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Dr. Drew
Bodies of Mom, Dad, 3 Kids Found in Home; Gang Beating and Humiliating a Woman Caught on Tape; Controversial Classes to Prevent Sexual Aggression
Aired October 01, 2014 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, five deaths in one family finally explained? Was money the motive? Did debt do them? We have
answers.
Plus, sex week at the University of New Mexico. Orgasms, oral sex and threesomes are the focus of courses triggering outrage on campus. What
does the behavior bureau think?
Let`s get started.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: Good evening. My co-host is Samantha Schacher.
And coming up, some very shocking video of a beating that was put on tape and then on social media, and has gone viral.
SAMANTHA SCHACHER, CO-HOST: That`s right, Dr. Drew.
And here`s the question, was this crime committed for social media or were these criminals just so stupid for recording it and posting it?
PINSKY: And, Sam, people may be wondering why this is being blurred out? This girl on girl battle included one girl being required to strip naked
and then get beaten, right? Is that how it went?
SCHACHER: That`s right. And then walk, like a walk of shame mile while these people were barking at her. We`ll talk about it.
PINSKY: We`ll get into it.
All right. First up, we may know now why a family found dead in their home. It may have something to do with some stressors in their past. Have
a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re shocked and heartbroken by the sudden loss of so many members of our family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty-seven-year-old Ben Strack, his wife, 36-year- old Kristi, and three children ages 11 to 14 were all found dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went in and found the five people in the family were all deceased.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no sign of violent trauma. There were no gunshot or stab wounds or anything like that.
PINSKY: They tested for carbon monoxide in the air but found none.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was nothing that jumped out at you that would say this is what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They had filed for bankruptcy about 10 years ago and they both owed money to numerous people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t have a specific answer at this point.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PINSKY: Joining us to discuss, Vanessa Barnett from hiphollywood.com, Leeann Tweeden, social commentator, host of "Tomboys" podcast on Blog Talk
Radio, and Loni Coombs, attorney, author of "You`re Perfect and Other Lies Parents Tell".
Sam, you have looked at the parents` past. And what did you find here?
SCHACHER: Well, both parents have a bit of a record, Dr. Drew, primarily revolving around money. So, for example, the father, in 2008, unlawful
credit card. In 2008 again, unlawful property obtained. In 2006, wrote a bad check. In 2004, bankruptcy. 2003, disorderly conduct. That`s the
father.
Now, the mother -- forgery in `08, theft in `08, bankruptcy in 2004, theft by receiving stolen property in `08, and DUI in 1998. And just three weeks
ago, Dr. Drew, the father apparently went to his boss asking for money so that they could pay their rent.
So, these money woes have existed right up until the day they died.
PINSKY: And, Sam, my understanding is that the dad had been missing work for long periods of time?
SCHACHER: For a couple of weeks, he had not shown up to work.
PINSKY: And, Leeann, what caught my eye is the disorderly conduct for the dui. Each of them with a record or some sort of indictment that suggests
to me substance use.
LEEANN TWEEDEN, SOCIAL COMMENTATOR: Well, right. The first thing that I thought of when I thought of this story was the poor children. You know,
why did they have to kill their children? I mean, these kids had a life in front of them, and then that`s what I think, I have a 1-year-old at home
and I couldn`t imagine, no matter what was going on in my life, Dr. Drew, that`s not the way.
PINSKY: And, Leeann, we`ve reported on a lot of stories why men -- sort of narcissistic, grandiose men kill off families. If I can`t have them, you
know, when the mom is trying to get custody, we have no evidence. Vanessa, you`re reacting to this, I see.
VANESSA BARNETT, SOCIAL COMMENTATOR: But --
PINSKY: But we have no evidence -- you got to wonder, is this related to that kind of behavior?
BARNETT: If the father did think in this manner, why leave the 18-year-old son?
PINSKY: Not his.
BARNETT: Well, still, he was in the house, he was raising him as his own. Did he believe that he would fight back, did he believe he would be able to
have that control over him?
And to hear that they also home schooled their children was interesting to me, because we know as we`ve seen in stories in past, typically when a
family chooses to home school, they`re hiding something and they don`t want the kids to alert teachers or friends or authorities. I`m just saying --
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Hang on, I think Loni home schooled her kids.
LONI COOMBS, ATTORNEY: You know, I did. But I have to speak up for the home schoolers, as I know a lot of home schoolers.
Not that they`re hiding something, but that is something to be said, they tend to be more isolated because they`re not socializing with other kids,
so they might not know their neighbors as well. But I did also understand that the 18-year-old was living with the grand parents a t the time, which
may --
PINSKY: Oh, living, I thought he was just visiting.
COOMBS: One part was that he was living with the grandparents, that would explain why this might have happened without him there. And beside the
narcissistic, you know, tendencies, Dr. Drew, we also see that fathers who feel very responsible for taking care of their families financially, they
feel like they can`t, they feel like, who else is going to take care of them? If I can`t take care of them, this will be the easiest way, I want
to put them out of their misery, like I am putting myself out of my misery. I can`t do this anymore, I`m going to take them all with me.
TWEEDEN: I don`t know how responsible he is when he`s just borrowing and stealing money over the years.
SCHACHER: Yes, but that doesn`t mean that this guy is a murderer. I`m not saying he is or isn`t, but I am surprised that there weren`t signs that
police should have recognized at the scene.
PINSKY: Well, that`s my question. Loni, you`re law enforcement. [
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Carbon monoxide --
SCHACHER: What if it was poisoning because of a mass suicide?
COOMBS: There were soda cans there that they said they would be testing. The content of it and the lack of information was very shocking to me. How
were they dressed? How were the bodies positioned? What were they doing in the master bedroom together on a Saturday? I mean, the ages of the
kids, it`s not like they`re little kids all sleeping together.
PINSKY: Right, exactly.
COOMBS: And the lack of any violence or trauma to their bodies and the lack of any other signs around the house, there are no signs of what might
have gone on here. So, it`s very suspicious almost in the lack of information we`re getting. I even reached out to my media contacts in Utah
saying is there any scuttlebutt behind the scenes what might be going on? They said no, it`s very strange. It`s very silent on speculation.
They are waiting to see what comes back from the toxicology, and what might come out from the soda cans.
BARNETT: Do we believe that maybe the police are missing something? Maybe they know more than they are willing to tell us.
(CROSSTALK)
COOMBS: I would say that`s a good point. One of the reports said the police said their finances are not a part of our investigation when
somebody brought up the fact that we`ve been talking about the finances. Like what? Why is that not a part? That should be a big part of the
investigation. You always look at the money as a possible motivator.
So let`s see what the police end up doing with this case. But they could be missing something.
TWEEDEN: I`m sure they want to solve it, because the one cops said they were his neighbors.
PINSKY: Yes. Well, speaking neighbors, I have a close friend of the family, I think she`s a neighbor too, is that right, control room? Yes,
former neighbor and close friend is going to be on next.
And later on, police say this young woman beat a person, then forced her to strip naked for the cameras, then beat her again and took a walk of shame,
Sam, is that right?
SCHACHER: She wore her clothes, the victim was made to walk away naked.
PINSKY: I don`t understand any of that. But we`ll figure that out after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it really an accident or was it intentional? Did it involve poisoning of some kind? Anyone with carbon monoxide poisoning
is usually beat red, low voltage electrocution they were all in the same room. They may have been doing some renovations. A common chemical that`s
used in floor strippers and paint thinners is methylene chloride. It will acutely poison the liver. Maybe they left the door open because they were
doing some painting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: Back with Sam and our behavior bureau.
Tiffanie Davis Henry, HLN contributor, psychiatrist back with us. New mom, welcome back, Tiffanie. Boy, we saw pictures of that baby. It`s
beautiful. Thank you for joining us again.
TIFFANIE DAVIS HENRY, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you so much.
PINSKY: Judy Ho, clinical psychologist and professor at Pepperdine University, Erica America, psychotherapist, TV host.
We are talking about a family found dead in their home. No one seems to have any idea how they died, including the police. We have new information
about money problems.
And the question is, does the behavior bureau have any feeling how this played out? Erica, you first.
ERICA AMERICA, TV HOST: Yes. Well, first, I think we need to rule out the carbon monoxide theory. But I think it is odd that all the pets were OK.
Usually, they`re the smallest --
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Erica, we`re going to have a neighbor on, a close friend on the phone. She`s going to tell us -- I see one of the producers spoke to her.
I think she said there were pet doors all over the place, so they could have been outside. But carbon monoxide poisoning is a real easy thing to
rule out. There`s carboxyhemoglobin in the blood and that`s the blood. And the blood is beaten bright red, cherry red blood.
But there could be other things. But go ahead, Erica.
AMERICA: What I found odd is all the family members were clustered together in one room. If it was carbon monoxide, they would be out and
about. So, unfortunately, I think there is a chance it could believe a murder-suicide because it is financial difficulty.
Perhaps, again, this is all just guesswork, either the husband or husband and wife thought they were putting their children out of their misery
because they could not take care of them. But I think it was probably some type of poisoning via the soda bottles.
PINSKY: All right. Perhaps.
AMERICA: I think we`re going to have to just wait and see what happens.
PINSKY: That will be easy to nail down if they had that.
Tiffanie, it`s your first crack at this case. Do you have other theories? I`ve got a weird whiff of substance on the background here, guys, missing
work, DUI, disorderly conduct. Could that be part of the story?
HENRY: It certainly could be. I guess my issue with this whole discussion is we`re assuming that there was some sort of mal-intent on the part of the
husband and wife. And really, we just don`t know. It could be something like carbon monoxide, which so many people don`t have carbon monoxide
detectors in their homes.
It could be some freak accident that we don`t know. All of them were in the room together, which seems suspicious to some, but it could be, you
know what, on Saturday, we`re just going to watch movies, everybody piled in the same room, and we`re going to watch movies. Families do that.
So, I don`t want to jump to a horrible conclusion, when this could be a very innocent, you know, unfortunate accident.
PINSKY: It`s interesting, Judy, hearing from Tiffanie. This is her first go-round with this case. We were where she was yesterday, we were so
desperate with some sort of explanation, we heard the money stuff. We are sort of jumping towards that. Are you in between somewhere?
JUDY HO, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, you know, this is one of those really difficult cases, because there`s a lot of red flags. The money is a red
flag, as you mentioned. The substances are red flags. And the fact that they are all were sequestered into one room is also a red flag.
And I`m not as quick to jump to the fact that maybe the parents themselves were the ones who orchestrate it. I actually do think that`s because of
the financial issue, there could have been somebody that rounded the family up and planned to execute them in this way. And just forgot about the 18-
year-old or wasn`t able to find the 18-year-old.
PINSKY: Wow.
Let`s get to our guest. On the phone, I have Jill Hoover, she was a close family friend of he Stracker family.
Jill, this is heartbreaking story. Our thoughts and prayers are out to not just you but that whole community that`s lost five members of the community
and that family. My question, I guess, to start with, you had spoken to the 18-year-old son, the only member of the family to have survived is.
What did he tell you?
JILL HOOVER, FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR OF THE STRACK FAMILY (via telephone): We just talked about some cards that Vincent had given one of my daughters,
and I was just basically trying to see how he was, and asking him if he wanted those items. And he kindly said, you know, you guys were such good
friends. You can let her have them.
PINSKY: Did he have any idea what happened to his family?
HOOVER: No. He was at his grandmother`s house.
PINSKY: Was he living with the grandmother?
HOOVER: You know, I`m not sure about that. We moved away from that house or that apartment like two years ago, and he was living there then.
PINSKY: And, Jill, did the parents ever talk about financial stressors or mental health concerns or any hints to help us understand what happened
here?
HOOVER: No, you know, me and Christy were pretty good friends. We would talk over the fence a lot. You know what I mean? She was very kind and
kind of -- she wasn`t a person that really got out in the community or anything. She liked to be home and the kids loved her. She was an amazing
woman.
PINSKY: Samantha, you have a question?
SCHACHER: Jill, looking back, already any red flags at all or do you just see them as just a loving and happy family?
PINSKY: The parents were separated, were they not, when you were there? At least there was that issue, no?
HOOVER: Yes. I don`t know Ben very well. They moved next door to us because she had to find a new place and they were going to be in the
process of getting a divorce at the time, that`s what she talked about. Then he would come over and fix things and stuff. So they had a good
relationship still, even though they had separated.
PINSKY: And, Jill, your daughter was best friends with one of the girls here. Does she know what happened? Has she been told what happened I
guess is the question.
HOOVER: Yes, my youngest, she`s 12. Her and Emery were very good friends. She was over at her dad`s, and I asked -- I`m divorced, and I asked her to
come back over. She took the news pretty hard. It was hard on her.
PINSKY: I bet.
HOOVER: She said, I just wish she had been at a sleepover, then she would still be here.
PINSKY: Oh, my gosh, she blamed herself.
HOOVER: Yes, I know.
PINSKY: Jill, as someone who knew them, do you have a theory what happened?
HOOVER: You know, I don`t speculate too much, but I think it`s carbon monoxide. They were the sweetest people. They loved each other so much.
They didn`t have a whole lot. They didn`t have a whole lot of money to start with.
PINSKY: Carbon monoxide accident or intentional?
HOOVER: I think it was an accident.
PINSKY: Yes, OK.
HOOVER: I really do. I couldn`t see either Ben or Kristi doing anything mean to their kids. They loved them.
PINSKY: Anyone else have a question, Tiffanie?
HENRY: Well, my heart goes out to you. I`m wondering, is there anything, you know, that the son, I guess, needs right now other than well wishes and
support, is there anything that anyone can do to support this young man who`s 18 and who has essentially lost everything?
HOOVER: Yes, I think the big thing that I would say, they have set up a memorial fund for Ben and Kristi Strack to help out with the burials and
things like that. So, if people would donate, that would help a lot.
PINSKY: Jill, thank you.
HENRY: Because at 18, you wouldn`t know what to do. You`ve lost everything. You can only imagine what that must be like for that young
man.
PINSKY: Oh, you would be numb and stunned for a long time. You guys, we`ve got to wrap it up here. Jill, thank you so much.
And later, sex week at the University of New Mexico. Students are getting lectures about orgasms and oral sex, in order to fight sexual violence
allegedly. We`ll discuss it after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Earlier this month, the victim was beaten, forced to strip, and robbed of her clothes. She was forced to walk home naked. Gang
members barked and yelled, as the victim begged to be left alone.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say Destiny Rico is the woman in the video wearing the red shirt. What appears to be the same shirt she had on when
she was arrested.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of my face!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was not happy when she was hauled away to jail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of here (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This defendant is going to be in a heap of trouble.
(END VIUDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: I`m back with Sam, Vanessa, Leeann and Loni.
This girl`s street name is Baby Dreamer. She`s accused of stripping another woman naked and beating her and stealing her clothing. A 14-year-
old boy recorded the attack on his tablet while dozens of people watched and did not intervene. Police learned of this when the young man, 14-year-
old posted the video on Facebook.
Twenty people, Sam, saw what happened. No one reported it.
SCHACHER: Well, I`m not surprised that witnesses didn`t report it, Dr. Drew, because this is connected to gang activity.
PINSKY: Is it?
SCHACHER: Yes, it is. I forget the gang`s name.
PINSKY: Bulldogs.
SCHACHER: I think it`s called something Bulldogs. That`s why they bark. Hey, I`ve seen "First 48", snitches end up in ditches, and that`s why these
people feared gang retaliation.
PINSKY: Vanessa, intimidation, gang intimidation, you`re laughing at Sam.
BARNETT: You know, snitches get stitches, they end up in ditches, a lot of things happen when you talk. But I will say --
PINSKY: All those rhymes sound like the Mickey Mouse Club or something.
BARNETT: It could be gang intimidation or the fact that this girl may not be the victim we think she is. A lot of times gang members will jump
people into the gang, a lot of times. They are beating up on --
PINSKY: So, she could be an initiation procedure?
BARNETT: It could be a initiation, she could be part of a rival gang, and they were trying to shut her up or use her as an example. That`s why they
recorded it, put it on Facebook, let the rival gangs know, we ain`t nothing to mess with.
There could be multiple reasons why no one reported it. You don`t show up to a fight with a table let, just on hand. Like you can`t even put a
tablet in your pocket. So he came to record this for a purpose, and I think it`s to send a warning sign.
PINSKY: Interesting.
Loni, you agree with that? And, by the way, not just a table, but a 14- year-old with a tablet, you wouldn`t bring a 14-year-old around a fight, would you? I don`t know.
COOMBS: Well, gang members, they recruit very, very young. If this was gang initiation or gang activity.
Look, gang intimidation is very real and dangerous. I had witnesses in my criminal cases who would rather risk being thrown in jail by the system or
have a warrant out for their arrest than come in and testify against a gang member. Those were gang members and non-gang members because they knew how
threatening and intimidating and violent the gangs were. So, it could be that why no one wanted to speak up.
It could be because this was part of a gang initiation or rival gangs. The people in that neighborhood, wherever this is, are aware of what`s going on
and aware of what these gangs are capable of.
So, you know, all of them are possible theories. I`m sure it will shake out when this case is taken to court, but the fact that they`re stripping
this girl down, that has a very personal intimidation, humiliation message. Whether it`s we`re showing our strength to your gang or whether you want to
be part of us, then you`ll have to come and subject yourself and show you`re being to do what it takes to be part of us.
PINSKY: Leeann?
TWEEDEN: You know, there`s so many things wrong with this case, Dr. Drew. But the one thing I go back to is parenting. I mean, where was this girl`s
parents? Where does she --
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Parents could be in a gang, too.
TWEEDEN: Well, possibly. But I mean --
PINSKY: No?
TWEEDEN: -- really, we have children to parent and teach them from right and wrong. And this girl is going to another girl to humiliate her and
strip her naked, whether it`s initiation or whether it was a rival member. I mean, it`s just completely wrong.
Now, all I`m going to say is, whatever it wrongs, keep posting these videos online, because you know what? You`re going to get caught. That girl had
such a bad attitude. She wanted the cameras to get out of her face and I`m just laughing all the way. I hope the judge teaches her a lesson.
PINSKY: You can laugh, Vanessa, you`re laughing at me what I said.
BARNETT: You said her parents might have been in a gang.
PINSKY: Right?
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: We have legacy members and I didn`t really equate to maybe gang members have legacy members? I didn`t even think of it that way, but it
could be a possibility.
I think, I mean, it is sad, I agree with Leeann, but this girl, she deserves to be in jail, because at least there don`t you get a change in
clothes? This chick with the same red shirt, for like days at a time --
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: She`ll get a change of clothes.
PINSKY: Sam?
SCHACHER: This wasn`t her first time being thrown in a police car. She has been in jail so many times. In fact, she just got released due to
overcrowding. She should probably in jail for was it for the overcrowding.
PINSKY: Don`t we have that data? I`ll read you her rap sheet. Here it is. Take a look at it.
Earlier this year, she was convicted of burglary, auto theft, receiving stolen property sentenced to 16 months in jail, served two months in
overcrowding because of overcrowding.
Leeann, back, here is our criminal system -- crime pays.
TWEEDEN: Right. And, obviously, and, look, she`s a cute girl. You look at her --
PINSKY: Oh, OK.
TWEEDEN: She gets leniency for that.
PINSKY: Really?
TWEEDEN: Look at all the teachers that abuse their students. If they`re cute women, it seems like they get off easier. But I think, you know,
hopefully, this time, the judge --
PINSKY: Leeann, I got to interrupt you, because Loni just bristled on the screen.
Go ahead, Loni.
COOMBS: She wasn`t let out early from jail because she`s cute. It was because they go to the nonviolent offenses first when they`re letting
people out. While she was convicted up there, while she had a serious sentence, she got out early because it was a nonviolent --
TWEEDEN: Well, this time it`s violent.
PINSKY: Yeah.
HO: Violent, and there`s gang attachments.
TWEEDEN: Right.
HO: So those things will hopefully keep her in this time.
PINSKY: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Let`s bring in the behavior bureau in here and she was - she was not that cute?
TWEEDEN: Not that cute.
I`m just saying.
PINSKY: Just saying.
BARNETT: That was the extra ...
PINSKY: After the behavior bureau, we will talk about a college offering lectures with titles such as sexy momma and you see all the stuff in their
flyer. "How to be a gentleman and get laid." It`s a good stuff. And it`s supposed to be a symposium or a week to acknowledge and educate about
sexual violence against women. How does that work? Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not a random act of violence. The folks that involved in this case, whether it be the victim and/or the suspects know
each other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The victim was beaten, forced to strip, and robbed of her clothes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say Rico, also known as baby dreamer, was wearing a red tank top when she was caught on camera beating and forcing
another woman to strip naked in central Fresno. Then she walked away with her clothes.
Then she was forced to walk home naked. Gang members barked and yelled as the victim begged to be left alone.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police won`t release the motive for the attack. It`s still under investigation. But they say the victim was targeted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (YELLING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: Back with Sam and our behavior bureau. Tiffanie, Judy, Erica. A video posted on Facebook is so far the best evidence that`s been used
against this woman known as baby dreamer, whom Vanessa said was too attractive to go to prison or something.
And I say Sam with that great attitude she`s got, she`s very appealing. Accused of stripping a woman naked, beating her up and stealing her
clothing. A 14-year old boy recorded it and then posted the video to his Facebook page where police found it. Is this the first priority? I want
to ask you guys. We`ll start with you, Tiffanie, hitting record as opposed to calling for help?
HENRY: One would hope not. But it seems like as we look at more and more of these videos, it seems like that`s what people want to do, they want to
capture the moment, they want to show it to their friends. And I don`t even think they`re posting it in order to get someone in trouble. They`re
posting it to say, hey, look, see, look, what I saw today, isn`t this great or isn`t this funny or isn`t this weird? But really, isn`t this very, very
sad? I can`t believe how demeaning, degrading this was for this young woman, and that she - not only had to endure this from the people that were
barking at her, and the people that did this to her, but now it`s posted for the whole world to see on Facebook. And that just revictimizes her all
over again.
PINSKY: And if this, Erica, is some sort of crime initiation or intimidation, whatever, it was sort of a gang thing, I can`t really make
any sense of that without the evidence, but I`m starting to worry about this 14-year-old boy who goes to watching this thing, thinks it`s cool and
funny and that he`s going to impress everybody by putting it on his social media.
AMERICA: Well, I actually wouldn`t be surprised if he was affiliated with the gang, because of the intimidation factor we were talking about before,
and the fear of kind of being attacked by the gang. I would think if I put that video on, they would find me and they would hunt me down. So I kind
of think that he was doing it for them kind of to show off, not to get them in trouble. And they just ended up getting caught because of that. So, I
think that`s my reasoning of why he posted it. He was doing it as a kind of like braggadocio, like this is what we did to this woman. But I mean
it`s really - these crimes are meant to intimidate people, you know, with an intent to humiliate them, and it`s just horrible watching it. And just
this girl, she has - the -- it`s crazy when she gets - when she gets taken in by police to say, no cameras, no cameras ...
(LAUGHTER)
AMERICA: Like what did I do? What did I do? I only made a woman strip naked and beat her. Like that`s insane.
PINSKY: Stay out of my face. Speaking of braggadocio, let me tell you about gang activity in Fresno, Judy. If you guys can put that back up
there. There are 220 known gangs in Fresno County, more than 11,000 gang members. Of those more than 6,000 are members of the Bulldogs, which, Judy
we believe, the police believe baby dreamer was a member. And you also heard the guys barking in the background.
SCHACHER: Obnoxious.
AMERICA: Right.
HO: Well, Dr. Drew, this is an area of the country where gang members are really, really rampant. And it does kind of spread like wildfire. Then
everybody wants to join one, and maybe it`s not even for the social purposes, but just for their own protection, so they don`t get targeted in
a crime like this. But you know, what I see when I look at this, and I see what baby dreamer did to this victim, is that she really went for the
jugular by getting her to strip naked. AS we know, it`s a common torture procedure as well to strip people naked because it makes them feel shamed.
It makes them kind of cave in to themselves, and then their first priority is to protect their body instead of actually fight back or get out of the
situation. So it`s an easy way for somebody who is actually not that strong physically to actually be able to successfully aggress on a victim.
PINSKY: And humiliate. Thank you, guys. Next up, billed as an anti- sexual violence effort, a university now explaining why it has been offering courses on threesomes and oral sex as part of that campaign
against sexual violence. What is this? How does that work? We`ll get into it after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID MIHALKO, SEX AND RELATIONSHIP ROLE MODEL: I`m here to give you tools and tips and tricks so that you can be a more powerful you and to not be so
afraid and scared and feel so ashamed about sexuality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Reid Mihalko is leading a series of seminars at UNM this week on sex. Tonight, the lecture is on "how to be a gentleman and
get laid." Organizers including a student group at UNM women`s resource center say the talks into teach students about healthy relationships, to
reduce sexual violence on campus. But with racy titles for classes on oral sex and group sex, critics say these talks are just offensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: Sam, Vanessa, Leann and Tiffanie all join me. We`re discussing adult subject matter here, so viewers please keep that in mind. Organizers
of this so called sex week say they`re not encouraging unhealthy sexuality, but the critics say they`re promoting reckless sexuality and the event has
nothing to do with preventing sexual assaults on campus, which was the original mission of this week. Organizers allegedly wanted to address the
issue of on campus violence against women. Sam ...
SCHACKER: Yes.
PINSKY: Do you think that they - you have one of these flyers, actually, do you not?
SCHACKER: Of course I do.
PINSKY: So ...
SCHACKER: Come on now. It`s right here, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: And so, what does the week look like?
SCHACKER: OK, so some of these lectures, well, rather all the lecture, the titles are quite racy. So, I have here, "How to Be a Gentleman and Get
Laid." I have "Negotiating Successful Threesomes," "BJs and Beyond." And then finally, we have "Todo Sobre Orgasmos."
(LAUGHTER)
SCHACKER: My accent. That`s supposed to mean - all about orgasm.
PINSKY: Fantastic.
Leann, I have no problem with campuses educating about sexuality and what not. But there is such an unbelievable problem with transgressions,
unwanted sexual contacts, sexual violence against women. If you remember, all of you guys, the women at Columbia who is carrying her mattress around.
I think that was - just that experiential expression of the burden of what women are contending with, when they are transgressed against, had a much
greater impact than a week of how to have a good orgasm and have a threesome. Right, Leann?
TWEEDEN: Right. Yes. I mean Dr. Drew, I`m all about sex education, too, but to me all of these names sound like porn titles. I don`t - I have no
idea what the University of New Mexico is thinking when they have a guy coming in, who was kind of creepy by the way. I mean if I was taking a
class from him, he kind of creeps me out. But this is their plan to prevent sexual assault, how does learning how to have successful threesomes
and, you know, O says, orals and great orgasms have anything to do with that? Not only that, this is on the taxpayer and student`s dime.
PINSKY: No, no, it`s not. I looked at this. Not, Sam, right, it`s not the taxpayer money, it is some of the tuition money.
TWEEDEN: It`s student tuition money, but I mean that should be - you should - I have to opt into that. If you want your money to go there. It
shouldn`t just - If I was a parent paying for that, I would be angry.
PINSKY: Would you be angry, Sam?
SCHACKER: OK, here`s the thing. I think people are stuck on the titles. And here`s the idea behind these racy provocative titles and I get it.
It`s I think they wanted the students to be enticed to actually take these courses ...
TWEEDEN: Oh, my gosh.
SCHACKER: Because listen, no student is going to go to a course that says "What constitutes as consent for sexual intercourse?"
PINSKY: Yeah.
SCHACKER: And I`m sorry. Listen ...
PINSKY: You are right.
SCHACKER: I looked at the curriculum, and the curriculum talks about what constitutes as consent, it talks about boundaries, it talks about healthy
relationships, how not to victim blame, how not to slut shame. So titles aside, I think this type of education is absolutely beneficial.
PINSKY: No, wait a minute, that maybe ...
TWEEDEN: Why don`t they tell to teach self-control and respect of others?
SCHACKER: That too is being taught.
PINSKY: That would be in there, I assume. Vanessa, you think so ...
BARNETT: I assume that`s being taught in there - yes, exactly. This is the good old bait and switch. Get them in the class and teach them the
stuff they need to know. We need to stop being - we need to stop being scared of blow jobs and threesomes.
SCHACKER: Thank you.
BARNETT: They`re happening, whether you like it or not, and these are ...
TWEEDEN: I agree with that.
BARNETT: Taking aggressive measures. They are going to continue to rise. And the other campuses that are doing these modules and all the other crap
that`s not working, they are still having these assaults. Let`s try something different, let`s get with the times and let`s push boundaries.
We have to do something different.
TWEEDEN: Well, when I learned about threesomes, Dr. Drew, I`m sure going to respect the person and it`s going to prevent me from assaulting
somebody. Give me a break!
PINSKY: We also, there was a great tweet - by Lucia, it said. Threesomes, and - healthy threesome - isn`t that an oxymoron? That was a good comment.
BARNETT: Yeah.
PINSKY: But Tiffanie, you know, listen, you know, I`ve done a show about sexuality and healthy relations for almost 30 years. And so I have no
problem with all this stuff. And you`ve taught these topics on campuses. It`s really hard to get these students in the door ...
HENRY: Yes.
PINSKY: Unless you show something that looks like it`s going to be provocative, right?
HENRY: Something a little provocative, something a little enticing. But what is apparent to me, in having taught even masters level students human
sexuality is how much they don`t know. Abstinence, only education is one of the things that mostly taught in schools. If it`s taught at all. And
so, you don`t know how many students, how many adults are coming into college campuses and don`t know that you can get pregnant from just putting
the tip in, that you can ...
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: ... that they don`t know how to put on a condom properly either. But what is it ...
(CROSSTALK)
HENRY: ... is not making you technically a virgin. You still can get pregnant by doing a lot of different things. You still can get STIs by
doing a lot of different things. And these are things that college students should know. And ...
PINSKY: I`ll tell you what.
TWEEDEN: And don`t put it under that umbrella that this is preventing sexual assaults, Dr. Drew. How about, hey, let`s learn more about sex.
HENRY: It is preventing sexual assaults because they are doing ...
SCHACKER: Rape culture is pervasive in college campuses, and these courses attack and deal with rape culture.
HENRY: Yeah.
PINSKY: And I`ll tell you ...
HENRY: I think they are helping them to create positive sexual relationships.
PINSKY: Fine. That`s all good. Now, I`ll tell you where ...
BARNETT: The course that`s saying, how to be a gentleman and still get laid, inside that course, they are going to tell this man what are the
boundaries, what means - no means no.
TWEEDEN: How do you know that?
BARNETT: And what constitutes ...
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: Because I read - I read the pamphlet. I read the information.
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Man, I`ll tell you what, if you want to look at every measurable, unwanted outcome in a college campus, particularly when it comes to
unwanted sexual contacts, pregnancies, STDs, assaults, you find alcohol and that whole hookup culture, the whole basis of social - college campuses,
fuels the alcohol, the alcohol fuels the improper behaviors. And the poor boundaries. I hope they`re addressing that, because that`s right at the
core of this.
SCHACKER: Thank you.
PINSKY: Next up, your Facebook comments. Back after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We think that students shouldn`t have to pay for this. If we are paying for higher education. We don`t like that we`re
paying for a sexual objectification instead of higher education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Others are voicing their concerns online. One woman posted, on her (INAUDIBLE) Facebook page, "As if our culture isn`t
oversexed as it is. You would blatantly put it out there that it is OK for young women to have multiple partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: Reminder, subject matter is for mature audiences only. Viewers, now, according to the organizers of sex week at the University of New
Mexico, the event is open to the public and if you show up tomorrow evening, there is some of the lecture, well, that "O-Face Oral" is
apparently the one you can look forward ...
(LAUGHTER)
PINSKY: Sam, what are you getting - I`m getting discuss about this, after you tell me what they`re saying on our Facebook page, on the Dr. Drew/HLN
Facebook page, and by the way, reminder, we have an after show every night on that Facebook page and it`s very, very good. So, please - I will
probably continue this conversation of where it`s going. But after you tell me about that, I want to know what we should do.
PINSKY: Right.
PINSKY: What shall we do? And if this is a bad idea, what shall we do? But go ahead, Sam.
SCHACKER: OK, so, the majority of our viewers on Facebook, Dr. Drew, they think that sex week is a bad idea.
PINSKY: OK.
SCHACKER: So Ellen wrote, in part, "I went to this school and I find this to be a mistake teaching alternative forms of sexual pleasures and
perversions should not be taught at college." A less common view, for example, was from - one of our Facebook fans Kurt. He wrote, "Anything to
prevent sexual assaults on campus is always good."
PINSKY: Yes.
SCHACKER: I`d say more education. I get that these titles are very provocative, almost cringe worthy, but again, I looked at the curriculum
and I think that they`re great.
PINSKY: Well, the lead lecturer is a guy named Reid Mihalko, he bills himself as a sexual relationship role model. And his website, it says, "My
personal passion is to get adults talking about sex and intimacy with less fear, just talking about sex for most people feels like going to the
dentist."
I`m not sure that`s true. And people talk, although, Tiffanie, you said that people are still so naive when they get to college, many I suppose
are.
HENRY: For sure.
SCHACKER: But - we have a problem. And by the way, one of the big problems with even these sorts of programs, like the one that we`re talking
about, is there are no objective data about what does work. So what do you guys think? Vanessa, what do you think we should do?
BARNETT: I think this is it. I love being provocative and pushing boundaries. And these courses, they`re not teaching people how to have a
threesome. What they`re doing is saying look, if you think you`re about to be involved in one, here are the parameters, and here is how it can get out
of control. And if one person doesn`t want to do it, then it ain`t happening. And they`re just trying to educate people and it`s a feisty
title with some good substance behind it.
HENRY: Dr. Drew, I think we know that here are plenty of young men that are asking their partners to have threesomes, and how do you say no to
that, if you want to say no?
PINSKY: Let`s just - let me do an experiment here.
HENRY: You negotiate that if you do want ...
PINSKY: Wait, wait, hold on, hold on. Let`s just - let`s take a little poll in the room here. Vanessa, I would like to have a threesome with you,
response ...
BARNETT: My god ...
PINSKY: No? Tiffanie, your response?
(LAUGHTER)
PINSKY: No, right?
HENRY: Well, Dr. Drew - No, I wouldn`t have to say that.
PINSKY: There you go. Leann?
(LAUGHTER)
TWEEDEN: Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: No, right?
TWEEDEN: I think if we ....
PINSKY: It`s pretty easy. It`s pretty easy.
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: I can`t get any of their attention even to talk to me.
(LAUGHTER)
TWEEDEN: I`m not even going to justify that with an answer.
PINSKY: Right.
TWEEDEN: But let`s talk about it. Even adults that are out of college, I think it`s known that a threesome is not a healthy situation for any human
being to be in. So why it`s even being brought up in sexual prevention at a college ...
HENRY: I don`t know if I agree with that.
TWEEDEN: School tuition beings used for that.
PINSKY: Well, Tiffanie, go ahead.
TWEEDEN: That`s just raw.
PINSKY: My fear is they could be intoxicated when they do these things.
TWEEDEN: Right.
PINSKY: Intoxicated is the problem.
TWEEDEN: Right. Why don`t we talk about that too, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: Well, that`s what I`m saying.
TWEEDEN: How about ...
PINSKY: That`s my solution. My solution is you talk about the hookup culture and how fuels that alcohol being ...
TWEEDEN: Thank you.
PINSKY: And have them to think about alternative measures - alternative ways to socialize ...
TWEEDEN: Thank you.
PINSKY: That are not so intensive require them to get wasted in order to do them.
TWEEDEN: Sounds great, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: How about having a meal and a conversation across that meal? Tiffanie, can we do that as opposed to the threesome? Would that be more
appealing?
HENRY: You can certainly do that.
PINSKY: Right.
HENRY: And I would hate to be a 35-year-old woman and not know how to give a proper BJ.
TWEEDEN: I`m sorry, I`m not going to college to learn that.
HENRY: I mean that`s something - that you shouldn`t want to do.
And you don`t have to go to college to learn that. You don`t have to. But some people do want to learn that at some point in their lives. And if
they can take a workshop at college -- they`re not paying ...
TWEEDEN: So, my student tuition is going to ...
HENRY: They are not getting credit for this.
PINSKY: Hold on.
HENRY: They are not getting credit for this.
PINSKY: Yeah, it`s ...
HENRY: This is something they can do voluntarily if they want to.
PINSKY: Maybe a lecture series, but Sam, what are you thinking?
SCHACKER: We`re not focusing on the positive aspects of it. The aspects that they talk about, parameters and boundaries and what is consent and not
to victim blame. And not to slut shame. Those are really valuable things. Again, people are so stuck on these titles that it`s allowing you to fog
your judgment that there`s some actual real education and dialogue happening. And what else are we going to do to decrease the high amount of
sexual assault ...
PINSKY: Well, what - did anybody - and when they were in college, have any sort of course or experience, in Santa Cruz, Sam, did they ever - did they
do anything that got through to you as a college-age kid?
SCHACKER: No, we never - I went to UCLA.
PINSKY: Oh, I beg your pardon.
SCHACKER: But no, we didn`t. There was no courses talking about sexuality. I wish there were.
PINSKY: Vanessa.
SCHACKER: I listen to loved one.
PINSKY: Real quick. I`m giving ..
BARNETT: Absolutely. I went to Howard and I didn`t take one.
PINSKY: Tiffanie?
HENRY: Yeah, I took plenty of them.
PINSKY: Yeah. Leann.
(LAUGHTER)
TWEEDEN: I didn`t, no.
PINSKY: No. So, when for you it worked, Tiffanie, we got ten seconds.
HENRY: Yeah, I mean I think that we have to be open to the fact that sex is fun, sex feels good. People are having sex and if they are having sex,
we need to teach them how to do that responsibly. And to do it pleasurably, and so that everybody ...
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Today conversation. "Forensic Files" up now.
END
