Depp Vs. Heard: The Justice System Keeps Failing Us

Johnny Depp Vs. Amber Heard: The Justice System Keeps Failing Us

Amber Heard has accused Johnny Depp of abusing her for years, and the world wants to believe her. Unfortunately, it seems that there are far too many people who want to believe in the innocence of a man who is simply not innocent. As the trial between Depp Vs. Heard comes to an end, there are so many things that were left unspoken. Things that have made survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault second-guess their own experiences.

Depp has been accused of being violent towards his ex-wife Amber Heard.

depp vs heard
Despite Depp’s denial of the allegations, he has been accused of being violent towards his ex-wife. The couple fought over Heard’s refusal to vaccinate their dogs. He said that she had been abusive and would “go off” on him in front of the children. He also said that she had hit him with a bottle having him go to the emergency room for a finger fracture. Amber denied said allegations while stating that Johnny did that to himself.

While Depp may not have been found guilty yet, although, he was found guilty of defamation towards what a source close to him claimed Heard’s allegations were a “hoax”. I think it is important for us as a society that we have conversations about what domestic abuse looks like and how the justice system can better serve victims in these situations moving forward. This is not a step-back for those who have been in any abusive situation, this is a wake up call to everyone: we all deserve to be heard. We all deserve justice and to be believed.

Depp wants us to believe the victim

This is not about your opinion of Johnny Depp or Amber Heard. We saw completely different sides of the same situation and while some made sense, others were a hard squeeze to fit the puzzle. The fact that you know who they are, and how they make money, means you are part of the problem. Why is that you may ask? Well, knowing who these people are creates a sided narrative whether you wanted it to be like that or if you didn’t. Johnny Depp fans have been extremely hostile towards Heard on her social media’s sorely because of their idol. This also happened when Amber broke the “news” of Depp being an abusive partner. He also got hateful messages and still gets them to this day.

Let’s keep on thing in mind: the victim is the one who has been abused and harassed by their partner, significant other, or even a stranger.

Amber moved out of the house and sought a divorce because she did not feel safe around him. She gave him numerous chances to clean up his act, but he continued to hurt her in ways that would have long-term effects on her life (such as punching walls). All of this is based according to her testimony.

Another thing: the abuser is the one who has abused their partner, significant other, or anyone on this matter, physically and emotionally, usually over a long period of time or multiple times before seeking help for themselves or stopping the abuse altogether (if ever).

depp vs heard

Heard has provided evidence that he abused her

Amber Heard has provided evidence that Johnny Depp abused her. In fact, there’s a recording on which she asks him whether or not he wishes to hit her again. He replies “that depends.” She also has photos of bruised arms and legs from the physical abuse she claims he inflicted upon her during their relationship. But unfortunately for Heard, this video and these images seem to be fake according to experts on the trial. That doesn’t mean that no form of emotional or physical abuse ever happened. Abuse comes in many ways and not every single bit of this violence leaves physical marks. The phrase of “if you don’t have physical evidence it didn’t happen” is really hurtful towards survivors all around the world who have chosen to remain silent on their abuse, have spoken up, were not believed, or simple because the justice system didn’t (do their job) give them the justice they deserved.

Even though we can see that Amber seemed like she fakes most of her evidence during trial it doesn’t mean she wasn’t also abused by Johnny because we can’t know exactly what happened between them without being present ourselves in their relationship, so all I can say is: “I don’t know what really happened between them but one thing I do know is that no matter how many times someone says something isn’t true that doesn’t make them right!”.

Depp Vs Heard

depp vs. heard

In the end, it’s not just Heard who needs to be believed. It’s all victims of domestic abuse. Even though the legal system has failed them in the past, we can still change our minds and start believing people when they come forward with their story of abuse, rather than waiting for irrefutable proof that never comes. We have a long way to go in terms of eliminating domestic violence but if we start by believing those who have experienced it then we can make progress towards ending abusive relationships altogether. So let’s keep talking about this important topic until everyone believes victims who speak up against their abusers no matter how rich, powerful, famous, or loved they are by their fans, or by anyone else.

Sadly, I have encountered so many women on social media who have shared both their stories and their concern about what this case represents in their life and how damaging it can be to survivors everywhere.

This trial has caused so much pain for those who have gone through similar situations, for those whose voices have not been heard, for those who are afraid to come forward, and for those who feel that because they don’t have evidence that their story can be perceived as fake or invalid.

In my experience, as a survivor, I believed Heard when the media first broke down the abuse allegations from Johnny Depp. It wasn’t until I first started seeing the trial and noticed how badly he was being treated by Heard that I truly felt bad for believing her and not him. I jumped to conclusions without hearing each side of the story.

Right now, I don’t stand with any of these people. I stand with survivors who are struggling and fighting every single day to get their voices heard and for society to not take for granted all of the progress that we have already achieved. I’m not telling you what you should believe. It’s up to you and your perspective, but I just wanted to remind you that there are so many survivors, both women and men, that truly need our support. No judgment. No pointing fingers. We need to end the stigma and this violence forever.

 

6 thoughts on “Depp Vs. Heard: The Justice System Keeps Failing Us”

  1. Sadly, unjust is very damaging to all its survivors everywhere, and my question is why some have to go through it, and what is our part in ensuring justice prevails? Courts exist with judges who are supposed to be qualified, so I believe a judge must act honorably in the discharge of his duties; otherwise, it is indeed a misfortune for the victim if they couldn’t be proven right. Who else can tell? It is no easy situation.

    1. Sadly, there is an estimated amount of 100,000 untested rape kits in the United States. There are more criminals wondering around than people believing actual survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse. This needs to stop and justice needs to be serve for these survivors.

  2. Great post and thank you for sharing your testimonial as a survivor! I’m sure this hits home. For the last 2 weeks this is all ive been seeing all over my social media. At first I didn’t even know who Amber Heard was, now she’s more popular than The Rock! Lol. I do stand with Depp on this one and it’s great we won his case!

    1. I didn’t know who Amber Heard was either. I think this was an extremely toxic relationship – from both parts. And I also think that they each need to seek some professional help and support. They were both found guilty for different reasons and situations. That alone leaves so many unlocked doors that are not going to be able to shut down that easily. 

  3. As a female, and having lived through emotional abuse and survived, I feel that to be a Judge is very difficult, there are always bitter emotions in an abusive relationship and both sides need to be carefully scrutinised as many cases are falsified.  I feel that in today’s “world” there are a lot of people who have no respect for others, the law etc. as result of poor criminal management and punishment.  The whole justice system is too slack. This is my own personal opinion derived from my own personal experience.

    1. I’m so sorry that happened to you, Ruth. I hope you’re healing and taking time for yourself. I do agree with you. The justice system has left so many people, so many survivors of abuse, in complete outer terror due to the system failing so many. It’s sad to see people fake being victims without realizing how harmful that is to real victims. I dislike how disgusting society can be when a man comes forward when it comes to any type of abuse. As society, we need to change. We need to start believing survivors and providing them with justice. We need better laws and people who are dedicated enough to follow these cases instead of tossing reports around and not giving attention to those who might be in danger. 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content