have required time and money. Like all private equity firms, great hills only concern is extracting value. Hundreds of Asylum Seekers who have been blocked from entering the United States under trumps remain in mexico policy shut down t the busy international bridge between matamoros, mexico and brownsville, texas for 15 hours thursday. The hundreds of migrants, including families with children, were protesting the dangerous and filthy conditions in which theyre forced to live as they await for their asylum hearings in the United States. Late thursday afafternoon, c cus and Border Protection officers fired smoke bombs at the protesters. Fourtime olympic Gold Medalist simone biles won her fifth allaround World Championship thursday night at the world gymnastics championship in stuttgart, germany. She won by 2. 1 points the largest margin of victory in her career and now holds 22 world medals. In california, multiple fires are raging across the state. The saddleridge fire broke out thursday night in los angeles county, promptpting hundreds f evacuations. Multiple blazes are expanding in riverside, california, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. This all comes as Public UtilitiesSouthern California edison and Pacific Gas Electric are implementing planned blackouts across the state to prevent wildfires, leaving hundreds of thousands of people withoutut power. And in new york city, over 60 protesters were arrested thursday after shutting down an intersection in the heart of times square as part of a Climate Action organized by extinction r rebellion. My name is isabel. I am a student at nyu. I am incredibly scared at the state of our world. We are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction. We have to ask now, clearly, just posting on facebook and pleading about it is not creating any change. The only way to create change is create policies and green new deals. Amy to see our full coverage of the Extinction Rebellion times square action, go to democracynow. Org. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. O. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Today we spend the hour with a woman who was known to millions simply as emily doe. In 2015, a member of the Stanford University swim team , brock turner, sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious behind a dumpster outside a fraternity at Stanford University. The assault ended when two swedish graduate students saw what was happening and then chased after turner and held him down until the police came. At the time, emily doe was a 22yearold College Graduate living in palo alto. The case gained National Prominence when a california judge sentenced brock turner to just six months in a county jail after he was convicted of three counts of felony Sexual Assault. He would spend three months locked up. The sentencing spaparked outrag. Voters in california later recalled the judge in the case. During the trial, emily doe read a victim impact statement addressed to her assailant. The text of the letter went viral after buzzfeed published it in 2016. Well, the woman known to the world as emily doe recently came out to reveal her true identity in a remarkable new memoir called know my name. She published the book using her full name, Chanel Miller. Today we spend the hour with chanel. We begin by airing a short video she illustrated and narrated about how she moved past the Sexual Assault and eventually reclaimed her name, her story, and her life. T happened when i was 22. On the cusp of my adulthood. Assauaulted, andd enentitys given youou. Plaeded to do and see. I beme e emi doeoe. Shrink. Teache you to it makes y afraid toxist. , really, can llll you stupid, dumpster, ststanfo, hahalfaked, nameless, noby wants to be defid these e words at will follow me forerer, so didid n speakak in court, the judge us w words like moderat less serious to describe the cri. I member t tal, the defens attorneys sodod befe the ryry and sasaid chanel s how you get i in blackouts. You drinink a lot ofof alcol. Anthat is what she did thi nighanand ma otherer nights, be honest. So i wte a victiimpact. Tatemen, 12 but you have been inside me. Irreversrsibly hurt. Behind dumpste waiting to gure out if i was worth somethin but the judge did not arar me. [inaudib] i spent all of this tim absorbing. Absorbing. Listeng to their voiceuntil i derstood chanel knowsws h youou g in blackouts. Ananel also knows how write. D chanel knows h to draw. Labelel. L not be weill not isolate we have had enoh. Look atll of th togeerness. Look out f one anoerer. Be whatever you wisho o be i life. Speaea up when they try to silence you. Stand up when they shut you down. No one gets to defineou. You d you do. Is chanel and i am with you. Amy that is the voice of Chanel Miller in a video that animates her illustrations. We spend the rest of the hour with chanel in our studio discussing her new memoir know my name. I began by asking her why she chose that as the title for her book. I like that it is defiant, that it is stepping forward, that it is a proclamation of amntity and knowing who i and what i stand for. Because in court, youre so stripped of identity. You dont have a name. You dont have characteristic traits. Your spoken about in terms of being a some of your body parts, and really nothing more than that. So coming forward is my way of saying, you know, i have a history. I have people that love me. And i also have talent in writing, and that is what this is. Amy take us back to 2015. You go to this party, you drink, blackout, and you wakee up in a hospital gurney with two detectives looking down at you. Also, i think the dean of stanford . One of the dean o of students worn deputy. Amy at that moment what did you understand . All i understood is i have been found passed out and i would later be told someone was acting hinchey around me. So my impression was that there was a man giving off suspicious behavior at this party. I did not understand that he had made any contact with me. That was never made e clear. I just k knew he was taken off e property due to his behavior and that i was somehow wrapped up in it. But i was unaware to the depths of which i wasas involve. Amy y and youre not wearing yr ownpants . Correct. Amy and youre missing your underwear. Correct. Yes, my dress was hiked up to my waist. I did not have underwear on and i did not understand why or how they could be gone. And i was given hospital pants. Amy did you ask anyone to explain what is going on . No. I figured if there was something that grave, they would tell me more explicitly. I also refrained from asking because i think i knew something was wrong, and i wasnt prepared to hear the answer. I did not want you to tell me that i had been assaulted. I wanted that ignorance. And sometimes you need that in order to sit down with the detective ash which i did that morning and be levelheaded and go back to your night and right through it all to give him answers. If they had disclosed everything at that moment, i t think i woud hahave been completely immobilized, unable to digest that information. So instead, i was released home and not given anything more. Amy you had dried blood on your hands and your hair was filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of pine needles. Yes. Yeah, i was standing. I was not allowed to take out the pine needles until they were photographed. So they were scratching my neck, falling onto the floor. I was wrapped in a blanket. They were embedded in the blanket. And when we were finally able to take them out, i was standing naked, two other nurses with gloves on were pulling them out of my hair in silence, taking them out piece by piece. We filled an entire paper lunch bag full of my hair and pine needles. And they said, well, that is enough or evidence. And we took the rest and left it on the floor. I worried that if i said will put my whole head was covered in pine needles, that i would be seen as exaggerating, that i was being dramatic or that it wasnt that intense when really i would later find out that one of the deputies testified that as i was being taken into the gurney, as i was being courted into the hospital, i left a trail, that what i was left with that morning, i had already lost a lot of the debris. My head was being used to mop up the ground. Amy which meant perhaps you were dragged behind the dumpster. Or there was very little care taken about my state of being when i was half naked on the ground, that it didnt matter where my head was, the condition of my skin, the texture of my backside was raw. Consideration was taken. Amy and yet there was consideration when it came to cyclists whodish you believe saved your life. Explain what you came to understand happened. And when did you learn about these two graduate students . So i i had this vague understatanding that students hd party auide the guy at the party at the hospital. In my head, i was s thinking someone was apprehended. Later in the news, i would figure out it was the two swedish graduates students who had stopped. And then after they testified for the first time in a preliminary hearing, i learned ,ot only did they tackle him day, number one, checked on me. They kneeled down to ci was breathing before even going after him. The First Priority is her, let him go. Now that i know she is breathing, we start the chase. One of them went after him. He tackled him. The other one followed up and both pinned him to the ground because he was trying to get away. As they were on top of him, they were saying do you think this is ok . Redoing . Eff they were demanding apology and they were refusing to go anywhere until they knew i was going to be taking care of. Amy they call the police . Or they called someone to call the police because they were busy restraining him. Amy and when the police came, they wept . As heone of the swedes, was giving his testimony to the weep. , began to openly and d one of the deputies would later tell me he was tearing up watching him go through that. Amy what was it like to meet these two students . When did you meet them . I met them maybe two months ago in new york city. I had dinner with them. Towas so amazing to be able meet them facetoface and say thank you. They kept saying, you already thanked us by helping the world. That is thanks enough. But to have them as part of my life, to have them so genuinely concerned about my wellbeing, for them to have return again and again to retype to testify repeatedly when they could have just moved on, that is so unbelievable to me. It says this wonderful standard menehavior that we can hold to. Amy you see your sister in the hospital. Your little sister. Yes. Amy in chinese, little sister. You go home with her. You go to your parents house where you grew up, the two of you grew up. But you did not tell them. No. Well, first i did not have anything to tell them. I had no narrative yet. I did not understand what had happened. So i did not want to say i woke up and bruises and scratches half naked, lets sit around and ruminate why that might have happened. That would have been terrifying. And when you let your imagination off the leash, it would send all of us spinning. So not telling them was my way of keeping the situation in my control. And i felt as long as it was contained, i would be able to keep moving. Amy and so how did you hide it from them . Your house isnt that big. How did they your parents, who are very tuned into you and being. Ster, your whole i would begin to go on these long bike rides in the morning before work in process a lot on those rides. On my drives to work, i would cry and take a moment in the parking lot to collect myself, go inside. If i had to cry at work, i would go in the bathroom or stairwell. When i would home, if i could not collect myself, i would sit in parking lots calling hotlines so that i understood i was not alone. Victims who are masters at concealing what we are going through. It would surprise many people how good we are keeping things contained, of putting on a face so that we can show up at work every morning, so that we can protect our loved ones. We dont want to scare them. So that we can trick ourselves into thinking ordinary life is an option for us, when really something catastrophic has happened that is going to take anan extreme amount of time to process. Amy y talk about when you fully realized what happened and then when you told your parents. I found out online when i was to pairand was not able the graphic story that i was reading of a discarded body with the body that was sitting in my rolling chair with a plate of goldfish at work. I did not want to pair them. That is sort of when this separate identity of emily doe was born. I think when you are traumatized, it is easier to separate yourself to keep the trauma in the corner so that it is away frfrom you so you can access it when you need to. But otherwise, are not going to look at it or let itit touch yor life. Amy when did this article come out . How soon afterer the attack . 10 days. So i was completely alone in silence for 10 days were only my sister and i knew what had happened. Amy you read it online. What was your reaction . It is like the insides of me just went mute. You cant stomach it that quickly. And only when i went home that night and sat my parents down to tell them did it hit me. The look on my mothers face was so broken open. It instantly registered how terrifying what happened was. When you see yourself through the eyes of loved ones, you understand that this isnt something you deserved. That it is really painful. And that it was not ok. That registered. And that is when i let go of all of that posturing and completely broke down. My knees buckled and my mom just held me. And sometimes, even if you dont have words, you need that holding. You need someone to be showiwing thathat they see you and they are here for you. Amy Chanel Miller, author of her memoir know my name. When we come back, she w will tk about bringing charges, the trial, and she will read from her victim impact statement. Back with her in a minute. [music break] amy this is democracy now , im amy goodman. As we continue our conversation with Chanel Miller, author of the new memoir know my name. The book chronicles how she chronicles the shame of Sexual Assault. I asked her how she reached the decision to press charges against her assailant. Hourst happened within 24 of the assault. I had just pulled into my driveway with my sister and the detective called and asked if we wanted to press charges. I did not understand the implications of this. I did not understand how longterm of a decision it t wod be. Amy not to mention you did not understand you were attacked. Correct. I didnt even know i had been assaulted yet or what the charges were. So my impression was that they and needed meuy to verify that, yes, they should pursue a case against him. I thought, all right, that sounds good to me. O i i said yes an unlocked and entirely new future for myself in that moment. Amy and talk about how long this judicial process took. 24even though i filed within hours of my assault, it still took a year and a half to get to the sentencing. And then after that, another year and a half of the appeal for the case to finally be closed. So total of almost four years of my life were invested in this case where i felt stuck, where i did not have the option to leave, where i was forced to return again and again to this story. Even if you file that quickly, that is how long it is going to take. Amy talk about that period of time when they were developing the evidence, when you heard the trial would take place, who you be,rstood your assailant to how he was described brock turner and how you were described, and your decision to remain anonymous, to remain emily doe. He was spoken about in terms. F his accolades primarily his smiling photo was used in most of the articles. There were quotes from his previous swim coaches talking about how wonderful this was and how it was a tragedy that had fallen him befallen him. It sounded so passive, the reporting of it, as if he was a victim of a crime of external circumstances. And now everything for him was hinging on this verdict. Even though my loss had already taken place and had never been up for deliberation. Olympicwas a possible contender, a student at stanford. And how are you described . How was described . I was intoxicated, blacked out, intoxicated, half naked. I was spoken about in terms of how many shots i had had, how many times i blacked out previously in my life. All other traits were dismissed, but that is all i got to exist as and present myself as inside the courtroom. Amy describe your experience of the trial when it finally took place. I was looking forward to being able to testify and get my side of the story. That is what i thought testimony was. And i quickly learned in that environment, you are constantly discredited and diminished openly. That it becomes a game of how quickly you can answer questions that are worded in a complicated way. Half the time im just trying to understand what the defense attorney is asking me. And you are forced to remember that night down to the minute. At what time did you pee . How many yards of the way from the house did you pee . As if im supposed to be living my life counting yards, counting sips. Dehumanizing. Ly and the way they speak to you as if you are a criminal, you feel like you have done something wrong. Surely, you have come if you are being treated this way. Amy and they brought on a blackout expert . Explain. They paid 10,000 to this blackout expert who came in and testified that even though i was blacked out, i could have been completely willing and able to consent, that brock had no way of knowing that i was in a , absolving him from the responsibility of reading social cues, of having the decency to know how to treat a person. Amy so the trial took three weeks. Talk about what brock turner was originally charged with, what those charges were reduced to come and then the jury verdict. At first he was charged with five felonies, two of which were for rate of an intoxicated person and rape of an unconscious person. The rape charges were dropped because in california, rape is solely defined as the act of sexual intercourse. So digital penetration, fingers, doesnt count as rape. It is described as Sexual Assault. The fbis definition of rape is any kind of penetration. So the two rape charges were dropped. Sexual Assault Charges remained and so did assault with intent to rape. That was the third felony he was charged with. My impression is the only reason he wasnt able to rape is because he ran out of time because two people intervened, not bebecause he chose to draw e linene there. Amy where were you when the verdict was handed down . Courtroomalled to the , basically, after closing statement are given at the trial the jury deliberations began. They say were going to give you a text sometime within the next two weeks and you will have 15 minutes to show up at the courthouse. So i went home and was just waiting for two days for the text. When i got it, i drove in and they read out the counts. After that, they went through said,ury member and state your individual vote for each count. So i was sitting there and they go through each jury member. Jury member number one says, yes. Number two says, yes. Is he guilty of this . Yes, yes, yes, yes. I was sitting there listening to the sounds of these yeses. All of that validation counting, embedded inside of me. I was struck by this immense sadness because in the very myinning, when i knew that assailant had been chased away, i knew the answer was yes. Of course he was guilty. I knew that from day one. But over the course of a year and a half, i had drifted so far from myself. I had forgotten what i was worth, that i deserved to bee treated better. I have learned to doubt myself, to sit with shame and months of isolation. The time the verdict came around i thought, do i even deserve to be sitting here . All that has happened is my loved ones are broken and i feel completely depleted. Then i began to hear those yes as and i was like, oh, my goodness, i completely forgot. I forgot what i was worth. And that is so sad to me. I feel like it is my job for othericms who are experiencing this to keep them at that yes, tub not left them drifted so far from who they are but to keep them right there and knowing theyre supposed to be safe. Memoiranel miller, her know my name has just been published. When we come back, chanel will read from her victim impact statement. Back with her in a minute. [music break] amy this is democracy now , im amy goodman. We continue our conversation with Chanel Miller, her memoir know my name has just been published. It chronicles how she reclaimed her name, her story, and her life after being actually assaulted by brock turner, a member of the Stanford University swim team, in 2015. During the trial, chanel read a victim impact statement addressed to her assailant. The text of the l letter later went viral, being read by millions around the world. I asked chanel to read a part of that statement. Cooks my independence, natural joy, gentleness and study lifestyle ive been enjoying became the distotorted yon recognition. I became closed off, angry, selfdeprecating, tired, irritable, empty. The isolation at times was unbearable. [inaudible] when i woke up in my eyes were puffy from crying, i would hold the stim to my eyes to lessen the swelling so i could see. [indiscernible] i used my savings to go as far away as i could possibly be. I did not return to work fulltime as i knew i would have to take weeks off in the future for the hearing and trial that were constantly being rescheduled. I cant sleep alone at night without having a light on because i have nightmares of being touched where i cannot wake up. I did this thing where i waited until the sun came up and i felt safe enough to sleep. For three months, i went to bed at 6 00 in the morning. I used to pride myself on my independence. Now im afraid to go on walks in the evening, to attend social events with drinking among friends where i should be comfortable being. I have become a little barnacle, always dating to be at someones side, to have my boyfriend standing next to me, sleeping beside me, protecting me. It is embarrassing how feeble i feel, how timidly i move your life, always guarded, ready to defend myself, ready to be angry. You have no idea how hard i have worked to rebuild parts of me that are still weak. It took me eight months to even talk about what happened. I would scream at my boyfriend, my own family whenever they brought this up. You never let me forget what happened to me. At the end of the hearing, the trial, i was too tired to speak. I would leave drained, silent. I would go home, turn off my phone, and for days i would not speak. You bought me a ticket to a planet where i lived by myself. Every time a new article came out, i lived with the paranoia my entire hometown would find out and know me as the girl who got assaulted. I did not want anyones pity and am still learning to accept victim as part of my identity. You made my own hometown in a comfortable place to be. You cannot give me back my sleepless nights, the way i have broken down sobbing uncontrollably if im watching a movie and woman is harmed. To say it lightly, this experience has expanded my empathy for other victims. I have lost weight from stress. When people comment, i told them i have been running a lot lately. There are times i did not want to be touched. I have to relearn that im not fragile, i am wholesome not just live and weak. When i see my younger sister hurting, when she is unable to keep up in school, when she is deprived of joy, when she is not sleeping, when she is crying so hard on the phone she is barely breathing, telling me over and over again she is sorry for leaving me alone that night must sorry, sorry, sorry. When she feels more guilt than you, then i do not forgive you. That night i had called her to try and find her, but you found me first. Your attorney closing statement began. Her sister said she was fine and who knows her better than her sister . You tried to use my own sister against me . Your point of attack was so weak, so low, it was almost embarrassing. You do not touch her. You should have never done this to me. Secondly, you should have never made me fight so long to tell you. You should have never done this to me. But here we are. The damage is done, no one can undo it. I know we both have a choice. We can let this destroy us i can remain angry and hurt and you can be in denial. Or we can face it head on. I accept the pain, you accept the punishment and we move on. Yourur life is not over. You have decades of years i had to rewrite your story. The world is huge. It is so much bigger than palo alto and stanford and you will make a space for yourself in it where you can be useful and happy. But right now you do not get to shrug your shoulders and be confused anymore. You do not get to pretend there were no flags. You have been convicted of violating me intentionally, forcibly, sexually with malicious intent. And all you can admit to is consuming alcohol. Do not talk about the sad way your life was upturned because alcohol made you do bad things. Figure out how to take responsibility for your own conduct. Amy that is Chanel Miller reading her victim impact statement. You left the courtroom floored, silent. People saw you. They actually knew your name. Your name did not get out. You were still emily doe. Day the judge issued his sentence. Was it the same day as your victim impact statement that you read . Yes. I showed up to court with my family and friends. I was almost excited to show them who i was, to finally stand in my truth and not just be crying like i had been the entire time that i was on the stand. I used my statement. I was not allowed at the time to read the entire thing. So i read an abridged version of the statementnt. Amy before brk turner was sentenced for sexually assaulting you, his father wrote this long letter to the judge presiding over the case. Then turner complained his sons life had been ruined for 20 minutes of action fueled by alcohol and promiscuity. The letter reads in part these verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family and so many ways. His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. This is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life. The fact that he now has to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life, forever alters where he can live, visit, work, and how he can interact with people and organizations. So i was listening. My family was listening. It was extremely difficult to hear and tolerate. Then after the father read his statement, brock stood up and read 10 sentences. I believe it is ok they said that because the judge will understand what is going on and will hear me. So i was patient. And when the final sentence was read, it had not even occurred receive less could than one year, which is the maximum per county jail if you have been accused of three felonies. I was completely in shock. And i also questioned why i had decided to read the statement. I felt like it had been my faililure the room, that my emotions were inappropriate in this context. The environment was just deflating. It was so anticlimatic, the fact that we had taken a year and a half just to get to this moment and he announces six months and it is over just like that. I thought, why did i do this . Why am i here . Humiliating. My family was upset. I felt like i had at people fighting for me, like i could not fight for myself. I hadwent home thinking embarrassed myself. I did not think, wow, that was very courageous, or that was eloquently written. I just took to wait my statement was lilike, im never doing that again. Amy but then your statement got out. Buzzfeed published it. Looks yes. Amy did you decide you wanted that statement to be heard by others . They asked if they could release it. I did not think it would amount to anything. In my head, it was worth very little. Amy because this was now in the public record. Yes. Correct. So i just figured, sure, as long as you take out my name or any poignant details about who i am, then you can release it. I did not think twice about it because i did nonot think it wod go anywhere. Amy but it went viral. Four days, 11 Million People read it. You changed california law. How did you change it . Now it eliminates probation as an option for penetration of an unconscious or intoxicated person. Amy so he goes to the county jail, supposedly for six months but is released after three. And i knew it would be three months the day of the sentencing. That something called a day for a day. For every day of good behavior, you get a day off your sentence. So after i read my statement and the sentence was announced, i knew it would be three months. Amy and then there is the recall effort for judge persky. By theare so outraged judges sentence. Judge persky was recalled by voters on june 5, 2018. He is no longer a judge. In fact, he was hired by a local High School Tennis team to be their coach, and he has been fired from that now because of community outrage. It was a womens tennis team. But his recall, what did that mean to you . And what did it mean to you that it was the professor that led this campaign . Michelle is an incredible fighter and set out to do something that i dont thing most people thought was even possible. All of the volunteers were amazing, were galvanized and dipping out on the front lines while i was off in my Little Office writing. I was protected in my little cave, figuring out how to get the book out of myself. Meanwhile, they were out collecting signatures outside of walmart, and farmers markets, going doortodoor. And a lot of these volunteers were survivors, were vulnerable. Just collecting signatures at times, they were verbally accosted and had to withstand that. I have a deep admimiration for l of them for fighting so hard just to put the judge on the ballot. Chanel, you did all of this before the Metoo Movement. This victim impact statement gave so many people so much strength. What did it mean as you were emily doe for people not to know who you are, but to watch the Metoo Movement gained strength and womens voices to be validated . Bei dont think i would sitting here presenting myself right now if it were not for tarana burke and the Metoo Movement and all of the women who have come before me who have shown me that even knowing the environment is going to be hostile and abrasive, knowing there going to be attacked they still stepped forward because they feel this duty to protect other survivors, to make themselves seen so that we understand there are ways of existing in the world where you dont have to be dominated by the story of your assault. You can continue to craft yourself and be confident in who you are. And made a the stage path for me to eventually come forward. Amy i want to ask about Stanford Universitys response. So often brock turner was called the stanford swimmer, the champion swimmer. And you were called the nonstanford student. What has happened since . How did stananford deal with yo . This happen on stamper r proper. This happepened behind a stanfod fra. 10 days after the assault, i got a single call to inform me that he was no longer allowed on campus. So i said, thank you for that information, and the call was over. And two years would go by before i would hear from them again. Only after my statement went viral, threemonth after it went viral, did they reach out to me and say we would like to offer if youey for therapy sign this paper saying you will not bring litigation. Amy what did you do . I told them i would not simply sign it, i had to meet with them in person, facetoface, so we can discuss what can be done so a case like mine would never happen again. Only then would i sign. Amy and is that what happened . Donedo not believe it was with the intention of preserving my Mental Health were making real foundational change. For them, it was an act of selfpreservrvation and protectg their brand identity, which really hurt me. Amy so that signing did not happen. The signing happened with all of the promises in place, but the promomises were not followed through. Amy how did you decide to come forward and to name yourself . Talk about what that has done for you. Only after the book was completed fully did i decide i would come forward. As not justemerge the person from this case. I did not want my name to come out and they just say, ok now, we can fill in the blank and put up her photo next to his. I wanted to come out fully as an author, to be able to present myself alongside this book which is filled with anecdotes anand childhood memories and a spectrum of emotion to say you can no longer deny my humanity. You cannot continue to limit me to the parameters of this case. This. O much more than i felt confident that the book andd be able to anchor me have people see me as a person. So only when it was done, done, done, did i come out. Amy Chanel Miller. Her memoir know my name has just been published. The book chronicles how chanel reclaimed her name, her stotory, and her life afterer being sexually assaulted by brock turner, member of the Stanford University swim team in 2015. He faced 15 years inin prison, t the judgege sentenced him to jut six months in county jail, of which he sererved three month. The judge, aaron persky, was later recalled by california voters. The victim impact statement Chanel Miller read during the trial went viral and was read by millions around the world. Visit democracynow. Org to see chanel reading highlights of that victim impact statement. And that does it for our broadcast. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ]