It’s difficult to articulate my disappointment with the democratic party. Even knowing that the effect of this petition would be symbolic, watching the Democratic National Convention give speaking slots to Bill Clinton and Michael Bloomberg felt like a slap in the face.

Looking back on all that has happened since March 25th, when Tara Reade bravely shared her experience on the Katie Halper Show, leaves me disoriented and dismayed. I still can’t believe that Biden campaign advisers deleted their #MeToo tweets, or that the New York Times admitted to stealth editing their article at the Biden campaign’s request.

I can’t believe that the DNC called investigating Tara Reade’s allegation “absurd” or that the New York Times accidentally published Tara Reade’s social security number.

I can’t believe Tara Reade was forced to leave her housing after coming forward, and had to live in hotel rooms for months with her cats while trying to find stable housing. I can’t believe the number of twitter accounts that want Tara to suffer. They seem to think she deserves to be homeless and cast aside, for what? The crime of poverty coupled with coming forward against a powerful democrat. 

Witnessing Tara’s treatment is frightening as a survivor of sexual violence. It seems the expectation is that all perpetrators are serial abusers, which is both untrue and dangerous, especially when viewed alongside the idea that Tara’s experience with domestic violence somehow makes her less credible. I personally am among the 44% of women who are victimized more than once.

Knowing that repeat victimization is this common, it should disturb all survivors and advocates that it is being used to discredit Tara Reade. To put it simply, it’s very likely that Tara Reade has been victimized multiple times, much more so than the conspiracy theory that she is a serial false accuser impersonating a rape victim. 

Imagine being Tara Reade. Imagine trying to rent a house and get a job, not only while embroiled in a national political scandal, but during a global pandemic with record high unemployment. Do you really think these people don’t google her name and read the garbage that has passed for journalism from the past 6 months? Imagine you left an abusive marriage in the 90s and raised your daughter alone only to have your divorce papers published online in 2020, exposing your entire life to vitriol and torment. 

That has been Tara Reade’s experience. 

Tara is vulnerable. If she cannot secure funds, she is in danger of becoming homeless. You can donate to Tara Reade’s immediate relief GoFundMe here. Our goal is to raise $5,000 by October 1st, giving Tara two months of stability to get back on track. With just over a week left, we need all the help we can get. Every dollar and every share counts. 

If you’d prefer to give to Tara more directly while showing your support, buy a button. Just send $5 or more to paypal.me/avalonclare or Venmo user avalon-clare with a shipping address. 100% of the money will go directly to Tara Reade, and you are welcome to send more that $5 if you’re able to. Just be sure to send at least $5 per button, and indicate the amount of buttons you’d like when typing your shipping address. 

Although Biden did not step down, we have not and will not stop advocating for Tara Reade. Since my last update, we’ve unveiled our website TaraTruth.com , held multiple organizing meetings, and created multiple informative videos and twitter threads. 

If you’d like to stay connected with what we’re up to, please sign up for our email list here. 

Like our FaceBook page: We Believe Tara Reade

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/TaraReadeTruth

Follow us on instagram: instagram.com/tarareadetruth/

Thank you for supporting Tara. 

- Avalon