Photo of the Day

[Content Note: Kidnapping and sexual violence.]

image of a young woman being held as she walks away from the camera, her arm lifted high above her head, giving the thumbs-up
Gina DeJesus, one of three women held captive for about a decade at a run-down Cleveland house, gives a thumbs-up as she is escorted toward her home Wednesday, May 8, 2013, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Via.
Blub.

I haven't written much about this case, because it's a hard one for me. I don't have a whole lot to say besides this: I am absolutely filled with joy that Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight are alive and free. (As well as Berry's six-year-old daughter.) I am in awe of their ability to survive, and I don't even have words to convey my feelings upon hearing a law enforcement source say that the three women, who were allowed rare interactions, came to "rely on each other for survival." They are so, so strong and brave. I wish them justice and peace. And I hope they will have all the support that they need as they move forward.

Also: I want to high-five this prosecutor:
Ariel Castro maintained his home as a prison for three young women, holding them in seclusion and sexually assaulting them for his own pleasure, a Cuyahoga County, Ohio, prosecutor told a judge Thursday.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brian Murphy told the judge "the charges against Mr. Castro are based on premeditated, deliberate, and depraved decisions to snatch three young ladies from Cleveland's Westside streets to be used in whatever self-gratifying, self-serving way he saw fit."

"Today, the situation has turned, your honor," Murphy said. "Mr. Castro stands before you as a captive."
I hope he gets a fair trial, followed by a long stay in a safe facility where he can never harm anyone else ever again.

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