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Cheat Sheet: The Dharun Ravi Trial

Dharun Ravi. His name has been one of contention since the tragic death of his openly gay roommate Tyler Clementi. And yesterday the jury reached a verdict that has many questioning whether or not justice was served. Below you can find info surrounding the case.

The Background:

Ravi and Clementi were frosh roommates at Rutgers.
Ravi used a webcam to spy on Clementi during a sexual encounter with another man known only as M.B.
It was reported that the recording was posted online, but that was found to be untrue. Ravi did tweet that he saw Clementi “making out with a dude.”
Ravi tried to record Clementi a second time, but Clementi learned of the plan and turned the camera off.
Clementi, who had only recently come out, asked for a new roommate. Unfortunately, he took his own life before any changes could be made.

The Trial:

Ravi wasn’t charged with causing Clementi’s suicide, but he was hit with a 15-count indictment.
He was found guilty on all counts, including invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence and bias intimidation.
Judge Glenn Berman sentenced Ravi to 30 days in jail for spying. He also received a 3 year probation and has to perform 300 hours of community service.
Ravi was ordered to receive counseling. Plus he has to pay $10,000 to an org that provides assistance to victims of bias crimes.
The judge has recommended that he not be deported.

The Aftermath:

Ravi, born in India and raised in NJ, could be deported by federal authorities. But since his sentencing is less than a year this most likely won’t happen.
According to Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality, despite gay rights groups not calling for maximum punishment, Ravi’s sentence felt too light. "This was not merely a childhood prank gone awry," he said. "This was not a crime without bias."
Meanwhile, gay rights activist Bill Dobbs (who sat through Ravi’s trial and sentencing) said he’s never seen so much division in gay circles. And although he’s against using the bias crime distinction, he believes Ravi’s sentencing is a “good solution.”

What can you do?