Black Woman at the Intersection: Sean Penn vs. Lee Daniels

This is not going to be some super thoughtful post such as one Tammy Winfrey Harris would write. This post is just me saying, "What the hell!" Sean Penn has filed a $1,000,000 defamation lawsuit against Lee Daniels, the man behind Fox's saucy, ground-breaking, hit show Empire. And as a black person who is also a woman, here I am squished at the intersection of being female and black. To whom should I remain loyal in this situation, a wealthy black man pointing out the plight of black people or women who are also opppressed? What is my opinion and why did Daniels and Penn have to go public with their jackass behavior?

On one side we have Penn pulling a typical white male of privilege move. He's suing a black man for millions of dollars for saying something numerous white-owned magazines have reported for decades.

And on the other side we have Daniels, a successful black man who seems to be more concerned about defending a man who's admitted to beating women than he is to finding a better way to tell reporters, "Stop asking us about that." He instead said something that gives the impression that it may be okay for Howard to beat women because white men do it all the time and get away with it. I know that's not what he meant, but it feels like he's in the ballpark of that poor logic.

The Penn-Daniels feud began with Daniels's statement in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter regarding one of the Empire stars, Terrence Howard. In an effort to defend Howard against constant questions about his domestic violence incidents, Daniels called out racism and brought up Penn's name along with Marlon Brando's in a "white guys have all the luck" kind of way. (He should have gone for Sean Connery, too, while he was at it.)

"[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f—in' demon," says Daniels. "That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America."

See what Daniels tried to do there? But his deflection game is off.

He's alluding to the the double standard to which black men are held versus white men. And it's true that black men are berated and punished more harshly than white men for the same crimes. But Lee, really? Who writes this man's talking points, and why didn't he follow the advice given to everyone else working on Empire? If asked about Howard, say nothing.

I can possibly understand why Daniels, as Empire's co-creator, thought he should speak out, but he definitely said the wrong thing because:

1. Howard has beaten women.
2. It's never a good idea to defend yourself or others by saying, "Well, Johnny over there is also guilty."

Here is what Daniels could have said, "Terrence knows he was wrong. He has admitted to his deeds, and he's trying to change. How does constantly bringing it up help him work through this?"

Let me stop here a moment and say, "It is wrong for men to beat women." And "It is wrong for men to beat women."

But Penn, you also have a lot of nerve.

Multiple entertainment and gossip news sources, such as Huffington Post and TMZ, report Penn's lawsuit claims:

Daniels' statements are "egregious," as well as "reckless and malicious," as Howard has "reportedly, and publicly, admitted to physically abusing at least one woman and reportedly been arrested approximately five times for violent acts against women." As such, Penn finds the comparison to the "Empire" star to be untrue, claiming that while he has had brushes with the law, "Penn (unlike Howard) has never been arrested, much less convicted for domestic violence, as his ex-wives (including Madonna) would confirm and attest.'

It may be true that Penn was never arrested or convicted of domestic violence, but Daniels's statement was neither "egregious" nor "malicious." Reckless? Maybe -- but not for the reasons Penn says. It was a reckless statement because Daniels should have avoided saying anything that sounded like he was defending a man who's admitted to beating women.

Maybe Penn's suing because he is hard up for cash and craves the spotlight again. He also claims that Daniels mentioned him to get publicity for Empire. Again, really, Penn? Who's riding high right now, you or Empire? Didn't your last film, The Gunman, lose money?

As far as malice goes, that's probably just lawyer talk. Unless Penn's attorney can prove that Daniels has some seething beef against Penn, it's hard to argue malice. The lawsuit is probably just blowing smoke, too. A cease and desist letter telling Daniels that Penn has never been arrested or charged with such an act and maybe a public statement saying, "I want Daniels to stop it" would have sufficed. All the lawsuit is doing is reminding a new generation that Penn used to be extremely volatile and violent. I mean, how many people under 30 would know that Penn spent time in jail for assault without this lawsuit spotlighting him?

It's even difficult to argue that what Daniels said was egregious because Daniels is only slightly older than I am, so we're of a generation that recalls Penn's former life as Hollywood's bad boy.

About 30 years ago or so, I recall, stories that police had to go to Penn's home because his then-wife, Madonna, accused him of domestic violence. As that screen shot shows, the Associated press reported the story in 1989. Did Penn sue the AP wire? Has Penn been suing every publication and news show that's repeated the story since then?

Madonna's accusations may have been purely her speaking in anger because the pair was going through a vicious divorce, but it's also true that due to Penn's repeated run-ins with police for punching people in the face and hitting at least one guy over the head with a bottle, it's reasonable that Daniels and everyone else who read an article like the AP story back then to have believed that Madonna was telling the truth.

That the superstar dropped the charges against her husband later means nothing. Any divorce lawyer will tell you that women are pressured to drop domestic violence charges all the time, and many do. "Do you want him to have this on his record? This will ruin his career. He won't be able to bring in any income." That's usually the kind of thing women are told. So, some of these women decide not to see a prosecution through, especially if they feel guilty about their part in the fight or split. They know the American justice system prefers pure victims.

Did Sean Penn hit Madonna? I don't know, and if he did, he's probably not that man now. I think that he's matured and has learned to control himself. He's also tried to help people and do more good in the world. Still, is his getting in a huff and suing Daniels is a sign that Penn is regressing?

I believe that like anyone else Penn, as well as Howard, wishes people will stop bringing up his past misdeeds whatever they may be. Nonetheless, my questions to him are: Why doesn't that 1989 AP story say something like, "Penn denies ever hitting his estranged wife?"

Also, Daniels didn't start the rumor that Penn has beaten a woman. Madonna did that. Why isn't he suing her and the many publications that have since then reported the accusation? Why is Daniels his target?

The Chloe Goins Cosby Accusation Is Awfully Convenient

As almost anyone who knows me will attest, I am not a Bill Cosby defender. I wrote a long post weeks ago explaining why I think the 77-year-old mega-star is guilty. But I've also acknowledged that not all the women may be telling the truth. Some may be pilers-on for whatever reason.

Piler-on: a person, for instance, who hears about a big, public bus accident, claims they were injured in the accident, but later it's discovered that the person wasn't actually on the bus. That's where I see the 24-year-old Chloe Goins. The bus wreck here is the rape and sexual assault accusations exploding against Cosby, and Goins, or maybe someone behind Goins, is trying to cash in. She's piling on. (I apologize Ms. Goins if I'm wrong about you, but I'm saying what I fee.)

Her accusation that Cosby drugged and possibly molested her at the Playboy Mansion when she was 18 feels off, and that it happened in 2008--on the cusp of probable statutes of limitations expiration--seems rather convenient.

Goins is not saying that Cosby raped her. I want to make that clear. So, she's not taking on the stigma of being a rape victim. She says she can't be sure what Cosby (allegedly) did to her but alleges that she woke up to find him masturbating while licking her toes. The timing of her allegation after so many others whose allegations are beyond prosecution flashes like a big red light in my head.

Again for emphasis, my distrust of her is strictly a gut feeling. She could be telling the absolute truth, and like many victims of sexual assault or molestation, she may not have come forward because she was afraid. Cosby is a powerful, older man after all, and she, just six years ago, was a naive girl at the Playboy Mansion possibly afraid no one would believe her for no other reason than she was at the Playboy Mansion. But of all the women who've come forward, she's the one who strikes me as someone who, after having read all the other accusations, had time to think and manufacture a similar testimony.

Also, of all the other women, Goins seems the most like someone who could turn her accusation into a bonanza. She's white, young, and attractive with that bleached blonde, starlet vibe. Or as Prince could have said to someone like her, "U got the look."  She may have more to gain with this accusation and with time before the cameras than she has to lose.

Interestingly, in an interview with Chris Hayes on MSNBC, her attorney, Spencer Kurvin, made a comment last night that indicates he's aware that Goins has a lot to gain. He seemed not to include his client when he spoke of the other women who had come forward with nothing to gain. However he did say that his client risks criminal prosecution for false reporting if it's shown that her story is not true and taking that risk, as well as enduring the emotional difficulty of making such an accusation, gives her credibility.

His comments aside, when I say Goins is attractive, I'm not talking strictly about physical attractiveness. I'm talking about her appearing to be a carefully crafted marketing package, a "commodity." In the picture to the left, as she stands before photographers outside the LAPD building, she has the style and composure of someone with a smoothly constructed public image to maintain.

She also seems like someone who would understand that no matter how her case turns out--Cosby guilty or not guilty--a book deal and celebrity status may be right around the corner.

No, I'm not saying she's a slut nor am I attempting to shame her for her past as Radar Online and others seem determined to do. I'm saying she impresses me in this moment as an opportunist.

Okay. So, take away my feminist card!

Can I be wrong here? Of course I can. Will I be sorry to learn from facts that her story is true? Yes, I will because that will mean she's been abused. If her story is true, then I feel truly sorry for her. No woman should have her body touched sexually without her permission.

And I even admit now that I may be biased against her because she has that stereotypical lean and hungry look for fame. But just as I've shared my opinion on Cosby, I'm sharing it on her accusation. Fishy, fishy, fishy. Cosby is probably guilty of molesting some other woman, but I doubt that he's guilty of molesting Goins. And I usually lean toward giving victims of alleged sexual assault the benefit of the doubt.

On another note, you'd think by now Cosby could have found the accuser with the shakiest story and offered her money to recant. A recanter would cast a shadow on all his accusers, appearing to confirm the suspicions of the Cosby faithful, even some of the Cosby wobbly. They are desperate for anything they can find to logically discredit accusers of America's Dad.

Some Cosby apologists have concocted intricate conspiracy theories about the allegations. (I stress allegations because Bill Cosby has not been charged with any crime.) I've heard everything from the women plotted together to get his money to the mainstream media planned the whole thing because they live to bring black men down. I've even heard that white supremacists have brainwashed black people who believe the women. Yep. I've heard such craziness. Somebody, please, please make it stop.

Dear Friends Still Defending Bill Cosby At All Cost

Dear Friend:

I apologize for my long response about allegations against Bill Cosby. To help you decide whether you'll read my entire thought process, you should know that this letter is divided into three parts. The first part laments the disillusionment that comes with considering these allegations against him and shares the background of what I know about Bill Cosby having seen him on TV since the 1960s, read about him in print, and heard about him in the news over the last five decades. The second part (here) tells you what I think about the accusations and why I've drawn the conclusions I've drawn that do not favor him. The third part questions societal beliefs about women.

I've written so much on this topic because I would like to stop repeating myself to people who insist that the accusations against Cosby are ridiculous because he's never been charged with a crime, and it's unfair to think he may have done anything wrong. "There's been no trial and everyone's innocent until proven guilty," they say, "So, I wish you all would shut up about Dr. Cosby (he has a Ed.D.) until a jury hears the case and a judge makes a decision."

They continue along this vein even when others respond, "But the statute of limitations has run out for both civil and criminal charges. Bill Cosby will not face a jury or judge."

Before I go further, please let me express my sympathy for you and other Americans, including me. We are all rightfully disturbed and saddened to hear of these horrible accusations against a beloved entertainer. I know some of you have concerns about Cosby's legacy. Some of you may consider yourself to be not necessarily a fan of Cosby just a "warrior for justice" who will not "rush to judgment." You may even call yourself "neutral" but feel compelled to chime in nonetheless because you have a friend who was falsely accused of rape and all this Cosby talk reminds you of that painful period. So, I'm sympathize with any agony and discomfort you've experienced in discussing Cosby.

I see as well that many of you, some dear friends, too, feel personally wounded by this current string of accusations. His character Dr. Cliff Huxtable was America's ideal dad, after all. In many ways, so was Cosby himself between his hilarious comedy routines about fatherhood (I own some of his DVDs) and those warm commercials for Jell-O Pudding he did with adorable, giggling children. So, I understand that some of you sense yourselves becoming disillusioned thinking about the possibility of his guilt and perhaps virulently angry at "the media" and his accusers. You refuse to think the man you think you know may have done anything so horrible. It feels better, perhaps, to think that these stories are just another plot to bring down a "good Black man."

You find also that you fume especially at people like me who refuse to call the women liars. I get that. It seems to you that we are crucifying him and maligning him openly. I sort of feel that way, too, sometimes, especially when I see that Gloria Allred, the ambulance chaser, with all her theatrics has inserted herself into this scandal. 

But whatever you feel about Cosby today whatever you may think of his accusers, by now we all should know that from here on, no matter what is said or believed, proven or not proven about Bill Cosby, we're experiencing an American tragedy and journeying through the stages of grief. We are perplexed. We feel betrayed when we hear about Dr. Cosby and all these women. 

For most of my life I've been a fan of Bill Cosby, but I consider myself to be more objective about him than some fans. Cosby the man is separate from Cosby the entertainer in my mind. Cosby the man is a philanthropist and appears to want to do some good in this world, but as a man he is also an imperfect being exhibiting signs of duplicity.

So, I still admire Cosby's work as a comedian, actor, director, and producer. I still appreciate how he worked his way to a level of power in the entertainment industry that few black men ever achieve and how he's managed his money.

I also respect his hard work in earning a doctorate while also working as a comedian and actor and that he's taught in prisons, and I'm old enough to remember his accomplishments from pre-Cosby Show days. Not too shabby. However, I did not care much for his Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings album that was part of my family's record collection. By the time his pudding days rolled around, it seemed he could do no wrong. My grandmother and my mother, both dead now, would express how proud they were of Cosby because represented black peoplewell. Halcyon days became halcyon decades for Bill.

As we know, I and my family are not anomalies. Not only have many black people loved this man, but people of all ethnic groups. By 1981 advertising executives were saying Cosby was so marketable that he  "transcended" being black. And he donated so much money to good causes. What was there not to like?

When his son Ennis died, I was as mournful and angry as if Bill Cosby were a personal friend. I was even annoyed when news broke that Autumn Jackson had tried to blackmail him, saying he was her biological father. Married and more naive in my thirties than I am now, I did not want to believe Bill could be unfaithful to his beautiful, loving wife Camille. Still, I did not ignore the revelation that although Cosby denied being Jackson's father, he had admitted to having an affair with her mother and to "providing regular financial support" for both of them.

I was naive but not that naive.

Either Cosby was the nicest man in the world, kinder than some husbands are to ex-wives and the acknowledged mothers of their children, or he was Jackson's father. But if he were her father, then he also had a stern side, was a man with titanium will and the cool temperament to send his flesh and blood to jail.

Beyonce's Drunk In Love Lyrics Explained

A lot of people were really upset about Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Drunk in Love" performance at the Grammys. I knew it was all about sex. I mean, you'd have to be deaf, blind, and dumb not to see that just watching Beyoncé move and seeing how she was dressed. Other than that, I knew nothing.

For instance, I did not catch the references to Mike Tyson and Ike Turner in the song. But when someone brought those references to my attention, I watched the official music video and looked up the lyrics myself. Was it really that bad? Was there anyway to justify the mention of these two men?  I asked a friend to explain.

You may read her explanation of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Drunk in Love" lyrics at this link. If you'd like to share your opinion on the meaning of the lyrics or whether you think the "Eat the cake, Anna-Mae" line and reference to Ike Turner and Mike Tyson are appropriate or not, then please do. You can also tell me on Twitter. Seriously, I'm just curious.

WARNING: The explanation at the link (click here) has some adult language such the actual meaning of slang words about sex.

Super Bowl may be one of largest human trafficking events in the world, say activists (video)

I attended a women's group meeting today where I learned that human trafficking of young girls plagues New Orleans because the city is a major port and tourism destination. I may have heard this before, but this is the first time the news really hit me as "of course this horrible fact must be true," and that realization rattled me. So, I came home and researched the problem.

I found that earlier this month, WWL TV interviewed two activists, one from Eden House and another from Free NOLA who help young girls and women escape the sex trade or work to draw attention to the problem of human trafficking. The young girls and women who need help often mistakenly think they are indebted to a pimp for some kindness offered, and have been bullied into the sex trade.

According to the WWL report, "the Super Bowl is actually estimated to be one of the largest human trafficking events in the world." The Clarion Herald (Catholic newspaper) reports:

"But the perception that the practice of selling girls for sex is restricted to Asia, Eastern Europe or Africa belies the overwhelming problem in the United States, which annually is highlighted by the spike in organized sex trafficking at major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, said Lederer, who participated in a daylong workshop hosted recently by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana."

At my meeting today with a different organization, someone said that the city is seeing an increase in young black women going missing and that although black girls are not seen as the hot commodity in the human trafficking trade, that some of these missing girls are assumed to have become victims of human traffickers.

There aren't enough hours in one lifetime to address all the ills of this world, but today I thought rather than sitting around lamenting that these ills are too overwhelming and difficult to tackle, we'll always be better off trying our best to help solve a problem. We'll always be better off helping as many people as we can escape abuse, poverty, and illiteracy than we would be sitting on our hands doing nothing or just repeating horrible stories. People who have the means and the consciousness to help must find ways to substantively alter the negative narratives that produce suffering. So, I'm looking into how I can help these girls in some way; perhaps I'll make a donation of goods or money because I'm donating time elsewhere right now.

The video at the top of this post led me to the video below in which Clemmie Greenlee (left), now a grown woman, tells how men kidnapped her when she was a young girl, drugged and raped her, and then forced into a life of prostitution. She insists that very few, if any, young girls and women choose to become prostitutes. She says most are coerced.

In the interview she says also that the Magdalene House program in Nashville rescued her. I think this is the same program I wrote about on BlogHer.com three years ago. She's helping Eden House in New Orleans now. Small world.


January is Human Trafficking Awareness month.

Football Player Cleared of Rape after Serving Time (Video)

I know Brian Banks's mother must be overjoyed right now. Her son is free, exonerated of bogus rape charges.

I abhor that in court actual victims of rape often unjustly end up on trial instead of the accused rapist, but I abhor equally that a young and confused girl or a disturbed and even plainly malicious woman can accuse a man of rape and with no other evidence than her say-so, the man can be convicted of that horrific crime and sentenced to prison. To falsely accuse a man of rape is a despicable deed. Consequently, I am appalled at the Brian Banks case.

In high school as a senior in line for football scholarships, Banks was falsely accused of rape by a sophomore, Wanetta Gibson. He pleaded guilty to avoid a harsh sentence and served five years and two months in prison. Ten years after the false accusation toppled his future, years after he had been branded a sex offender, the girl who accused him of rape (now a 26-year-old woman) tried to friend him on Facebook. He asked her instead to meet with him and a private investigator, reports the L.A. Times, and during that meeting, she admitted that he did not rape her. Per the L.A. Times:

In the summer of 2002, Banks was considered a top college football prospect. A 6-foot-4, 225-pound middle linebacker at Long Beach Poly High, Banks had been courted by USC, UCLA and other football powerhouses. [...]He was attending summer school, and asked his teacher to leave class and make a phone call, court papers said. Then Banks, a senior, ran into Gibson, a sophomore. [...] Banks said they fooled around, but that their sexual contact was consensual. His mother, Leomia Myers, believed him, and said she sold her condo and her car to pay for his defense. [...] “I knew I didn’t raise my son to do something so horrendous,” she said. [...] Gibson’s version shifted over the years. She could not be reached Thursday for comment.

Although Gibson cannot be reached, the L.A. Times also reports via court records that she plunged Banks into this nightmare when she passed an error-ridden note "containing misspellings" to a friend in high school that declared Banks had raped her. As a result, he found himself facing charges. The story in her old note sounds improbable to me, much more like a rape fantasy, but apparently the Long Beach, California, police believed it. She claimed the football star picked her up and carried her into an elevator, took her downstairs, pulled down her pants, and raped her at school. Why Banks's attorneys counseled him to plead guilty and take a deal I have no idea. The obvious question was why did no one see him snatch and carry her off at school and why didn't she scream?

The L.A. Times reports further that "according to the private investigator and Banks," Gibson said she feared telling prosecutors the truth because of the money involved. ABC confirms that Gibson's family benefited from her allegations against Banks, and apparently she and Banks did not even have intercourse.

"Gibson said that they were just playing around, being curious about sexuality, and that the adults got involved and blew it all out of proportion," according to legal documents. "She said the adults 'put stuff in [her] head.'"[...]The problem was that Gibson did not want to tell prosecutors the truth because she feared she would lose the $1.5 million she and her family won in a civil suit against Long Beach schools after the incident.

I think that once that money came into the picture, Banks didn't have a chance until now.

Gibson was young then. Perhaps she did not understand the consequences of her actions, but her confusion does not excuse her from telling such a terrible lie and sticking to that lie for ten years. The only good thing here is that she's telling the truth about Banks now.

The adults who pressured her to keep up that lie should be held accountable to some court somewhere. At the very least, the Gibson family owes Brian Banks a couple of million dollars.

Read more at ABC News, at the Seattle-Post Intelligencer, and at the L.A. Times.

Control Freak Lyrics: "Don't Answer the Door"

I love good music whatever the genre--blues, pop, rock, R&B, jazz, bluegrass, opera--but let's face it, some song lyrics about people in love are really about people locked in obsession and would be labeled more accurately "confessions of a control freak." For instance, you do know that "Every Breath You Take" by Sting and the Police is really about a stalker, don't you?

I'm not criticizing the songwriters as much as I'm wondering why these kinds of songs are so popular. Is it because we confuse the early stages of the lover experience, which is infatuation, with love? Infatuation is the stuff of fleeting passion and sometimes insane behavior, not the stuff of a good foundation long-term.

So, I like B.B. King, but while I was working today "Don't Answer the Door" was playing in the background, and I thought Damn! A domestic violence counselor could use this song as an example of what a controlling man sounds like. The lyrics are a classic example of someone isolating a woman from her friends and family. The song's narrator doesn't even want the doctor to come to see about her if she's sick and he's not home: "You just suffer until I get home," says the speaker.

(I'm not picking on B.B. King because "Don't Answer the Door" is just a song, and he is after all singing the blues. The blues has a special kind of pathos. Its ethos is grounded in tales of human misery.)

Don't Answer The Door
B.B. King (Lyrics as posted at BluesForPeace.com)

Baby, I don't wanna a soul,
Hangin around my house when I'm not home.
Oh, I don't want a soul, baby,
Hangin' around my house when I'm not home.
I don't want you to open the door for nobody, woman,
Oh, when you're home and you know you're all alone.

Your sister might wanna visit us,
But the little girl she talk too much.
If she just come by to visit us,
Tell her to meet us Sunday, Sunday, down at the church.
'Cause I don't want a soul, baby,
Hangin' around my house when I'm not at home.
Yes, I don't want you to open the door for nobody, baby,
Oh, when you're home and you know you're all alone.

Your mother might wanna visit us,
But you tell you mamma I get home bout the break a day.
And that's too late to visit anybody, baby,
So, tell you mamma to please, please, please stay away.
'Cause I don't want a soul, baby,
Hangin' around my house when I'm not at home.
Yes, I don't want you to open the door for anybody, woman,
Oh, when you're home and you know you're all alone.

You might feel a little sick, baby,
And you know you're home all alone,
I don't want the doctor at my house, baby,
You just suffer, suffer, suffer till I get home.
'Cause I don't want a soul, baby,
Hangin' around my house when I'm not at home.
Yes, I don't want you to open the door for nobody, woman,
Baby, when you're home and all alone.
Yeah!

Note the difference between what Aretha Franklin's lyrics say in "Dr. Feelgood": she doesn't want anybody always sitting around her and her man. She doesn't mind company. Company is alright with her every once in a while. What she doesn't want is people hanging around so much they interfere with her sex life. It's not about having total control.



However, for the record, I know that some women can also be abusive and controlling. And female singers also have their share of songs about obsession. In fact, Aretha, one friend reminded me that Aretha also recorded "Until You Come Back To Me," which has these lyrics:

Though you don't call anymore
I sit and wait in vain
I guess I'll rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I want to tell you Baby
The changes I've been going through
Missing you.
Listen you

'till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do

Men wrote those lyrics: Stevie Wonder, Morris Broadnax, and Clarence Paul. But if I think, I know I'll come up with similarly obsessive lyrics written by women.

Isaiah Dolyle Threatens Jury, Gets Death Penalty in Louisiana

Isaiah Doyle, a 28 year-old who confessed to killing a conveneience store clerk in Jefferson Parish, La., during a robbery in 2005, has been sentenced to death. His attorneys argued that he was mentally handicapped in order to save him from the death penalty. According to WWL, "a psychologist for the defense said, 'Without a doubt, he has mental retardation.'”

The prosecution offered its own expert witnesses who disagreed. Doyle himself, however, most likely sealed his fate with violent outbursts in the courtroom and threats against the jury saying that he had no remorse, and while his words seemed like those of a maniac, they did not sound like the words of a man with a low I.Q.

From the Times Picayune's story:

Doyle told the jury that he shot store clerk Hwa Lee four times only because the gun jammed and prevented him shooting her more.

"The only reason she was shot four times is because the gun jammed,'' he said. "Otherwise I would have emptied the gun in her f--- head.''

Later, he told the jury that he would kill them all if he had an AK-47 and pointed to one juror and said he wanted to cut off his head.

Per the same story, Doyle agreed that he has a "mental illness, but also (told the jury that he) knows how to manipulate the system."

Some experts agreed that Doyle is "mentally retarded," but Dr. Mike Chafetz, a neuropsychologist testifying for the prosecution via Skype differed. WVUE reports his testimony as follows:

"He (Isaiah Doyle) has a savviness to manipulate things in the jail and find ways to get nasty pictures," said Chafetz. Chafetz also said the depression and anxiety show Doyle has a "mental illness."

The WWL story quotes Chafetz saying that Doyle shows "very clever and adaptive functioning in many ways and is not mentally retarded.” Other sources report the neuropsychologist to say Doyle has some learning disabilities.

The question for society then is this: Would Doyle have become what he is if we had more help for people with learning disabilities and mental illness?

Given the make-up of Jefferson Parish, the race of the victim, a "hard-working" Vietnamese young woman, and the race of the confessed murderer, undoubtedly racial anxiety was a factor in this case on subconscious levels, and Doyle's appearance and rage must have projected every stereotype of the black man as savage. However, I think that even if he had been white, the decision would have been the same. How could the jurors not come to the conclusion it did given his threats against them and his comments about feeling no remorse? They would consider, if nothing else, that he wanted to kill them with an AK-47, that he wanted to "cut off" one of their heads. Do we really think jurors can put that kind of spectacle and language out of their minds.

The Doyle family, as you will see in WWL's video, has apologized for Isaiah Doyle's crime. However, WVUE reports that his mother hoped the jury would find compassion for her son:

Doyle's mother, Yvette, broke down in tears after hearing the verdict. She was too emotional to talk afterwards, but during jury deliberations, she told FOX 8 she had hoped the jury would spare her son's life. "My son is mentally retarded. He has been you know. He has been diagnosed since he was five. They had all the evidence that he has this problem, and it had gotten worse over the years," said Yvette Doyle.

I suspect his family members have been on their knees many a night pleading, "Lord, what can we do about Isaiah?"

Within hours of Doyle's threats against them, reports the Picayune, the jury reached a unanimous decision that Doyle be sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Los Angeles Police Review Grim Sleeper Tips

Last year I wrote "The Grim Sleeper: Death and Racial Politics," a post about the California case involving a serial killer who murders poor, black women and the investigation's slow progress. Fellow blogger MsLadyDeborah alerted me to an update. Per the LA Times, the Los Angeles Police Department is "seeking the public's aid in identifying about 160 women whose images were found on the property of accused serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr." So far, reports CNN, five of the women have been identified, but whether they are dead or alive is unknown.

Man in Wheelchair, Age 78, Kills 3 Women. Story Gets Worse

When I heard that this 78-year-old man in a wheelchair shot and killed his 31-year-old girlfriend/wife, her mother and her sister, had also less than year ago been charged with beating his young wife and was acquitted of the charges days before the murder, my first thought was that his old age and visible infirmity, probably worked in his favor in court. The judge probably assumed the young girlfriend/wife made up the allegations that he beat her. (One story says one of the murder victims was his wife, another says girlfriend.)



As it turns out, the old dog has been committing violent acts against women since his younger years, including allegedly raping a young girl repeatedly over the course of five years when he was in his sixties. The girl, however, later dropped the charges. The alleged rapist was her mother's boyfriend.

I'll tell you that there are all kinds of ways a victim can be coerced to drop charges, especially when the man is dating her mother or in some cases is a spouse paying the bills. Dropped charges in cases of domestic violence and criminal rape is never proof the victim made a false allegation. I acknowledge there have been cases where women gave false testimony, but those cases are the exception not the rule.

From WWL-TV:

Just days before SWAT officers responded to her shooting death, 30-year-old Jennifer Muse tried to get her 78-year-old boyfriend, Alfred Andrews Sr., in jail for domestic violence.

Police say Andrews shot her, her mother and her sister, but spared the 14-year-old son they have together.

"It's a real tragedy because the children have to suffer, the parents and loved ones and family are going to suffer," said a neighbor living near the scene of the shooting.

Muse filed the domestic charge against Andrews in July, and Monday, Magistrate Commissioner Marie Bookman acquitted and released him. She explained her judgment in a letter Wednesday, saying no evidence was presented to her of domestic violence.

Read full story.

I tend to believe once a man shows a pattern of beating and raping women, it's unlikely he'll break that pattern. The case of this old man shouts that women need to see these men for what they are and stop thinking they'll outgrow the violence or grow a conscience and exercise self-control.

In addition, the system should do more to protect women and judges should stop deciding guilt or innocence based on appearance. I don't care what the magistrate says; I'll always believe she was swayed by his age and signs of disability into thinking he was harmless.

My second thought when I learned of this case was what kind of desperate life must that 30-year-old been living to let a 78-year-old man in a wheelchair take her power and roll with it? More than likely when the relationship started, Andrews was not wheelchair bound and established his power over her early.

He sounds like pedophile and may have groomed Muse when she was much younger, considering that their son is 14 years old. That means Andrews had sex with Muse when she was 16 and he was 64. It's highly probable that he started working on her before she was even 16 years old.

This man continuing to abuse women in his old age, even after he was wheelchair bound, gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "hell on wheels."

Update: Just found this story at the Times Picayune, "Treme triple-murder suspect's poor health a factor in domestic abuse acquittal."

On Monday, 78-year-old Alfred Andrews rolled into court in a wheelchair to defend himself against allegations that he beat his 31-year-old wife. He was acquitted.

Two days later, Andrews grabbed a rifle and gunned down his spouse, her sister and her mother -- a rampage against the women in his life. The only person spared was the couple's 14-year-old son, whom police described as mentally challenged.

After his killing spree, Andrews called his daughter and told her he had shot his wife. He then fired a bullet into his face, ending the nightmare inside the Treme home where they all lived, police said. Andrews was taken to University Hospital where he was listed late Wednesday in critical condition.
(Read more)

The two stories from WWL-TV and the Times Picayune don't match or mesh well. While the WWL-TV story says it was a different 16-year-old who filed charges against Andrews in 1996 for rape, I'm starting to think that his wife/girlfriend and the young girl who accused him of rape may be the same person.

If at 16 she found out she was pregnant by him, that information would have been a factor used to convince her to drop the rape charges, or her mother, Andrews former girlfriend, could have persuaded her to file the rape charges to pressure Andrews into marrying her and taking care of the baby. According to the Times Picayune story, Muse's mother, Wanda Wagner Simpson--one of the murder victims--also dated Andrews, the suspect, in the past. The dates line up to indicate this is the same family referred to in the 1996 aggravated rape case. If it's not the same family, then that means Andrews did the same scenario with another family.

So, it seems that this man molested this young girl from the ages of 11 to 16, impregnated her, married her and also beat her. She finally got the courage to take him to court again, 14 years after the first time she accused him of rape, and he showed up to court in a wheelchair, gained the judge's sympathy, was acquitted, and went home and shot the women who kept him out of jail the first time. This is a morality tale, a very disturbing, sordid tale with a lesson for us.

Five-Year-Old's Body Found: A Story Nearly As Ugly As Precious, the Movie, but at Whom Will Black People Be Angry?

Reports CNN and bloggers, the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis of Fayetteville, NC, has been found. Earlier today 200 people searched for the child's body after police received a tip that she was dead, say news sources.

Police have charged the girl's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, with trafficking and other offenses, authorities said. Davis was "prostituting her child" ...

... The mother told police last week that the child vanished from their mobile home in Fayetteville.
Hotel surveillance video taken around the same time Shaniya was reported missing showed the girl with a man identified as Mario Andrette McNeill. He was charged with first-degree kidnapping.(CNN)

The Hinterland Gazette, a blog of black political thought, also posted on this sad story. Shaniya, a biracial child, black mother/white father, had been missing since November 10.

That's her mother's mugshot there. McNeill, her boyfriend, who is also black with a similar look. He's confessed to kidnapping Shaniya, per CBS News. Janet Shan at The Hinterland Gazette would like to have the mother and boyfriend waterboarded, and that was before her body was found.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, told The Associated Press that he raised his daughter for several years but last month decided to let her stay with her mother.

... Shaniya had only been living with her mother since last month. Davis reported the girl missing Tuesday morning from a mobile home community in Fayetteville, and authorities began searching nearby wooded areas. The following day a man described as Davis' boyfriend was charged in the kidnapping, but the charges were later dropped and he was released. Charlotte Observer/Associated Press.

At BlogHer.com last week I posted my review of Sapphire's novel Push on which the movie Precious is based. It's in part the story of a black girl being sexually abused and more by her parents, both her mother and her father. With the release of the movie, some black folks are up in arms that black people would be portrayed this way, as though amongst black people are only angels and no demons at all. Both Laina Dawes and Megan Smith have covered how black people respond to negative images, bickering down to the finest points even such as why Ms. Rain, the savior school teacher, becomes light-skinned in the movie when she was dark-skinned with dreadlocks in the novel.

Oh, how I wish more than ever director Lee Daniels had made Ms. Rain dark with dreadlocks in the movie Precious as Sapphire makes her in the novel. Seeing the picture of Shaniya's mother, I wish she could have been a Ms. Rain and not what seems like a type of Mary Jones, the abusive mother of Precious fiction.

Megan, who is African-American, saw the movie and was honest enough in her post to share that as she watched it, she grew angry at men in general, black men in particular, despite knowing intellectually that child abuse is an equal opportunity destroyer across ethnic groups. And she despised Mary Jones, the mother in the book and movie.

At this moment, so soon after seeing the movie, I hate men so much I can barely stand it. I especially hate black men because I'm black and feel ashamed to share even a tiny bit of the same heritage of a man who would do this.

You see, I've met Mary. I've met Precious. Maybe we weren't close, maybe we weren't related but I know that in my life, I've met them both.

Sitting in that crowded theatre, watching the fictional Mary do her dirty work, all I could think was that I hated her. (Megan Smith)

Laina in particular made the point in her discussion of people's reactions to the movie Precious that indicate we may be more concerned about white people's impression of black people and the black image than cruelty to children and addressing our own dysfunction:

And instead of being ashamed when a story, a difficult, harrowing story in which I believe (despite my concerns about Daniels) is a story that could potentially start some frank and honest discussions - not about Sidibe's weight or how dark she is or how attractive she is - but about what we are going to do about the real boys and girls who are facing these issues. In our communities. Everyday. Are we going to stop being bourgeoisie and do something about it? (Lainad)

I'm looking at this current news story in which a white father pleads for the safe return of his half-black child while the mother shoves the child into prostitution, turning her in to a sex slave. I don't know what this Davis's story is. Was she abused herself? Is she a crackhead who'd do anything for money?

All I know is that this is a true story not a novel, and I wonder if some black people, seeing how this true story of little Shaniya Davis's death is told--seeing the black mother's mug shot, her dead-eyed look and dreadlocked hair--will be more angry at the factual storytellers than they are at the people who abused and killed Shaniya Davis. Will some deflect from the tragedy and say the media's only covering this story because Shaniya was light-skinned? Will we feel CNN, Fox, the Associated Press, CBS and others are going overboard because the facts of the case are steamy like a cheap novel?

Let's wait and watch. As I said in my review, Push is fiction and yet non-fiction. Is that what makes us so outraged at these tales, that through them people can look into our closets and see we, African-Americans, are as imperfect as other humans? Are we then ashamed and afraid because we know some ignorant people will paint us all with a broad, ugly brush, ignoring that these kinds of crime stories are not a black tragedy but tragedies in which some of Americans happen to be black?

But what's more important to us in our enlightened age of increased opportunity? How much of our accumulated baggage from being told and sometimes fearing we are inferior prevents us from seeing past our own skin when we hear stories like these? Will it be our image or the plight of abused children in our own communities that calls us to take effective action that surpasses crimes against our children and our intractable fears?

Here's video of Lockharts's plea for someone to return his daughter before the child's body was found. I don't present him as any type of angel because I don't know why he returned Shaniya to her mother after years of taking care of her. All I know is that he wasn't the one who killed her, and unless something comes to light to say otherwise, he didn't farm her out as a sexual slave. Her mother did that. Unless I learn my sympathies are misplaced, I feel for this man, however, because his guilt at giving Shaniya back, possibly against better instincts, is probably unbearable.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

CBS also has other still shot photos related to this case.

This, readers, is a Greek tragedy retold for a multi-cultural, modern, scandal-addicted America, but unlike Medea from Greek literature, who murders her children to spite her husband, we may never know the depth of psychological garbage that caused Antoinette Davis to allegedly murder her daughter's spirit by making her a sex slave, subject her to abuse that probably led to her death. We don't know her specific demons, but we should know ours.

This post is cross-posted at BlogHer.com with edits.

Mitrice Richardson Still Missing, Police Say They Followed Procedure

According to Malibu Surfside News, the Sheriff's Department over Lost Hills, Ca., has released its investigative report on Mitrice Richardson's disappearance, which clears them of any wrong doing. They say releasing the young black woman in the wee hours of the morning with no phone and possibly no I.D. on September 17 was by the book.

I wrote about this young woman's case for BlogHer on October 1 as "The Mysterious Case of Mitrice Richardson Missing." Change.org has a petition you can join demanding a Federal investigation in to her disappearance.

To: Eric Holder, Esq. (US Attorney General), Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (Attorney General) and Mark Ridley Thomas (Los Angeles 2nd District Supervisor), see more...
Started by: Nancy Lockhart

Mitrice Richardson is a college graduate from California State University of Fullerton, in Psychology, with a 4.00 GPA. Mitrice Richardson has begun the process of acceptance into the Psychology Professional College, Alliant, to pursue her Ph.D. as a Clinical Psychologist, she also happens to be African American and openly gay.
On September 16, 2009, Mitrice Richardson was booked into custody after 10:00 pm, and then released shortly after 12:38am.

Mitrice Richardson had no money, food, water, identification or cell phone and was released to wander in a desolate area of canyons and wildlife which were foreign to her, she was obviously in a depressed state of mind. Mitrice is an African American female and is openly gay, she is loved and supported by her family and friends. Mitrice Richardson is in a crisis and is in danger, support is needed to find her. We are asking for a federal investigation into the whereabouts of Mitrice Richardson to bring her home as well as, to ensure that this does not happen to additional persons. (From Petition)

I've signed the petition. I don't care what the Malibu Sheriff's Department says about its procedures, they treated Mitrice Richardson inhumanely, and now they've absolved themselves after investigating themselves. I can't believe any police officer/sheriff would have approved if one of their own daughters had been released into the darkness of a remote area after midnight with no car, phone, food, water, money or I.D.

The Los Angeles Sheriff Department continues to claim the jail was overcrowded but some evidence has indicated otherwise. Furthermore, The Sheriff's Department still refuses to release the videotape showing Mitrice treatment in the Lost Hills jail.

Sheriff Lee Baca reported to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Monday that although the Mitrice Richardson missing person’s case is in his words “unusual and unfortunate...the [sheriff’s] department’s release policy and procedures are consistent with state law, and our investigation revealed all applicable laws, policies and procedures were followed.”

Richardson mysteriously disappeared after release from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station on Sept. 17 and has not been heard from for close to nine weeks, despite extensive field searches and a concerted effort by her family to keep the missing 24-year-old’s story in the public eye.

Baca’s four-page report was requested by the board last month when the supervisors announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to Richardson’s whereabouts. He concludes that “the department did not identify any areas requiring modification.”

... Richardson’s mother Latice Sutton said she is “very upset by the report” and told the Malibu Surfside News: “It is unfortunate that the LASD deemed releasing anyone from their facility knowing that they had no transportation, form of communication or money as ‘prudent, reasonable and safe,’ particularly someone who they knew was behaving in a manner that warranted an evaluation by a qualified professional. Further the amount of time and manpower that it took to generate their erroneous report takes away valuable time in the search for my daughter.”(Read more at Malibu Surfside News.)

The article also indicates that the LAPD, which is in charge of the case now since Richardson is a Los Angeles citizen, may not be returning phone calls on progress of its investigation into her disappearance.

Jasmyne A. Cannick, a Los Angeles columnist, has an opinion piece up at EURweb wondering why more black people aren't outraged over Richardson's treatment. She's sending readers to another website, BringMitriceHome, which has calls for action and links to a Twitter page and Facebook page.

This story angered me when I first wrote about it and today I continue to fume.

Homecoming Gang Rape Sparks Outrage on BlogHer and Beyond

The story of the 15-year-old girl in Richmond, Ca., gang-raped for more than 2 hours in a darkened part of her high-school's campus during the homecoming dance while a crowd watched really ripped me up. I wrote about this troubling story yesterday after hearing the news, and perhaps this gang rape is one more heinous crime that screams youth violence is out of control. It's rising to the level where we're afraid to watch the news.

I'm not alone in my outrage, horror, grief, and disgust at this rape. At the time of this writing, a post at BlogHer.com on the rape has passed 4500 views and accumulates comments reflecting everything from despair to calls for proactive action. The comments rack up as well at The Moderate Voice, and at The Grio. At Huffington Post, comments have surpassed 500.

Throughout the nation, people wonder how a crowd watches anything so horrible.? Psychologists have a name for it, Genovese Syndrome, but it's something our minds refuse to grasp.

"She (the 15-year-old) was raped, beaten, robbed and dehumanized by several suspects who were obviously OK enough with it to behave that way in each other's presence," Lt. Mark Gagan said. "What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others. People came by, saw what was happening and failed to report it."

Police sources told CBS Affiliate CBS 5 that some of the bystanders laughed as the attack unfolded while others took photos with their cell phones. (from CBS News)

People are asking why can't charges be filed not only against the perpetrators, but the watchers as well; however, California has no law that requires bystanders to call the police if they witness a crime nor any penalty for watching, failing to stop the crime, or cheering on the violence.

Outrage is the word of the day and anger at the rapists, but prayers and concern also go out to the victim of this heinous act. At BlogHer, Lara Colvin from Notions of Identity responded to another commenter, Liz Henry, who suggested readers find a way to help the victim, with the following.

I agree w/Liz Henry: let's help the victim to make sure she has access to resources that will help her get counseling and good healthcare and anything else she needs to deal with this atrocity.

I've emailed the Police of Chief at Richmond, VA [sic, means California not Virginia] Police Dept to see if there is currently a fund for her or if he has suggestions on other ways to help, and I've sent a similar email to the school principal and counseling staff. I'll update when I receive a response. Hopefully, I will. In the meantime, let's keep sending the young woman our collective warm and loving energy in the hopes that it reaches her as she heads down the path of trying to heal this horrific wound. (Laracolvin)

Five people have been arrested, reports CNN. "Police say 3 juveniles, 2 adults are in custody in connection with the crime," per the network, and while the story has been widely reported and documented, for legal reasons it's still called an alleged rape. In addition and as usual in rape cases, some people who are uneducated about the crime of rape, such as some of the 15-year-old's classmates, blame the victim. Even the attitude and language by school administrators early in this story seemed insensitive.

The following video from CNN includes an interview with law enforcement about arrest in the case and information on how the school district is addressing this crime with students and the community.



Finally, perhaps as we expect after news of abominable deeds surface, extremely irate citizens in comments at various blogs and on news reports call for the death penalty for those teens who participated, while others demand that such a deed be classified as a hate crime.

Related:

• Update on the Marriott rape case in which the corporation's insurance company blamed a rape victim for her own attack.
• Laura L. Rahman's film, Broken Social Contracts, the problem of sexual assault on HBCU campuses.

Obama Responds to Domestic Violence Legal Aid Question in New Orleans

I'm working on a Domestic Violence Awareness Month post for BlogHer.com, and had planned to include the question from a woman in my hometown to Barack Obama during his visit to New Orleans on October 15. The president was keeping his promise to visit the city before the year's end to check on progress four years after Hurricane Katrina. He held a Town Hall at the University of New Orleans, and I couldn't go. Dental surgery. However, I was able to watch his appearance live on TV.

One woman's question stuck with me regarding the need for more legal aid funding for victims of domestic violence. I thought I would include her question in my BlogHer post. However, as I was working on that, I decided it was too long, and too much. I know we need more funding, but I didn't have the time to gather the figures behind the fact. And so, I realized that it would better to post her question here on my blog as a reference link with a little commentary following.

Here's her question and the president's response.

Q Hi, Mr. President. My name is Narkise Barack (phonetic).

THE PRESIDENT: Is that right? Wow! (Laughter.) You and me. (Laughter.)

Q And I'm a single mom of three daughters. I have my eldest here -- she's 12 years old.

THE PRESIDENT: Hey, you. What's her name?

Q Yasmine.

THE PRESIDENT: Yasmine? That's a nice name.

Q Yes. And she goes to Lusher, which is one of the top schools here. (Applause.) My question has to do with an article that came out today in the Times Picayune in which it reported that Tom Perrelli, the Associate Attorney General, was lauding local non-governmental and governmental agencies in the effort to help women who were victims of domestic violence.

I don't know if you know, but the rates of domestic violence rose quite dramatically after Katrina and have continued to rise. And one of the problems is we've got agencies that are helping women with things like therapy and food and help with their children. The problem is that our legal aid clinics -- Tulane, Loyola, NoLAC -- all of these clinics have been so overburdened with cases that have to do with Katrina, that a lot of people can't get access to legal help.

Now, the segment of the population that's most suffering from this are women, and by extension, children. You can sit in court in Jefferson Parish, in Orleans Parish, for a whole day and watch a whole docket of cases, and not a single woman has legal counsel. So I wanted to ask you -- I know that you and Mr. Biden have been supporters of the Violence Against Women Act, and I was wondering what you can do to ensure that women in Southeast Louisiana have their civil rights protected and their due process protected. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: That's a great question. As I mentioned, speaking broadly, obviously there continue to be concerns about crime in the region, post-Katrina. And not only have we helped to fund Mayor Nagin and others to be able to rehire cops and rebuild police stations and so forth, but also to build a more effective judicial system, because that goes with it. We've set up a violent crimes task force that is up and running, and coordinates between the FBI and all the various local and state agencies.

So there are a range of steps that we've taken generally to address crime. But I think you're making a really powerful point, which is that when it comes to domestic violence, oftentimes that's under-reported because women don't feel that they have the support they need in order to step out from those situations. The issue of legal representation is still a big problem.

So what I'd like to do is to learn more specifically about what's happening here. I will ask -- I'll probably ask Tom Perrelli, since you mentioned him, who is Deputy Attorney General, to make sure that he investigates specifically how we can work more effectively with the legal aid organizations down here to provide more support. So thank you for bringing that to my attention. That's great. (Applause.) Transcript at LA Times

The president was correct that his man Perrelli is the one who should have an answer. The Deputy Attorney General preceded his boss and was in the city the day before talking about the domestic violence crisis in Katrina's aftermath.

“It’s rare that any community would face devastation across every aspect of the system, from transitional housing to courts,” said U.S. Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli, in visit to the metro area.

Perrelli spent the day in New Orleans, meeting with advocates who work with domestic violence victims and getting a first-hand look at efforts to confront the problem.

“Louisiana, historically, has had incidents of domestic violence among one of the worst in the states and [was] number one based on the 2007 data, the most recent data we have,” Perrelli said.

The problem, though, extends beyond the city limits and into rural areas. One such instance occurred last month in rural Livingston Parish. That is where 50-year-old Dennis Carter killed his estranged wife, his son and his two-year-old grandson, before killing himself. Carter’s wife had filed a restraining order against him. Victims’ advocates said protecting domestic violence victims in rural areas remains a challenge.

“We’re talking about very rural, remote communities, where truly innovative solutions need to be found for those needs,” said Catherine Pierce, with the Office of Violence Against Women. (New Orleans Top Stories)

We had horrible domestic violence stats before the storm, and just as domestic violence is reported to have increased across the nation with the recession, cases of domestic violence seem to have worsened as Gulf Coast families buckled under Katrina devastation.

And yet, the domestic violence crisis down here, the increase and the need for funding still doesn't get the media attention you'd expect. Yes, the media will cover a murder but doesn't do as much as it could to make the public more aware of the signs of domestic violence and what we can all do to prevent abuse among family members.

For instance, I surfed our daily newspaper's site, NOLA.com aka The Times Picayune, for stories on the domestic violence crisis. Despite it being domestic violence awareness month, the paper's search engine found only one story specifically focused on domestic violence and proactive solutions published in the last three months. It's about a program in St. Bernard Parish. What appears to be a second such story on domestic violence funding is a repeat of the first St. Bernard article, and the only other stories are those about specific domestic violence crimes, in other words, run of the mill if it bleeds it leads news.

In fact the only other story I can see to add is one about Perrelli's visit and his praise for the city's progress under duress.

Even in the paper's story about the president's visit to the city in which the single mother's question is mentioned, the reporter underplays the value of her query to the president, writing "But the rest of the queries concerned domestic violence prevention, immigration laws and the ongoing health-care debate -- issues that could come up in any American city, even if some of them are felt more acutely in post-Katrina New Orleans."

My adventure in reading about domestic violence and New Orleans causes me to say that the action vice president for NOW is most likely right, domestic violence is not getting the attention from mainstream media that such a serious topic deserves.

Gang Rape. I Never Want to Talk About It, But I Have To

Erin Kotecki Vest has posted at BlogHer.com on the tragic and horrific story of a 15-year-old girl gang raped during a homecoming dance. This story becomes even more horrifying when you learn a crowd watched and did nothing. (Updated WSATA post, Homecoming gang rape sparks outrage on BlogHer and beyond. Includes video on arrests in this case.)

CNN has an article on the incident as well:

A California high school student who police said was gang raped in a two-and-a-half-hour assault outside a homecoming dance remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday, two days after she was flown from the attack scene in critical condition. ... As of late Monday, two suspects had been arrested in the case and a third was being questioned. (CNN)

Specifically the reported incident took place in Richmond, Ca. Erin is outraged as am I and innumerable others. We expect our children to be safe at school functions, and most of us cannot grasp that teenage boys could rape a teenage girl, that some stand around watching and no one helps. Yet, I've heard this story in my personal life. It happened to a friend of mine when she was young, and it happened to the daughter of another friend perhaps a decade ago.

One was lured to a house by a boy she knew and found herself locked in a room with friends who became animals in an instant. The other was pulled into a car by boys from her high school. One never reported the incident. The other did and the boys were arrested, later convicted.

I sometimes avoid writing anything in-depth about such stories because they rattle me in ways I can't explain. They leave me with swollen eyes and a heavy heart. For instance, this past summer, I mentioned the rape of an 8-year-old girl by young boys at the end of a post about other issues in the news. I tacked it on because I had seen the story and couldn't ignore it, but wrote few lines because what can you say?

The reality is that even when we have no words for this kind of violence we must find words and speak out. We want our children safe. We want our women safe. We want our girls safe. We want to learn what we may be doing to create an environment where this kind of violence happens so easily and what we're teaching our men-children that makes them think it's okay.

Related, 10/28/09: Homecoming gang rape sparks outrage on BlogHer.com and beyond.

Chris Brown Doesn't and Does Recall Beating Rihanna

First, let me say that while I know that being raised with domestic violence, as it's reported Chris Brown was raised, may result in your also being a physically abusive partner, my sympathy for the young singer is limited. Nothing excuses a man beating a woman. Brown, seeking to save his recording career, has made multiple public apologies for severely beating another star, Rihanna during what began as a "lovers' quarrel" this winter.

The public weighed in then and continues to weigh in. Unfortunately, we still have people, often named Anonymous, popping up in comment sections, who don't get that the Chris Brown-Rihanna incident or beating the hell out of someone and then asking forgiveness is not about love or romance. Neither is it something to brush off, letting by-gones be by-gones. Yet, we see people, young and old, male and female, blaming Rihanna for Brown beating her with arguments that amount to "she was asking for it."

All that said, when Chris Brown appears to tell CNN's Larry King in a clip from an "exclusive" interview that will air Wednesday night that he doesn't remember beating Rihanna, I think he may be telling the truth. The real truth. There is evidence from the field of psychology that blind rage makes one exactly that, blind. A beating like the one Brown gave Rihanna is an example of primal rage unleashed.

Nevertheless, perhaps doing damage control for public perception that a blurry memory of your beating someone up is akin to not taking responsibility for your actions, Brown's released a statement through his record company, Jive Records, explaining his comment to King. He says that the CNN clip was taken out of context and that he "misspoke" when he answered King's query "Do you remember doing it?" with "No."

There have been reports on the internet that I didn’t remember what happened that night with Rihanna. I want to try and set things straight.

That 30 seconds of the interview they used of me was taken from a one hour interview during which that same question was asked something like 4 or 5 times -- and when you look at the entire interview you will see it is not representative of what I said.

The first four times – or how ever many times it was - I gave the same answer -- which was that I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to talk about what happened that night. I said it was not right for me and it really wasn’t fair to Rihanna. The fifth time – or whatever it was – I just misspoke. I was asked, “Do you remember doing it?” and I said, “No.”

Of course I remember what happened. Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything. But it was and still is a blur. And yes, I still can’t believe it happened because it is not me or who I am or is what happened like anything I have ever done before.

As I have said several times previously, I am ashamed of and sorry for what happened that night and I wish I could relive that moment and change things, but I can’t. I take full responsibility for my actions. What I have to do now is to prove to the world that this was an isolated incident and that is not who I am and I intend to do so by my behavior now and in the future. -Chris Brown (Global Grind, "Chris Brown says he didn't black out.")

Hat tip to MrsGrapevine for that link.

Others have posted his statement as well, breaking into different camps--sympathetic vs. no sale. The latter see the singer's statement as a well-crafted bit of PR speak.

Having trained people to talk to the media before, I'll tell you what I think. I think that major parts of the beating are indeed "a blur" to this young man, that there are parts of what happened that Chris hasn't processed and that he really doesn't remember some of his actions that evening. Neither can he explain what turned him into a raging maniac. King kept asking him the same question over and over again because he recognized that Brown was giving him the talking points that his image consultant or media trainer or lawyer told him to give, and King wanted an answer from Chris's heart not the gospel according to image spin.

I've watched the early clips of Brown's interview with Larry King, which include Brown's mother and his attorney, and have decided to post two videos: 1.) The part of interview in which Brown says he doesn't remember beating Rihanna and 2.) CNN talking heads discussing the interview, how Brown must rebuild his image and appear contrite, but also how they are disappointed that he isn't more articulate about what he did and how he feels.

In June, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault against Rihanna and was sentenced to five years probation and six months community service, which means for six months he'll be cleaning up public areas, "removing graffiti," for instance. He says he doesn't mind doing it. Some observers feel the sentence was far too light while others say the solution is not hard prison time but close monitoring and psychotherapy.

From CNN:

Pop star Chris Brown has admitted guilt and apologized for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna in February, but he does not remember hitting the singer, he told CNN's Larry King.

Looking at police reports about the incident makes him feel like he's reading about a stranger, Brown said in his first television interview since the arrest.

"I'm in shock, because, first of all, that's not who I am as a person, and that's not who I promise I want to be," he said in an exclusive interview that airs Wednesday night.

"I just don't know what to think. I'm just like, wow," Brown said. "It's crazy to me."

Brown, 20, said he still loves singer Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

But, he added, it is tough for him to look at the photo showing Rihanna's battered face, the one image that might haunt and define him forever.

"When I look at it now, it's just like, wow, like, I can't believe that that actually happened," Brown said.

...Why did it happen? How did it happen?

Those are questions Brown and his mother, Joyce Hawkins, have been asking.

"Chris has never, ever been a violent person, ever," Hawkins said.

However, CNN obtained a probation report for Brown last week that said he and Rihanna were involved in at least two other domestic violence incidents before the February attack for which Brown was sentenced.

"The first incident occurred in Europe about three months before the present offense," the report said.

"The victim [Rihanna] and the defendant [Brown] were involved in a verbal dispute and the victim [Rihanna] slapped the defendant [Brown]. He responded by shoving her into a wall."

Another incident happened in January, three weeks before the Hollywood incident, when Brown and Rihanna were visiting her home country of Barbados, the report said. (CNN)

In the second video, the CNN journalists discuss that people undergo hours and hours of media training to prepare for such an interview. They are correct. However, a good interviewer must break through the talking points and get the subject to be real. The interviewer seeks authenticity. Sometimes the authentic answer, however, will get the subject in hot water.

In Chris Brown's case, the average person won't believe he doesnt' remember. "I don't remember" sounds like a cop out.

The latter part of the second video is on the death of DJ AM.

Cross-posted at BlogHer.com