This past weekend, hundreds of activists descended on Washington, DC. As they marched down the street, they chanted, "We believe survivors! We believe survivors!" These chants echo the claims of the "Start By Believing" proponents.

Let's put this into historical context. According to the SAVE report, 
"Believe the Victim: The Transformation of Justice:"

• In early years, the trauma of an adult sexual assault victim often was discounted. Beginning in the 1970s, experts began to recognize the psychological harm suffered by sexual assault victims. In the context of psychological treatment, the need for the therapist to believe the client claiming to be a victim was necessary and appropriate.
• By the early 1990s, women’s groups began to call for “swift and unquestioning judgments about the facts of harassment without standard evidentiary procedures with the chant ‘always believe the victim.’” As a result, law enforcement investigators were increasingly encouraged to “reassure the victim that he or she will not be judged and that the complaint will be taken seriously.”

Of course, sexual assault complainants should be treated respectfully, and their complaints taken seriously. But who really believes that complainants never embellish, strategically modify, or fabricate their claims?

Who needs due process when you can just "believe"?