Rape survivors relied on BRAVE Bay Area. Whistleblower documents claim it was destroyed by retaliation and financial deceit

For over five decades, BRAVE Bay Area has been the East Bay’s leading resource for survivors of sexual assault.

Founded in 1971, Bay Area Women Against Rape, or BAWAR, was the nation’s first rape crisis center. For many years, the organization has operated a bilingual hotline and a sexual assault response team, whose members accompany people who have been sexually assaulted when they arrive at Highland Hospital for a sexual assault evidence examination, when they report the assault to the police, or when they go to court to testify against their abuser. The $1.7 million nonprofit — which rebranded as BRAVE just last year — also trains advocates, health care professionals, police officers, attorneys, and others who work directly with survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violenc