To Do

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.

My brother, join the campaign.  The women got it started, but frankly, the brothers 
should finish it.

This is simple:

A black woman was gangraped 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

 

A Political Season
Dunbar Village FAQ

What is Dunbar Village?

Dunbar Village is a 246-unit public housing apartment complex in the North Tamarind area of West Palm Beach, Florida. It is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Pleasant City and Northwest. The complex is commonly referred to as Dunbar.  Built in the late 1940s, Dunbar Village is one of the first housing projects in the state of Florida. It was named for the African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

What Happened at Dunbar Village?

On June 18th, 2007, ten black male youths gang-raped a 35 year old woman for three hours and forced her to perform oral sex on her 12-year old son, who was also beaten and doused with household chemicals^[2]. The young men not only viciously punched, kicked and sliced the woman and her son with glass objects, but they also blinded her boy by pouring nail polish remover into his eyes.

The young men forced the woman 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 of their violent, immoral and sadistic acts. The violence continued for over three hours, and although the woman's neighbors heard her screams, no one called the police or came to her aid. Even after the attack, no one came to their aid and the woman and her son had to walk a mile to a hospital before receiving any help, because the assailants stole her car, and threatened to kill her and her family if she told the authorities.

As of September 3, 2007 only four of the 10 rapists have been arrested for the crime, ranging in age from 14 to 18.

What Has Been the Response of Black Leadership?

Black leadership has been unconscionably silent on behalf of the victim.  To this writer's knowledge, no national black organization has made a public statement or otherwise demonstrated support for the victim of this case. Notably, in the case of the NAACP and Al Sharpton's National Action Network, both organizations were repeatedly contacted in 2007 by activists and individuals pleading with them to turn a spotlight on this case and to press for additional action to catch the rapists.  In response to a phone call from the authors of the blog What About our Daughters, an NAACP spokesperson responded that they would not be getting involved in the case because "it was outside their mission".  Al Sharpton did not respond to numerous requests for a statement or other action until January 2008, when he responded to communication from a Dunbar Village resident and toured the property.  Sharpton helped organized a town hall meeting that was scheduled for February 10, 2008.  Sharpton, a day before the event and without conferring with or telling the residents, canceled the event, with no explanation. The residents actually showed up for the event, with food prepared and expecting public officials, the press and others, only to find Sharpton operatives who told them the whole thing was off.

What Has Happened Most Recently?

On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, Al Sharpton and the West Palm Beach NAACPheld a press conference accusing the prosecutor of treating those arrested in this case unfairly. They demanded that the prosecutor offer bail to the youths 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. The NAACP has apparently event sent attorneys to aid those arrested in their defense, this in spite of the heinous nature of the crime, air tight DNA evidence and confessions.

Following the attack, vigorous efforts were made to contact NAN and the NAACP and enlist their aid in getting help and attention for the victim of this horrific crime.  Despite repeated calls 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.

I Think This Is Outrageous - What Can I Do?

Many in the community when they become aware of this are asking of Al Sharpton and the NAACP,  where is your moral compass? The NAACP and Al Sharpton are championing rapists while deliberately, purposefully ignoring the vicious gang rape and torture of a black woman. Their actions make it appear that neither Al Sharpton , nor the NAACP, value the dignity, safety and well being of black women. Their actions make it appear that the rape and violation of black women is okay depending on the race of the violator. They protest the rape of black women by white men, but  say nothing about the rape of black women by black men and in fact are defending the black rapists of african american women. It is a second violation of the victim and indeed of all black women as vile as the first. You can do the following to make these organizations accountable:

First and foremost, 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. Do it now, don't wait.

Checks can 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: St. Ann Catholic Church, 310 N. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The church’s phone number is (561) 832-3757.

After that, you can take the following actions:

1. Spread the word. Forward this FAQ 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 or email explaining that you will return when they prioritize the public safety needs of black women and children.

3. If 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.

4. If you are a member or part of the leadership of a black community organization, ask your organization to make a public statement via press release and information on its website, to contact the NAACP and Al Sharpton

5. Call, email or write them to inform them of your outrage and demand they reverse course:

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

Maude Ford Lee - President - West Palm Beach NAACP -      unit5143@naacp.org,
Sabu Williams - Director - Florida State Conference NAACP -  sabu1@aol.com

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

This is a just cause.  There is a lot of injustice in the world.  I can't fight every battle, let alone win them. But I can fight this one.   I believe that we can make these organizations be accountable for their judgment and change course in this case.  I believe we can raise some money for this victim and son to help them rebuild their lives and perhaps make the remembering less difficult. I believe we can bring pressure on the authorities and frankly the WPB community to find the remaining rapists.

We can do something about this. This is a just cause, a good cause, a cause where we can make a difference.  I believe you are as appalled and dismayed and angered by this case as I am.  If thats true, please do anything and everything you can to help shine the spotlight on this case and obtain some measure of justice and support for this woman and her son.  We are the ones she's been waiting for.