Spur Posse
[2] On March 18, 1993, nine members of the group were arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for sex crimes including sexual assault, lewd conduct, and statutory rape of a 10-year-old minor.
"[1][4][5] National media attention of the case soon followed, and several members of the group went on talk shows to discuss the Spur Posse and its sexual values.
[12] Several of the Spurs were star athletes, "powerful young men worshiped by peers and parents," who liked parties, football games and girls.
[14] In March 1993, seven young women, including an 11-year-old, filed complaints against members of the Spur Posse, accusing them of sexual misconduct and assault over the span of 5 months in 1992.
[2][12] The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested eight youths and one 18-year-old, Kristopher Belman, for "17 felony counts of rape, unlawful intercourse and related charges.
"[2] The district attorney's office claimed that they could not prove the other charges, "saying that the matter was a "social" problem better left to churches, schools and parents to handle.
"[11][16][17] District Attorney, Sandy Buttitta, in a written statement wrote, "Our conclusion is that there is no credible evidence of forcible rape involving any of these boys...Although there is evidence of unlawful sexual intercourse, it is the policy of this office not to file criminal charges where there is consensual sex between teen-agers...The arrogance and contempt for young women which have been displayed, while appalling, cannot form the basis for criminal charges.”[17] When allegations against the Spur Posse came to light, a media frenzy surrounded the case.
[21] Billy Shehan reported to Newsweek that a senior staffer from Night Talk With Jane Whitney took them to a strip bar, Goldfingers, in a limo.
"[13] Some students, both male and female, supported the Spurs' claim of innocence, saying that their accusers were "willing participants who sought status by sleeping with athletes.
Around 200 parents attended a meeting to condemn the Spur Posse claiming that "the clique had terrorized the community, picking fights with male classmates and raping and threatening female students in a pattern that has escalated since the arrests.
Ginny Wagener, executive director of the South Coast Ecumenical Council, did not view the Spurs as an isolated incident, stating that "society promotes male dominance and sexual promiscuity.
"[8] In a news conference, Gloria Allred "fired a warning shot at school officials by suggesting that they knew about at least one rape charge in December but took no action.
[8] Belman and Christopher Russo were arrested in Las Vegas after attempting to use the stolen credit cards and detained again in December 1993 for forging checks.
[24] A member of the Spur Posse was targeted in a racially motivated attack by a white supremacist group, Fourth Reich Skinheads.
[27] In 1996, Spur Posse members Dana Kawamura and Ronnie Breceda "were arrested in connection with the near fatal stabbing of a young man at a New Year’s Eve party in Seal Beach.
[11] Joan Didion wrote a celebrated 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.
Gustavo Arellano, in an essay for The Los Angeles Times, writes that Didion "unmasks the misogyny and racial animus of Lakewood’s white population.
"[28] 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.
[31] A made for TV movie, Restless Virgins, recalls Spur Posse's "sex for points" system that aired on Lifetime in 2013.
