STILLWATER ― Loud and persistent chants of “No means No!” and “No justice, no peace!” erupted in front of the Payne County Courthouse as upward of 150 people gathered to protest a ruling that allowed a teen who faced years of incarceration on charges of sexually assaulting two girls to avoid prison.
Most of the crowd stood alongside the curb, many of them women of all ages, holding up signs as cars drove by and honked in support.
“The System Is broken When RAPISTS Walk Free!!” one sign read. Another sign read: “Rape Isn’t A Mistake. It’s A Crime.” One more sign added, “Justice denied is violence,” while another sign asked: “If he walks free, what does it teach our youth?”
Demonstrators were united in their frustration and anger against what they described as leniency shown by authorities to Jesse Butler, 18, a former Stillwater High School baseball player who pleaded no contest this August to multiple instances of sexual assault, strangulation and domestic abuse against two female teenagers.
To the outrage of countless people locally and nationwide, Butler instead received a sentence of rehabilitation, counseling and community service.
Jesse Mack Butler had status changed to youthful offender. What does that mean?
The case generated widespread controversy after victims’ families, advocates and lawmakers continued raising concerns about how it was handled. Butler, 16 and 17 at the time of his offenses, had been denied a request to be charged as a juvenile. But after a July 24 hearing, Butler’s status was changed to youthful offender, which usually allows for rehabilitation opportunities and less severe punishment than what adults receive.
Enraged locals have pointed out the Butler family’s stature in the community. Butler was a popular baseball player at his high school in Stillwater, and his father is a former director of operations for the Oklahoma State University football team. The special judge who granted Butler youthful offender status, Susan Worthington, also has longstanding ties to the university, where she earned two bachelor’s degrees.
One sign carried by a man the morning of the protest read: “Justice is negotiable if your daddy worked for OSU.” Several signs also called for investigation of Worthington, while demonstrators chanted for her to be replaced.
Timothy Patrick, a Stillwater resident since 1986, said he’d never seen a demonstration on the courthouse lawn like what he saw Wednesday, Nov. 5. It’s a laid-back community, he said, but the circumstances of the case have motivated people to demand change and accountability.
“The fallout of the Jesse Butler case will be, the next one coming behind him is not going to get such a little golden ticket,” Patrick said. “And I think we need to unelect some judges up here. I think we need to find out what’s really been going on. But the ‘long story short’ out of it: This is good to see. You wouldn’t expect this in Stillwater, Oklahoma.”
‘It’s a systemic issue’
Tori Grey, 40, said she was astonished that Butler’s plea agreement included conditions that he would not be required to register as a sex offender.
“What the hell is the point of a sex offender registry if people that have committed violent sex crimes aren’t on it?” Grey asked.
Another demonstrator, Marilyn Heskett, said she is worried that Butler, “after receiving a little slap on the wrist,” could have more victims.
“There were already two ― there’s going to be more,” Heskett said. “And I hate to be that way, but there’s going to be more. He’s got problems, and it’s not right and it’s not fair. No other girl should have to worry about anything like that.”
Sabine Powers, 30, agreed with the assessment that Butler’s violence would likely escalate. She also compared it to a case in which Brock Turner, a Stanford University athlete convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, received only months in jail.
“It’s a systemic issue that’s not particular to our local community, but it’s throughout our culture in America,” Powers said. “This is not a precedent-setting case. The precedent has been set. This is just the first time I’ve really seen anybody around here have an outrage. And I hope that this is the beginning of change, rather than just a performative protest.”
Stillwater Public Schools students walk out for demonstration
Students currently enrolled at Stillwater Public Schools were among the protesters outside the courthouse. School district officials notified families over email ahead of the demonstration that students attending the event during class hours would see their absences unexcused, but the risk did not deter many of them.
“We didn’t really care,” said Baylor Citizen, 17. “If we did get in trouble, that’d be the dumbest thing ever.”
Citizen said she was close to one of Butler’s victims for a long time and felt “it’s unfair that he got away that easily,” she told The Oklahoman. Calle Cox, also 17, said the whole situation was “creepy, honestly.”
“It creeps me out that people could be walking around like that,” Cox said. “Like, who else is out there? And he went to our school, and we’ve known him since he was young and since we were young. And honestly, it’s just not OK. A lot of the things that have happened with this whole situation is just not OK.”
Rep. Justin “JJ” Humphrey, a Republican running for lieutenant governor, also appeared at the rally. Outspoken in his criticism of what he’s often described as political corruption in Payne County, Humphrey renewed calls for an investigation of the county’s prosecutors and judges.
“This is about the victims; this is about justice,” Humphrey said. “But it appears that you’re not going to get justice unless you’re rich, unless you can have somebody advocate for you because of the favoritism and everything else that’s going on. It’s high time somebody called it out.”
“Our judges and DAs, the court system, are trying to stop the people from seeking justice and getting justice,” Humphrey continued. “This is about the people they work for. It’s time to hear from the people, let the people have the voice and look into these matters and get to the bottom of it.”
Grey, an activist for 15 years, admitted that while the turnout for the protest was great, she was unsure if she could describe herself as hopeful. Just a year ago, she said, county residents had overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump as president of the United States, despite being found liable for sexual abuse.
“I’m hopeful that there will continue to be a crack in the brainwashing and they will stop making excuses for a rapist, even in the highest office of the land,” Grey said. “Only when it comes homes to roost, do they give a s—, so I hope that people start to give a s— about rapists in power at all levels of government and the people that excuse them.”
