Not-So-Secret Rape Apologist Runs for Missoula County Attorney

Kirsten Pabst is running for County Attorney in Missoula, a town in Montana that was lovingly nicknamed "America's rape capital" in 2012, after the U.S. Department of Justice launched an official investigation into how Missoula County's Attorney office, police department and the University of Montana worked together…
Montana Attorneys Said 'Terrible Things' to Rape Victims: DOJ Report
In January, Fred Van Valkenburg, the head of the Missoula County Attorney's Office in Montana, denied that his office had systematic issues with prosecuting sexual assault cases. But a letter released by the Department of Justice Friday detailing the results of the DOJ's investigation into MCAO reveals that the…
Missoula County Attorney Pushes Back Against Justice Department Demands
Despite intervention from the Department of Justice (or perhaps because of), the debate over the handling of sexual assault cases in Missoula County, Montana is still highly contentious. The Missoula County Attorney's office, led by Fred Van Valkenburg, said last week that they'd fight demands that the office make…
Photog Turns High School Girl's Portrait Session Into Gross Sextfest
On Monday, a 33-year-old portrait photographer pled guilty in Missoula County Justice Court to two misdemeanor accounts of obscenity for a sexting relationship he started up with a 17-year-old female client. Since then, the photographer has taken down a post on his Facebook page apologizing because it got overrun with…
Missoula Cops Are Actually Getting Their Shit Together
Some news from Missoula: awful Police Chief (of denial) Mark Muir is handing over his daily responsibilities so he can focus on the city’s response to the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into the department's gender bias. Although Muir still refuses to admit that the department was ever shitty at handling…
Powerful Posters Cleverly Highlight Sexual Assault Awareness
These posters from Missoula's Intervention in Action Project, a group of community organizations dedicated to ending sexual violence, provide an excellent twist ending to some of the awful, creepy, hateful expressions we're all so damn tired of hearing.
John McCain Thinks College Kids Constantly Cry Fake Sexual Harassment
Senator John McCain is the latest conservative politician to complain that the Department of Justice has "redefined the meaning of sexual harassment" at U.S. universities by cracking down on Title IX violations that protect students from intimidation and assault — and he and his cronies think that's a bad thing.
University of Montana Pinky Swears To Properly Handle Sexual Assault
A year ago, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into the handling of sexual assault allegations at the University of Montana, then under fire for a spate of highly-publicized alleged rapes. Today, the feds and the college reached a positive…
That Was Quick: Feds to Investigate Occidental for Sexual Assault
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced last night that it will investigate allegations that Occidental College didn't respond appropriately and effectively to multiple claims of sexual harassment and sexual violence on the Los Angeles-based campus.
University of Montana Gets $300K Grant to Fight Violence Against Women
Last spring, the Federal Department of Justice launched an investigation into how the University of Montana and the city of Missoula handle crimes against women after a number of rapes and sexual assaults were reported on or near campus.
University of Montana Now Requires All Students to Pass a Rape and Sexual Assault Quiz
The University of Montana is gearing up for the new school year — and trying to figure out a way to respond to the multiple allegations of sexual assault on campus that prompted a Federal Department of Justice investigation last spring. Here's a start: the university is requiring all students to complete an online…
Clever Birthers Erect an 'Obama Presidential Library' Outhouse Complete With Nancy Pelosi Slut Graffiti
If you thought Mitt Romney had a terrible sense of humor, just wait until you hear what truly unfunny shit his Republican compatriots in Montana did this weekend. During the Montana GOP convention—which, by the way, featured Newt Gingrich as its keynote speaker—some "clever" tricksters erected an outhouse outside of…
What's Happened in Missoula Since Our Visit?
A lot has happened in Missoula, Montana since our story on the Federal Department of Justice's investigation into the handling of sexual assault allegations by the Missoula Police Department, the County Attorney's Office, and the University of Montana. Here's a roundup:
My Weekend In America's So-Called 'Rape Capital'
"It's the altitude," the sweaty, red-cheeked fraternity brother explains. It is my first night in Missoula, Montana, and I am sitting on a stool at Stockman's Bar, watching girls in rhinestoned crop tops and boys in baggy jeans grind up on each other, pound tequila shots, and prowl around before pairing off and…
Entire Montana Town Under Investigation for 80 Alleged Rapes
What the hell is going on in Missoula, Montana? The U.S. Justice Department reports over 80 alleged rapes in Missoula over the last three years. Even more troubling, at least 11 in an 18 month period involved University of Montana students. It's pretty crazy that it took nearly one hundred allegations of sexual…
