unalive

prelude to a sober demise

Rapists Don't Deserve Degrees

Despite decades of prevention education initiatives being used in universities across the country, rates of sexual assault have not decreased in the last 50 years (). As a rape survivor, I can attest to the negligence of
universities when it comes to prevention initiatives - especially within the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

I am Natasha Knemeyer, a survivor and activist looking to shed light on the underlying issues of sexual assault in the college environment. On January 22nd, I was raped by Thomas Swanick - a current student at UW-Whitewater. While Swanick got to go about his days and attend classes, hang out with friends, and enjoy the college experience, I had everything taken from me. I conducted a protest in his dorm building in the early morning of January 25th, which caused the police to be called on me, despite the fact I had reported my rape immediately after, to the negligent UW-W campus police.

Once the police showed up, I apologized for the noise disturbance and calmly explained my situation. Instead of working with me or attempting to calm me down, they purposely harassed me until I reached a breaking point and demanded that the city police were brought down to Ma'iingan Hall (his dorm). I was just violated by a man I considered my "boyfriend" (Thomas and I were together until he raped me) – and was not about to be violated by any other man, regardless of power and authority. I was in full control – until I wasn't.

Officer Kyle Feucht of the campus PD eventually took me into custody unlawfully and refused to let me leave, despite the fact I was never under arrest. Every time I'd try to leave, he and his buddies would force me into submission until I eventually was so beat down that they transferred me to a local hospital and physically abused me. That day, I became not only a survivor of rape but also police brutality – and was also placed under an emergency detention (again, I had done nothing wrong, and still was not under arrest at any point.)

Because of Swanick and Feucht, and the horrifying amount of support they received at my demise, I spent fifteen days locked up in Winnebago; the most restrictive institution in the state. There, I met with psychiatric nurse practitioner Katelyn Lenz, who misdiagnosed me with schizophrenia and forced me to take medication that weakened my mental state; it got to the point where I was unable to speak even one coherent sentence. I was helpless and hopeless, far away from my hometown of Milwaukee. At my probable cause hearing, Lenz lied on the stand and painted me out to be a delusional schizophrenic who needed to be locked up, isolated from society for as long as possible. My father also withdrew me from school during my time there. I was not, and am not, any of the things that Lenz, Swanick, Feucht, or anyone else has said about me. I am Natasha Knemeyer, and I am fighting for all survivors' justice.

Because of Lenz and Feucht's testimonies, probable cause was found to keep me locked away until February 9th. I got out that day, and two days later I moved out from my father's house. Since the 11th of February, all I've done has been for one common goal: #EndAllRape. On Wednesday, February 15th, I finally returned to Whitewater, with that goal in mind. I had scheduled a time to formally file my reports against Thomas Swanick: for drug dealing, rape, ALL of it. But before I could do that, I needed more evidence. I needed to make sure he'd be going away for a long, long time – so I went back to Ma'iingan Hall and took the elevator up to floor 4, where he resided. His door was unlocked, so I let myself in and scoured for evidence of any other crimes he'd get locked up for. After I found some liquor bottles to bust him on (he's underage), I began to make my way to Goodhue Hall and file the reports that I should've been able to make a long time ago.

As the elevator opened up to the ground floor, I was met by Lieutenant Servi – one of the good ones. Apparently, some students reported that I "broke in" (read: entered an unlocked room peacefully) and the cops were already after me, once again. However, I stood my ground and refused to be placed under any kind of unlawful detention. I finally filed my official reports – and after that, I was held in Goodhue for another few hours with nothing to do but reflect: why are they still not going after him? Why are they still "out to get me"? I'd done nothing but report a drug-dealing rapist, they should be thanking me!

Servi eventually came back and placed me under arrest with the aforementioned charges placed against me. I was then taken to the Walworth County Jail, where I spent the night and once again had nothing to do but reflect. Except this time, it wasn't about Thomas. It wasn't about Servi or her officers. It wasn't about me. It was about rape as a whole, and why it's so prevalent in college campuses like my own. And it came to me: nobody cares enough. Nobody cared that I spent sixteen days locked up over my own rape, and Swanick was (and still is) a free man.

Swanick may be a free man, but he's a prisoner of his own mind. He has to live with the guilt of raping me (and likely other victims) forever. Officer Kyle Feucht and the other officers who I dealt with on January 25th have to live with the guilt of brutalizing a young woman asking for nothing but justice, forever. Katelyn Lenz has to live with the guilt of lying on the stand to silence me, forever. And forever, I will keep fighting until #EndAllRape isn't a hashtag, but a reality. I am Natasha Knemeyer, and I am still fighting my own fight. I was forced to drop out of the school I loved, I lost everything, and I even became homeless. And my rapist is still walking the streets of Whitewater, preying on young women like myself. Rapists don't deserve degrees.

But I'm far from done with this. I have court on March 2nd, and I will be representing myself, asking for the charges to be dismissed. After that, I hope to go to court to testify against my rapist, Thomas Kirk Swanick. Until then, I'm just a fighter. But I'm fighting for every single person who's ever been assaulted. My heart goes out to my fellow survivors and I am eternally grateful for the supporters I've had on my journey.

Special thanks goes to Thomas Kirk Swanick of UW-Whitewater, Officer Kyle Feucht of the UW-W Campus Police, and Katelyn Lenz of Winnebago Mental Health Institute – you are the reasons why I am stronger than I've ever been, and I refuse to stop.

#EndAllRape #KAR