01/05/2023
In memory of Sunny Coleman, the woman in my film, "Victim" who passed away in August. She was a fighter and champion of all victims of s*xual assault and fought for new laws for mandatory sentencing to protect them. She was also the Founder and Director of (WAVE), Women Against Violent Environments in California, in 2000-2004, until she suffered some health problems stemming from the vicious attack on her in 1986. Her case was the first in Southern California to be solved by DNA. Sunny always hailed the excellent police work by the Riverside County Sheriff Department and the Sunset Beach Police Department for their role in apprehending her assailants. It was their early release from prison that set her on a mission to change the laws. Both of her assailants proved her cause to be vital when they were paroled and then arrested again on parole violations and were sent back to prison to fulfill the rest of their sentence and six more years without release. Sunny fought many demons from a system that was unjust and not privy to the needs or problems victims usually face after being a victim of s*xual assault or r**e. And therefore, neither her life or passing will be in vain as we continue to move forward in this uphill battle for justice.