I want to drop the pretenses for a moment to write something to you directly that maybe you'll read. When I say "we," it's because everyone who has signed this petition is vested in fighting for justice in this case. But right now I'm saying "I" because truly I am one person. I am not a personal friend of Cammy or even a vague acquaintance of anyone in the Vaughan family. I'm an objective bystander. I'm not being paid anything. And this petition, you will notice, is not directed at you; it's directed at Judge Robert Adrian. Because what's going on isn't all about one incident one time; it's about Judge Adrian's commentary, and it's about a countless number of judges all around our country and world who prioritize "keeping young men out of trouble" over doing what's right.

So I am going to go out on a limb here and do something that I think a lot of people who #standwithcammy might have mixed emotions about, but  I want to do it anyway, because I believe it is what's right. Because I think you did do something monstrous, but I believe you don't have to be a monster the rest of your life. This petition has gotten over 26,000 signatures and not one of them is as influential as you could choose to be in this particular case. Maybe it sounds strange, but, I want to ask you for your support. Your voice could be the one that makes real change. You could choose to be the difference.

Because let me tell you what I see here. Judge Adrian told us his motivation; he knew the law but he didn't want to follow the law so he changed his ruling to keep you from feeling the consequences that have been established for the crime he did find you guilty of committing. Drew Schnack's motivation is obvious; he is being paid. He is going to get paid the same no matter what the outcome of the case. He is not your friend. Your friends' and relations' motivations are clear; they love you, they are afraid for you, and they want to keep you out of trouble. Your motivations seem pretty obvious. Prior to the assault, you stated your desire to "get with" Cammy, so how you found yourself alone with her later in the night was not an accident. And these past seven months, your motivation to not be honest is very plain - because you don't want to be dealt the lawful consequences of your mistake.

What isn't obvious to me is why Cammy would be lying about all this. I've heard, "because she wanted the attention." I don't think so. She's a beautiful, self-assured 16 year old track star with a ton of great friends. There was no need for her to get attention this way, and I do not believe she would betray all of her friends, all of her family, and the credibility of every assault survivor in the world to get attention for herself. I've heard, "because she didn't want to get in trouble with her family." That's definitely not true. In fact, a video clip someone shared with me recently proved to me Cammy has a very open and close relationship with her family. It was a clip of her and her dad sitting on a couch, with a third party asking her dad questions about Cammy - questions about drinking, and drugs, and sex. It wasn't a conversation that a repressed household would have. It made clear that her dad knows that she's kind of a wild child, and it makes me believe there is no way she would have been in trouble for being at that party, or drinking, or anything she was doing that night. I've heard, "because it was completely consensual." But no. For one, there is no chance a girl who is so intoxicated she is throwing up and passing out would be able to make a consensual decision. Also, there is testimony that you asked about her interest in being intimate with you earlier in the night and she said no. As for what other motivation Cammy would have had to leave the room she was passed out in and wake up her friends in the middle of the night to inform them she'd been assaulted, other than it was the truth, I have not heard any explanation whatsoever. No part of me believes a 16 year old girl who had a totally consensual sexual encounter would flee that house and immediately tell her father about it. I do not believe she would go into a hospital, go through "pubic combing," get her genitals swabbed, have herself photographed, and allow the whole world to know these most intimate details about herself unless what she's saying is true.

I #StandwithCammy . I think you messed up. I think you made a very bad mistake. But I think you could do better. I think you could regain your humanity, and you are not doomed to live the rest of your life as the monster I am positive you must feel like many people believe you to be. There are going to be consequences no matter how you play this. Even if you were to "get off the hook" legally, Judge Adrian is not who decides if you are guilty or not guilty. You simply are guilty or not guilty, you will always know the truth, and if you do not accept the consequences, you're gonna carry that weight. But if you know in your heart what happened that night was that you made a very big mistake, and if you hold yourself accountable for that mistake, you won't be the monster any more. A lot of people will respect you for telling the truth. Most importantly, you will respect you a lot more in the long run.

Maybe this letter will fall on deaf ears. Maybe it will never reach you at all. But I'm writing it because I have hope for you. I don't believe you're a lost cause. I hope you understand that if you made a mistake, you still have the power to help heal the damage this has caused for everyone involved. You could help heal our judicial system. You have the power to help heal our entire sick, sad world. Your voice is important.

If you've read this, please take my words into your heart and search yourself for what you know is the truth and what you know is the right thing to do. And if in your heart, you search and search and you truly believe you are 100% honest to God innocent of having done anything wrong, then write to me and tell me the truth and I will apologize to you. I can be reached at standwithcammy@gmail.com