Spur Posse
The Spur Posse was a group of high school boys from Lakewood, California, who used a point system to keep track of and compare their sexual attacks and statutory rapes.
The founder of the group chose the name "Spur Posse" when a favorite basketball player of theirs, David Robinson, signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
The group came to national attention on March 18, 1993, when the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested a number of the members for various sexual crimes. Prosecutors later dropped all but one of the charges after being unable to prove most of the encounters were nonconsensual, although many were with underage girls, some as young as ten.
One girl who was later interrogated by police said she had been in bed late one night when a teenager appeared at her window and demanded sex from her. She complied because of rumors that the Spurs would harm women who resisted.
Police had the opportunity to prosecute the considerably older boys for statutory rape, but declined to do so.
Members of the Spur Posse proceeded to make the rounds on the tabloid-TV talk-show circuit.
In popular culture
Joan Didion wrote an article about the Spur Posse titled "Trouble in Lakewood", published as part of the "Letter from California" column in The New Yorker on July 26, 1993.[1] The article was also included in a different form in her 2003 book Where I Was From.
The main villains in the 1999 horror film The Rage: Carrie 2 were based on the Spur Posse.
They are mentioned in the Bratmobile song "Brat Girl."
The Spur Posse was covered at length in Susan Faludi's book Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man, including their formation, their fame and appearance on talk shows, and the aftermath, in which members found themselves shunned by their community and unable to find employment because of their infamy.
In 1995, Law & Order broadcast an episode, "Performance", based upon the case.
The X Files mentions them in an episode, "Red Museum" with the throw away line "I think the Spur Posse just rode into town."
See also
References
- "Trouble in Lakewood?". The New Yorker. 1993-07-19.
Sources
- Faludi, Susan (2000), Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man, Perennial, ISBN 978-0-380-72045-3.
- Ferrell, David (June 9, 1993), "New Charges Filed Against Member of Spur Posse Crime", The Los Angeles Times, p. B3.
- Ferrell, David (July 8, 1995), "A Violent Death Marks the Spur Posse's Legacy Death", The Los Angeles Times, p. A1.
- Ferrell, David (March 20, 1993), "'Spur Posse' Goes on the Defensive", The Los Angeles Times, p. B1.
- Mydans, Seth (March 20, 1993), "High School Gang Accused of Raping for Points", The New York Times.
- Mydans, Seth (March 23, 1993), "7 of 9 California Youths are Freed in a Case of Having Sex for Points", The New York Times.
- Mydans, Seth (March 24, 1993), "8 of 9 Teen-agers Freed in Sex Case", The New York Times.
- Quindlen, Anna (April 11, 1993), "The Good Guys", The New York Times.
- Smolowe, Jill (April 5, 1993), "Sex with a Scoreboard", Time, p. 41.