Stop NAACP Support of Rapists

In the past week, a rapidly-moving viral email campaign was launched, and thousands of concerned Black citizens spread the word about crimes against nature committed in the Dunbar Village complex against a Black woman and her 12 year old son.

This email, entitled “Stop Al Sharpton and the NAACP from endangering Black Women,” described a stunning betrayal in which the NAACP and Al Sharpton held a press conference and demanded bail consideration for three suspects in custody for the crime.

Concerned Black citizens all around the country were outraged by the actions of the NAACP and Al Sharpton, and many vowed to withdraw volunteering and financial support from these agencies “until they make the safety of Black women and children a priority.”

On March 24, 2008 an NAACP memo that attempted to defend this betrayal was sent to Beverly Neal, who is the Director of the NAACP’s Florida State Conference. The memo claims that the NAACP was brought into this fray by Rev. Al Sharpton. Moreover, the memo was written by Maude Ford Lee, who is President of the West Palm Beach Branch of the NAACP.

On March 27, 2008, activist Al Sharpton went on the air to clarify his position on the treatment of the Dunbar Village Suspects. He invited writer Tonyaa Weathersbee and blogger Arlene Fenton to his show, to discuss the matter. Rev. Sharpton claimed that he never said that the Dunbar Village suspects were being treated unfairly, and that he did not want bail for the suspects in question.

Ms Weathersbee and Ms Fenton said that their research indicated otherwise, as indicated by video footage, eyewitness accounts, and the reporting from the Florida Sun Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post.

At the end of the radio show, Al Sharpton strongly condemned any activity that would promote bail consideration for the suspects in question. Rev. Sharpton admitted that “if the suspects were white, he would have been there sooner.” He stated that this is a problem with many Black civil rights organizations. He apologized and vowed to uphold his prior promise to advocate for the residents of Dunbar Village. He also challenged all activists, bloggers, and writers to be accountable to each other.

To date, the NAACP has not made an official statement denouncing the Dunbar Village Atrocity, nor have they officially expressed regret to the victim. The NAACP also has not officially retracted their statement requesting bail consideration for the alleged rapists/torturers. To our understanding, neither agency has contributed to the Victim’s Assistance Fund or created a reward program geared toward the apprehension of the remaining rapists/torturers.

Villagers, WE ARE SATISFIED with Al Sharpton’s qualifying statements that he made on his March 27th radio show. We will watch to see if he fulfills his promise to advocate for the residents of Dunbar Village, and we are willing to assist any effort that promotes safer Black neighborhoods in West Palm Beach, FL.

WE ARE NOT SATISFIED with the reckless, irresponsible actions of the NAACP (West Palm Beach chapter). We continue to urge all Black people, women especially, to refrain from volunteering or giving financially to this organization until they take our safety seriously.

WHAT WE WANT

1. We want law enforcement to make a concerted, sustained effort to apprehend the remaining suspects. We want to see a genuine reward system in place to encourage members of the community to come forward with the knowledge of the whereabouts of the remaining suspects.


2. We want the NAACP (West Palm Beach chapter) to reverse their position that the alleged rapists/torturers of this case should be considered for bail.
   
3. We want both the NAACP and the National Action Network to cease downgrading the gang rape/torture/atrocity of the Dunbar Village by comparing it to an unrelated gang rape, in which guns, maiming, and forced incest were not involved.


4. We want to see genuine victim advocacy in the form of financial support for the relocation, medical expenses, and mental therapy for the true victims in this case.

The Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund
Individuals who would like to donate money to the victims can go to any Wachovia Bank and donate to the St. Ann’s Victim’s Assistance Fund. Donations will go directly to the mother and her son.

St. Ann’s Catholic Church will also accept donations. Checks can be made payable to the "Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund - St. Ann’s". Mail your donation to: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 310 N. Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

For more information about this Dunbar Village Campaign, you can visit any of the following 24 blogs:

1. Dunbar Village Blog
2. A Different Story
3. Anonymiss Blog
4. A Political Season
5. Aunt Jemima's Revenge
6. Black Fire, White Fire
7. Black Sapience
8. Black Women Vote
9. Character Corner
10. Electronic Village
11. Episcopalienne
12. Essential Presence
13. Focused Purpose
14. H-Essays
15. Never Say Never to Your Traveling Self
16. Privy Concepts
17. Ravenelven Lady
18. Roslyn Holcomb's Blog
19. The Sowing Circle
20. Tribute to Black Women
21. What About Our Daughters
22. What Tami Said
23. Yanmommasaid
24. Something Within

Next step is yours! Do you support this growing effort to Stop NAACP West Palm Beach Chapter's Support of the Dunbar Village rapists? What say u?

Al Sharpton and NAACP Are Wrong in Dunbar Village Gang-Rape Case

Important nubian women in my life, such as my former wife, my mom and my sisters often tell me that I have a 'hard head'. Usually, this is a result of me being slow on the uptake for an issue that they see clearly from the start. The impact of the Dunbar Village gang-rape may be yet another example of me ... and perhaps other brothers ... having a 'hard head'.

You see, the issues surrounding the Dunbar Village gang-rape that occurred last year continue to burn hot in our community ... especially with Black women. Many Black women look at the way that the Dunbar Village situation has been handled as an example of the way Black women are treated in too many situations from Corporate America to our neighborhoods.

Villagers remember the horrific story of ten youths that forced their way into a Black woman's home in Dunbar Village housing complex down in Florida. For several hours,they not only gang-raped her repeatedly and viciously beat her young son, but they forced her to have sex with her own child. The teenage boys then placed the two of them in a bathtub and poured nail polish remover in her son's eyes, blinding him for a period of time. They attempted to set them on fire, but couldn't find a match. So instead, they violated them with ammonia and threatened to kill her family if she told anyone.

Only four of the suspects have been apprehended, there are six others on the loose. There is conclusive DNA evidence on at least one of the boys. There is no manhunt for the rest of the criminals, they are running around loose as you read this.

In November 2007, Al Sharpton showed that he had a 'hard head' about this case as well. He was called on the carpet by a number of people concerned that he was not supporting the young woman and her son who had been victimized in this case. In fact, I went so far as to call Al Sharpton a 'punk' last month on this blog.

Fast forward to today. It seems that the NAACP and Al Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) both refused to help this woman because it was 'outside the scope of their mission' ... however, both groups found time to send lawyers down to Florida IN SUPPORT OF THE RAPISTS. The lawyers are claiming that it is 'unfair' to not offer bail to these four rapists.

Barack Obama spoke on the rage that exists in Black America when it comes to race relations. That rage burns especially strong when sexual crimes are committed against Black women and children ... even if the criminals involved are Black!

I encourage all like-minded villagers to join in collective action against the NAACP and Al Sharpton's NAN as a result of their misguided criminal advocacy in the Dunbar Village case. Perhaps it is time for right-thinking villagers to stop fueling the NAACP and NAN with our money and our volunteer activism until they stop trying to hinder the successful prosecution of this heinous crime down in Dunbar Village.

Perhaps it is time to ensure that the safety of Black women and children are non-negotiable. Here are some specific steps you can take:

1. Share this post with others so they might have their conscience and concern raised as yours as been today.
2. Demand an explanation from your local NAACP and NAN chapter about the Dunbar Village case.
3. Cancel your membership to these organizations
4. Write a letter explaining that you will return when they prioritize the public safety needs of Black women and children.
5. Stop donating your time or money to these organizations; instead invest in other organizations that take the lives of Black women and children seriously.

Even if you do not belong to these organizations, call or write them to express your displeasure:


NAACP National Headquarters
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore MD 21215
(410) 580-5777

National Action Network
Rev. Al Sharpton
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York 10039
(212) 690-3070

You can obtain more information about the direct action against NAACP and NAN from the Dunbar Village blog (BBR #494).

I am interested to hear your take on the Dunbar Village case. Is there any excuse for what Al Sharpton and the NAACP West Palm Beach Branch president are doing in this case as they defend the young rapists? Are you willing to take direct action yourself to protect our Black woman and children? Will you share this information with others in your personal network?

Dunbar Village Supporters Question Al Sharpton and Other Silent Black Leaders

I attended the Million Man March in October 1997. I recall that there were a number of other marches scheduled in the following weeks and months. It is impossible to put lightning in a bottle twice. I didn't attend the Jena Six march in September 2007, however, I'm proud to be part of the process in the afrosphere that led to that successful march. There have been a number of marches called since September ... the latest is one called by Al Sharpton to protest the inaction of the Department of Justice on hate crimes.

The story that you may not have heard is that Al Sharpton will be greeted by counter protesters on November 16. The counter protesters want to know why he and other African American leaders have refused to publicly comment on a horrific crime against humanity committed against a Black woman and her child in a housing project called Dunbar Village located in West Palm Beach, FL.

The Dunbar Village tragedy is the horrific story of the brutal gang rape, sodomy, and torture of a 35 year old black Haitian immigrant and her 12 year old son. 10 black teens forced their way into the victim's home at a public housing complex in West Palm Beach, Florida. The mother was forced to perform fellatio on her own son at gunpoint. The teens then cut and stabbed the mother and her son, poured cleaning solvent on their skin and in their eyes, and would have set them both on fire, but as one teen suspect reported, no one in the gang had matches. Currently, only four suspects are in custody. During the 3 hour rape and torture, not a single neighbor called 911.

The counter protest was organized by Shane Johnson. "How is it that practically every social justice organization from the ACLU to the NAACP to the SCLC knows something about Dunbar Village but refuses to speak out about it?", asks Shane Johnson who is a blogger and the author of Black Sapience...My .02. Johnson adds, "This protest is not to request that Sharpton and his allies march in West Palm Beach, but simply an inquiry regarding Rev. Sharpton's peculiar silence on this issue."

For over three months, Gina McCauley, who created the blog, What About Our Daughters? has been asking why prominent African Americans have failed to make any public comment about the Dunbar Village crime. "This type of crime happened on our watch and our "leaders" are still silent. They are silent because they are indifferent. Their indifference is immoral." McCauley says. She posted the names and contact information of prominent African Americans and organizations on her blog and despite numerous calls, emails and letters from readers, not a single person on the list has issued a public comment on the crime. She describes their refusal to publicly comment 'Immoral Indifference'.

"It is the height of hypocrisy that Black leaders have remained silent for so long about the Dunbar Village Rape tragedy. Black leaders remain silent about victims of Black on Black crime." McCauley noted on her blog that several prominent African American issued statements on the humane treatment of animals during the controversy surrounding Michael Vick. "We can get a statement about dogs, but not about two human beings."

Tanisha Mathis, who operates the Essential Presence blog adds, "African Americans are falsely led to believe the mainstream is not sensitive to their issues but its proven repeatedly that it is, in fact, Black leaders and Black news entities that are the most silent in regards to crimes against Blacks like the Dunbar Village gang rape."

I am unable to attend either protest march in person, however, I wish the counter protesters well as they gather in Washington, DC at the Justice Department on Friday, November 16, 2007. It should make for an interesting afternoon.

NAACP Issues Weak Response to Dunbar Village Protest

Drumbeats from What About Our Daughters blog provide us with a statement from the NAACP in response to the email accountability campaign launched following their joint press conference with Rev. Al Sharpton regarding bail for the suspects in the Dunbar Village rape and torture case.

---

E-mails misrepresent NAACP's position on Dunbar Village case. A series of viral e-mails circulating the Internet the past several days distort and misrepresent the NAACP's stance on the Dunbar Village gang rape case that began last June in south Florida.

The NAACP does not condone violence against anyone. Any suggestion to the contrary is not credible in light of the Association's long history of opposing violence against all persons.

In fact, it was the West Palm Beach Branch NAACP and area churches, among others, that provided assistance in the relocation of the victims in this horrific and inexplicable criminal matter.

"The NAACP cares deeply that justice be applied equally, without regards to race, but cares just as deeply that guilty parties be held accountable for their actions," said Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference, NAACP.

The NAACP National Office nor the Florida NAACP have taken any formal position on the case and both believe this situation will benefit from well meaning, interested parties allowing the facts to become further known and letting defense lawyers do their work.

"The lives of the victims in this case are irrevocably altered in the worst way," said NAACP Interim President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes. "While we respect the judicial process and implore that equal justice be rendered for all involved, we must also focus on ending the continuing plague of violence in our communities.

"The NAACP and its affiliates will continue to closely monitor the proceedings and details of this case," said West Palm Beach Branch NAACP President Maude Ford Lee, who added, "Earlier reports that my remarks support the heinous acts of the guilty parties could not be further from the truth."

---

Villagers, there was no misrepresentation. It was quite clear that the Ford/Sharpton press conference called for more lenient bail for the Dunbar Village rapists.

Rev. Sharpton backtracked on his poor judgement in advocating for the Dunbar Village rapists earlier this week. I don't see that Maude Ford Lee or other NAACP leaders at state or national level accepted responsibility for their mistake in advocating for the Dunbar Village rapists. Has Ms. Lee backed away from her foolhardy misadventure? If not, I don't see any reason for Black bloggers and others to continue working to discontinue further funding and volunteer hours for the NAACP.

Perhaps we will learn more later this week when Adora Obi Nweze, NAACP Florida State President joins the Black Women's Roundtable to answer questions. The podcast takes place on Thursday, April 3rd @ 9:00 pm EST.

In the meantime, I'm curious as to your take on the situation. What say u?

NAACP Apologizes for Dunbar Village Press Conference

Adora Obi Nweze, Florida State Conference NAACP chair and Richard McIntyre, NAACP National Spokesperson took part in a podcast hosted by Gina McCauley to discuss the NAACP and Al Sharpton press conference and the resultant email accountability campaign. Both Nweze and McIntyre emphasized that the NAACP top priority is to focus on the two victims of the Dunbar Village torture.

Nweze apolozied on behalf of the NAACP for any miscommunication or misunderstanding caused by the NAACP West Palm Beach branch press conference.

Nweze indicates that the parents of the Dunbar Village rapists approached the NAACP about unequal justice being applied against their children. She acknowledged that this was the wrong case to use for making a point on unequal criminal justice. McIntyre was rather useless. He did note that the West Palm Beach branch broke some internal policies and that the branch president has been counseled accordingly.

On the other hand, Nweze was clear and straightforward in her responses. She apologized on a number of ocassions for the flyers and press conference held by NAACP West Palm Beach branch. Personally, I feel like NAACP and National Action Network both recognize that they phuqued up big time by passing out flyers and creating a press conference to support the Dunbar Village rapists.

Al Sharpton admitted his mistake in a public venue ... on his radio show. NAACP admitted their mistake in a private BlogRadioTalkshow.

The NAACP needs to do publicly what it did privately last night -- state they were wrong and apologize. Particularly since they stated bloggers were wrong. They can't have it both ways - we were not both wrong.

For more information about this Dunbar Village Campaign, you can visit any of the following 24 blogs:

1. Dunbar Village Blog
2. A Different Story
3. Anonymiss Blog
4. A Political Season
5. Aunt Jemima's Revenge
6. Black Fire, White Fire
7. Black Sapience
8. Black Women Vote
9. Character Corner
10. Electronic Village
11. Episcopalienne
12. Essential Presence
13. Focused Purpose
14. H-Essays
15. Never Say Never to Your Traveling Self
16. Privy Concepts
17. Ravenelven Lady
18. Roslyn Holcomb's Blog
19. The Sowing Circle
20. Tribute to Black Women
21. What About Our Daughters
22. What Tami Said
23. Yanmommasaid
24. Something Within

I will be on NPR Blogger's Roundtable next Wednesday, April 9. I anticipate that one of our segments will cover this particular issue. I hope you will tune in to NPR on that day at 1:00 pm ET to hear what we have to say.

NAACP's Maude Lee Responds to Online Allegations About Her Support of Dunbar Village Rapists

Maude Lee is the president of the NAACP West Palm Beach Branch. Her NAACP branch is under tremendous pressure for joining with National Action Network to ask for reduced bail on the four Dunbar Village rapists. This decision to support release of these four gang rapists is wrong on so many levels ... not the least of which is the lack of support given by Ms. Lee's NAACP branch for the Black woman and her child victimized by these gang rapists. It should be noted that there is a formal campaign ongoing to discontinue financial contributions and volunteer support to NAACP or NAN as a result of the decision to support these Dunbar Village rapists.

Ms. Lee wrote a letter to explain her actions. Click here to read the letter. Ms. Lee claims that her NAACP branch participation was "... simply to call for fair and just treatment in all phases of the criminal justice system for the Dunbar Village defendants..."

The odd thing is that Ms. Lee claims that the NAACP responded to call from Rev. Sharpton and the folks from the NAN Florida chapter. NAN tells a different story. NAN indicates that they were at the press conference at the request of Ms. Lee and the NAACP WPB branch. It appears that the two organizations are turning on one another as the pressure continues to mount. Personally, I think that Ms. Lee saw the opportunity to get her face and her branch into the limelight by introducing Rev. Al Sharpton to the media and she didn't really care about the content of the press conference.

This is not a 'due process' issue. The four rapists had due process. They each have lawyers. They simply didn't get bail because of the heinous nature of their crime. The fact pattern for these four rapists who terrorized, raped and tortured a Black woman and her child wasn't the same as the five white rapists in Boca Raton. This is not a 'due process' issue. This is a 'poor judgement' issue. Maude Lee (NAACP WPB Branch) and Al Sharpton (NAN) showed incredibly poor judgement. It is costing them goodwill, volunteer hours and donations from the Black community.

You can reach out to Ms. Lee by phone (561) 655-9798 or e-mail if you are so inclined. My suggestion is that Ms. Lee reach out to those of us in the Black community who question her judgement. Sending a letter to her state NAACP leader ain't gonna get it done. What say u?

Protecting Black Women From Rape * Dunbar Village Gang Rape Update

Drumbeats from African American Opinion and What About Our Daughters keep us informed on the progress of the Dunbar Village case. As a result, the Electronic Village joins others in The AfroSpear in blogging for justice on the subject of Protecting Black Women (and their families) From Rape.

Four males — ages 14, 15, 16 and 18 — have been charged as adults in a 14-count indictment that could send all of them to prison for life. Defense attorneys have argued that the victims failed to identify the same suspects from photo lineups and that they identified fillers — people not involved in the case — as perpetrators. In some instances they identified different people as the same person.

Hoping to steal money and jewelry, Avion Lawson, 14, said he and someone else wore masks when they entered the 35-year-old woman's apartment that night, according to the documents. Once inside, Lawson said, he and his accomplice, whose name is blacked out on the report, encountered the woman in bed with three other masked males around her. Lawson told police he sexually assaulted her and stole two video games and a truck.

The victim returned home from her job delivering phone books about 9 p.m. the night of the attack, according to her statement to police. While fixing her son something to eat, a young male with braids knocked on her door to tell her the tires on her truck were flat. Once outside, she said, she saw a male with a large gun and two others armed with guns. They wore black clothing over their faces, she said, and ordered her back into the apartment, where they demanded money.

After being told there was no money, the attackers tore off the woman's clothes and raped her until five others arrived, according to the documents. The new arrivals took turns having sex with her and then sodomized her. The mother was then ordered into a tub filled with vinegar and water where they used hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, nail polish remover and ammonia on her. At gunpoint, the assailants forced the mother and son to have sex.

Throughout the attack, the victims suffered beatings, including having a bowl and light bulbs smashed over their heads. The encounter was recorded on a cell phone camera, according to the mother.

Before leaving, the males looked for a lighter to set the two on fire but couldn't find one, she told police. They ordered the pair to stay in the tub and took off. About 30 minutes later one of the males returned to sexually assault the mother one last time. Before leaving, he scribbled a man's name and 6-CO, a gang, on a piece of paper and told the woman he hangs out on Sixth Street and that's where he could be found. He grabbed a Sony PlayStation 2 before fleeing.

Click here to read more about this case.

How To Help:

St. Ann's Catholic Church will accept donations on behalf of the family. Checks can be made payable to the Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund - St. Ann's. The address is: St. Ann's Catholic Church 310 N. Olive Avenue West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

You can also call the church at (561) 832-3757.

Other ways to help: Blog About the incident to bring public attention to the horrors of rape of a Black women and her child by Black boys and a Black man. Discuss how these types of incidents although reported to police are not taken seriously when reported to police.

We can also join efforts to get Black "leaders" and faith groups to begin to address these issues within our community. For further information visit What About Our Daughters.

Villagers, what say u?

Jakaris Taylor, Dunbar Village Rapist Gets 20-Year Sentence

Jakaris Taylor is a 16-year-old boy who's life will never be the same because of his decision to join a gang. Nine of his gang buddies joined him in rape, sodomy and cruelty imposted on a 35-year old single Black mother and her 12-year old son earlier this summer. Click here for our original post on the Dunbar Village gang rape. He could have faced life sentence for the indictment on each of the three charges of burglary with battery, and two counts of sexual battery with a gun while wearing a mask.

Instead, he flipped. He took a deal.

Jakaris agreed to testify against his co-defendants in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence. His plea deal gives him a 20-year sentence on each charge to be served simultaneously, with credit for 130 days served. He will also be branded a sexual predator, according to the agreement.

Taylor will now testify against his co-defendants, Avion Lawson, Nathan Walker and Tommy Poindexter.

I wonder if the police know who the other six rapists are from the original attack? Are the other six sexual predators still living untouched by the law in the Dunbar Village apartment complex where the rape took place?

In other words, Villagers, methinks that there will be more to this story over the coming weeks and months.

We Declare 'Victory' on Dunbar Village Initiative

Villagers, we are very proud to announce victory in our efforts to stop NAACP and National Action Network from supporting the Dunbar Village rapists. This campaign was defined and initiated by SheCodes (BlackWomenVote) on behalf of Black women and children.

Initially, there were only Black female bloggers signed up for this campaign. However, the issue quickly brought support from white female and Black male bloggers as well. In fact, one brother, Aaron Laramore (A Political Season) uncovered The Point, a new tool for online activism that I anticipate will see greater use within the afrosphere.
Our blog joined the campaign from the beginning and we are grateful to all the villagers who supported this two-week campaign. Victory in the campaign came as a result of apologies received from both Al Sharpton and NAACP. We understand that two more suspects in the original rape case should be arrested shortly. Also, it felt good to post an update on the positive progress made by the Black woman and her child who were victimized, terrorized and tortured by the ten Dunbar Village thugs last year.

The mainstream media picked up on this grassroots campaign. In fact, SheCodes and I will both be on NPR News & Notes tomorrow (Apr 9 @ 1pm ET) to discuss the success of this campaign and a few other issues as part of the Blogger's Roundtable.

Today is a good day to be a blogger! Please take a moment to share your observations if you have time or inclination.

Dunbar Village Rapists Found Guilty by West Palm Beach Jury

Villagers who have been following the aftermath of the heinous crime that took place two years ago in the Dunbar Village projects down in West Palm Beach FL will be glad to learn that the four cretins caught by the police have been brought to justice.

Jurors convicted 18-year-old Nathan Walker of 11 felonies in the brutal attack on a Dunbar Village woman and her son, including burglary, kidnapping, five counts of sexual battery with great force, and the savage act of forcing the mother and son into sexual acts together. Jurors acquitted him of three other charges.

Tommy Poindexter's jury convicted the 20-year-old cretin on eight kidnapping, burglary and sexual battery charges, but acquitted him of five others, including forcing mother and son into sex acts.

Walker, Poindexter and a third young man who has already pleaded guilty, 16-year-old Avion Lawson, face sentencing Oct. 13. All are looking at possibly spending the rest of their life in prison.

Poindexter, Walker and Lawson were tied to the crimes by forensic evidence - DNA from a condom, a pillowcase, the woman's dress and fingerprints.

The verdicts come more than two years after the attack by a gang of as many as 10 men and boys upon the woman and her 12-year-old son within their public housing complex apartment. They forced themselves inside, demanded money, then sex, then poured chemicals on the woman and her son.

The woman had to testify about it before jurors at trial. "I tell him to stay on top of me. Stay there because there are going to kill us," she said of her son, in Creole-accented English.

The woman, now 37, had to recount before a packed courtroom the variety of ways she was raped and doused in chemcials. She did so slowly, methodically, as if still in shock.

"It's really hard. If I even think about I might cry," said juror Rebecca Meyer Baez. "She's probably the strongest woman I've ever met. The fact she can come in there and hold her head high. I'm astonished."

Villager's Voice: I am still looking for the police to arrest the other six cretins involved in this rape-torture case. What can possibly be taking so long to bring the other six people to justice?

Dunbar Village Rapists Prepare for Trial

Did you see where a trial date has been set for three of the youngsters that gang-raped and tortured a 35-year old woman and her 12-year-old son back in June 2007? The incident took place in the Dunbar Village complex down in Palm Beach, Florida. Justice is slow. The trial date for Tommy Lee Poindexter, 20, Nathan Walker Jr., 18, and Avion Lawson, 15, is set for May 6, 2009.

Over a year ago, Jakaris Taylor, 18, pleaded guilty and received a 20-year sentence in exchange for his testimony.

There are still 6 of the original ten Dunbar Village suspects operating out in the streets. Hopefully karma will slapt the other six upside their heads if the criminal justice system can't get to them.

Can Civil Rights Organizations and Black Bloggers Work Together?

Villagers, we've introduced you to Howard Witt earlier this year. He is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Witt wrote an article this week about our online activism. Many of you know that this blog joined with two dozen others to protest decision by NAACP West Palm Beach branch president Maude Ford Lee and National Action Network president Al Sharpton to support lower bail for the Dunbar Village rapists.

Rev. Sharpton reversed course on his radio show earlier this week. We still await a response from NAACP's Maude Ford Lee.

Mr. Witt's article accurately notes that Web-based activists are not seeing eye-to-eye with old-guard leadership as it relates to the Dunbar Village torture, terrorism and rape. Click here to read the full article.

What say u? Are you ready to support efforts to stop NAACP support of the Dunbar Village rapists?

Dunbar Village Protest Against Al Sharpton Hits USA Today

The counter-protest to Al Sharpton's march on the Justice Department made national headlines in the mainstream media today. Villagers, we told you about this counter-protest called by Shane Johnson (shown in the photo to the left) and Gina McCauley in an earlier post. This is an example of the evolving influence of the afrosphere.

The USA Today article provides a quote from Al Sharpton acknowledging the Dunbar Village victim. However, I found two other things to be most interesting. First, I was surprised to learn that the leader of the National Urban League was unaware of the Dunbar Village rape of a Black woman and her young son. Second, I was disappointed that the focus of the headline was "Black-on-Black crime". I simply don't like that overt racial slant on crime in our country. We never called the IRA conflict with England "white-on-white crime". We never talk about the fact that over 90% of crime committed against white people in our country occurs from other white perps/criminals.

In my view, the issue is crime against Black women that appears to be accepted ... regardless of whether the perps are Black, white or purple. Anyhow, the key point is that the counter-protest reached a national audience by being published in the USA Today.

Al Sharpton is a Punk

Villagers are aware of the horrific rape and torture of a Black woman and her young son in Dunbar Village last year. It was an incident that received little publicity from the mainstream media (MSM), however, it was well-reported in the afrosphere by bloggers such as SheCodes and Gina.

Some in the MSM did pick up the issue when Black bloggers protested against Al Sharpton during his Hate Crimes rally in Washington DC. Al Sharpton responded to the protesters ... ultimately agreeing to meet in a town hall session with local residents and politicians living in Dunbar Village housing project earlier this week. However, Rev. Sharpton punked out and no-showed for the event ... disappointing the organizers and the community.

I admit that I have not kept our village up-to-date on this story in the past. I'll try to do better moving forward. After all, if we cannot protect our queens, how can we call ourselves kings?

Field Negro Asked a Good Question...

Field won his bet. I never heard of Asia Adams until I read about her in his blog. Truth to tell, I learned about Megan Williams and Dunbar Village via bloggers in The AfroSpear network.

Field gave us a pass on our ignorance about Asia Adams when he wrote:

"Because when she was murdered three years ago in her Germantown home, it didn't make national headlines, and there wasn't a cadre of bloggers focusing on her brutal and tragic death and calling for the equal and proper treatment of Black women. No marches, no wall to wall commentary, and no moral outrage from all the usual suspects."

Field wondered out loud "what it is that makes a story news worthy? Why are some stories worth our outrage and our righteous indignation, and some like Asia Adams....well, we never even hear about?"

In my view, there are three things that we can do now. First, we need to keep one another informed through drumbeats, email listservs or blogs. We can not depend on the mainstream media (MSM) to have the interests of the African American community at heart. We must look out for our own interests by keeping one another informed. We must take advantage of this technology to maintain and increase the flow of information and dialogue.

Second, it is my view that we need to control our own family first. Each of us must ensure that we are spending appropriate time, talent and energy in raising OUR OWN CHILDREN. If you father a child ... you need to step up and be a man .... you need to be involved in raising that child so that they can grow into a productive member of our village (society). Perhaps if each of us simply took responsibility for our child then we would have less young people like Asia or the Haitian mother in Dunbar Village being victimized.

Finally, I accept that there are killers among us that will take another life ... stone-cold, no-remorse killers. However, there are an equal number of young men that will kill tonight who wandered into the killing zone by taking path of least resistance (gangs, drugs, etc). These young people will be forever changed in their soul because of the life that they took. I wonder if there isn't an answer beyond lock 'em up when it comes to rehabilitating these accidental killers?

Field, the marching and blog-writing won't change the mindset that causes a killer to take the life of another human being. Perhaps we can change their mindset before they get in that killing zone? Perhaps we can bring down the number of killings in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and elsewhere. One brother (or sister) at a time.

Villagers, read Field's blog post on Asia Adams ... do you have an answer to his question?

Gang Rape, Genarlow Wilson & Jena 6

I see that Al Sharpton went down to support the Jena 6 recently. Sharpton works to uplift our people in his own way. He criticized officials in this racially tense Louisiana town, saying the attempted murder charges leveled against six Black teens show 'one rule for white kids and one for Black kids.'

Similar observations were made by Barack Obama at the NAACP convention last month and again this past week in reference to the Genarlow Wilson situation. Obama noted the different rules of justice and punishment for white and Black people by saying,

"How is it Scooter Libby isn't behind bars and we've got a young man in jail right now sentenced to 10 years for something that isn't even a felony?"

It is a good thing whenever a celebrity uses his/her status to shine the light on injustice.

The time has come for the Electronic Village to join other Black bloggers in The AfroSpear to speak out on the lack of media attention paid to the Dunbar Village gang rape in West Palm Beach, FL. A few dogs are endangered and every federal agency in law enforcement gets involved in effort to indict a quarterback. Ten criminals rape and beat a mother and her child in West Palm Beach ... and nothing appears to be happening. Seven of the criminals are still at large. The community is still victimized by these seven thugs.

Perhaps it is time for Barack Obama, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others to shine their light on the travesty of justice that continues to occur for people of African descent in the Dunbar Village projects.

I encourage all 'villagers' to get up to speed on this situation. What About Our Daughters is the best source of information that I have seen online. In fact, the blogger who runs WAOD was on National Public Radio earlier this week to share her outrage over the apparent indifference of our leaders about this matter.

Open Letter to NAACP Leaders Dennis Courtland Hayes, Adora Obi Nweze or Maude Ford Lee

BlackVoices.com wonders out loud where NAACP West Palm Beach stands on the issue of civil rights vs. criminal rights. The problem, as I see it is simple. NAACP West Palm Beach branch took a formal stance out in front of the courthouse steps three weeks ago. They wanted bail to be given to the Dunbar Village rapists similiar to what Boca Raton rapists received. In my view, that 'equal justice' stance is bone-headed and wrong. It would have been better if NAACP West Palm Beach branch president Maude Ford Lee to step up and say that 'equal justice' would be for the Boca Raton rapists to be denied bail to make them 'equal'.

Al Sharpton recognized that he made a mistake. He owned up to it on his radio show last week. National NAACP (Hayes), NAACP Florida (Nweze) nor NAACP West Palm Beach (Lee) will acknowledge that their appearance, flyers and statements at the press conference were a mistake. As a result, the growing movement to ask my blog readers to discontinue their membership and volunteer hours to NAACP stays in full effect.

I see that Ms. Nweze will be on a podcast later this week. Perhaps she will take responsibility for the poor judgement that was shown at that press conference. Heck, perhaps she or Mr. Hayes or Ms. Lee or some other NAACP official in that leadership chain will respond to this online message and bring this matter to an end. It's not difficult. Simply acknowledge that it was a mistake to ask for bail on the Dunbar Village rapists. Is that so hard to do?

Update on Dunbar Village Victims

WhatAboutOurDaughers.com provided us with an update on the Dunbar Village victims. The mother and her 12-year old son got a rent-free home for a year, furniture and a Christmas tree surrounded by presents.

Detective Lori Colombino, who helped investigate the case, helped move the mother and son into a new rental home, decorated the tree, wrapped the presents and frequently checked in on them - even when she was off-duty.

"They're such a loving family. They're wonderful. They're nice people. They're genuinely good people," Colombino said. "I couldn't imagine anything like this happening to anyone in my family."

The victims are enduring a "daily struggle," Colombino said. But the 35-year-old mother is paying her bills at her rental home and has returned to school. Her son is also going to school.

Colombino doesn't know the total value of donations that went through the police department, but people gave cash, jewelry, clothes and gift cards. Colombino said the 12-year-old boy's favorite gift was a skateboard.

"He loves that thing," Colombino said. [SOURCE]

Condoleeza Rice for Vice President? Are Civil Rights Groups Obsolete?

Farai Chideya hosted Blogger's Roundtable on NPR News & Notes earlier today with Arlene Fenton, Jay Anderson and me. We talked about the rumors of Condoleeza Rice seeking vice presidency.

All three of us agreed that Condi Rice was not going to be McCain's veep candidate. All reports indicate that she wants to leave Washington DC at the end of Bush's term of office in order to return to the academic world of Stanford University. I don't think Condi brings anything useful to a McCain ticket. She doesn't have economics expertise ... nor is she a darling of the radical right ... also, she is tightly-tied to George W. Bush ... and that ain't a good thing for McCain! Those are three things that McCain needs in his VP candidate.

Actually, the rumors are insulting in some respects to the talent-level of Condi Rice. She has some serious skillz and doesn't deserve to have her name thrown in the ring by the Republicans to counterbalance the diverse talent (Clinton or Obama) being showcased by the Democrats.

Our roundtable also dealt with the question of whether or not Civil Rights groups are obsolete. What do you think villagers? Are groups like the NAACP or the Urban League or CORE or SCLC obsolete? In our view, the issue went beyond the ability of these groups to adopt new-age technology, such as blogs. Rather, the blogger's panel wondered if the leadership of these groups could look at problems in our community from a 21st century perspective.

As an example, we noted that NAACP and Al Sharpton jumped on comparisons of the Dunbar Village ('alleged') rapists were being treated unfairly in light of the fact that ('alleged') white rapists in Boca Raton are free on bail. Ol' school thinking! White boys got bail, therefore, our Black boys should get bail. That is stinkin' thinkin' when the Black boyz are undeniably responsible for rape, torture and terrorism with an innocent mother and her son. 21st century thinking is that no bail should be offered to the Dunbar Village rapists. Eventually Al Sharpton and NAACP apologized for their stinkin' thinkin'.

Finally, I was pleased with Bro. Anderson (AverageBro blog) perspective that our civil rights organizations ... and Black bloggers ... should be more PROactive and less REactive. For example, he calls for bloggers and Black organizations to get engaged in mentoring, tutoring and other PROactive efforts to keep our young people on the right path, rather than REact when our young people get involved in rapes, gangs or other counter-productive behavior.

We had a great time. I hope you had a chance to listen to us live ... but, if not, you can click here to listen to what we had to say. What would you have said on either of the two questions --> Condi Rice for Vice President? or Are Civil Rights groups obsolete?

Trial Date Set for Dunbar Village Rapists

America is a great nation because of the rule of law. The idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty is a powerful concept. However, there are times when I wish we could skip the whole judicial process and jump straight to the gas chamber.

I'm wishing we could shortcut the process for 20-year old Tommy Poindexter, 18-year old Nathan Walker, 17-year old Jakaris Taylor and 15-year old Avion Lawson. These are four of the young punks that terrorized a young 'un and raped his mother at the Dunbar Village public housing complex in West Palm Beach.

The judge in Florida decided that there will be two trials and four juries for these four young men. The first trial takes place on August 16 and the second trial takes place on September 15.

Hopefully the trials will be quick. I'd like to see these four cretins deep in the belly of the beast before Thanksgiving.