I Can't Understand This

There are a few things that fill my soul with rage, one of those is violence against women and children. I have had to de-sensitize myself a lot to this issue just because of the work I do. Every once in a while, I hear of something that makes me so angry that tears will pour down my face. The Dunbar Village rape case is one of these instances.

In 2007, a woman was gang raped by 10 men in her own home for over three hours, forced to have sex with her own 12-year-old son and survived an attempt to light both of them on fire. Four of those men have been arrested and are currently in prison without bail. This is where the story gets even more heinous. Despite conclusive DNA evidence, apparent photographic evidence that the rapists took on their cell phones during the attack and signed confessions, Al Sharpton and the NAACP have taken the defense of these four young men with the excuse that white men, accused of the same crime, are given bond. Equal justice is something that I fully support and those white men should be in prison. But just because our judicial system is racist doesn't mean that extremely violent black offenders should be treated with leniency!

I am dumbfounded by the actions of Al Sharpton and the NAACP. It is amazing to me that instead of standing up for the rights of an African American woman and her son, they chose to support the worst of men. Al Sharpton and the NAACP should be standing up and cheering that a violent act against a woman of color is actually being taken seriously for once. The statistics on rape cases against African American women that are fully investigated and prosecuted our abysmal. Even in this case, six of the attackers are still free and there is no effort to find them!

Go an read Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems' call to action at her blog. Here are some things she suggest we can do:

1. Spread the word. Forward this if your conscience and concern have been raised. Send it to every concerned black citizen that you know.

2. Demand an explanation from your local NAACP chapter about this case. Cancel your membership to these organizations, and write a letter explaining that you will return when they prioritize the public safety needs of black women and children.

3. If you do not belong to these organizations, call and write them to tell them of your outrage and displeasure:

NAACP National Headquarters
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore MD 21215

National Action Network
Rev. Al Sharpton
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York

If you know an African American reporter or a black radio talk show host, forward this story to them and ask them to follow up on it.

Read the history of the Dunbar Village problem here: http://www.dunbarvillage2008.blogspot.com/