Tuesday
Aug072007
August 7, 2007 - National Day of SHAME- Black Leaders' Silence is Immoral- Call them on their CRAP!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at 3:20AM The Blogmother “Nobody came for us,” the woman, 35, said in the interview with WPTV. “Nobody even called the police for us.”
Victim of the Dunbar Village gang rape. Describing her neighbors' response immediately following the attack. (SOURCE)
Victim of the Dunbar Village gang rape. Describing her neighbors' response immediately following the attack. (SOURCE)
Today Rev. Al Sharpton has declared a National Day of Outrage. Outrage over what? Raunchy Rap lyrics. Last week Rev. Sharpton and Russell Simmons issued a statement. "Every animal has the right to live without fear and pain. It is our job to do whatever we can to ensure this basic right for all animals, and we intend to do just that!" Only one problem, they were not talking about this poor woman in Florida who is the victim of one of the most heinous crimes committed against an African American woman in recent history, they were talking about dogs.
A little over a year ago, Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH issued press releases and made an unsolicited offer of a full scholarship to the Duke rape accuser and said he was anxious to meet and pray with and support the Duke rape accuser. To date, not a peep regarding any similar offers to the Dunbar Village victim.
The NAACP is busy burying the N word and defending Michael Vick. The SCLC is giving Vick an award and having a convention.
Barak Obama is busy defending Genarlow Wilson and denying that statutory rape statutes exist and posing for Vibe.
National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials are kicking it at a casino in Biloxi.
Russell Simmons is busy defending dogs ( it must be too much of a stretch to extend that compassion to Black women.
I could go on and on naming people who were tripping over themselves to get in front of a camera during the Duke case or the Imus Brou ha ha. Where are they now? I don't want to hear about how these people are hucksters or hustlers. They have 501c(3)'s and they are taking in donations. It is time to hold them accountable. Feel free to add names to this list in the comments.
Even almost a month later, people are still learning about this horrific crime. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. The SILENCE is UNACCEPTABLE. The SILENCE is IMMORAL. I fully intend to shame the hell out of these people until they speak on it. Do we need them? NO, but you can't hold yourself as some kind of defender of decency or civil rights leader/activist and then ignore one of the most heinous hate crimes committed against a Black woman and her child that I have ever heard of in my life. If they are going to be silent about this then they need to turn in their charter and close up shop. YESTERDAY! I need your help. It is not enough to be outraged, we need you to act. TODAY!
WHAT YOU CAN DO. ( Katie, has wonderful drafts of e-mails you can send in the comments)
Today please pause to ask them why they haven't demanded that the national media run 24 hour coverage of this heinous act until the remaining seven suspects are caught. Ask them why they haven't rushed to the scene as is their usual fashion to go knock on doors in Dunbar Village and urge neighbors to cooperate with police. Ask them why they haven't made a public statement encouraging people to contribute to the victim's assistance fund. Ask them whether they are going to address what appears to be a pattern of young black men in West Palm Beach, FL turning African American women and children into PREY. Ask them if they would be this SILENT if the ten gang rapists were young teenage white boys.
If you find that any of these numbers is incorrect, please let me know so I can update it. Leave a comment once you have completed your calls and let me know their response. I will be happy to remove everybody's name form the list.
Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York 10039
Phone: (212) 690-3070
Fax: (212) 690-3081
Probably a better number:Rachel Noerdlinger (646) 981-5903 or (212) 876-5444 ( his press aide)
e-mail: decency@nationalactionnetwork.net
Jesse Jackson Rainbow PUSH
National Headquarters
930 East 50th Street
Chicago, IL 60615-2702
773.373.3366 phone
773.373.3571 fax
Try these as well ( let me know if these work):Rashida S. Restaino
773-256-2718
773-791-0014
rrestaino@rainbowpush.org
Jerry Thomas
773-256-2714
Russell Simmons, Rush Communications
512 Seventh Ave., Ste. 43-45
New York, NY 10018 (Map)
Phone: 212-840-9399
Fax: 212-840-9390
SCLC
president@sclcnational.org
One Georgia Center
600 West Peachtree St., 9th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Write Them Online
Tel:404.522.1420
Senator Barak Obama ( Or any of the other 36 candidates)
Washington D.C. Office
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2854
(202) 228-4260 fax
(202 228-1404 TDD
Email our office
John C. Kluczynski Federal Office Building
230 South Dearborn St.
Suite 3900 (39th floor)
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 886-3506
(312) 886-3514 fax
Toll free: (866) 445-2520
(for IL residents only)
Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680
e-mail Obama for America
(I KNOW that there is better contact info. Leave it in the comments.)
NAACP
Mailing Address: 4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore MD 21215
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
Local: (410) 580-5777
Washington Bureau of NAACP
Phone: (202) 463-2940
Fax: (202) 463-2953
Email: washingtonbureau@naacpnet.org
Address: 1156 15th Street, NW Suite 915 Washington, DC 20005
Dunbar village isn't an isolated incident. Black on Black crime is on the rise everywhere:
Our crime rate is far too high. Our level of cleanliness is frequently far too low.
Too often those of us who are in the middle class live above our means, spend money on nonessentials and frivolities, and fail to give to serious causes, organizations, and educational institutions that so desperately need funds. We are too often loud and boisterous, and spend far too much on drink. Even the most poverty-stricken among us can purchase a ten-cent bar of soap; even the most uneducated among us can have high morals. MLK
Ain't it though!
Checks can be made payable to the Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund-St. Ann. They can be dropped off at any Wachovia branch or mailed to: St. Ann Catholic Church, 310 N. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The church’s phone number is (561) 832-3757. (SOURCE)
UPDATE:
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Reader Comments (25)
You know what? There's plenty of things to blame Jackson and Sharpton and NAACP for, but you cannot blame them directly for a community's failure to support their police. Right about now all you're doing is making enemies of irrelevant people instead of making friends with the ones who can actually make a difference.
What you ought to be doing is getting the names of the chief of police and the district attorney's office into the hands of the people. If you care about justice, then you need to support the justice system.
This DUH moment was brought to you by Cobb, that conservative dude who told y'all to stop cheering for Tookie Williams. ARE YOU AWAKE YET?
Your lack of compassion and self absorption are noted. What are you doing to spread the word??? Nothing? that is what I thought.
Yeah I am awake. Everyday I encounter another person like you I grow more and more awake.
And another thing.... I am not saying these folks are responsible, but unfortunately for some reason, they have the ability to attract attention to any number of injustices or perceived injustices against African Americans. My question is why they have elected not to use this power to address what everybody KNOWS they would be leaping up and down to address if this had been done by non-black folk. The hounds of hell could not have kept them from West Palm Beach.
My e-mail, for those who want some inspiration (of course, please put in your own circumstances & personalize it):
"Dear [insert figurehead] / [insert national authority]:
"I am interested in donating to assist the community members of West Palm Beach who step forward to name uncaught assailants in the June 18 gang rape at Dunbar Village and the July 15 gang rape at Hampton Court.
"St. Ann's church in West Palm Beach already set up a fund to help the two Dunbar Village victims live in an informal protection program--finding them new housing and giving them the assistance they need, being away from what they've considered home.
"However, in the Dunbar Village rapes and presumably in the Hampton Court rape, the other assailants haven't yet been caught. Everyone around is too terrified of reprisals to 'snitch.' Heck, even a woman (Dawn Hargrove) who simply talked to the press about her FEAR has been getting no end of taunts for 'snitching.' She didn't even name names! (She couldn't--didn't know any.)
"I, [figurehead] / [organization], would love to contribute to a fund like the St. Ann's fund, only for people who talk to the police about suspects in these two rapes. St. Ann's faced the facts that local authorities don't have the kind of funding it takes to protect even a victim herself and just jumped on the cause, whether it was theoretically a nonprofit's 'responsibility' to fund protection programs or not. Unfortunately, a church can't raise the kind of money it takes to help hide the dozens of people who know something. A national coalition, however, can.
"It's all well and good to shout from the rooftops and the televisions at rap artists that they should stop telling people not to snitch, but even better would be to shout from the rooftops and the televisiosn at those very people, 'We'll help you if you snitch.'
"PLEASE let me know if you set up such a fund. I will happily donate myself and pass the hat among my friends. (I'd like to think my circle can at least raise thousands.)
"Thank you sincerely,
"[name]
"[location]"
Thank you for posting about this atrocity. I never heard of it until I visited your site. I plan to give to the victim's assistance fund.
I am so sadden by the Newark NJ shooting of college bound youth. The victims were heading to my Almamater, Delaware State University located in Dover, DE. I am also a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law located in Newark, NJ. Sigh.
Sidebar: It is time to get medieval on some folks and demons.
Another sample letter:
"Dear Senator Obama:
"I have been following the reaction of people of color--particularly women of color--in the blogosphere to the West Palm Beach rapes at Dunbar Village (June 18) & Hampton Court (July 15).
"You were mentioned on one of these blogs because thus far, you have rallied support for Genarlow Wilson on the campaign trail but have not rallied support for people who need it in West Palm Beach.
"I could lump you in with my letters I'm sending to people like Russell Simmons, who's shouting from the rooftops about how to prevent violence against dogs while ignoring current violent events against black women (and one black woman's son) in West Palm Beach. But YIKES--that's bad, and you defending Genarlow Wilson without having yet talked about West Palm Beach on the campaign trail isn't THAT bad.
"No, after Stanley Crouch's editorial ('Power hungry must digest brutal truth') in the New York Daily News yesterday, I feel differently.
"I was moved by his words, 'Handling horrible situations is what makes a great President, and convincing the public that what happens to a special-interest group actually has general human significance is what brings greatness to any organization speaking for the muted, the silent and the powerless.'
"I feel that what you did for Genarlow Wilson was exactly that kind of convincing Crouch asked for.
"Just please, please, please do that kind of convincing with respect to what's happening to the citizens of West Palm Beach.
"Perhaps you can mention West Palm Beach and while you're at it convince the nation that affordable housing 'special-interest groups' matter no matter who we are.
"Perhaps my and other bloggers' efforts to get Rainbow PUSH, the National Action Network, and/or Rush Communications to set up a donation fund for West Palm Beach 'snitcher protection' will work and you can mention whichever organization(s) set it up and convince the nation that their actions on behalf of West Palm Beach have meaning and interst well beyond the bounds of 'special.'
"Thank you in advance, Senator Obama.
"I have been proud of many of your actions lately, and I am happy to contribute this plea to a good man and a good campaign--one I think will listen.
"Sincerely,
"[name]
"[relationship to the presidential campaign--I happen to be a volunteer, etc.]"
Last but not least, a sample letter to Russell Simmons - I felt his called for a bit of a different approach, since he's more of an individual than a coalition leader:
"Dear Mr. Simmons / Rush Communications:
"Forgive me for e-mailing so many people at Rush Communications. I am trying to send this message to Mr. Simmons, since it is one of his recent activist causes that stirred me to contact him, and I am hoping to land upon someone who discusses activist causes with him if my stab at his e-mail address bounces.
"I write you today because I am interested in donating to assist the community members of West Palm Beach who step forward to name uncaught assailants in the June 18 gang rape at Dunbar Village and the July 15 gang rape at Hampton Court and I would like your assistance to make it possible.
"St. Ann's Catholic Church in West Palm Beach already set up a fund to help the two Dunbar Village victims live in an informal protection program--finding them new housing and giving them the assistance they need, being away from what they've considered home.
"However, in the Dunbar Village rapes and presumably in the Hampton Court rape, the other assailants haven't yet been caught. Everyone around is too terrified of reprisals to 'snitch.' Heck, even a woman (Dawn Hargrove) who simply talked to the press about her FEAR has been getting no end of taunts for 'snitching.' She didn't even name names! (She couldn't--didn't know any.)
"I, Mr. Simmons / Rush Communications, would love to contribute to a fund like the St. Ann's fund, only for people who talk to the police about suspects in these two rapes. St. Ann's faced the facts that local authorities don't have the kind of funding it takes to protect even a victim herself and just jumped on the cause, whether it was theoretically a nonprofit's 'responsibility' to fund protection programs or not. Unfortunately, a church can't raise the kind of money it takes to help hide the dozens of people who know something. A national coalition, however, can.
"Mr. Simmons, I know that you have been highly involved lately in anti-violence campaigns on behalf of dogs put into dogfights. I salute you--it's a good cause.
"However, in light of current events (the two West Palm Beach rape incidents), I was hoping you would add one more thing to your plate--full as I'm sure it is. People in West Palm Beach need help to overcome the fear--the terror--they have of 'snitching' on the remaining rapists at large. In the long term, they need the kind of help that comes from the government and housing investors in the form of affordable housing projects that enclose no more than 6 to 12 families (see comments on 'defensible space' at http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2005/11/fixing_french_h.html ). But in the short term, they can get the kind of help that comes from ordinary people (bolstered by celebrities) saying, 'We'll help you. Your local government can't give you a witness protection program because it's underfunded in a million ways right now, but we can. If you overcome your reasonable fear in this meantime, we'll donate the money from all over the country and help you.'
"Would you consider setting up such a fund or at least pushing publicly for appropriate citizen organizations (perhaps groups like those headed by Revs. Sharpton and Jackson?) to set them up and pledging your voice to them if they do?
"If so, PLEASE keep me informed. I will happily donate myself and pass the hat among my friends. (I'd like to think my circle can at least raise thousands.)
"Thank you sincerely,
"[name]
"[location]"
As a black man, I am digusted by the non actions of our so call black leaders. I can't understand why people still listen to these fools.
It hurts to say this but I think I can tell you why they are not at Dunbar Vilage protesting:
1. It's not a white on black crime.
2. It's not a cop on black crime.
3. The victim is Haitian.
Jazztech, it is not enough to call them hustlers and crooks, they are raking in millions and for some reason seem to be the only ones who have the national news media on speed dial.
Make em earn it. yes, they may be self promoting and selfish, but they have the ability to shine a very bright light in very dark places.
We need about ten flood lights on this crime. I still can't believe the level of silence.
Yes, if the perps had been white, this would be a whole other story.
Thisisn't the only incident like this. Four teens in Newark NJ just got gunned down.. they were headed off to college this Fall.
This Black crime wave is just going along relatively unnoticed except for the occasional news tory and some outraged bloggers and activists.
First let me commend the moderator if this blog. It so refreshing to have a place on the web where one can engage in thoughtful debate.
As an initial matter, I think that it should be noted that the victim and her son are not African American but recent Haitian immigrants. If you don't live in S. Florida then your response to that is probably "so what." If you do, then you realize that this leads to a whole other dynamic. Generally, Haitians and Jamaicans do not consider themselves African American or Black and you'll have a fight on your hands if you try to classify them as such. Indeed, here in Miami where I live, they also make clear that they do not want to live (and for the most part don't) around African Americans or have their children attend schools with predominately African America students ( big school board brawl about this last year). [Frankly, I can't blame them. The inner city schools here look like a pre Joe Clark jungle]
I write this so that the readers might have a better understanding of the myriad of issues surrounding this horrific crime and why these animals (that's right, animals) might have felt that this woman and her son were easy prey. And also why her neighbors didn't feel the need to at a minimum contact the police. They considered them outsiders. This in no way is intended to justify or excuse the behavior. In my view, the entire neighborhood is complicit. And should be called to account for it. I just can't for the life of me figure out when we as a people lost our moral compass. Of late, the level of depravity seems to have reached new heights. And our own don't even seem to care.
As for our so-called self-appointed leaders, their day has come and gone. I have little hope that they will address this or any other crimes that require them to speak hard truths about Black on Black crime and the systematic dehumanization of Black women by the man -- the Black man that is. That's not sexy enough or easy enough for them b/c it requires real work. It's easy to raise a big stink and get someone fired (Imus) -- a couple of interviews and it's done. Hard work to tell BET that if they don't clean up their act that they'll work hard to shut 'em down or that Black parents needs to be more proactive in their child rearing - shut off BET and hit the books. No we don't have a W.E.B. Dubois or a Malcolm X, these so-called leaders aren't willing to force us to take a hard look at the moral quamire we now find ourselves in. They are in a word "useless." Useless but also dangerous because the majority listens to them as though they speak for the entire race. If they want to be leaders then they need to work for the race -- even if it means pointing a finger at themselves -- if not, then we need to give them their walking papers.
"Dunbar village isn't an isolated incident. Black on Black crime is on the rise everywhere:
Our crime rate is far too high. Our level of cleanliness is frequently far too low."
Gem, with all due respect, I've got to challenge you here, sister. First, the "our crime rate is far too high" sentence is a quote from Stride Toward Freedom, a book Martin Luther King published in 1958, which Gregory Kane at BlackAmericaWeb took out of context to bolster his deeply inflammatory editorial. His essay had no statistics or research to support its claims that the Black community circa 2007 is facing the "worst Black-on-Black crime in decades." Worse, the fact that Kane actually cites white supremacist/Neo-Nazi websites as a reputable source on African American criminal behavior is beneath contempt.
Yes, the Black community has problems with violence and misogyny, and yes, the silence of leaders like Jesse and Rev. Al around Black-on-Black rape is shameful. But where is the evidence of our widespread immorality, our low "level of cleanliness," and our tendencies toward being "loud and boisterous" and "spend[ing] far too much on drink?" And what does any of it have to do with rape and misogyny? Do you see what I mean?
These sound like the same old white supremacist tropes about Black savagery, with no facts to back it up. Since Black women are Black people too, all of the immoral characteristics above must apply to us as well, right? Jeez, the bastards have been saying this shit about us forever, Gem. It was a lie back then, and it's a lie now.
I've said this before, and I'll keep saying it: Black people are no more dysfunctional or violent than anyone else. Yes, we make mistakes, we're irresponsible, we're greedy, we're hypocritical, and we even commit rape and murder. But so do all groups of people on Earth. We're human for God's sake. Why are we not allowed to be fallible human beings? Why must we be BETTER than human to prove that we are worthy of basic humanity? When will we ever stop beating up on ourselves? You know?
Some facts:
http://www.rainn.org/statistics/index.html
* Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
* One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.
* In 2004-2005, there were an average annual 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
* About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
* Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 69%.
There is one way to handle this problem. It's the same way it has been since the beginning of time. Rape is a crime and it always has been. Support your police. Simple. Now, more than writing some people you know will never respond do something concrete. In fact, I issue this challenge:
The next time you see a police officer, stop and talk to him about rape and sexual assault. I will publish the name and picture on the front page of my blog under the title 'Citizen of the Week' for the first person who reports to me that they have done so. Give me the officer's name and badge number and the city you're from and what you talked about. Front page of Cobb.
BTW I'm exempt. I support the police. People who know Cobb know why.
Yolanda did I not attribute Dr. King?
Sometimes i just get tired! Sigh!
Why dont we have high profile female leaders equivalent of Jesse and AL. I think at this point we need them!
Gina i commend you, i dont know where you get the strength especially with the rationalizers working overtime!
Yeah it is actually kind of depressing to see people race past the horrific details of the crime to make sure that their cause or philosophy is protected and defended or throw rocks at me for even trying.
This is probably why I waited three or four weeks to post about this because I knew this would happen and folks would come on and treat this as if it were run of the mill when I see it as a harbinger of things to come around the world, but everyone is not going to always share the same vision.
Yes, we do need women leaders and we have them, it is up to us to make sure that people know their names and that is something I hope to work on in the future. We clearly can't rely on men to fight for us. We have to do it ourselves.
I'm not discouraged. For every boo bird and critic, there have been 50 e-mails or comments of support.
Why are we not allowed to be fallible human beings? Why must we be BETTER than human to prove that we are worthy of basic humanity? When will we ever stop beating up on ourselves? You know?
Wow. Just. Wow. Is that how you see this?
Did I mentioned that a 1986 Graduate of Eastside High School where Joe Clark was my Principal?
I am still grieving over those 3 young people killed in Newark. Sigh
Yeah I saw that story on cnn.com this morning. I think we're all grieving right now. At least those of us with a heart and a soul are.
There is still good in the world though. It just doesn't seem like it when you hear about things like what happened in Newark.
Is Joe Clark Still Alive?
I am sorry. I forgot to type "I am" in my previous post. I hate typing from a blackberry.
One thing that kept me out of trouble when I was younger was that I did not like being out late at night. When the sun goes down, I like to be in the house. I am still like that. I really do not like being out late at night (i.e. any time after 9:00 PM).
Yes, I keep up with him. He lives in Flordia. I want my children to meet him. My High School Class was the most successful class under his leadership. I loved Mr. Clark.
I had attended Catholic School up until the middle of my Sophomore year. My mother wanted to transfer me to an all girls Catholic School. I said please do not send me there. I asked her to send me to Eastside because I heard that Joe Clark had really cleaned up the High School.
She met with him. He told her to let me come home and that he would take care of me. He kept his word. I felt safe. I did not see any drugs usage in the bathrooms. No fights. I am so glad that I transferred to Eastside HS. My class is still pretty close. We keep in touch via email. A few of us live in GA, and we get together a few times during the year.
Why are you expecting ANYTHING of substance from the sycophants you have listed? They are about themselves...
thanks so much for your voice and your outrage on npr tonight -- i teach a class in south florida on violence against women and will ask the class to consult this blog. jane c.
jazztech:
sadly, you've hit the nail right on the head, specifically point #3.
As a Haitian-American women I'm disgusted and saddened by the responses to these stories. Would you believe even the Haitian community in W.Palm Beach were even unaware of this story until a few weeks later?! Sadly, the Haitian press (radio, etc.) was slow to respond to this story. I made sure to blog about it on a Haitian website (Tele Lakay) that I blog for to bring more awareness to the Dunbar story, and as a result, Tele Lakay held a fundraiser which did okay, but not as well as I would have liked. Ah well. Beggars definitely cannot be choosers, I guess...
g-e-m2001: I applaud you for the creation of this blog and will be sure to pass on the word!
Thanks for the contact list to the "leaders." I get frustrated when we have "leaders" who are not as passionate to responding to black on black crime, as they are to when a white person says something in the media (interpreted as racist or biased). There are bigger problems in the community, which require urgent attention, that are doing more damages than words that any one person can utter. We will re-print the list. Thanks
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