Gold statue does not excuse misdeeds

I guess a gold statue and critical acclaim is worth more than the drugged rape of a 13-year-old girl.

Swiss authorities released director Roman Polanski last week, refusing to extradite him to the U.S. to face sentencing for child rape charges that he has been eluding for 33 years. The Academy Award winning director, who admitted to having unlawful sex with a minor, can now live freely in Switzerland and France — but if he steps on U.S. soil, he’ll be handcuffed and drug to jail.

Hundreds of Hollywood artists rallied behind the fugitive when he was arrested back in September 2009. But his supporters have been notably quiet since his release.

Other people haven’t been so quiet. There are new allegations from a former model who says Polanski handcuffed, drugged and brutally raped her at Jack Nicholson’s house in 1974 when she was 21 years old. Back in May, a former British actress accused Polanski of raping her when she was 16. She said she was “shocked” by the release of a man she called a “serial” rapist.

I was shocked by the large artistic army of actors, directors and writers who called for his release after he was arrested at the Zurich airport, while planning to accept a lifetime achievement award at a film festival there. They pointed to his talent, as though talented people are too gifted to waste their time paying for a crime. They pointed to alleged misdeeds within the judicial system, as though that should excuse his “misdeeds” against a child. They pointed to the time he spent in jail in 1978 during an in-prison psychological evaluation, as though 42 days is a sufficient sentence for plying a 13-year-old child with Champagne and Quaaludes and assaulting her repeatedly in a variety of brutal acts. They also point to the tragedies in his life, as though people who suffer tragedies should be allowed to make others suffer.

The director of “Chinatown,” “The Pianist” and “Rosemary’s Baby” did live through some real-life nightmares. He escaped from the Krakow Ghetto as a child after his mother died. His father almost died in the concentration camps, but they were reunited at the end of the World War II. Then, later in life, his young, beautiful pregnant wife was gruesomely killed by Charles Manson’s crazed crew.

But still, there is the 13-year-old girl. What he confessed to doing to her cannot be forgotten, neither can it be dismissed. Even if the victim, now in her mid 40s, has asked for it to be.

Reportedly, the woman forgave him long ago and wants the prosecution to drop the charges against Polanski. But the district attorney prosecuting him in Los Angeles said he is “deeply disappointed” by the Swiss’ decision to release and refuse extradition of Polanski and he vows to continue pursuing him.

So, while the woman reportedly wants to put this all behind her, some law enforcement officials disagree. So do I.

I’ve never experienced anything like this woman did as a young girl, and I regret that she has to live it out on a global stage, but there are two simple reasons this case should not be forgotten: 1) Because another man might think he can escape the long but lazy arm of the law and 2) another victim may stay silent and let him. I want Polanski to see his day in court — no matter the outcome — simply because it could stop one more rapist and save one more victim.

I don’t blame the reticence of the victim ... who says the civil suit and settlement she and Polanski reached years ago doesn’t impact her wishes for this all to go away. But this isn’t only about her and it isn’t only about him.

So, I disagree with Johnny Depp, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Debra Winger and the roughly 200 others who voiced their support for Polanski and his freedom. I like a well-crafted film as much as the next person munching popcorn in a theater seat but I am more concerned about the abused and violated child cowering in a corner.

It’s appalling to me that so many members of the Hollywood community are standing in support of this man, defending him, basically, because he is an “artist.” A true artist is daring and brave but this man appears to be hiding behind the silver screen, showing that when real-life courage is required, he is the meanest and weakest of cowards.

Hollywood should show its courage and some measure of moral fortitude by refusing to work with the fugitive director until he faces his prosecutors. Again, I think it’s curious that Polanski’s advocates have been very, very quiet since his release. Reports from the Hollywood media suggest that their previous support of the admitted child rapist hurt their reputations and, possibly, their careers.

May this all bring ruin to his.

Jaletta Albright Desmond is a self-syndicated columnist who writes about faith, family, and the fascinatingly mundane aspects of daily life. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two daughters. Contact her at jdesmond@bdtonline.com.

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