I am troubled. I could not sleep having read the numbers and thought of the implications they held. The severity of them stands out, with a stark foreboding nature. And I think you will agree.

The numbers I speak of come from USAToday, and the Pew Research Center. Simply stated, African American kids are more likely to make less than their parents. Specifically this is what was found for middle-class Blacks, a group of individuals that is incredibly small and decreasing every day. In that group 70% of the children made less money than their parents, while virtually 70% of White children of middle-class parents made more. And if you are wondering, this is from October 2007 hardly ancient times.

What this implies is very straight forward. Life as an African American is about to get much more difficult rather than better. And this is the situation when there are more Blacks involved with government, business, and entertainment than perhaps ever in the history of the United States. Is it any surprise that when asked 56% of Blacks see things getting worse, or that Whites asked the same question had the same percentage (56%) saw the future for Blacks improving.

I can hardly imagine a more problematic situation for the nation. On one end we have the very real perception that fewer are doing better held by African Americans, and the other is a cheerful belief that life is getting better held by Whites. Is there any wonder that so many question why there is such an uproar when events like Genarlow Wilson, Megan Williams, or the Jena 6 occur? Blacks see things becoming more like the 1950’s and Whites see a hoped for future envisioned in the late 1960’s.

The window dressing looks fantastic. Figureheads like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Denzel Washington, Bill Cosby and Senator Barack Obama are making strides that my grand-parents could only dream of. Yet, fewer children stand a chance of gaining even a portion of such success in their adulthood. And that means strife. And strife inevitably equates to violence.

The question arises why this is happening. Some will say it’s the fact that Blacks fail to be involved in their community. Others claim it’s a lack of education. There is the question of the loss of the 2 parent family, and the impact of major media promoting base, generally illegal, violent aspects of culture. I believe they are all factors to different degrees.

Given that, why would Whites have an entirely opposite belief of what the current status is? Thinking about it, and speaking with a friend that is in a mixed marriage, I would say that it’s because of the figureheads they see. Because Senator Obama is running for President, and Condoleezza Rice is Secretary of State, and the apparent opulence of a few, very visible entertainers (mostly rappers in this case) the impression is that things must be better in general as 20 or 30 years ago you did not see this. That of course is the assumption of thinking what you see in one is common for all.

While there are dramatically more African Americans in politics today (elected office or in the executive branch) there is no difference in injustices in the legal system (as I am aware). 30 years ago a Black man would get sentenced harsher than a White for the same crime, and violence against a White virtually guaranteed a life sentence or the death penalty. That has not changed. In the 1990’s Rodney King was viciously beaten by cops that were acquitted, last year Sean Bell and 3 Black men were shot (he was killed) multiple times by 5 police officers without cause (no viable proof was ever provided to my knowledge). There is no difference.

Yet many might point to the success of OJ Simpson as an example of the correction in the balance of the law. And I would have to counter that for over a decade he has been hounded by the media with the carefully worded accusation of guilty ever since. And there are the examples I cited earlier, which are a mere handful of cases that show a consistent trend in the media and legal system.

Continued in part 2...

Labels: African American, Bill Cosby, Denzel Washington, Genarlow Wilson, jena 6, Megan Williams, oj simpson, Pew Research Center, Senator Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, USAToday

Continued from Facts are not as important as myths Part 1...

Then think of this. See how many news stories are followed up when the criminal is found to be a White person. See how quickly stories are dropped when a crime is horrendous or obviously racially motivated by Whites.

I offer these examples:

Megan Williams was tortured, raped multiple times by White males and females, stabbed, choked with a noose, had boiling water poured on her, and perhaps more. The story garnered less than 5 minutes of national news media attention to date (to my knowledge)

The Jena 6 case was on-going for months before the media bothered to mention 1 comment on the injustice there. The fact that nooses were used was ignored as being a hate crime – by definition – and the dozen or so cases of nooses being found around the nation got maybe 2 minutes of attention. The death threats from White supremacists against the 6 Black boys received another minute of attention

The case of the White teen being beaten by 6 Blacks received 1 ½ day of coverage until the exact moment that the police in Norfolk stated on national news that this was not a racially motivated case and that there was provocations made by the White teen. Not another second of the case has aired since.

The Duke Rape case was followed for over a year. From the first day media pundits and news anchors disputed the credibility of the victim. Every step of the case and prosecution was questioned, and every facet about the victim’s life and friends was reported promptly. In every reference to the White males the word innocent was used.

Every week since the OJ Simpson trial ended, a reference to OJ being a criminal and guilty of the murders he was found INNOCENT of (by a jury of his peers that included White jurors) has been made and continues to be made. Virtually every case that involves the murder of a woman, especially if an African American is involved or questioned, brought up references to OJ and claims of his guilt.

Prior to the Bobby Cutts case, a White male killed his wife and 3 kids. He was investigated and was arrested. His arrest occurred at the funeral for his family. He blamed, as I recall, his wife for the crime. The entire case got 1 hour of coverage, most of it occurring prior to the start of the Bobby Cutts case. I doubt most Americans can name the state where the murders occurred in, the family’s name, or the industry that the White male held.

Continued in part 3...

Labels: Bobby Cutts, Duke rape case, jena 6, Jessie Davis, Megan Williams, news media, oj simpson, racial controversy

It’s amazing what a mere 6 months allow. In this minor amount of time Reverend Jesse Jackson seems to have forgotten, and hopes we have as well, his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama. That’s funny.

“He has my vote,” the Rev. Jackson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

“I just have an appreciation of him,” Jackson said.

That was on March 29th of this year. But on Sept. 19th the comments from Rev. Jackson seemed anything but supportive, or the words of a friend.

“Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for “acting like he’s white” in what Jackson said has been a tepid response to six black juveniles’ arrest on attempted-murder charges in Jena, La. Jackson, who also lives in Illinois, endorsed Obama in March, according to The Associated Press.

“If I were a candidate, I’d be all over Jena,…”

Wow. Talk about a reversal of position.

Let’s get a couple of things clear on this. I don’t think that Rev. Jackson really cares about Sen. Obama winning. Jesse Jackson Jr. may but not his father. That presumption explains the comments about the Jena 6 and how Sen. Obama acts.

By the way, Rev. Jackson would be all over the Jena 6 as a presidential candidate, but as a civil rights leader, and a news media declared “leader” of African Americans, he has had virtually nothing to say about this case? I mean though this has finally gotten attention, enough to have been part of questions asked to President Bush in his press conference today (roughly at 11am), it is hardly a new thing. Black bloggers have long been speaking on this, for months. The major news media just ignored all the commentary on the case. And I am unaware of Rev. Jackson, or Rev. Al Sharpton, stepping up and making a national press conference on the matter.

That is not only hypocritical, it’s wrong. Rev. Jackson and Sharpton have the ability to bring many issues to the media that the rest of us have to work 10,000x harder to bring to light. Yet they are quiet on many until they can get the limelight, even if at the cost to others in my opinion. Take the example of Ms. Megan Williams.

I’ve already commented on the horrendous crime inflicted on Ms. Williams. I have already criticized the major news media for their failure to follow this story, especially when they choose to cover nonsense like Britney Spears and every single nuance and footstep of OJ Simpson. I was not alone. Several bloogers, were on this at about the same time and some made similar points about their local and national major news media outlets. I heard nothing from Rev. Jackson or Sharpton. They STILL have not mentioned anything about the case.

So I have to say, with due respect, that Rev. Jackson should stop throwing his stones because his glass house is already massively cracked.

And will the media stop saying that Rev. Jackson and Al Sharpton are leaders of African Americans. There was no vote. No one asked my opinion nor any other Black person in America. The news media made up that claim. The news media wants them to be in the limelight as opposed to others that may well deserve it. Some might say that both reverends are the lapdogs of the news media, which is far worse than being accused of “acting white”.

More on the “acting white” thing.

Labels: African American, Al Sharpton, britney spears, jena 6, Jesse Jackson, Megan Williams, oj simpson, Senator Barack Obama

Continued from Media and justice equal?

“For the last year we have seen anger in white men about the miscarriage of justice they claimed occurred against these kids. In the last year they have had a chance to get a taste of the imbalance that can occur when a prosecutor decides he wants to go after a defendant. They got a glimpse of what Black men get all the time.”

But I am not the only voice in this matter. I have not been the only one to question the ‘innoccence’ of they boys. Has everyone forgotten that this incident started because these ‘upstanding young men’ decided that they needed to call an escort service to have women perform sex acts with a broomstick, while they engaged in under-age drinking?

“… ive decided to have some strippers over to eden 2c. all are welcome.. howerver there will be no nudity. I plan on killing the bitches as soon as the walk in and proceding to cut their skin off while cumming in my duke issue spandex.. “

Innocent of the charges but not innocent individuals, though the media has glanced way past this.

But when was the last time that Black defendants received this same level of positive coverage by the media or the justice system? What case can you name?

In the OJ Simpson case the nation displayed a

reaction to seeing how dismayed whites were when the legal system worked for a Black man in the same way that it had worked for whites all too many times. The intelligence of the mostly Black jury was questioned by the media and became a national punch line on late night television.

The Rodney King case, which prompted the riots, had many

figured the case for police brutality was pretty obvious. Everything you needed to know was right there on video. Instead many white people accepted the LAPD’s defense that King was a threat and the Simi Valley jury’s acquittal of the officers. The juror’s intelligence was never questioned the way the jurors in the O.J. trial was.

Beyond this, how many cases have we heard where an ambiguous African American was the perpetrator only to learn that the actual criminal was the supposed victim. How many times has an African American been arrested based solely on this presumption, and the media demanded their conviction with the harshest penalties only to become completely silent when the truth becomes known?

Injustice is not a Black and White issue, according to the law. Inequality under the law is a fact of life. Now that former D.A. Nifong has been quickly disbarred, the alleged rapists decried innocent of their charges, purported millions paid to their families, and the original victim discredited by the media – who have released her name and image – what happens next?

[I have to mention that I have never heard of a case, no matter the outcome, where an alleged rape victim’s name, image and virtually their address has been released to the public and promoted on several broadcasts. It was an unheard of act, but in this case, for this woman, there was an exception of what was previously a media rule.]

Will the justice system and the media start treating all defendants the same? Will Blacks be defended vigorously when potentially involved in an event? Well just observe the coverage on the missing mother Jessie Davis. Perhaps the father-to-be is guilty, but the media seems sure of it. These kinds of cases often involve someone close to the victim so it could be. But if you compare the questions and amount of coverage being directed to the father-to-be versus the coverage and questions of the man whose entire family was found dead in a car, you see a big difference.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Labels: African American, american justice, Duke rape case, Jessie Davis, oj simpson, Rodney King trial

Here is something that really hits home. This involves the Duke Rape Case, OJ Simpson, and the Justice system in America, the Rodney King riots and the news media. While one might think at a glance that none of these events could be linked the fact is that at their core they all are based in the same situation. It is that core that needs to be discussed more.

The question of injustice is always a hotbed discussion and something that gets the mouths of news media executives watering. It means ratings, and usually can be pumped for days sometimes weeks in a row. It’s something that every American has a viewpoint on, and sometimes the entire world wants to comment about. Injustice is the reason why our legal system was created and theoretically works to fight. Yet, it is the most obvious lie known to everyone but rarely ever seriously acted on.

The most recent image of injustice has been the Duke Rape case. Currently the nation was obsessed with the proof of innocence of the boys accused. For a year there has been constant attention to evidence, procedure, witnesses, the alleged victim, and what might have happened.

What was obscured in all this focused attention was the cause of the situation, the motivation for the claimed event, the prior environment leading to that day, and the immediate aftermath before the media got involved. The statement that the Duke students are ‘innocent’ was more powerful than any other fact.

I’ve spoken about the case from time to time

“Like most racial cases there is an opinion being promoted. Like the OJ trials, where a rich man used the best lawyers he could afford to defend himself, and police officers (or at least Mr. Furman) manipulated evidence. Yet the media screamed guilt though we are supposed to be presumed innocent. Or the case of Mr. Daryl Littlejohn. And I look at how the media downplayed the Bensonhurst murder, or Chapaquidiq (I know the spelling is wrong) or the beating of Mr. Rodney King. These are not extremes, and they are relevant. In cases of racial tension the media always picks a side.”

And then there was

“This is not what I would call fair or balanced reporting. Considering that perhaps millions hear your words and determine the facts of the case based on your reporting, I feel you have done a disservice to this News event. The coverage of this matter demands more than 30 seconds of airtime. It also begs an impartial coverage of the facts as they exist and not a view that implies, presents, and influences thoughts to one side or another.”

Most recently I mentioned...

Continued in Part 2...

Labels: american justice, Duke rape case, oj simpson, Rodney King trial

Well I just want to say a quick word on the Duke Rape case. Now that the 3 guys have had the charges dropped, a year of equality in the justice system has ended. I’m serious.

For the last year we have seen anger in white men about the miscarriage of justice they claimed occurred against these kids. In the last year they have had a chance to get a taste of the imbalance that can occur when a prosecutor decides he wants to go after a defendant. They got a glimpse of what Black men get all the time.

There is no question that if this was the Duke basketball team, and there were 3 Black Americans charged with raping a white stripper, they would have been convicted regardless of the DNA evidence or changes in the victims story. I have no doubt of this. Every media source would have been screaming for their conviction from day one. I have no doubt of this.

But in this case they got a moment of what it feels like to be railroaded. And the net effect is that the system has flaws, and many of them are based in race. Those race based flaws are not in favor of African Americans, but when they sway the other way they seem to get America’s attention. It’s like the one other notable case that America can’t get past, OJ Simpson’s trial.

When the system works in favor of people of color to the same degree it works against them, people lose their minds. It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious. And now the cries of how the boys lives have been destroyed. I don’t think so. Several of the kids from the team have graduated, with decent (3.52 gpa’s as I recall) grades and no backlash. A couple of the kids have returned to Duke to continue their college. They all have been exonerated. The email that was sent after the alleged rape has been forgotten a long time ago.

The kids had a very bad year. How many times do we see African Americans that are released from prison because evidence is found, or the case is reviewed and bias is determined as the reason for their conviction? That is a life ruined. This is just a life that has been in discomfort for the lacrosse team. I don’t feel bad for them.

I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again. I want to see the media put this kind of pressure and influence behind a Black defendant the next time there is a questionable case. I want to hear the media declarations of innocence for a poor black kid. It won’t happen, but I’d like to see that. Especially from those that are losing their impartiality at Fox News.

And I’d love to see the outrage when, let just say as an example, 2 teenage white girls rob a bank in the south let’s say near Atlanta (without weapons) and the charges are dropped from a felony charge to misdemeanors even though they were caught on tape doing this felony crime, and witnesses saw them, and they bragged about it as they went on a shopping spree for 2 days afterwards. Robbing a bank is a felony, where is the outrage at the miscarriage of justice there? Do you think for a second I would be treated in anything like the same casual, light-handed treatment?

Wait a second. Fox News is going to reveal the name of the accusing rape victim?? Even without the charges, this is a wrong thing. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Yeah, this is fair. And her PHOTO!!! So this is fair? What a nice first. And her age and family background. Might as well give away her address. And her past history!!! This is so wrong.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Labels: Duke rape case, legal system, oj simpson, rape allegations