Pizza Diavola

Last time I checked, women were people. Children were people. Men were people. The word people encompassed all those groups and more. People did not exclusively mean men.

Al Sharpton and the NAACP apparently aren’t operating by the same dictionary as I am. The NAACP’s mission statement reads, “Ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.” (emphases mine) You’d think that’d mean standing up for all people, now, wouldn’t you?

Apparently not. The Dunbar Village rapists:

On June 18, 2007, a black woman was gang raped by 10 youths and forced at gunpoint to have sex with her own 12 year old son in a housing complex called Dunbar Village in West Palm Beach, Florida. The young men not only viciously punched, kicked and sliced this sister and her son with glass objects, but they also blinded her boy by pouring nail polish remover into his eyes.

The young men forced this sister and son to lay naked in a bathtub together, and attempted to set them on fire (they could not find matches). The youths boldly took cell phone pictures so that they could enjoy their violent, immoral and sadistic acts at a later time. The violence continued for more than three hours, and although this sister’s neighbors heard her screams, no one called the police or came to her aid.This sister and her son had to walk a mile to the hospital, because the assailants stole her car, and threatened to kill her and her family if she told the authorities.

Only four of the young men have been apprehended, while the remaining six are on the loose, doing Lord knows what in our communities. There is no manhunt for the remaining suspects.

Al Sharpton and the NAACP are involved. Sounds good, right? They must be advocating for the woman and her son, right? They must be standing up for individuals who are generally discriminated against, un(de)represented, and don’t receive justice, and they must be pressing the cops to search out the other six gang rapists, right?

WRONG. Sharpton and the NAACP are standing up for the rapists, arguing that because some white rapists are free on bail, it’s unfair that these black rapists are being held in jail. Look–I think that all of the rapists should be in jail, and although it’s possible that there is racism at play in the refusal of bail, it’s also possible, and highly probable, that the Dunbar Village rapists are being held without bail because of the magnitude and monstrosity of their crimes. BlackAmericaWeb has a discussion of the two rape cases and the difference between them.

Bail is usually granted based on the defendants’ risk to the public or whether they pose a flight risk. And it doesn’t take a genius to see that the Boca Raton teenagers who got drunk and had non-consensual sex with drunk, underage girls who they were hanging out with pose less of a danger to the public than the West Palm Beach teenagers who armed themselves with guns, staked out a stranger and committed every act that their perverted imaginations compelled them to do.

That’s why they need to stay locked up.

BAW also points out that despite their supposed missions of helping all black people, the NAACP and Sharpton’s actions in this case do nothing more than betray the majority of their constituents and enforce the societally subhuman status of black women and black children:

Black women are 12 percent of the U.S. population, yet we make up 13 percent of all rape victims. And scores of black women are silent about rape because of the kind of thing that Sharpton did. They believe they won’t be listened to; that no one will care.

Sharpton bills himself as a spokesman for the voiceless. Too bad this time, he decided to lend his voice to the ones who needed it the least — and guarantee that more raped black women will continue to suffer in silence.

Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems’ call to action is below. Please, please call, write, and email Sharpton and the NAACP. In this fucking world, we aren’t going to receive anything gratis. We–women, minorities, women of color, and everyone else who isn’t a rich, straight, cisgendered, white man–have to demand our rights and fight for them. Don’t be silent. Speak up.

Right-thinking black people everywhere are stunned by the recent betrayal of Al Sharpton and the NAACP in a situation that is just too outrageous to ignore.This is a painful story to tell, but it’s important for the moral, law-abiding majority of black Americans to understand exactly why Al Sharpton and the NAACP must be immediately stopped.

On June 18, 2007, a black woman was gang raped by 10 youths and forced at gunpoint to have sex with her own 12 year old son in a housing complex called Dunbar Village in West Palm Beach, Florida. The young men not only viciously punched, kicked and sliced this sister and her son with glass objects, but they also blinded her boy by pouring nail polish remover into his eyes.

The young men forced this sister and son to lay naked in a bathtub together, and attempted to set them on fire (they could not find matches). The youths boldly took cell phone pictures so that they could enjoy their violent, immoral and sadistic acts at a later time. The violence continued for more than three hours, and although this sister’s neighbors heard her screams, no one called the police or came to her aid.

This sister and her son had to walk a mile to the hospital, because the assailants stole her car, and threatened to kill her and her family if she told the authorities.

Only four of the young men have been apprehended, while the remaining six are on the loose, doing Lord knows what in our communities. There is no manhunt for the remaining suspects.

As devastating as this story is, what the NAACP and Al Sharpton have done about it will simply take your breath away:Not only did the NAACP ignore hundreds of requests to assist this woman because it was ‘outside the scope of their mission’, but they joined forces with Al Sharpton, and sent their lawyers to speak out IN SUPPORT OF THE RAPISTS.
You heard me right.

Even though there is conclusive DNA evidence and signed confessions, the NAACP and Al Sharpton are saying that it is ‘unfair’ to not offer bail to these four alleged rapists. They even had a press release about it.

IT IS TIME FOR SENSIBLE BLACK PEOPLE TO STOP THIS KIND OF NONSENSE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Al Sharpton and the NAACP are banking on the belief that you and I will be just like this black woman’s neighbors. Join me by saying NOT THIS TIME. We will not turn a deaf ear to when we hear calls for help from one of our sisters and brothers who are being victimized.

Stop the NAACP and Al Sharpton’s National Action Network from committing this disgrace in our community. Just this once, let’s stand up and be counted by saying that we demand safe neighborhoods for our women and children.

Here is what you can do:

1. Spread the word. Forward this email 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
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
Local: (410) 580-5777

National Action Network
Rev. Al Sharpton
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York 10039
212-690-3070
877-NAN-HOJ1

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/

Something Within is collaborating with a network of other black women bloggers who are committed to staying on top of this story. Please check any one of the following blogs out on Fridays for an update on this story.

http://blackwomenvote.blogspot.com

http://adifferentstory.wordpress.com

http://anonymissblog.blogspot.com/

http://auntjemimasrevenge.blogspot.com

http://blackfirewhitefire.blogspot.com/

http://charactercorner.blogspot.com/

http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com

http://episcopalienne.blogspot.com

http://essentialpresence.blogspot.com

http://focusedpurpose.blogspot.com/

http://h-essays.blogspot.com/

http://lareinacobre.blogspot.com/

http://mynewblog-ravenelvenlady.blogspot.com/

http://politicalseason.blogspot.com

http://privyconcepts.blogspot.com/

http://thesowingcircle.blogspot.com/

http://tributetoblackwomen.com/news

http://web.mac.com/roslynholcomb/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html

http://whataboutourdaughters.com

http://whattamisaid.blogspot.com

http://www.blacksapience.blogspot.com

http://yanmommasaid.blogspot.com

Via Cara