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?

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?

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?

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?