NAACP Declares War on the Tea Party: Not A Good Look

 

Hat tip to Electronic Village for highlighting NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock's speech at the NAACP 2010 convention July 11th in Kansas City.  Ms. Brock is part of the "new generation" of leadership that Julian Bond and the other old guard members of the NAACP leadership have passed the torch too.  Its too bad what she had to say sounds like the same old wine in new skins. I wanted to find something to be encouraged about in this speech, I really did, but color me totally unimpressed. Black folk catching hell and she's touting school snack programs? the opening of a few college chapters; so called curriculum reforms to teach civil rights history? Thats it? Thats the best you've got to tout as achievements? The speech has a constant focus on the wrongs done to us, not nearly enough of anything about problem solving in our communities. It was heavy on platitudes, way light on substance.

Here's the problem; the NAACP does not have a true strategic vision about what their purpose is. They are aligned with the democrats and with the White House and essentially have signed up to be a tool of the administration's policy aims. I heard a whole lot about healthcare but can someone tell me when the NAACP became healthcare experts and champions? The speech sounds like an organization doing little more than following the federal money trail and influence.  The NAACP is merely cosigning the administration's legislative objectives and pledging the NAACP to work on it. But they don't have an original thought going here. I didn't hear anything about what the NAACP thinks ought to happen on the issues, I just heard parroting of the administration's ideas. Black activist organizations and figures from Sharpton to the NAACP have been co-opted by Obama and politically lobotomized. There is at least a 50/50 chance that the Obama administration's policy goals will crash and burn. What is the NAACP going to do when they land on the wrong side of public opinion, especially when we experience the massive mid term election correction in control of the House and Senate come November? Or if they get thrown under the bus by Obama over the NBP debacle at DOJ?

The really bad news? This rudderless organization has signed up to be the shock troops of Obama and declared war on the Tea Party in what is really a transparent bid to be more political relevant, passing a resolution condemning bigotry within the Tea Party. Listen to Ben Jealous:

 Thats not a good look. Because I guarantee you there is enough foolishness, bad management, chicanery, nepotism, cronyism and worse to be found going on in and around the NAACP to quickly hoist them on their own petard. The NAACP had better be careful that they don't get ACORNED out of existence. The Tea Party are the right's shock troops and their special ops teams play real rough.

Interestingly enough (and disappointingly so) with the face off threatening to steal the thunder from yet another Holy Mother of God make it stop planned march for jobs and justice (HAH!)on Aug. 28th, usual suspects Jackson and Sharpton are putting distance between themselves and the comments.

I do like the "I'm an NAACP American"  campaign pledge though.  Sign the pledge.....I did. Hey Sarah, come sign it with me.

NAACP Leadership Foolishness On Display

The NAACP national leadership is majoring in the minors and providing further validation for the viewpoint that they have lost their sense of purpose, proportion and mission. The New York Post was culturally incompetent in printing the cartoon and one could certainly find it offensive, off color, some level of inappropriate, tasteless, etc. If you are just determined to go there, call it racist if you must. But thats pretty much all the energy and time it's worth in the scheme of things. Some words of condemnation.

But in the words of Bejamin Jealous, "... we will move this from a local, regional issue to a very national issue". I am hard pressed to see how this merits such attention. Obama has been the president for but a minute. He is and will continue to be the target of hostile and negative invective, much of it far worse. In what universe is this New York Post carton even remotely important or worthy of a nationwide organized effort to get the cartoonist and editor fired by the NAACP? Are we really to believe that this is worthy of the NAACP's resources?

Its not. The NAACP national leadership is foolish to pursue the issue in this manner. The New York Post cartoon, offensive though it may be, is simply not that important. Indeed, it is not important at all when laid alongside the myriad number of serious issues wreaking havoc in black America and indeed among black peoples the world over.

This sort of reactionary, non-strategic, victim centered waste of time offends me.

Julian Bond's Deathgrip on the NAACP

When Julian Bond announced his intention to give up the leadership of the NAACP as its board chair, I was certainly all for the idea, but completely skeptical that it would result in a change that would make the organization more relevant into the future.

So imagine my total lack of surprise when Bond announced that based on an outpouring of support and encouragement (I suspect its more fear and cronyism at play) that he would once again seek the chairmanship.

Despite eloquent pleas to pass the baton to new, capable leadership from NAACP members themselves, I doubt that other board members of the NAACP will have the courage to say no to Bond's wish to take yet another turn at the helm and look to the future. Out of fear of change or antipathy to the hard work of organizational development, they will likely take the path of least resistance and re-elect Bond. When they do, it will simply be a further example of their loss of relevance and balance.

NAACP Leadership Change Insufficient to Reverse Continuing Decline in Relevance

Julian Bond has announced his intention not to stand for re-election as board chair of the NAACP when his current term expires. Bond said "I'm ready to let a new generation of leaders lead".

Generational change in leadership at the NAACP board level and in local communities is a long overdue and necessary step, but not sufficient. It must be accompanied by a significant increase in the quality of strategic leadership at national and local levels. At both levels, the simple organizational capability to run effective meetings, analyze problems, then develop and carry out a strategic, relevant response over time has been either lost or surrendered in pursuit of narrow political agendas or the retention of most favored gate keeper status. The Urban League is similarly afflicted. I have scant confidence that the change in leadership at the top will result in a complete rethinking of the NAACP's role, assets, strategy and goals. Visionary and paradigm shaking leadership is what is required. I will be utterly surprised if anything resembling that emerges from the NAACP's long overdue leadership change.

Bond seems to site Obama's election as the catalyst for his decision to make room for new leadership. Far from stirring a paradigm shift though, I suspect Obama's election may only serve to mask the organization's continuing strategic leadership drift.

Political Season Joins Empowered Black Perspectives Radio Show to Talk About Dunbar Village

I participated in a discussion about the Dunbar Village case on Friday, April 18th on the Empowered Black Perspectives Radio show. You can check out the show right here. Unfortunately, my line got dropped just before the end of the show, but thankfully not in the middle of a comment. So give the show a listen and let me know how you think I did in discussing the issues.

NAACP Answers on Dunbar: What We Learned

Well, I've been traveling out of town for the past few days getting some much needed RR with the family but of course keeping an eye peeled on the blogosphere and the Dunbar Village accountability campaign being waged on the NAACP. Since I was on the road, I missed the blogtalk radio show on Dunbar Village on Thursday night. Representatives from the NAACP, Adora Obi Nweze, President, Fl State Conference NAACP and Richard McIntire, the NAACP national spokesperson joined the Black Women's Roundtable hosted by WAOD to respond to the stinging and scathing criticism the NAACP has been receiving.

I listened to the archive of the show including the NAACP portion and the discussion afterwards. The NAACP responses and performance were pathetically inadequate and demonstrated an organization manifestly out of touch. They apologized for the press conference, saying that it was not their intent to suggest that they cared more about the suspects than the victims. They were not well versed in the facts of the Boca Raton cases and ill informed about how their national policy directives informed the actions of the WPB branch. They were unwilling and unable to explain their internal protocol for how local branches intervene in cases (though the local branch in my area seems very clear that permission from their state body is required when I asked about it.)

So what have we learned from this little episode? Surprisingly, not much that was new. All it really did for me was to confirm the fact, which I've blogged on before, that black organizations are nearly incapable of engaging in principled, strategic leadership. The responses of the NAACP betray an organization that is poorly organized, with poor unit discipline and extremely inconsistent quality of leadership at the local level. It seems fairly clear that the WPB branch did not obtain any authorization to intervene in this case before undertaking this ill advised press conference. Furthermore, they got involved in this press conference apparently without having done any significant amount of research into the Boca Raton case, which has a very different fact pattern, as evidenced by their inability to talk about it when questioned by reporters from the Palm Beach Post at the scene.

The quality of local leadership for the NAACP is clearly in question. Maude Ford Lee, the local president, pursued this course of action apparently without authorization, without a clear understanding of the facts of the Boca case and apparently without having given any real thought to the nature of the Dunbar Village rape itself, something I find even more appalling because she is a woman herself.

The poor legal, moral and political judgment demonstrated by the local chapter is simply compounded by the equally inept response of the national organization, which does nothing to rein in the action of the local branch, nor does anything substantive in regards to support for the victim. Clearly unwilling to rebuke the local chapter leadership, the Florida state president apologizes for the press conference, but is unwilling to go any further, and the NAACP's national spokesperson offers up a mish mash of contradictory statements. Its clear that they are only concerned with the agenda of pursuing actual and perceived cases of racial injustice and are willing to ride any set facts to do so. If that were not the case, then the national and state bodies would have indeed rebuked the local chapter for their involvement in this case.

It highlights the sad fact of bad leadership in black organizations both nationally and locally. Because there is little in the way of accountability, these organizations continue to waste humanpower and financial resources on ill advised strategies to obtain dubious gains in racial equality. The NAACP has demonstrated itself to be just such an organization, as has the National Action Network of Al Sharpton.

There was a lot of discussion afterwards about what is the response of people like ourselves, bloggers, activists, a new generation who are embracing the new tools and technologies of the information age to connect with each other and the world on the issues we care about. Some suggested a new organization, some said reform these groups from within, some said run for office. None of these options seems either a great solution or particularly satisfying or complete as answers by themselves. There was talk of coalition building and I think that comment points in the right direction, of a third way. We've seen this accountability campaign force a response from these civil rights establishment dinosaurs. We did it by harnessing the power of communication and the web to connect the concerns of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who are not otherwise connected. I myself collaborated with people I've never met or seen in places I have never been. Thats very powerful .

We need to continue to harness that power. To build the ability of people who share similar concerns to be able to join with one another on issues we care about and to be involved in action that impacts those concerns. Its not an organization per se, but a coalition of the willing built around shared values and principles, that works to mobilize people power and raise money in specific targeted ways to effect change where its needed. WAOD's prior campaigns and this one demonstrate a power that in my view we have only barely begun to tap. We should be thinking about the next level.

The NAACP Says We Are All Crazy

The NAACP two hours ago put out this press release on their website:

E-mails misrepresent NAACP's position on Dunbar Village case

A series of viral e-mails circulating the Internet the past several days distort and misrepresent the NAACP’s stance on the Dunbar Village gang rape case that began last June in south Florida.
The NAACP does not condone violence against anyone. Any suggestion to the contrary is not credible in light of the Association’s long history of opposing violence against all persons.

In fact, it was the West Palm Beach Branch NAACP and area churches, among others, that provided assistance in the relocation of the victims in this horrific and inexplicable criminal matter.

“The NAACP cares deeply that justice be applied equally, without regards to race, but cares just as deeply that guilty parties be held accountable for their actions,” said Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference, NAACP.

The NAACP National Office nor the Florida NAACP have taken any formal position on the case and both believe this situation will benefit from well meaning, interested parties allowing the facts to become further known and letting defense lawyers do their work.

“The lives of the victims in this case are irrevocably altered in the worst way,” said NAACP Interim President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes. “While we respect the judicial process and implore that equal justice be rendered for all involved, we must also focus on ending the continuing plague of violence in our communities.”

The NAACP and its affiliates will continue to closely monitor the proceedings and details of this case, said West Palm Beach Branch NAACP President Maude Ford Lee, who added, “Earlier reports that my remarks support the heinous acts of the guilty parties could not be further from the truth.”

--For more information contact: rmcintire@naacpnet.org

Okay. I'm just gonna go with two sentences out of this press release:

"The NAACP National Office nor the Florida NAACP have taken any formal position on the case..."

No formal position? What do you call WPB NAACP chapter president Maude Ford Lee and NAACP attorney Richard Keith Alan II appearing on the steps of the prosecutor's office with Al Sharpton and the families of the defendants in front of a gaggle of reporters demanding that they be offered bail like the defendants in the Boca Raton case? Don't take my word for it. Watch the video for yourself.

"In fact, it was the West Palm Beach Branch NAACP and area churches, among others, that provided assistance in the relocation of the victims in this horrific and inexplicable" criminal matter.

Oh really? Prove it. I know that the St. Ann Catholic Church has provided some assistance, they are receiving donations to the victim's fund. I also know that when the NAACP's national office was called, they said "its not part of our mission". So I'd like to know exactly what assistance the WPB NAACP branch has rendered to relocate the victims. Spell it out. Did you donate money, did you find her a place to live? Because I have a really hard time believing that this chapter that joined with Al Sharpton in this ill advised, ill timed and irresponsible press conference would have done that after helping the victim of this horrific crime.

Dunbar Village Campaign Gains Momentum & Visibility

The NAACP so far appears to show less media savvy that Al Sharpton. Sharpton tried for a pre-emptive strike by inviting bloggers to his radio show in an attempt to get out in front of the story. Thus far, the NAACP does not appear to have made any official, on the record response regarding their involvement in the Dunbar case. This is a mistake and shows old media thinking. While they dawdle in a case where the facts are so clear, momentum for the campaign is growing and with 20+ blog outlets giving it coordinated messaging, its going to bubble up into MSM awareness.

Here is just some of the attention it has garnered thus far:

BlackVoices.com
The Baltimore Sun
The Chicago Tribune
The Houston Chronicle
PalmBeachPost.com
News Leader.com (Springfield MO)

These articles and more won't be the end of it if there is not a reversal of course.

Al Sharpton and Dunbar Village

I listened in on Al Sharpton's radio broadcast yesterday where he addressed the Dunbar Village incident and his ill advised, ill timed and irresponsible involvement in it. I had anticipated coming on to the show as well at Arlene Fenton's request, but was told by the producer when I called in that with Arlene and Tonyaa Weathersbee, they already had enough guests. I did use the radio call in number but they kept me on hold the entire time. From discussing the call with Arlene afterwards, it almost seemed that they were perhaps avoiding taking calls and clearly, some of Arlene and Tonyaa's commentary was not broadcast.

Sharpton spent a lot of time attacking the guest bloggers credibility in raising the issue but for anyone familiar with the case, there is one inescapable fact.

Sharpton and the NAACP's involvement in the Dunbar Village case was ill advised, ill timed and completely unwarranted. They were making FALSE claims of racial inequity in the application of justice. Claims that not only ignored the heinous crime involved, but that by their false nature, undermine the pursuit of equal justice in cases where it is actually merited. By his own words, Sharpton claimed he was fully aware of the case and the WPB NAACP live there, so clearly they know as well. Their bogus comparison of the case with the one in Boca Raton is either because he and the NAACP didn't bother to check the facts or they didn't care.

Dunbar Village Campaign Update: A New Underground Railroad is Born

Subject: The Dunbar Village Atrocity

Synopsis:

In the past week, a rapidly-moving viral email campaign was launched, and thousands of concerned black citizens spread the word about a shocking crime against a Black woman and her 12 year old son, in which crimes against nature were committed. (read more details of the crime here)

This email, entitled “Stop Al Sharpton and the NAACP from endangering Black Women,” described a stunning betrayal in which the NAACP and Al Sharpton held a press conference and demanded bail consideration for three suspects in custody for the crime. (source1) (source2)

Concerned Black citizens all around the country were outraged by the actions of the NAACP and Al Sharpton, and many vowed to withdraw volunteering and financial support from these agencies “until they make the safety of Black women and children a priority.”

On March 24, 2008 an NAACP memo that attempted to defend this betrayal was sent to Beverly Neal, who is the Director of the NAACP’s Florida State Conference. The memo claims that the NAACP was brought into this fray by Rev. Al Sharpton. Moreover, the memo was written by Maude Ford Lee, who is President of the West Palm Beach Branch of the NAACP. (read the memo here)

On March 27,2008, activist Al Sharpton went on the air to clarify his position on the treatment of the Dunbar Village Suspects. He invited writer Tonyaa Weathersbee and blogger Arlene Fenton to his show, to discuss the matter. Rev. Sharpton claimed that he never said that the Dunbar Village suspects were being treated unfairly, and that he did not want bail for the suspects in question.

Ms Weathersbee and Ms Fenton said that their research indicated otherwise, as indicated by video footage, eyewitness accounts, and the reporting from the Florida Sun Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post.

At the end of the radio show, Al Sharpton strongly condemned any activity that would promote bail consideration for the suspects in question. Rev. Sharpton admitted that “if the suspects were white, he would have been there sooner.” He stated that this is a problem with many black civil rights organizations. He apologized and vowed to uphold his prior promise to advocate for the residents of Dunbar Village. He also challenged all activists, bloggers, and writers to be accountable to each other.

To date, the NAACP has not made an official statement denouncing the Dunbar Village Atrocity, nor have they officially expressed regret to the victim. The NAACP also has not officially retracted their statement requesting bail consideration for the alleged rapists/torturers. To our understanding, neither agency has contributed to the Victim’s Assistance Fund or created a reward program geared toward the apprehension of the remaining rapists/torturers.


Conclusion

WE ARE SATISFIED with Al Sharpton’s qualifying statements that he made on his radio show on 3/27/2008. We will watch to see if he fulfills his promise to advocate for the residents of Dunbar Village, and we are willing to assist any effort that promotes safer black neighborhoods in West Palm Beach, FL.


WE ARE NOT CONTENT with the reckless, irresponsible actions of the NAACP (West Palm Beach chapter). We continue to urge all black people, women especially, to refrain from volunteering or giving financially to this organization until they take our safety seriously.


WHAT WE WANT

We want law enforcement to make a concerted, sustained effort to apprehend the remaining suspects. We want to see a genuine reward system in place to encourage members of the community to come forward with the knowledge of the whereabouts of the remaining suspects.

We want the NAACP (West Palm Beach chapter) to reverse their position that the alleged rapists/torturers of this case should be considered for bail.

We want both the NAACP and the National Action Network to cease downgrading the gang rape/torture/atrocity of the Dunbar Village by comparing it to an unrelated gang rape, in which guns, maiming, and forced incest were not involved.

We want to see genuine victim advocacy in the form of financial support for the relocation, medical expenses, and mental therapy for the true victims in this case.


The Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund

Individuals who would like to donate money to the victims can go to any Wachovia Bank and donate to the St. Ann’s Victim’s Assistance Fund. Donations will go directly to the mother and her son.

St. Ann’s Catholic Church will also accept donations. Checks can be made payable to the "Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund - St. Ann’s".

Donations can be mailed to: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 310 N. Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

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

http://www.dunbarvillage.blogspot.com/
http://adifferentstory.wordpress.com/
http://anonymissblog.blogspot.com/
http://auntjemimasrevenge.blogspot.com/
http://blackfirewhitefire.blogspot.com/
http://blackwomenvote.blogspot.com/
http://charactercorner.blogspot.com/
http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com/
http://episcopalienne.blogspot.com/
http://essentialpresence.blogspot.com/
http://focusedpurpose.blogspot.com/
http://h-essays.blogspot.com/
http://lareinacobre.blogspot.com/
http://mynewblog-ravenelvenlady.blogspot.com/
http://politicalseason.blogspot.com/
http://privyconcepts.blogspot.com/
http://thesowingcircle.blogspot.com/
http://tributetoblackwomen.com/news
http://web.mac.com/roslynholcomb/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html
http://whataboutourdaughters.com/
http://whattamisaid.blogspot.com/
http://www.blacksapience.blogspot.com/
http://yanmommasaid.blogspot.com/
http://www.somethingwithin.com/blog

Black Male Bloggers: Man Up On Dunbar Village

The Dunbar Village Gang Rape case is among the most horrific criminal cases

I've ever seen. What is perhaps even more horrific is the deafening silence and inaction of black men on this issue, and the active support of the rapists now being given by Al Sharpton and the NAACP. Black women bloggers are taking action. Black male bloggers need to do the same and there are plenty of us.

I'm issuing a call to arms.

The imperatives are clear:
1. Make the NAACP & NAN accountable for their defense of the rapists and reverse course.
2. Bring pressure to bear on WPB authorities to catch the remaining six rapists
3. Raise a lot of money for this woman and her son to help rebuild their 

shattered lives.
This is a black accountability moment.  Black organizations, national and 

local, underperform almost across the board because we don't require them to operate at a higher standard of judgment, accountability or transparency.  

Both of these organizations should be made to publicly reverse course on this case, or pay a serious price until they do.  For black men, I can't think of a 

more clear opportunity to show unflinching, unwavering, non-negotiable, take no prisoners support for black women.

So come on brothers, join the campaign.  The women got it started, but 

frankly, the brothers should finish it.

This is simple:

A black woman was gang raped for 3 hours by 10 black men in front of her 12 year old son.

10 black men destroyed her life.  I'm looking for a hundred black men to help put it back together.

Join the campaign and take action now

Stop Al Sharpton and the NAACP from endangering Black Women!

Cross posted from Black Women Vote! in support of justice for the Dunbar Village rape victim and her 12 year old son.


Right-thinking black people everywhere are stunned by the recent betrayal of Al Sharpton and the NAACP in a situation that is just too outrageous to ignore.

This is a painful story to tell, but it's important for the moral, law-abiding majority of black Americans to understand exactly why Al Sharpton and the NAACP must be immediately stopped.

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

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

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

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

As devastating as this story is, what the NAACP and Al Sharpton have done about it will simply take your breath away:

Not only did the NAACP ignore hundreds of requests to assist this woman because it was 'outside the scope of their mission', but they joined forces with Al Sharpton, and sent their lawyers to speak out IN SUPPORT OF THE RAPISTS.

You heard me right.

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

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

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

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

Here is what you can do:

Please make a $5, $10, $50, $100 or more contribution to the victim fund to help the Dunbar Village victim and her son rebuild their shattered lives

Checks should be made payable to the Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund - St. Ann. You can drop your contribution off at any Wachovia Bank branch, or mail them to:

Dunbar Village Victim Assistance Fund - St. Ann.
St. Ann Catholic Church
310 N. Olive Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561-832-3757

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

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

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

NAACP National Headquarters
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore MD 21215
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
Local: (410) 580-5777

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

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

Each Friday at 9:00am, visit any of the websites below, which will give you an update on the status of this situation. DO NOT LET THIS GO. Let us start working for safer neighborhoods in black communities.


Read the history of the Dunbar Village problem here:

http://www.dunbarvillage2008.blogspot.com

ON FRIDAYS, CHECK THE NETWORK OF A NEW GENERATION OF BLACK ACTIVISTS:


http://blackwomenvote.blogspot.com
http://adifferentstory.wordpress.com
http://anonymissblog.blogspot.com/
http://auntjemimasrevenge.blogspot.com
http://blackfirewhitefire.blogspot.com/
http://blackwomenvote.blogspot.com
http://charactercorner.blogspot.com
http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com
http://episcopalienne.blogspot.com
http://essentialpresence.blogspot.com
http://focusedpurpose.blogspot.com/
http://h-essays.blogspot.com/
http://lareinacobre.blogspot.com/
http://mynewblog-ravenelvenlady.blogspot.com/
http://politicalseason.blogspot.com
http://privyconcepts.blogspot.com/
http://thesowingcircle.blogspot.com/
http://web.mac.com/roslynholcomb/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html
http://whataboutourdaughters.com
http://whattamisaid.blogspot.com
http://whattamisaid.blogspot.com/
http://www.blacksapience.blogspot.com
http://yanmommasaid.blogspot.com
http://www.somethingwithin.com/blog

--

Black Women: Please visit my blog at
http://www.blackwomenvote.blogspot.com
and let the revolution begin!

An Open Letter to the NAACP and Al Sharpton

I sent the following to NAN and the NAACP at 4:04 pm Saturday March 15, 2008. I encourage you to do the same and more.


To:
Al Sharpton - National Action Network
Julian Bond - Chairman - NAACP
Maude Ford Lee - President - West Palm Beach Branch NAACP
Sabu Williams - Director - Florida State Conference NAACP

I'm writing to protest the recent actions of the NAACP and the National Action Network in the Dunbar Village rape case. As you know, on June 18th, 2007, a black woman and her 12 year old son were viciously and savagely attacked by 10 black men and boys in a West Palm Beach Florida public housing project called Dunbar Village . The woman was brutally gang raped for over three hours, tortured and forced to perform oral sex on her 12 year old son at gunpoint. They were doused with chemicals, poured into their eyes and the woman's vagina in an attempt to destroy evidence. They were saved from being burned alive only because the rapists could not find matches. No one called the police during the three hour attack. No one came to their aid when the attack was over. They had to walk a mile to a hospital before they were assisted by anyone.

On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, Al Sharpton and the West Palm Beach NAACP held a press conference accusing the prosecutor of treating those arrested in this case unfairly. You demanded that the prosecutor offer bail to the boys arrested in this case and not try them as adults, because this was being done by the prosecutor in another gang rape case involving white perpetrators in a different Florida jurisdiction.

Following the attack, vigorous efforts were made to contact NAN and the NAACP and enlist your aid in getting help and attention for the victim of this horrific crime. An NAACP spokesman, when contacted, said they would not respond because "it was outside their mission". Despite repeated calls to the National Action Network, there was NO RESPONSE. No statement on behalf of the victim, no protest, not one single word. Contrast this to the swift and vocal response Al Sharpton and NAN exhibited to the Duke rape case. In the Duke case, loud and vocal support of the victim and calls for justice for her attackers, but in the Dunbar Village case.......complete silence. The difference between the two cases? At Duke - the alleged attackers were white men; in Dunbar Village, the alleged attackers are black men. Contrast the response in this case to the NAACP's vigorous defense of Michael Vick for merely killing dogs, but the brutal and horrific gang rape of a black woman in front of her 12 year old son provokes not a single word.

For almost a year, NAN and the NAACP had nothing to say in support of the black woman victim and her son. You made no calls for the West Palm Beach police to swiftly find these criminals, of whom six are still on the loose. You did nothing to my knowledge to offer help to this woman and her child to help them recover. In all points, you exhibited a complete moral indifference to the crime committed against this black woman. Now, almost a year later, you come rushing to the defense of....the rapists??!!!! Your actions send the clear message that crimes committed against black women are not important to your organizations unless they present an opportunity to protest perceived racism and if exploiting a poor, gang raped black woman can help you grab some media spotlight for that purpose, thats okay.

I ask, where is your moral compass? How is it that the vile nature of what you are doing is not apparent to you? You are championing rapists while deliberately, purposefully ignoring the vicious gang rape and torture of a black woman. Your actions make clear that neither you Al Sharpton as a black man, nor the NAACP, value the dignity, safety and well being of black women. Your actions make clear that the rape and violation of black women is okay depending on the race of the violator. You will protest the rape of black women by white men, but you will say nothing about the rape of black women by black men and in fact will defend the black rapists of african american women. It is a second violation of this woman and indeed of all black women as vile as the first.

Your behavior in this case is morally indefensible and despicable. There is no justification for it, no basis in morality that would support what Al Sharpton and the NAACP are doing. I demand that you reverse course. I demand that you turn the resources of your organization to providing support and aid to the innocent victims in this case, not the perpetrators. I demand that you publicly in word and deed put pressure on the West Palm Beach authorities to find and arrest the other six rapists still on the loose.

If you are unwilling to immediately and publicly acknowledge the error of your actions in regard to the Dunbar Village case, I and as many others as I can persuade to join me, will pursue every avenue available to make the public at large, the media, your membership, your financial and political supporters, your sponsors and the entire world aware of your willing and informed support and encouragement of the brutal rape and torture of a black woman. My outrage is shared by many others. NAN and the NAACP will be held accountable.

The actions of Al Sharpton and the NAACP to support rapists of black women is a moral abomination, a moral atrocity. It degrades and sullies the good the NAACP has accomplished. It should not be allowed to stand. It is non negotiable. If the NAACP and NAN must be ripped apart and rebuilt anew to restore its moral compass and establish as sacrosanct the dignity, value and safety of black women, that is preferable to organizations which knowingly support the violation and rape of black women.
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To our readers. If you agree with the above, make it a letter template for other people. Forward it, twit it, facebook it, newsvine it, digg it, and anything else you can think of. Turn it into a viral hurricane of outrage and accountability.

You can communicate directly to the organizations with the info below:

NAACP: Julian Bond -Chairman
4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore MD 21215
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
Local: (410) 580-5777

National Action Network
Al Sharpton
Crisis Department
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York 10039
212-690-3070
877-NAN-HOJ1
crisis@nationalactionnetwork.net
revalmedia@yahoo.com

NAACP: Florida State Conference
DIRECTOR: MR. SABU WILLIAMS
ADDRESS: 230 Seneca Trail; Crest View, FL 32536
TELEPHONE: (850) 301-2095 FAX: (850) 301-2098
E-MAIL: sabu1@aol.com

West Palm Beach County Branch - Unit # 5143
President: Maude Ford Lee
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 4131 West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Telephone: (561) 655-9798
E-Mail: unit5143@naacp.org

This behavior should not be allowed to stand. Let's put a stop to it.

NAACP & Sharpton: We're Okay with Gang Rape, But Denying Bail Is Going Too Far

I scarcely know how or where to begin to express my outrage, sorrow and weary disgust with the NAACP, a once venerable organization. I considered myself incapable of surprise at the antics of race hustler Sharpton, but I am surprised and dismayed at what is clearly a new low on his part.

We posted on the horrific Dunbar Village gang rape case in Florida last year where a woman was raped by 10 men over a three hour period You can read the local coverage here. We noted then, as we do now, that part of what made this crime so horrible was the fact that during a 3 hour ordeal, despite the screams, no one came to the victims aid, and the terrible things which were done to the woman and her son. It was shocking, barbaric and horrific. What has made the horror of it grow more and more is that no black organization came to this woman's aid, to demand justice, to help her recover, nothing. Net activists at the blog What About Our Daughters have been calling people and organizations to account for not speaking out about it, from Sharpton, to Obama, to the NAACP and anyone else. The Obama campaign, despite repeated contacts from a variety of sources, has never responded. Neither has the Clinton campaign, nor did Sharpton. The NAACP, in response to requests to get involved on the victims behalf, actually said they would not because it was not in their mission. I mean their lack of any response was pathetic. Mind you, the Atlanta chapter had to rush to intervene on behalf of Michael Vick over his dogfighting trouble. And of course, Sharpton was johnny on the spot in defense of the alleged black female rape victim in that case, who supposedly had been assaulted by a whole team of white boys and turned out to be a liar. After many entreaties that were ignored, Sharpton finally responded to the Dunbar Village residents, set up an event with public officials, then canceled it at the last minute without advance notice, letting down the residents.

But finally, the NAACP and Sharpton have responded to the Dunbar Village atrocity and they are rushing in to the defense.......of the rapists. Sharpton and the local branch of the NAACP held a press conference to highlight the fact that the four teens arrested in the Dunbar Village case have not been granted bail, while white kids over in Boca Raton charged with rape got bail and are not being charged as adults.

Neither of these organizations could be bothered to even publicly speak out about the horrific crime that was committed against the victim in this case. The NAACP said it was not their concern and Sharpton blew off the residents of Dunbar Village. Now, both of these organizations think the smart thing to do is come to the defense of the rapists in this case. It demonstrates for all to see that the NAACP, once a very respectable organization, has completely lost its way and become disconnected from any sense of morality, integrity or decency and commonsense. In Sharpton's case, its a singular statement that he is only interested in opportunities to aggrandize himself and if exploiting a poor, gang raped black woman can help him grab some media spotlight, thats okay. There are unconfirmed reports at this writing that the NAACP has even sent attorneys to Florida to work on these rapists behalf.

The actions of Sharpton and the NAACP are despicable and disgusting in this case. I call on the NAACP to reverse itself and come to the aid of the victim in this case. I call on the national organization to rebuke the local chapter for this ill advised partnership with Sharpton. I call on every single NAACP member to demand that their local chapter tell the national organization to repudiate and cease and desist from any advocacy on the part of the perpetrators of this crime and to discontinue their membership if they do not. I call on every person black, white, brown or yellow to pressure the sponsors and corporate supporters of the NAACP to demand they address the Dunbar Village case properly and support the victim and if they do not, to withdraw, withhold or reduce their support. I call on all members of the national Black Action Network to repudiate Sharpton's actions. I call on any financial supporters of the Black Action Network to demand they reverse themselves and support the victim in this case, or have their support removed. I call on candidates Clinton and Obama to denounce this crime and crimes against women, and to rebuke the NAACP and Sharpton for their despicable actions in fighting for the rapists and deliberately, purposefully ignoring the vicious crime committed against a black woman. I call on every person who reads this to contact the media, these organizations, and anyone who will listen and tell them to denounce this foolishness.

This is a black accountability moment.

ConVick? The NAACP and too many others have no perspective

Michael Vick in a locker room interview on
 September 3, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick arrived Monday at the U.S. District Court in Richmond where he was expected to plead to charges related to dogfighting.

art.vick.pool.jpg

Michael Vick arrives Monday at court where he is expected to plead guilty to charges related to dogfighting.

Vick was met by cheering supporters as his attorneys and federal marshals escorted him into the building. A group of protesters also was on hand.

In legal papers filed last week, Vick admitted financing a dogfighting operation and participating in the killing of dogs that did not fight well.

The Michael Vick story has been dominating media for several days now. In addition to the coverage, we have now been treated to the silly spectacle of the local NAACP in Atlanta and the national spokesperson making excuses for Michael Vick. For an organization with such a storied civil rights history, it truly nauseates me to see them interjecting themselves into a non strategic, non important sensationalist mess.

First off, lets get it on the table. I don't feel sorry for Vick. I don't think he has been treated unfairly. If his career ends up being over because of this foolishness, tough. Why so cold you say? Because Vick got paid a $27 million signing bonus and he was pulling down a multi million dollar annual salary. So if he didn't understand that he had left the ghetto behind, thats just too bad. I'm a working brother, father of three and a husband. In the natural, I don't see $27 million coming my way anytime soon. I don't have any sympathy at all for this young, single brother on top of the world who thought it was a good idea to fight dogs with his boys from the hood. I just can't dredge up any sympathy at all for him. Could it be because....there is no reason to be sympathetic? He didn't have enough common sense to think about how his behavior might be a problem for him, for his team, for his contract, for his career? Not even with $27 million reasons?

Now, in defending himself, he's got resources. He is not getting railroaded in the legal system. He's got the best defense money can buy. So he needs no help on that score. So why is the NAACP feeling it necessary to come to his defense? Why do they tarnish their reputation and brand by sparing one moment to defend this BS? This at the same time they are totally SILENT about the heinous crime committed against the gang rape victim in Dunbar Village or the way that case has been handled in Florida? No perspective. None at all. They have nothing to say about the Dunbar Village victim or the Lavena Johnson case, but for dog killer ConVick, they have much love. That kind of stupidity is why the younger generation is paying little attention and the NAACP's relevance will continue to dwindle.