Team, since we emailed you last week about the tragic conclusion to Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén's disappearance from Fort Hood and our call for a Congressional investigation, hundreds of you have taken action to demand justice for Vanessa and her family.
There's just one problem: Roger Williams isn't on board with our demands, and he's been completely AWOL on this crisis in his district — our district.
So we're taking the fight directly to his office next week and delivering your petition signatures. But as of today, we're still waiting on yours.
The pressure from people like you is working. The Army is now under intense scrutiny for their handling of Vanessa's disappearance and has since announced an independent investigation into the matter.
But it's not enough. Vanessa's family has claimed the Army lied to them several times. A formal Congressional investigation would be the only way to ensure fair, impartial justice.
This is a deeply complicated and heartbreaking story, so if you missed our original email from last week we have included it below.
Thank you for demanding justice for Vanessa,
Team Julie
ORIGINAL MESSAGE
From: Julie Oliver
Subject: Vanessa Guillén
Content warning: This email discusses murder and sexual harassment.
Team, this is a long email on an urgent issue that underscores the need for real representation in our district. I hope you'll take a few minutes to read it.
This is Vanessa Guillén. She was a 20-year-old Latina Army Specialist at Fort Hood who went missing in April:
Before Vanessa went missing, she had told her family that she was sexually harassed by a superior. Complaints by other female soldiers made against him had been dismissed, but she pledged to put a stop to it.
For two long months, the Guillén family desperately searched for answers following her disappearance. Over the weekend, they got a call from the Army, confirming what they already suspected: Human remains that had been found earlier in the week were identified as Vanessa's, and she had been killed and dismembered by a fellow soldier and his girlfriend.
Our community is heartbroken and still piecing together all the details, but this much is clear: We need a full Congressional investigation of Vanessa's disappearance and how it was handled. If you agree, add your name to our petition calling on Congress to act.
There has been too little transparency from the Army. Vanessa Guillén stepped up to serve this country, and it let her down.
Her disappearance — and the circumstances that led up to it — could have been treated with dignity and urgency. If Vanessa had been white or male, they probably would've been.
There is a reason that women and survivors don't report. We are told over and over again that our stories don't matter, especially in the military — harassment is just something you have to deal with to get ahead.
It doesn't have to be this way. We can speak truth to power, and it is time for us to reckon with the scourge of sexual assault in the military. If elected, I intend to file a bill on reporting on sexual harassment in the military, to be named in Vanessa's honor.
But before we do that, we must ensure justice for her family.
Thank you for taking action on this critical issue. And please hold the Guillén family close to your heart during this traumatic time.
More soon,
Julie
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Paid for by Julie Oliver for Congress
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