Coloring-In West Virginia

I heard this bizarre West Virginia torture story for the first time a few days ago while driving. I changed the dial on my radio about a minute into the story because it was just too graphic to process while driving and I already felt an unspeakable anger rising up on the inside of me.

My initial anger stemmed from the fact that I identified with the victim. First, as a woman and second, as a person of color. No matter how logical of a person I am, I can't deny the fact that I saw through the gender and race prisms first in this case, and any research analysis later.

So if I happen to play the gender and race cards especially when the mainstream media is not giving this case the same coverage like a famed dog-fighting case, too bad; those were the cards that were dealt.

Now on to the rural areas theory. I live in South Florida; a tri-county area. So when the story broke of a gang-rape of a mother and her son in the Palm-Beach County (a neighboring county to me)area two months ago, it was a shock to many in the community. A shock because many of us in South Florida don't think of rural when it comes to Palm Beach. The images in our minds are ritzy, old-money, etc. It wasn't as the story unfolded each day that we came to find out that a few blacks like the victims live in such rural and crime-infested areas, a far cry from the Palm-Beach allure because that's all they could afford.

Sent by Moji | 10:57 AM ET | 09-14-2007

Hey Lee:

First off, good job on this post. I know it was anything but easy to write.

I started my blog Why Black Women are Angry (http://whyblackwomenareangry.blogspot.com) because, for sometime, I've felt there's been an assault on the image of Black women in this country with little opportunity for us to speak up for ourselves eloquently enough to be heard except for the likes of Michele, Wendy Williams out of New York, Oprah and Tyra. Although I've rarely said it out loud, my deep-seeded fear has been that this blatant disregard for Black women (i.e., mysogynistic rap, Omarosa and Imus) would somehow transfer over to an assault on Black women. Now, it seems that some of my worse fears have come true. Moji makes reference to her stay in West Palm Beach, Florida. Yet, ironically, she didn't specifically mention the 35-year Haitain and her sons who were both victims of sexual assault in that very community(http://whyblackwomenareangry.blogspot.com/2007/08/forget-about-race-riot-is-there-cause.html).

While I may not live in a rural area, my maternal side of the family is from just outside Birmingham, Alabama. So, based on some of the horrific stories shared by my Grandmother, I know how disposal Black women can appear to be, not just in rual areas, but throughout this country. Forget what Kane said regarding George Bush doesn't care about Black people; America doesn't seem to give much of a damn about Black women. So, when we work and struggle to hold our on in society, instead of being recognized overall as being conscientious and hardworking, we unfairly get labeled with being agressive and angry.

And when stories arise about us being sexually assaulted and abused in someway, it may be in the news for a second. However, you are not going to see the kind of Lacey Peterson or Natalee Holloway coverage - especially when a crime has been committed by six white people who look like most of the interns in newsrooms today who are often saddled with the responsibility of presenting story ideas for coverage.

But, just wait until the trial for Bobby Cutts killing the white woman, Jessie Davis. It's going to be "all Bobby, all the time" until they ensure one more Black man -and if he's guilty he should be -hanged for harming another angelic white woman.

So, as you can see, I think race is 98% of the story. That's why we'll hear little to nothing about the West Virginia incident again in the news.

Sent by Val in Los Angeles | 6:50 PM ET | 09-15-2007

this story just disgusted me. its unbelievable that this could happen

Sent by van | 3:32 PM ET | 09-16-2007

Why does this crime, heinous as it is, deserve any more attention than the torture and murder of a white couple by blacks in Knoxville recently, an incident that has been all but ignored by the media.

Sent by Jon M Owings | 9:41 PM ET | 09-16-2007

Val:

I was talking about the Haitian woman and her 12 year old son. I didn't think I needed to identify her ethnicity to be more specific; she was a woman first and foremost.

Also, that was the only story made public two months ago in Palm Beach county (PBC) about gang rape and they lived in West Palm Beach. I would hope gang rapes are not a common occurence in any environment and one case such as this is more than enough and should have been prevented or at least, be the very last.

By the way, I never wrote anything about living in West Palm Beach, which resides in PBC. I did say I live in South Florida, a tri-county area with PBC as a neighboring county (not city) to me.

P.S. I'm impressed by your passion on this matter but with your zeal, please back it up with the right knowledge.

Sent by Moji | 9:17 AM ET | 09-17-2007

i heard about this tragedy thru a friend. i find it repulsive and just horrible. there arent any words to describe my disbelief that there are still These kind of people out there. the fact that one human could do that to another human blows my mind entirely.. i find it interesting that there were six of them (white folks) and there were six black folks in the Jena fiasco. i just came to the scary realization that another 6 would be a bad sign.. here goes the "end of the world theory" i believe that race wars will be the end of us.. but anyway, i will stop rambling and get back to the point, i am not sure now, if i even have one. the jena six blew my mind. i do not understand how a school yard fight can result in someone spending 30 years of their life behind bars. and with this poor woman, they are THINKING about charging it as a hate crime.. i apologize that my thoughts are jumpy, i am trying to let all of this sink in..

Sent by jp | 8:18 AM ET | 09-22-2007