Elizabeth Pierce was sexually assaulted in her Lake Highlands home on February 21, 2013. Pierce was the first of three victims impacted by the serial rapist who terrorized the community until nearly a year later when the assailant was sentenced to 85 years in prison by a Dallas County judge.
Cesar Benitez admitted to the crimes, stating that he did not regret having raped the women but rather the ingesting steroids he claimed led him to attack his victims, declaring the devil made him do it, per WFAA.
Pierce told The Dallas Express she could have allowed her trauma to define her, but she decided to move forward, one step at a time, in part thanks to her supportive family and community, aiming “to make the unspeakable speakable.”
She is one of eight founders of the White Rock Que (as in ‘Bar-B-Que’), a 501(c)(3) committed to raising funds and awareness to support those impacted by sexual violence.
They hosted their annual BBQ fundraiser on Saturday, their 10th year putting on the event.
“Today we come together to celebrate survivors and the light on the other side and to tell perpetrators that we stand together as a community against sexual violence,” Pierce said.
This year the nonprofit has collected over half a million dollars for Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center (DARCC).
Saturday’s event served nearly 1,800 attendees who enjoyed nine BBQ competition teams, each cooking turkey, pork, sausage, brisket, and ribs, along with the side of their choice.
Additionally, Dallas-based 90s tribute band Topanga rocked the stage for a good cause. Oak Highlands Brewery donated its location for the event and offered some of its favorite drafts, including Guava Good, DFDub, and Derelict IPA.
“We expect to raise around $140,000 today,” Pierce told The Dallas Express on Saturday.
White Rock Que will present 100% of the proceeds raised over the weekend to DARCC on October 30.
“Part of DARCC’s mission is to help survivors to heal and thrive,” Pierce explained. “DARCC focuses on three main areas. One is advocacy — they have a 24/7 crisis hotline and offer legal advocacy to help survivors navigate the challenging court system and offer medical advocacy.”
“They have a clinical group that offers free one-on-one and group therapy to survivors and their partners, loved ones, and friends because we know sexual assault doesn’t just impact the survivor but is a community issue. It impacts the entire community.”
“The last area DARCC focuses on is education and outreach, partnering with schools, first responders, and workplaces to educate and teach lessons around consent, boundaries, and prevention,” Pierce concluded.
Preliminary reporting from the Dallas Police Department’s crime analytics dashboard shows year-to-date incident reports of sex crimes numbering 614 as of Wednesday.
The Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center is Dallas County’s only rape crisis center, according to its webpage. If you or someone you know needs help due to sexual assault, please contact 972-641-7273, the DARCC 24/7 crisis hotline.