Media Watch: Dunbar Village

by Latoya Peterson

I have been loosely following the Dunbar Village case. Gina from What About Our Daughters has done an amazing job working to get justice done in this horrific case. There was such much to follow, a second blog has been started to simply document the developments.

For those of you who are unaware, here is a quick summary of what has happened provided by Cara of the Curvature:

Do you remember the Dunbar Village rape case? I’m not sure how you could forget; this is the case where 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. In an update that is a couple of weeks old but I’m just hearing from now via Document the Silence, Al Sharpton and the NAACP are taking to the streets to defend the four arrested rapists. This is despite conclusive DNA evidence and apparent photographic evidence that the rapists took on their cell phones during the attack.

Supporters of the rapists have also put out these flyers hoping to drum up support:

I am sorry to say that this flyer is a lie.

Now, I am sure that many of you are wondering how could I possibly say definitively that the flyer is a lie. After all, aren’t black men treated more harshly in the justice system than they should be? Didn’t we just protest that horrid act of injustice that took place in Jena? Al Sharpton and the Florida NAACP are just trying to make sure the standards are applied equally. What could be wrong with that?

Nothing. The problem is that these groups of teens did not commit the same crime:

In the Dunbar Village case, four teens are charged with armed sexual battery for the June crime where they allegedly forced the woman at gunpoint to have sex multiple times, including with her son. Police say the teens then used cleaning agents on the victims afterwards in an attempt to cover their crimes, including stuffing a bar of soap inside the woman. They face possible life in prison.

In the Boca case, five teens are charged with sexual battery on a helpless person because the then 13- and 14-year-old female victims had downed repeated shots of vodka .

According to the teenage boys, at least one of the girls asked in her drunkeness to have sex. Prosecutors recently amended charges so the teens cannot argue consent as a defense. The teens face of a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Sharpton said at the press conference that the Boca teens are not charged as adults like the Dunbar teens. However, all except one of the young men allegedly involved in the Boca rape have been charged as adults.

Armed sexual battery and forced incest versus sexual battery on a helpless person.

How is this the same crime?

What Tami Said has the update on the current state of affairs – apparently, Al Sharpton has backpedaled on his initial position after being questioned on a radio show; the Florida NAACP claims that they are being misrepresented. The Florida State President of the NAACP will be on the Black Women’s Roundtable podcast to answer questions about their position this Thursday.

So, the “leaders” of our community have a lot to answer to.

But that’s not the only reason I call bullshit on this flyer.

I have seen this type of defense play out before, and it angers me for two reasons.

1. It drives me absolutely insane that there are people who will try to drum up sympathy and support for those charged with a violent crime who have concrete evidence to their guilt. The DNA evidence was there. Some of those arrogant bastards used a cell phone to record what they were doing! Maybe the three boys featured on the flyer were not direct participants – but they were part of the ten boys who were there and watched this go down. There are way too many African-American males who do not get a fair shake in the justice system when they are innocent to waste time trying to feebly defend those who are most likely guilty.

2. Just because someone is your child, it does not mean that they are incapable of doing despicable things to other human beings. Rapists are human. Rapists are born to someone. And just because you remember your child as a bright promising young citizen, I can guarantee that his victim does not.

More self-disclosure. Back in when I was doing the statutory rape series, I talked about what happened to my friends and myself growing up under the gaze of older men. What I didn’t talk about was my own sexual assault, which happened to me when I was thirteen. That was done by one of the boys in the neighborhood. Someone around my age, with a reputation as a decent athlete and a bit mischievous. When he decided to assault me, he made sure to let me know he was only doing it because he could. Since the assault was not rape I did not know what to do. I did not know how to react. All I could do was change my behavior as much as I could.

A few weeks later, on the bus ride to school, we were informed that a gang rape had occurred in the neighborhood across the street from my own. One participant in the gang rape was a guy who was a friend of mine. Another participant in the gang rape was the guy who had sexually assaulted me

I heard people express confusion and disbelief – oh no, not my baby! Not him! It couldn’t be him. And yes, I was in shock when I heard that the guy I was friendly with was capable of participating in beating, raping, and sodomizing a girl who at the time was about a year younger than myself. In a strange act of cosmic coincidence, I ended up attending art of that rape trial, looking at the girl they beat, looking at the before and after pictures, having the terrible knowledge that someone you know, that you’ve hung out with, that you’ve been alone with was capable of these types of acts.

(Apparently, the parents of the guy who assaulted me were shocked as well. No one wants to believe their child could do something like that to another person. But because of my secret, I knew he was capable.)

In this case, there was also DNA evidence left at the scene of the crime. The cases moved forward and all the juveniles in question were tried as adults and are currently incarcerated.

In another act of kismet, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in about a decade last week. M & I were friends in middle school, but rarely saw each other in high school.

M asked if I knew about what happened.

I told her I did, and we quickly caught each other up on the details we knew. M was apparently much better friends with the first guy than I was. She too was shocked and horrified and kept up on the details of the same case through the first guy’s sister. Apparently, first guy is getting out early for good behavior. His sister asked M if she wanted to see him, and was surprised when M said no.

Yes, first guy’s sister may still love her brother, but M and I know him as a rapist. He is no longer the friend we thought we knew.

At some point, first guy’s family is going to have to come to terms with this. Your child did this horrible thing and he is now marked as a sex offender. He has spent the last ten years in jail. And he deserved every minute (and in my eyes, more) of his punishment.

So, while I understand crusading to protect the ones you love, we have to be able to face the truth.

Black men are not the only victims of a flawed justice system. Black women are often failed by this system in a combination of ways, starting from trying to get help from people in power who refuse to recognize a black woman can be raped. This is often reinforced by an unsympathetic community and an internal desire to protect black men from the justice system – even when it is to our own detriment. Combine these things with the psychological trauma that comes with a trial about rape and it creates a potent poison of silence, which allows more and more black women to be victimized by members of their own community.

Black men are often assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, this we know. But sometimes, they are guilty and deserve to be punished.

The Dunbar Village rape is one crime in a long list of violence and dysfunction that marks that community. This crime is horrendous. It is unacceptable. And Al Sharpton and the Florida NAACP need to step back and allow justice to be served.

—

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

http://www.dunbarvillage.blogspot.com/
http://adifferentstory.wordpress.com/
http://anonymissblog.blogspot.com/
http://auntjemimasrevenge.blogspot.com/
http://blackfirewhitefire.blogspot.com/
http://blackwomenvote.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/
http://www.somethingwithin.com/blog

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don't ya wish your girlfriend was smart like me? on 10 Apr 2008 at 8:49 pm

Recommended Reading…

And excellent recap of the defense of the rapists in the Dunbar Village incident by the NAACP and Al Sharpton, who are protesting the rapists’ arrest because they out to be treated the same as in another incident involving white individuals. …

Comments

lunanoire wrote:

Thanks for the post. This is an unfortunate example of how one community (not the only one) uses racism to excuse sexism, broadly speaking. As an African American, I am sick of so-called-leaders highlighting examples of racism in the criminal justice system when the offenders were clearly guilty, but too frequently ignoring black-on-black crime, including sex crimes. Where can a black woman feel safe and protected when she is too often devalued both inside and outside her community? To those who are fighting the good fight on this issue, I applaud you.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 7:26 am ¶
Uhura wrote:

Not a tale of physical rape-but along the same lines:

A male in college STOLE an idea that I had come up with.

He told me flatly and frankly that he was going to steal it and he told me he was doing it because he could.

He proudly stated that he was doing this because no one would believe me since I am a Black female.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 8:02 am ¶
JustPlainOl'Me wrote:

A few comments about the flyer:

1) I find it interesting that they selected those photos. I would think that it’d be easier to drum up greater sympathy if the pictures didn’t feature the kids dressed in wife-beaters (top pic) or looking like they are lined up for a mug shot (bottom pic). Maybe I’m showing my age (31) or some unknown bias, but if my child were in this sort of trouble and I’m trying to rally support, I’m finding a nice suit and tie photo.

2) It makes me cringe slightly that they spelled “treasured” wrong. I’m no editing genius (and this post likely has mistakes), but it is hard to take the claims seriously when you almost say that the kids should be tasered.

3) I’m surprised that they chose to use the U.S. flag in the background. Sorry that I have nothing more substantive to say about that point – I just plain find it curious.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 8:49 am ¶
Keke wrote:

Rape is definitely about trying to abuse power. In my gender studies classes, we often talked about how some rapists commit rapes because they often feel that the victims are powerless and that they can get away with it. Often women don’t even report a rape because they feel they will not be believed or supported.

The same thing occurred to a friend of mine who is also an African American female. She was raped by her best friend’s boyfriend who basically told her that he was going to get away with it and there was nothing she could do about it. When she tried to tell her best friend, her best friend did not believe her because he was a handsome star athlete who could “have anyone he wanted,” and that she was just “jealous”. My friend kept that secret inside her for years after that, feeling violated and alone.

That’s why seeing campaigns such as these make me angry. It adds to the problem of women not feeling like they can come forward and prosecute the men that have hurt them and prevent such a crime from happening again. With campaigns like this, it’s almost as if the victims are violated all over again. It’s shocking when people you know have committed a crime, but it’s equally shocking when people try to excuse their behavior.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 11:25 am ¶
Roxie wrote:

This post was really confusing to me! Until I clicked the link and read about Al Sharpton defending them, I couldn’t understand what the issue was.

I didn’t understand it was two groups of teens and I’d *never* heard of the Boca case.

I’m suprised. Last Summer Sharpton was heavily condeming the Dunbar Village case

thank you for sharing your story

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 11:48 am ¶
Alston wrote:

Clearly Sharpton did not think things through, but I can’t quite believe that he would actually try to defend the actions of the Dunbar rapists. He simply saw two gang rape cases and compared the treatment of the black defendants in one to the treatment of the white defendants in the other. He did not have any regard for the very important details of the case. This is carelessness, which we should probably expect from him, but not an actual endorsement of the crime, or any real defense of the indefensible.

He should have compared the Boca case to a similar case with black defendants where they did not get bail. I would think that this would be rather simple to do for someone with his resources.

For the record, Sharpton should be heavily chastised for his comments, not only because he made an inappropriate comparison, but also because he compromised the integrity of the struggle of blacks in the American justice system.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 12:23 pm ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:

@ Latoya–a bouquet of thanks for sharing your story of survival. As another rape survivor, I feel you, gurl…I’m also glad you called BS on this flyer.

@ JustPlainOl’Me: I like your third point about the flyer. I’m not surprised that the flag was chosen because the creator(s) hopes the flag will be a visual trigger for the viewer (who, say, may be a potential juror at the trial) that assailants deserving that beloved American ideal, justice. It also plays with the idea that, along with the photos, young Black men–and Black men in general–don’t get justice in the US. Not that the justice would be, in this particular case, these young men go to jail and serve a lifetime sentence for the atrocity they committed or anything. :-@

It’s interesting that the creator(s) used another knee-jerk, trite phrase: “Young African American Males…An Endangered Species.” I hate hate hate this phrase because 1) it (once again) cast Black men as beasts and 2) it advantages Black men as deserving uncritical sympathy. I’m *not* saying that Black men have been fairly treated by the criminal system and by this society in general; what I am saying is that it keeps us fretful about about the scarcity of Black men so we’re fearful of sending truly guilty ones to prison because we’re scared of losing “one more.” Too, too often, that uncritical sympathy comes at the expense of Black women and children, especially girls. I agree: as Black women. we’re told that we can’t be raped or we have to take it silently for The Race.

These teenagers consciously (camera-phone, for Chrissakes?!?!?) did something viciously and disgustingly and atrociously wrong, period. No amount of race loyalty is going to change that.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 12:57 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:

I hope that what Sharpton meant was that the white rapists in the one case should have been treated harsher, not that the black rapists in the Dunbar Village case should have be treated lighter. Although obviously the crimes are very, very different, it seems strange to me that a case of statutory rape (with victims 13 and 14) who couldn’t give consent (because of intoxicated) should be treated more strictly than they have been.

However, to compare that case to the one in Dunbar Village seems to me to be absurd. The severity of the crime is clearly different. If Sharpton had wanted to point out the disparity between the treatment of white/black defendents, these were bad cases to choose.

As for the poster — it’s is disturbing, to say the least. It angers me to see the rhetoric of anti-racism used not only to defend people who are clearly guilty but also to gloss over an assault on a woman of color. It’s basically saying that the only people of color who should be defended are men.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:08 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

TCS –

Girl, I am so sorry. I am not a fellow rape survivor, which is why I am very specific in the language I use. But I feel you on the sexual violence front. This shit has to stop.

“Too, too often, that uncritical sympathy comes at the expense of Black women and children, especially girls. I agree: as Black women. we’re told that we can’t be raped or we have to take it silently for The Race.”

Too true, too true.

Anon –

Yes, that’s what we can hope, but since he was stumping for the Dunbar Village crew, I doubt it.

Keke –

Yes, exactly. You nailed the situation right on the head. The problem is that so many people won’t believe you – or will write things off because the guy is cute and popular.

Uhura –

Yes, that is a parallel. There is also the idea that certain people’s words hold more weight than others.

lunanoire –

“Where can a black woman feel safe and protected when she is too often devalued both inside and outside her community?”

I am still wondering the answer to that question.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:14 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

“I am sorry to say that this flyer is a lie.”

I was hoping that you were saying that the flyer was a hoax! Despicable. I remember being sexually harassed by a litany of people throughout my school years, so I can relate somewhat to the idea that even the victimized are expected to “go easy on them”, because “boys will be boys” with a healthy dose of “black men have it so hard, we can’t let the system get them/can’t let their lives be ruined over something as trivial as some girls’ word/personal space/dignity”. Screw that… and screw Al Sharpton, unless he’s demanding harsher punishment for the actions of the white teens who’s actions he deems equivalent (then in my mind, he becomes somewhat misguided, as opposed to outright malevolent).

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:28 pm ¶
Fatemeh wrote:

I remember reading about this case. It horrified me and broke my heart.
The fact that there are flyers in SUPPORT of the men who did this horrifies me doubly. I am speechless. Do these supporters honestly believe that this woman would MAKE THIS UP? Really? REALLY?!

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:34 pm ¶
The Cruel Secretary wrote:

@ Latoya–
I apologize for my statement, friend. All love…

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:43 pm ¶
marge twain wrote:

Al Sharpton has actually done a lot of good works in his life; now I think it’s too bad he’s the media’s favorite “black community” representative.
As it is, no violent criminals get as much sympathy as rapists and no crime victims are thought to be responsible for what was done to them as rape victims are. Imagine if a robbery victim was assumed to have been showing off his money or told he should have fought back and that he thus didn’t establish clearly enough that he didn’t want to be robbed. I hate the pro-rape mentality of our society that wants to protect men from false accusations and assumes that rape accusations are false, especially coming from women of color. I say this as a rape survivor who faced this from my own female friends.
DivergentDana, you’re right, he would do much better to demand equally harsh treatment for the Boca teens or fight against some legitimate injustice like the number of black women who are raped and assaulted and thought, still, to be the rightful property of men.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:01 pm ¶
Celeste wrote:

I don’t know if anyone else has heard the phrase that “black women raise their daughters but spoil their sons”. There si something very odd in the way that if there’s a choice between a male and a female in out community we tend to side with the male more often than not.
Where did this come from? It’s probably multifactorial but I have trouble imagining this same response in another community that supposedly has equal status for women. That whole “we can’t let the system get them” thing is perverse because that means it’s okay for them to get us. It also extends to that horrible “No snitching” phenomenon. Murders of black youthes in Boston had spiked recently and the police had to put this huge effort into getting witnesses to help in the prosecution of the cases. It’s insane. We can’t expect for others to value our lives and bodies if we don’t. I don’t think many people are going to understand that they can’t shoot, beat up and rape anyone of certain group unless they’re a member of it. Is it like the n-word or nappy-headed hoes or something? If your’e black just drop the n-bomb and rape with impunity? Would Al Sharpton be fighting for equal justice if the defendents were non-black?
Certain segments of our community have to understand that some things are always unacceptable even if the person doing them is black.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:14 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:

I’m with Fatemah on this one. This is the first time I’ve heard about this and I’m just speechless. How the HELL can you possibly justify something like this? Yes, Black men in America tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to the courts, and there’s been numerous cases where victims were coerced into confessions or simply the wrong dude period.

This is clearly NOT one of these cases. These goons gang-raped someone, forced them to commit incest with their own child (while taking happy snaps of the whole thing) and for a grand finale tried to set them on fire…and now we are supposed to feel sorry for them and feel like they are getting a raw deal? GTFO.

What on earth was AL Sharpton and these flyer creators thinking?

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 4:30 pm ¶
*M* wrote:

“Why is the black community so willing to sacrifice its women for its men?”

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 6:23 pm ¶
R. Prince wrote:

Shame on whoever supports these teens, especially Sharpton whose only motivation to speak out against crime, I believe, comes when it’s crimes against blacks by whites… quite hypocritical if you ask me.
This case broke my heart… I feel for both victims. These teens did something EXTREMELY horrific and they are quite young leaving me to suspect like with many young adolescents, their ability to make sound decisions is still quite underdeveloped and this may be especially evident within bad/poor neighborhoods with negative influences/peers. It’s such a shame and far too late for an intervention..the parents should have paid more attention to what their children were doing and the type of ppl. they were hanging out with. I hope in vain as I do with all prisoners of violent crimes that they get mental help while behind bars so that they hopefully will not come out the same ppl. they went in if they eventually find themselves on the other side of prison gates.

Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 7:00 pm ¶
bdsista wrote:

I emailed Michael Baisden, Tom Joyner and Steve Harvey’s shows. So we’ll see if they address it it some form. Hmm, I will also contact TV one and BET and see what they do as well.

I am a survivor as well, but he was killed in a drug buy gone bad. Sounds bad, but yes I was relieved. Nothing can compare to the terror that rises in your body and constricts your throat like the presence of your assaulter. In my case it was date rape, and NO ONE would have believed me had I prosecuted. Fortunately my friends stuck by me and that’s the only reason I am sane today. Stay strong sisters!

Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 10:26 am ¶
Natalie wrote:

I actually wrote a blog about this some time ago… well more specifically on the topic of Black Women as victims and it being overlooked in the media. If anyone is bored enough to read my ranting.. lol go for it. My language can sometimes be a little “crass” but I speak My mind. I tend to give shoutouts to racialicious because hey… its by far the most insightful blog I’ve come across in awhile.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseactio
n=blog.listAll&friendID=313634&startID=323461472&StartPostedDate=2007-10-29%2010:08:00&next=1&page=3&Mytoken=2A9E4E13-1483-4475-B095B285E189C2D611103744

I have nothing to say about Al Sharpton.. I’m just tired of him.. sick and tired. You would think after the entire Brawley incident he would pick and choose his battles more wisely. It’s disgraceful that he would support these teenagers. DNA sure as hell doesn’t lie

Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 11:17 am ¶
gatamala wrote:

Thank you Latoya.

Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 11:20 am ¶
Sewere wrote:

Latoya,

Thanks to you Tami, Gina, Cara, Yolanda and all the folks who are bringing this issue to light.

To support the perpetrators of this vile crime is an insult to the struggle for equal justice and fair treatment for black women and men.

Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 5:30 pm ¶
Minister Vazquez wrote:

Thank you so much for raising awareness about this issue!

This media-baiting of some black organizations and some black leaders MUST CEASE!

You’re doing a great job addressing racism.

KEEP THE FIRE!
Lisa

http://blackwomenblowthetrumpet.blogspot.com

Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 9:00 pm ¶