For those not familiar with the Tawana Brawley case, follow the link below for a brief summary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawana_Brawley
In short, Ms. Brawley gained notoriety in late 1987 for alleging that she had been assaulted by six white men. She claimed some of the men were police officers. The details of the assault were particularly obscene - racial epithets were written on her torso in charcoal and feces was smeared on her face. She was found in a garbage can near her apartment.
The black community immediately came to her defense...understandibly so given the alleged details of the assault. The outpouring of sympathy and financial support from the public at largewas soon followed by the arrival of Reverend Al Sharpton - the self declared, primary spokesperson for all those suffering racial injustice. A grand jury hearing was arranged in an effort to bring all the facts in the case forward.
Following a thorough investigation, no evidence of a sexual assault was found and the rest of Ms. Brawley's story fell apart like a house of cards. In the end, no case was brought against the six men accused, and Ms. Brawley and her mother fled NY state with approximately $300,000 that had been collected to support her anticipated legal effort.
Now - fast forward 20 years and consider the details of the Duke rape case. We have a similar situation with a black woman accusing several white men of kidnapping, physical assault and rape. I don't mean to insinuate that all the details of these cases are similar, only that the negative impact and the scrutiny they bring to the black community is similar and considerable.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not that concerned with a few from the privileged set having to take an L over something they may or may not have actually done. The very same thing, and significantly worse, has happened to many, many black men in the past as a result of false accusations. At the end of the day, the negative impact on the (seemingly) wrongly accused will be minimal. Their network of wealth and connection will come forth to provide for them and they will live their lives as planned.
The point I am raising is how negatively these - again seemingly false -accusations affect the black community. I listed with great interest to the press conference held by the defense attorneys after Nifong's misdeeds were brought to light. They read from the accusers original testimony following the alleged attack. She described in great detail how she was assaulted, who did it and for how long. I mean very, very specific detail. This testimony was then compared to her latest statemnts which went something like this - "I can't be certain I was actually penetrated during the attack". Wow! What a significant about face.
Now, as we approach the apparent end of this saga a few things are clear. Nifong seems to have achieved his objective. He endeared himself to the blacks in Durham County by jumping on the case and supporting the exotic dancer. He "defended the rights" of black folks and was reelected as the District Attorney for Durham County, NC. The lacross players are most likely going to be exhonerated of all charges so in the end, their interests will be met.
A few questions for your consideration:
- Where does this leave the black community?
- Are we too easily manipulated?
- How and why did the initial allegations come about?
- Did the monied university or someone representing their interests get to the accuser and provider her with motivation to change her story?
- What role did race and class play in this case?
Just a few things for you to consider. For me, I still support both universities in spirit, but only one financially....and I still like booty dancers.
H
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