Articles Feature

Wealth of Questions in “Hate Crime” Torture

Writers Raise Role of Facebook, Equality of Justice

Far Right Invents Racist Theory on Airport Shooting

Herbert, Mira Lowe to Work at U. of Florida

Indians Invisible Again in “My President Was Black”

Oregon Tribe Votes for Freedom of the Press

Hargro to Atlanta as Rare Black “Alternative” Editor

Obama Irked by Pro-Putin GOP Commentators

Fox News Gives Jesse Watters His Own Show

Double Standard for Nate Parker, Casey Affleck?

Short Takes

 

Writers Raise Role of Facebook, Equality of Justice

In Chicago, at least four young black men and women did something truly awful,” Shaun King wrote Thursday for the Daily News in New York. “On a damn Facebook Live video made public Wednesday, they allegedly kidnapped a mentally challenged white man, beat him, humiliated him, cut his hair, and yelled ‘f–k Donald Trump‘ and ‘f–k white people’ while filming it for the world to see. . . .”

Almost every journalist reporting on the case agreed about its “truly awful” nature. There was more to discuss, however. What made this a hate crime? Were media outlets careful enough about not jumping to conclusions? Did they allow false accusations about Black Lives Matter involvement to tarnish their coverage? Is Facebook’s new technology an enabler? How did this crime fit into the “big picture” of today’s culture? How did the journalists react viscerally?

“I just arrived back in America this morning after a week away and just watched the video moments ago,” King’s column continued. “It’s awful. I have deep empathy for the victim. Twenty years ago, a racist mob of young white men beat me so badly that I missed 18 months of high school recovering from three spinal surgeries and fractures to my face and ribs.

“I hate violence. Nearly 100 people are killed with guns per day in this country. Every 98 seconds someone is sexually assaulted in this country. Hate crimes are on the rise from coast to coast. Our incoming President of the United States admitted that he sexually assaults women. Women all over the country came forward to allegedly confirm it. His first wife, in a sworn deposition, said that he raped and brutally assaulted her. Ivana Trump later said she didn’t want the allegation to be considered in a literal or criminal sense.

“This country is sick. . . .”

Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute gave good marks to broadcast outlets. “For news directors in Chicago, the video posed several questions,” Tompkins wrote Thursday. “First, how much of it should they show to the public, if they decided to show it at all? To what extent should the identities of the assailants or the victim be obscured? And in the early hours, how should they treat a video that was published publicly but hadn’t yet been verified by police? . . .”

Tompkins also wrote, “Chicago media have become sadly proficient in using violent video thoughtfully as a result of the Laquan McDonald shooting, where a dash-cam captured a Chicago police officer shooting 16 rounds at the 17-year-old. The video was initially everywhere, but as time passed, stations scaled back its use.

“For all the criticism journalists get for exploiting and sensationalizing awful events, journalists in Chicago are putting a lot of thought into delivering this graphic news responsibly. . . .”

The role of the Facebook Live feature was the subject of a piece by Dylan Byers for CNN Money. “In 2017, Facebook’s role as a disseminator of news will face even more scrutiny,” Byers wrote Thursday.

“On Wednesday, four people in Chicago bound and gagged a man with special needs, then beat and tortured him — and they broadcast the whole thing on Facebook Live, allowing people all over the world to watch in real time.

“The Facebook Live feature, which the company has been promoting in television ads and on billboards as a way to share fun or uplifting videos with friends, was now being used as a means to broadcast torture.

“The video was eventually taken down. ‘We do not allow people to celebrate or glorify crimes on Facebook and have removed the original video for this reason,’ a spokesperson told CNNMoney.

“Still, Facebook acknowledges ‘the unique challenges of live video.’ The broadcasts are live, after all, and almost impossible to prevent before they start.

“This presents Facebook with a dilemma: Will it simply show everything, or will it acknowledge the responsibilities that come with being a media company and hire editors who can supervise the content and decide in real time what is important and newsworthy and what must be taken down as inappropriate? . . .”

The four suspects in the torture streamed live on Facebook were ordered held without bail Friday. (Chicago Police Department)
The four suspects in the torture streamed live on Facebook were ordered held without bail Friday. From left, Tanishia Covington, Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper and Brittany Covington. (Credit: Chicago Police Department)

Black columnists focused on the crime itself and the administration of equal justice.

Mary Mitchell wrote Thursday in the Chicago Sun-Times, “. . . let’s be clear. As ugly as the assault upon the special needs young man was, this incident pales in comparison to what happened in Joliet in 2013.

“Then, an even more depraved group of young white people lured Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover, two African-Americans, into a Joliet house, strangled them and then had sex on top of the corpses.

Adam Landerman, Alisa Massaro, Joshua Miner and Bethany McKee were each charged with first-degree murder and attempting to dismember the bodies.

“Although the victims were black and the attackers white, a spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office said at the time that prosecutors were unsure whether race was a factor in the murder.

“Where was the outrage then? . . .”

King echoed that theme in the Daily News.

“I speak out on injustice. What happened to this man in Chicago was terrible. It was criminal. I hate it, but guess what — justice was swift. It was miraculously swift,” King wrote.

“Justice is always swift and easy when black folk mess up, but you know who’s not in jail right now? George Zimmerman.

“You know who’s not in jail right now? The officers who fired 41 shots at and killed Amadou Diallo on the doorstep of his Bronx home. . . .” King then added more names to his litany.

In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday, Tony Norman wrote that perhaps “hate crime” should be redefined.

Much of the talk surrounding this case has been consumed with whether the suspects should be charged with a hate crime. They were charged with hate crimes on Thursday. Hate crime charges are a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned. I’m not a lawyer and there may be nuances of the way bias crimes are prosecuted that I’m not aware of, but if you tie someone up, assault them and mock them for their race, it feels like a hate crime to me.

“Then again, some blacks in Chicago appear to be equal-opportunity assaulters as the murder rate of other blacks in that town will attest. In a way, those daily murders are ‘hate crimes,’ too, but they’re not rooted in racial animus per se. They’re rooted in evil, stupidity, pride and gang affiliation. The end result is hateful and certainly [constitutes] a crime. I’m sure there’s a lot of black self-hatred wrapped up in every murder that’s taken place in Chicago in recent years. . . .”

esteban-santiago-tweet

Far Right Invents Racist Theory on Airport Shooting

Far rightwing figureheads immediately invented an elaborate and racist conspiracy theory that CNN had lightened a photo of alleged Fort Lauderdale airport shooter Esteban Santiago shortly after the Friday attack,” Ben Collins reported for the Daily Beast.

“In reality, CNN had yet to air a picture of Santiago, let alone lightened a picture of him. The conspiracy also used a picture of an entirely different man named Esteban Santiago — not the alleged shooter.

“Still, writers at websites like InfoWars and Gateway Pundit tweeted about CNN’s nonexistent Photoshop job. Former Republican Florida Congressman Allen West, who represented Fort Lauderdale itself, even tweeted about the conspiracy and linked to an article about it on his own website.

“ ‘Why is CNN attempting to make the shooter look more white? Bizarre,’ reads InfoWars editor Paul Joseph Watson’s tweet, which had 3,500 retweets at press time. . . .”

Herbert and Mira Lowe (Credit: Lauren Shay Lavin)
Herbert and Mira Lowe (Credit: Lauren Shay Lavin)

Herbert, Mira Lowe to Work at U. of Florida

Herbert Lowe, a professional in residence at Marquette University in Milwaukee and a past president of the National Association of Black Journalists, and his wife, Mira, a senior editor at CNN Digital in Atlanta who is also active in NABJ, are leaving their respective jobs to work in the same place.

Alas, my wife Mira and I have only lived and worked in the same city for 10 months since we left Newsday in New York, as an editor and reporter, respectively, just about 10 years ago,” Herbert Lowe wrote Friday on medium.com. “Honestly, those 10 months (in 2009) were when I wasn’t employed full-time. So, with that in mind, we are pleased to share that we have accepted positions with the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) in Gainesville. . . .”

The school announced that “journalism stalwart and veteran educator Mira Lowe has been named the new director of the Innovation News Center (INC), the College’s award-winning multimedia newsroom.

“Lowe, a senior editor at CNN Digital in Atlanta, will lead a team of seven news professionals and more than 500 student journalists each year to provide local news coverage for 17 North Central Florida counties. The 100-seat INC is one of the largest student newsrooms in the country — developing and distributing news, weather and sports content across the College’s owned-and-operated television, radio and digital properties, including the local PBS, NPR and ESPN affiliates. The INC director serves as both executive editor and news director. . . . ”

It also said, “Herbert Lowe will join the College as a lecturer in journalism and director of its Summer Media Institute. . . .

“As a lecturer, Lowe will teach a range of digital journalism and other courses on the undergraduate and graduate levels. The Summer Media Institute is an annual five-night, six-day camp in which students are immersed into the world of journalism and communications. . . .”

Mira Lowe starts on Jan. 27; Herbert Lowe begins this summer. They met in 1997 at the New York Association of Black Journalists annual dinner.

Driving on the Oglala Lakota homeland, also known as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during the Unity Journalists Media Regional Summit on May 2, 2015. (Credit: Unity: Journalists for Diversity)
Russell Contreras, then president of Unity: Journalists for Diversity, drives on the Oglala Lakota homeland in South Dakota, also known as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Unity held a Media Regional Summit there on May 2, 2015. (Credit: Ricardo Caté)

Indians Invisible Again in “My President Was Black”

The Atlantic magazine announced Friday that it is reprinting its January/February issue, with the cover story “My President Was Black” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. But the reprint will contain an error that Native Americans say is all too common.

Reprinting in progress
Reprinting in progress

In his 17,000-word piece, Coates wrote, “African Americans rank at the bottom of nearly every major socioeconomic measure in the country.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that dubious distinction belongs to Native Americans.

For example, the 2015 American Community Survey shows that:

  • The percentage of those enrolled in preschool or nursery school who are “African American or black (alone)” is 6.1 percent; for American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 5.7 percent.
  • For those in college or graduate school, the figures are “African American or black (alone),” 28.3 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 21.4 percent.
  • For those with less than a high school diploma, African American or black, 15.3 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 20.9 percent.
  • Graduate or professional degree, African American or black, 7.5 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 4.8 percent.
  • Grandparents responsible for grandchildren as a percentage of living with grandchildren, African American or black, 42.4 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 50.5 percent.
  • Not in labor force: African American or black, 38 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 41.9 percent.
  • No health insurance coverage: African American or black, 11 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native alone, 20.7 percent.
  • Poverty rates for families and people for whom poverty status is determined: Identical for both groups at 21.6 percent for “all families.”
  • Those with a computer: African American or black, 80.2 percent; American Indian or Alaska Native, 76.5 percent.

Bryan Pollard, Cherokee, president of the Native American Journalists Association, told Journal-isms by telephone Friday that the omission of Native Americans in such statements is “fairly common.

“With all due respect to Mr. Coates, I would suggest that he make an appointment to visit an Indian reservation. The level of profound poverty found on so many Indian reservations is difficult to comprehend in the midst of the world’s most affluent nation.”

The invisibility of Native Americans is not new. Indians have complained that police violence against members of their communities does not receive its fair share of coverage.

Last year, when a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, media outlets quickly dubbed it “the worst mass shooting in U.S. history,” ignoring earlier mass shootings of African Americans and Native Americans. On Dec. 29, 1890, for example, as many as 300 Lakota men, women and children were slaughtered by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee. (Tim Giago, founder of the Native American Journalists Association, is raising money for a “Holocaust Memorial” there.)

The Atlantic is reprinting its second magazine issue in six months, both due to high newsstand sales and record December subscriptions to The Atlantic, the publication said in a news release. “Last summer, The Atlantic made the then-unprecedented step to put the July/August issue of the magazine back on press to meet newsstand demand.”

Oregon Tribe Votes for Freedom of the Press

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has joined an increasing number of other Native American Tribes nationwide in adopting an Independent Press Ordinance that will codify that the Tribal news publication has the independence to report Grand Ronde news objectively and free from undue political influence by Tribal elected officials,” the Native American Journalists Association announced Thursday from Grand Ronde, Ore.

The news is significant because “a free press is the exception and not the rule” in Indian Country, NAJA President Bryan Pollard, Cherokee, told Journal-isms by telephone on Friday. The association applauded the tribal government for “putting these protections in place so they can practice [journalism] free from fear of retaliation,” Pollard said.

Reporting on the Dec. 28 decision, Smoke Signals, the tribal publication, said, “The new ordinance establishes a free and independent press and ensures Smoke Signals has the independence to report Tribal news objectively.

“The new ordinance will establish an Editorial Board, which will supervise the editor of Smoke Signals. Currently, the Tribe’s Publications Coordinator reports to the Tribal Council Chief of Staff, who is a direct report to Tribal Council.

“The Editorial Board, according to the ordinance, will consist of between three to five members with a majority being Grand Ronde Tribal members. Current Tribal employees are allowed to serve on the Editorial Board, but a majority of the board must be non-employees. . . .”

Hargro to Atlanta as Rare Black “Alternative” Editor

Carlton Hargro
Carlton Hargro

The next person to lead the city’s long-running alt-weekly is one that loyal readers — and city residents who used to live in Charlotte — will recognize,” Thomas Wheatley reported Thursday for Atlanta’s Creative Loafing.

Carlton Hargro, who oversaw CL’s culture coverage in the mid-2000s and led our former sister paper in the Queen City, will return to the publication as editor-in-chief. His first day is Jan. 17.”

Hargro is likely the only African American top editor of what are known as alternative newsweeklies and websites. Jason Zaragoza, interim executive director of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, told Journal-isms that he could think of only two others who had ever been top editors: W. Kim Heron, editor of Metro Times in Detroit from 2006 to 2012 and previously managing editor of the paper, and Adamma Ince, editor of Philadelphia Weekly from 2008 to 2012.

Wheatley also wrote, ” ‘Taking on the role of editor-in-chief at Creative Loafing is beyond a dream come true,’ Hargro says. ‘It’s an honor to grab the reins behind a slew of incredible editors — like the paper’s most recent EIC, Debbie Michaud. I’m dedicated to continuing that long legacy of great journalism, along with pushing CL deeper into digital and other platforms. Keep your eyes peeled for more details on all the great stuff we have planned.’

“The Ball State University graduate, who will become the first black editor-in-chief in CL’s history, has worked in various roles throughout his journalism career in Atlanta, which began in 1997 at the Atlanta Tribune. In 2004, he joined CL and oversaw the culture section, assigning and editing articles about the city’s arts scene. In addition, he created, produced, and hosted Audiofloss, CL’s urban music podcast.

“Two years later, he moved to Charlotte to lead that city’s edition of CL. . . .”

Obama Irked by Pro-Putin GOP Commentators

President Barack Obama says he’s concerned about Republican commentators who appear to side with Russia over the US, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be trusted,” Kevin Liptak reported Friday for CNN.

” ‘What is true is that the Russians intended to meddle and they meddled,’ Obama told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired Friday. ‘One of the things I am concerned about is the degree to which we’ve seen a lot of commentary lately where there are Republicans or pundits or cable commentators who seem to have more confidence in Vladimir Putin than fellow Americans because those fellow Americans are Democrats.’ . . .”

Chris Ariens reported for TVNewser, “The sit-down will air Sunday on This Week as well as on Monday’s editions of Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline. . . .”

Commentators from the left, such as Glenn Greenwald of the Intercept, have also questioned the intelligence agencies’ reports of Russian meddling. Greenwald recently wrote, “[I]n my 10-plus years of writing about politics on an endless number of polarizing issues — including the [Edward] Snowden reporting — nothing remotely compares to the smear campaign that has been launched as a result of the work I’ve done questioning and challenging claims about Russian hacking and the threat posed by that country generally,” the radio and television  show “Democracy Now!” reported on Friday.

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, an ally of Greenwald, has denied that Russia was the source of the emails it published.

However, an extraordinary report released by the nation’s top intelligence agencies Friday concluded “with high confidence” that Russia’s main military intelligence unit, the G.R.U., created a “persona” called Guccifer 2.0 and a website, DCLeaks.com, to release the emails of the Democratic National Committee and of the chairman of the Hillary Clinton campaign, John D. Podesta, Michael D. Shear and David E. Sanger reported for the New York Times.

When those disclosures received what was seen as insufficient attention, the report said, the G.R.U. ‘relayed material it acquired from the D.N.C. and senior Democratic officials to WikiLeaks.‘ . . .”

Meanwhile, “The Trump administration will respect the use of a protective press pool and will continue to allow the media to fly with the President on Air Force One, members of the incoming White House communications team told representatives of The White House Correspondents Association on Thursday,” Hadas Gold reported for Politico.

“The incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and incoming Communications Director Sean Spicer have indicated there will be changes to how the Trump White House interacts with the media, potentially altering the daily press briefing and which outlets sit where in the White House briefing room. But what those exact changes will be hasn’t been finalized yet. . . .”

Fox News Gives Jesse Watters His Own Show

Jesse Watters, the troublemaking Bill O’Reilly sidekick best-known for his ambush interviews, is getting his own show on Fox News, the latest in what has been a week full of programming changes for the channel,” Tom Kludt reported Thursday for CNN Money.

“The hour-long program, dubbed ‘Watters World,’ will air weekly beginning this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. . . .”

Kludt also wrote, “Watters’ new show is an outgrowth of a recurring segment by the same name that has aired for years on ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ the number one program on cable news.

“Those segments included man-on-the-street interviews designed to embarrass the people on camera; they also showcased Watters cornering unsuspecting liberals who had upset O’Reilly.

“Watters frequently attracted controversy in that role, including twice last fall.

“In October, Watters offered a tepid apology for a segment he filmed in Chinatown that contained a number of offensive Asian stereotypes. . . .”

Nate Parker in "The Birth of a Nation."
Nate Parker in “The Birth of a Nation,” sidelined as an Academy Award candidate. (Credit: Sundance Film Festival)

Double Standard for Nate Parker, Casey Affleck?

This was supposed to be the awards season when Hollywood, having been scorched by consecutive #OscarsSoWhite years, avoided tumult over race,” Brooks Barnes reported Wednesday for the New York Times.

“Not so.

“In heated conversations in Hollywood in recent weeks, prompted by articles on websites like The Daily Beast, Mic and ThinkProgress, producers, publicists, studio executives and other movie insiders have been grappling with whether there is a double standard at play — involving race, power or both — in the treatment of Nate Parker, a relatively unknown artist who has been sidelined as an Academy Award candidate, and Casey Affleck, the brother of moviedom royalty who is being feted as the leading contender for best actor.

“Mr. Parker, the force behind the slave-revolt film ‘The Birth of a Nation,’ faced intense scrutiny in August, including from The New York Times, when new details surfaced concerning a case in which he was accused — and later acquitted — of raping a fellow student while at Penn State nearly two decades ago.

“The media storm, made worse by several contentious interviews given by Mr. Parker, 37, resulted in a poor performance at the box office for his film and its shunning on the seasonal awards circuit. While heralded at festivals, the film received mixed reviews upon release.

“Mr. Affleck, 41, has not received similar scrutiny over two sexual harassment suits that were filed against him by two women in 2010 in civil court. At the time, a lawyer for Mr. Affleck, who plays a sorrowful New England handyman in the celebrated drama ‘Manchester by the Sea,’ denied the accusations as ‘desperate, fabricated claims’ and called them an ‘extortion tactic.’ Nothing was proved. Ultimately, he settled for undisclosed sums.

“Mr. Affleck’s performance has continued to rack up accolades, despite fresh attention on the 2010 lawsuits by the news media. (Asked about them by The Times for an article in November, he responded: ‘It was settled to the satisfaction of all. I was hurt and upset — I am sure all were — but I am over it.’) More than two dozen critics’ groups and festivals have named him best actor for his ‘Manchester by the Sea’ performance. He is up for a Golden Globe on Sunday and a Screen Actors Guild award on Jan. 29.

“Why do the two men find themselves in much different circumstances?

“Perhaps people think Mr. Affleck’s performance, and the movie in which he stars, is better. Maybe it’s because, as an Oscar nominee and the brother of the box-office star Ben Affleck, Mr. Affleck has attained a privileged status in Hollywood; the power surrounding him may make people reluctant to openly criticize him. Certainly a factor is the fact that there was unsettling new information revealed about Mr. Parker’s rape case in August — that his accuser later committed suicide — while there have been no new disclosures regarding Mr. Affleck’s cases.

“Or maybe, say those mindful of Hollywood’s checkered racial history, it is because Mr. Affleck is white and Mr. Parker is black. . . .”

Short Takes

  • The declining fortunes of New Jersey’s newspapers “are part of a retrenchment in newspaper publishing across the country, but they have been acutely felt because of New Jersey newspapers’ role in holding powerful institutions and people accountable in a state that lacks a major independent television station,” David W. Chen reported Tuesday for the New York Times. “The timing also could not be worse, given all the news in the past year related to [Gov. Chris] Christie, terrorism, crumbling infrastructure and the sizable local presence of President-elect Donald J. Trump. . . .”
  • Dave Harmon, chief people officer at Gannett Co. Inc., wrote to employees Tuesday, “It has come to my attention that some of you may have received an automated email from ExitSurvey@Gannett,” retired media blogger Jim Romenesko tweeted on Wednesday. “The email states you ‘will be leaving the company in the near future’ and also has an exit interview attached. Please disregard any emails ExitSurvey@Gannett and there is no need to respond. We are currently working to troubleshoot the issue and will have it resolvedCit as soon as possible.”
  • New York Times Pentagon correspondent Helene Cooper was in a motorcade for Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in Cameroon last April as a motorcade vehicle struck and killed six-year-old Toussaint Birwe, Cooper told Times readers on Thursday. Cooper said she stumbled when asked why she wrote about the incident. “This is what I should have said, but didn’t: We went back and wrote about Toussaint because The New York Times believes that African lives are as important as American ones. That the death of a little boy in northern Cameroon should count as much as the death of a little boy in Washington, D.C. . . .”
  • Another longtime Comcast SportsNet personality has been shown the exit,” Rob Tornoe wrote Friday for the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Veteran broadcaster Ron Burke, who was part of the first CSN crew in 1997, is no longer with the network.” Tornoe also wrote, “Details of the separation aren’t immediately known. Burke took to Twitter late Thursday night to thank his fans and fellow CSN employees who have followed and supported him during his 18 years at the station. . . .”
  • The Dallas Morning News editorial board Thursday published “3 things Dallasites can do in January for racial unity.” They can support Dallas Dinner Table, “an annual dinner series that brings together groups of 8 to 10 people of different races and ethnicities from all over North Texas”; attend “The 12th annual MLK Symposium” on Martin Luther King Day, with presentations from Columbia University journalism professor Jelani Cobb and social activist Alicia Garza, who co-created Black Lives Matter; and join “A Conversation on Race” presented by Democrats in the Dallas neighborhood of Preston Hollow on Jan. 12.
Lucio Villa
Lucio Villa
  • Citing a family emergency, Lucio Villa, an interactive producer at the San Francisco Chronicle, has resigned as vice president/print of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, NAHJ President Brandon Benavides told members on Friday. He asked members to nominate a replacement by Jan. 20.
  • The Times Media Co. in Northwest Indiana was named the 2016 Associated Press Managing Editors Innovator of the Year last year for a community-wide campaign promoting civility. The group Community Civility Counts, a partnership of the Times and the Gary Chamber of Commerce, is planning a second annual World Civility Day of events on April 13 in Merrillville and Hammond.
  • TV One’s NewsOne Now closed out 2016 with all quarters up year-over-year, resulting in a record-setting year for the African American targeted news show” among people 25-54, the network announced this week. “In 2016 NewsOne Now ranked as a Top 3 Cable news program in its time slot” among African Americans 25-54.
  • Kimberly Griffin has been promoted to associate publisher of the Jackson (Miss.) Free Press. “Kimberly started for us nine years ago as a part-time distribution person, then started selling. When our first advertising director left, she took his place, and has been in that position for a number of years and a key manager,” Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd told Journal-isms Friday by email.
  • The Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday that it “condemned the prison sentences handed down to two journalists from the Ethiopian faith-based station Radio Bilal. Khalid Mohamed and Darsema Sori were sentenced yesterday to prison terms of five years and six months and four years and five months respectively, the independent news website Addis Standard reported. Khalid, a news editor, and Darsema, a senior editor at Radio Bilal, were convicted at a December 21 hearing of inciting extremist ideology and planning to overthrow the government through their coverage of Muslim protests about government interference in religious affairs, according to reports. . . .”
  • The Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday that it “called on Gambian authorities to allow three independent radio stations to resume full broadcasting. Taranga FM, Hilltop Radio, and Afri Radio stopped broadcasting on January 1 on the orders of national security agents, who did not give any explanation for the measure, according to news reports. . . .”

 

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3 comments

richard January 7, 2017 at 11:54 pm

Comments From The Root:

Chad Rogers · Landman at Chesapeake Energy Corporation
“justice was swift. It was miraculously swift,” King wrote” I thought the police shoot first ask questions later? How did they get arrested without incident? I thought police just shoot first.

Scott Wilson
It’s a hate crime if it was motivated by the race of the victim, which seems like the case here. Same thing with Dylan Roof’s crimes being motiviated by the race of his victims, with him facing hate crime charges.

Chris Smith
Richard, a “wealth of questions”? What questions? How long they’ll be in prison? How many times the male savages will be sodomized in prison? You know the GP frowns on pedophiles and rapists in the joint don’t you? I don’t have a “wealth of questions” The outcome seems pretty clear to me.

Hal Bleavy
How about dylan roof? do you think someone should follow his internet “foot prints” to see where they lead?

Sharon Smith
There is no excuse for what these savages did to the man. Bring up other crimes is meaningless. Then to try to extort money from his family. Lock them up and throw away the key.

Hal Bleavy
How about the savages who founded America? They rapeed, murdered, and enslaved people to form a nation. Don’t be a hypocrite and give them a pass. Maybe his parents can come out and forgive his attackers.

Chad Rogers · Landman at Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Hal Bleavy youre referencing history in relation to this story? Ha, if thats the case, I guess you could say that since civilization began in Africa then thats where murder and rape began as well. ridiculous. smh.

Reply
richard January 8, 2017 at 1:49 pm

More comments from The Root:

Macio Blair · Kansas City, Missouri
White Supremacy stands only for what it is! U can’t look at blacks and not the whites and call it Racism! It’s among us due to our pres. Elect! Racism had been Stirred Up so face it…It’s gonna get worse as long as they let Whites get away with the very same crime against Blacks!…It is wat it is!!!…#lifesrudeawakening
Like · Reply · 14 mins
Arrmia Benton · Eastern Illinois University
It’s not a hate crime. If this was a hate crime, then the case in Idaho was DEFIANTLY a hate crime. Those teenagers there raped and tortured that black kid, hurled racial slurs at him the entire time they were doing it, and made him recite KKK poems. How is that not a hate crime?! The only reason they’re calling this case a hate crime is because they want to make examples out of the teenagers in Chicago. #SelectiveOutrage
Like · Reply · 1 · 33 mins
Charlene Georgia Morgan · Works at Retired
Wow!! Couple of them appear to b proud!!! Wrong time to b proud ?
Like · Reply · 1 · 35 mins
Deena Jenkins · Millikan High School
But the guy who raped his teammate with a coat hanger gets probation. US Justice
Like · Reply · 2 · 49 mins
Renee McCorvey Sims · Pensacola, Florida
Anybody remember the man in Texas that was tied to the back of a truck and drug down the country road until body parts came off? He was black. They were white. Whatever happened to that whole story? Buried with him and/or Emmett Till? The woman that started all that crap is still alive and talked :poop: about it. Hate crime.
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
Kimberly Bland · Omaha, Nebraska
And No one’s rationalizing this crime by comparing it to other crimes. BUT you do have to look at two horrific crimes this one and the one with the young white male that raped a disabled black male with a wire hanger and he got probation no one can tell me that wasn’t a hate crime what why isnt anyone yelling put him under the jail execute him do to him what he did to the black male. What I’m asking for is the same out cry and anger and justice you don’t see the white male face all over the news. What do you think the black male is going through or his family. And None of these crime should be excused but one shouldn’t get a slap on the hand and get probation while the others face the firing squad
Like · Reply · 2 · 1 hr
Nancy Quarles Wiley · Washington, District of Columbia
ttyyu
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Dennis Caines · Attorney at Law Office of Dennis E. Caines
We have work to do in the Black community. We continue to produce, excuse, and protect criminals like these young people. Pointing out that white people get away with crimes does not improve our community. The fact is that these young vicious criminals deserve no help from decent Black Americans. Their actions impact us all and others use their criminal behavior to paint us all with the same brush. Triage them. Leave them behind and focus on those in our community that need and appreciate our efforts. These people are animals, white, brown or black. Animals.
Like · Reply · 2 · 34 mins · Edited
Annie Smith · Harvard University
God will work it out
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Hedda Canty · A few
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Le’ Duke Solaar’
Ya’ll are being played…yet again…the white boy is not disabled nor “a victim”…the real story will come out sooner or later…oh that white media….just say’n
Like · Reply · 2 · 1 hr
Dionne J Mehalopoulos · Shawnee Community College
It’s no fun when the rabbit has the gun!
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Nicole Andrews · Curriculum Coordinator at New Horizon Academy
Isn’t this the same white crime that just happend? Except they killed 2 black men. I can’t. This is tragic
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
Sys Author · University of Cincinnati
The moment they injected race into their video rant it became a hate crime. The young man they were torturing fit into the racial category they openly said they hated. Using race, creed color or religion when committing a crime or targeting someone for these characteristics make what was done not only a criminal act, but an act act of hate as well. This shouldn’t be a stretch.
Like · Reply · 5 · 1 hr
Sha Moses Jack
Rationalizing this crime by comparing it to other crimes is outrageous.
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
Ruby Sutherland · Peekskill, New York
I don’t think some of y’all read the article before commenting
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Ken Mayfield
Lets see how this Hate Crime and the Dylan Roof Hate Crime turn out. My answer is RACIALLY UNJUST!!
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Don Alston · NC A&T
Did what they do have anything to do with the victim being white? If the answer is yes, then the contention it’s a hate crime will probably stand up in court. My question now is can they be rehabilitated after their 10-15 yr sntence? Two of them, maybe even three, probably can. But then there’s always that pesky job app question, “Have you ever been convicted of a crime in a court of law?” Best to prep to start their own business.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Shanice Bell · Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Clyde Stancil-I never said that those white perpetrators should get off. I stated that these idots were crazy to live stream their viscous acts on fb. We should not accept this behavior no matter the race of the perpetrators!

We need to protect all disabled individuals from abuse Regardless of their Race!!!!
Like · Reply · 2 · 2 hrs
Clyde Stancil
You agreed with Tunya’s statement about locking them under the jail, despite a similar crime against a disabled teen by white teens.
Like · Reply · 47 mins
Sunny Chatham
SMH! Plain stupidity!
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Roberta Northington · Atlanta, Georgia
I am threw this topic Wrong is Wrong
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Denise Lopiccolo · Jackson, New Jersey
I’m so sick of seeing this post!! Yes it was a despicable act but showing this constantly is only spewing more hate and violence, but I notice that the root enjoys and loves instigating issues.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Steven Mills
I dont see any “wealth of questions” pertaining to these four beasts.
Its human to reference other similar crimes and note the WAY they are treated.
A crime is just that, a crime but the compnents for justice is ALWAYS color strucked.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Crystal Smith
I do believe that it was a hate crime, simply because of the words being shouted while committing this crime. I do wonder about the “mental disability” as I’ve read that it was adhd and anxiety…not quite what I was expecting to be the mental disability(s) when it ws first reported.
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
Antonio Dudley · Prince George’s Community College
Truth!!
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Sucram Reltub · Wichita Area Technical College
It’s not a hate crime. It’s 4 people with too much time on their hands who made a mistake. Nothing premeditated. Relax people.
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Jimica Leonard · Jacksonville, Florida
It definitely was a hate crime.
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
D.lynn Harrison
I wouldn’t trust anything coming from Chicago law enforcement, they just paid millions of dollars in reparations to black men that were tortured for several years. What happened to those men was despicable and pure evil….
Like · Reply · 3 · 3 hrs
Jonathan Zuege · Supervisor at Startex Industries
So it’s ok for you not to trust cpd because of a few bad officers but if I say I don’t trust black people because of the stories I hear what would you say?
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Wilamina Moore · Araucária
What in the world?! Put them under the prison that’s already built underground! Torturing and kidnapping a person with special needs is a new kind of low. We as a people need to rise above…If you wanted to make a true impact start spending money in our communities at businesses we own.
Like · Reply · 10 · 3 hrs
Gwendolyn Harris-Henderson
NOT a “new kind of low”. Heinous crimes against Black people have been going on since the inception of the usa. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Joliet-murders-Teens-3-way…
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
Shawn Moore
What is the disability? They need more ppl.
Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs
J Brandon VanDyke-Hughes
It’s a hate crime.
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Jabari Moore
This was caused by the country we live in … Plain and simple …

The comments shows how easily some black mothers and fathers can feel about their own flesh and blood … One lady said … “Put them under the jail”?? but your a forgiving turn the other cheek Christian, when a white kid kills 9 people in a church …or rapes people and get away with it.

The act was wrong, but if you don’t discuss the reasons behind their actions and they get ignored … It’s gonna get worse because RACISM is real… and white superiority IS NOT
Like · Reply · 12 · 3 hrs · Edited
Kellance Young · Savannah, Georgia
48 hours after he murdered those people in that church they were yelling forgiveness, now he’s saying I did it, I have no remorse and what! talk about egg on your face
Like · Reply · 4 · 3 hrs
Sia Perry
Both of you are 100% correct.
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Kimberly Bland · Omaha, Nebraska
And people are still leaving out the white man who raped a black man with disabilities with a wire hanger and got probation the root of these behaviors is a sick society of punishment for some and not all sick society sick behavior.
Like · Reply · 3 · 1 hr
Jonathan Holmes Sr. · Owner-operator at AerialPursuit Photography
Yeah lets make sure we ask the white kids the same thing.
Like · Reply · 3 · 3 hrs
Shelton Mack · Works at SAG-AFTRA
The thing that stands out about this case is the (alleged) connection between the victim and one of the assailants, as he was reportedly there for a sleepover. In my opinion that makes this case even more insidious but I think that’s what’s meant by ‘nature’ of the crime.
That’s why (partly) it was not immediately labeled a Hate Crime.
Like · Reply · 7 · 3 hrs · Edited
Gwendolyn Harris-Henderson
THIS heinous act was NOT labeled a hate crime: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Joliet-murders-Teens-3-way…
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Shelton Mack · Works at SAG-AFTRA
That is correct.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Tracie King
That part. There are too many questions and the media is only seeing a white kid treated poorly by black people. I almost feel as if they all had the same affliction. So it was just mentally unstable against mentally unstable. Why was the kid there for a sleepover? Those are the questions I want answered
Like · Reply · 47 mins
Joseph Brown
Selective Outrage as usual.
Like · Reply · 5 · 3 hrs
Ernest White · Works at Self-Employed
Why people are not outrage by the white guy who did the same thing
Like · Reply · 2 · 3 hrs
Joseph Brown
They have done much worse.
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
Tunya Long-Ottrix
I’m trying to figure out why some of y’all are referencing other crimes? Like those crimes are supposed to somehow excuse this one. They did it, they taped it,it’s a hate crime plain and simple. Lock their behinds UNDER the jail…the end.
Like · Reply · 57 · 3 hrs · Edited
James B. Kelly
I think it’s more about the commentary and reaction than the crime. The typical “where are the African American leaders”, “it’s their culture”, the typical responses underlined by subtle racism.
Like · Reply · 11 · 3 hrs
Chris Leonard · University of Virginia
James B. Kelly exactly
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Tory Smith · South Division High School
Because it’s kinda hard to wrap your head around the fact these people are being charged with a hate crime also giving the fact we’ve watched countless videos of black males being gun down and it’s treated as normal that’s my issue
Like · Reply · 19 · 3 hrs
Sandra Mitchell · Merl Grove High School, Kingston, JAMAICA
Why do you think and believe folks are excusing this crime because of another which also was committed by a group of teenagers pretty much like these but of a different skin color ?
I do not see it as an excuse , but comparing, why because both should be treated in the same way with the exact outcome. This not about excuse , this have and is sending a deeper message. And if it is not addressed accordingly then there is going to be some real serious happenings across the Nation. Wrong message is been sent here.
Like · Reply · 8 · 3 hrs
Staci Hickerson-Weeks
http://lm.facebook.com/l.php
Like · Reply · 3 · 3 hrs
Gwendolyn Harris-Henderson
To show the disparity in the media coverage and the justice system within the usa.
Like · Reply · 10 · 3 hrs
Gwendolyn Harris-Henderson
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Joliet-murders-Teens-3-way…
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Shanice Bell · Monte-Carlo, Monaco
@Tunya-I agree with your sentiments.

These bad seeds live streamed this horrific act how insane is that? Disabled individuals are most susceptible to abusive maltreatment. It’s wrong no matter the race of the perpetrator’s.

The better question to ask is why are we becoming so desensitized to violence to begin with. It’s truly heartbreaking!
Like · Reply · 2 · 3 hrs
Daana Townsend
Propaganda is not only the dissemination of information.

It’s also the willful absence of certain narratives.
Like · Reply · 3 · 2 hrs
Clyde Stancil
Shanice Bell Tunya Tunya Long-Ottrix I disagree with the both of you. Why should the white youths get away with what they did? They aren’t even required to undergo counseling, yet you want to put these four under the jail. What’s wrong with some Black people.
Like · Reply · 5 · 2 hrs · Edited
Mark Ross
How can you compare media coverage. The other crime happened in 2015. Maybe daily police protest and riots back then overshadowed that rape case. Thousands of heinous cases don’t make the national news.
Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs · Edited
Regina Taylor
The media coverage was zero, and the punishment does not fit the crime, are the issues….?
Like · Reply · 5 · 2 hrs
Clyde Stancil
Mark Ross They were recently sentenced to probation.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Mark Ross
I’m not talking about the sentence. I’m talking about the coverage. Police shooting against blacks received non stop coverage prior to the primaries. Can’t cover everything.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Amarie Izzle
Exactly! It’s like ppl are trying to validate or justify these evil monsters actions! The victim should be supported 100%! Period.
Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs
Mark Ross
Regina Taylor you say their was zero coverage but the person I was going Back and forth with Friday about this case said it received a lot of coverage back then and he still got a light sentence. And she had over a hundred likes. I personally don’t recall seeing it.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Ken Mayfield
Its about EQUALITY and FAIRNESS for ALL races in the justices system. Yes these people deserve jail for there hate crime! BUT so does the Dylan Roof crime. And as long as Both go to jail then you saying, to the public etc, THE CRIME Is wrong. BUT if you let Dylan Roof off (or vice versa) Then Your saying its about The color of thier skin(or eyes or teeth or whatever ) Which should NEVER be a deciding factor in A Legal System.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Ken Mayfield
Basically they should be able to be literally blinded to where they just hear the cases and give them the same sentences etc.
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Tunya Long-Ottrix
I never said other hate crimes need to go unpunished. And I do agree that charges for all should be fair. HOWEVER…I’m not going to give these idiots a pass simply because other people who’ve committed hate crimes

Reply
richard January 9, 2017 at 2:02 pm

Third batch of comments from The Root:

Ernest White · Works at Self-Employed
We want black or white people charged the same way for the same crime not one getting excuse for being white

Ryan Smith · Amory, Mississippi
Lol “questions remain”? No they don’t. They broadcast it live. That’s like saying “questions remain” about what motivated Dylann Roof. He’s guilty and deserves execution. These four are guilty and deserve prison. This is easy.

Harold Ray · Works at PumaPunku
Crime is crime. If its not self defense, its a crime. If it was any other race, it would still be a crime.

David Kuffel · Marion, Illinois
Not every intra racial crime is automatically a hate crime… there has to be proof race (or religion, disability, etc) was a factor. The video shows the attackers clearing using race as a catalyst … this is a hate crime by definition.. as is Dylan roofs much more horrific crime.

Sly Purnell · William Penn High School
They belong in prison. Hate crime. They deserve it. To defend their actions is just plain dumb.

Le’Charles MrSophisticated Sigler · Part time proctor at ProctorU
Some of you black people in this comment section are the worst. You mad about racism but will punish your own when they retaliate? This is why we can’t move ahead as a black community. White hardly ever show the crime they do to you or even are enraged when it surfaces. They never say all black people aren’t bad but you will be quick to say all white people aren’t bad. You will forgive easily but they will not forgive you if you make one mistake. Keep this up and black people going into ovens in America with silly forgiving self punishing negros.

Darius RasHare Hill · C.D.C at Delta Faucet
They beat a man who couldn’t fight back and humiliated him. Why mention the cops beating on black people to justify the evil deed done by these people? Two wrongs will only lead to destruction.

Patricia Love
They did it to themselves, there is no way they wont be convicted of something.

Carl Kelley · Pearl – Cohn High School
While all you blacks talking about how evil these kids are trying to be on the saltine bandwagon… Put this in your pipe… And smoke it… This will paint all blacks young and old as the SUPER PREDATORS that incarcerated 1/3 black males over the past 25 years in a similar case like this… These are kids and kids make mistakes…

Carl Kelley · Pearl – Cohn High School
Are these kids disabled also?

Raymond Guerin · Hawthorne High School
BECAUSE OF THERE ANGER AND HATRED THY HAVE THROWN THERE LIVES AWAY IT WILL HIT HOME 4 YEARS INTO THERE 40 YEAR SENTENCE

Abbas Child
To torture human or animal is to hate life itself.

Gloria Loyd · Works at Freelance Project Manager
If theses were white kids they would describe it as a school yard prank gone wrong.

LD Chandler
Look at them. They have some pretty serious issues,don’t you think. This is what american society have come to. Sad

Dominique Ruiz · University of Phoenix
Yea, my question is why did you guys set the black community back with this bs? This was just plain wrong and unexcusable. Shiiddd, none of us will have your back on this, period!

Lyndia Pitts
It did not set the Black community back, it set THEM BACK. Did dylan Roof or John Howard, set the white community back?

Angela Washington-Myers
The answer, they’re idiots!!!

Śonia Jenkinś
No one agrees to give slaps on the wrist… no one is suggesting that. No one… but if hate crime is the charge… those white teens need to be charged as well.

Jovan X Campbell · Chicago, Illinois
There’s noooooooooo deep math or thinking to it. They were idiotic hate monsters. They deserve to be charge with a hate crime.

Now, it would be nice if John RK Howard got the same treatment. He performed a trifecta. Hate. Rape. Against a disabled black student.

No jail time.

://www.theguardian.com/…/idaho-football-coat-hanger…

Mieka Florida · Virginia College
I don’t think it’s a hate crime… stupidity yes….

Stacey Collins · Works at SpicyPimps Radio NFP
Some of you people are as crazy as these losers who are headed straight to jail and then to hell.

Lyndia Pitts
How do you know? Did God tell YOU who was going to hell and who wasn’t?

James Foreman
One is for sure with these four they are not be getting a plea deal, probation, or any sympathy from the court because they are teenagers with a long life ahead them and I will let that sit there meanwhile the guys that sexually viciously assaulted the black guy with mental issues in Iowa will be getting deals that will leave them without a record on them if they complete their probation period let that sit there with this case

Lyndia Pitts
The white scum in Idaho, goes back to court in Feburary. It is not over, yet..

George Mann · Percy l julain
They don’t need no more than 30 days, over charge.

Tiff Bowman
What about the horrible human being Law? Is there one and will it apply? Also, do any of them have prior felonies? Then sentence enhancements may apply equally to hate crime sentence enhancements. Lastly, all crimes are based in hate, correct? You ever kill one you respect and love?

Saunders S Jeff
Black people have been schizophrenic and A.D.D. and tortured and killed and a lot of different things by white people for a long time throughout human history and once again they take this incident and label it as a hate crime hate crimes have been perpetrated and continue to be perpetrated on black people to this very day. Everything that they do and has done towards black people is considered a hate crime, you have those white people that simply hates black people and vice versa. The boy could have been black suffered from suffered from schizophrenia and A.D.D. the perpetrators white and it probably would have not made a real big difference. We have seen it too many times and we continue to see it. IJS,,,,, white people have killed us, tortured us, raped us, spit on us ,kicked us ,robbed us and so many other things and every time throughout history when black people do anything or not to white people, white people get in an uproar never really looking at the problems that has continued to plague us as people where hate is concerned. Some White people will never stop hating black people, some black people will never stop hating white people, hate was born long before you and I

Judith Kennedy · Clinton High School
Well said Jeff

Po Wisdom
Disgusting how blks can scream for justice for the racist druggy but jusyify blk death …u toms are treasonous

Jeff Wood · Branch Manager at EMC Lenders Group
The precedent set with Howard’s case is that this should not be a hate crime and these four should only get 2 years probation with expunged records after. That would be justice according to precedent.

Lyndia Pitts
Jeff, if you KNOW ANYTHING about the howard case, then you know he goes back to court Feburary 24, 2017. His case is NOT A DONE DEAL.

Jeff Wood · Branch Manager at EMC Lenders Group
Lyndia, I only know what I’ve read and what I’ve read is that the prosecutors have dropped all charges except one count of felony injury to a child which is what Howard agreed to plead to with no allocution, only an admittance that he probably would have lost in court, not that he did anything wrong. With that tidbit added in he’s eligible to have his record expunged. This is what the prosecutor has agreed to so at most the judge can only sentence him to the crime he’s pleading guilty to and most likely he’ll only get probation. That’s what I know from reading.

Lakeesha Davis · Limestone Community High School
Margaret Sanger was right?….. Ok Jimmy Flounderello I see you.

Joseph Arechavala · Purchasing Agent at Inductotherm Industries
I knew I was going to see this at some point, just like I know bigoted whites will take advantage of this to denounce BLM.

Andrea Khan · Beaumont High School
I see the fake profiles have finally made it here to troll…

Shawna Waters
Ues

Umora Le’Joi Whitsett · Sales at Verizon
Thank you !

Derek Peters · Luzerne CC
how can this not be a hate crime, they target him because he was white and he voted for Trump

Kim Isler
They had no way of knowing who he voted for.

Derek Peters · Luzerne CC
Kim Isler even so, he was white and got beated by black people.

Gwendolyn Harris-Henderson
This was NOT a hate crime: http://madamenoire.com/…/horrendous-joliet-teens…/

Derek Peters · Luzerne CC
Gwendolyn Harris-Henderson killing someone because he was white, is not a hate crime, if this was the other way around, it would be labeled as a hate crime.

Lyndia Pitts
Derek Peters
They also made him say, I hate white people, and I love Black people. They made him say I hate Trump. When they brought race into the beating, that made it a hate crime.

BD Stultz
Idk ask God that question maybe you’ll find some enlightenment.

Keysha Goodwin · Western High School (Baltimore)
They should receive the same treament as the white football player!
http://usuncut.com/…/white-high-school-football-player…/

Clifton Brown · Minneapolis, Minnesota
I’m still confuse about what really happened was a premeditated or was it some teenage orgy gone wrong ?

Lyndia Pitts
Premediated. No orgy involved. (Did yu read anything like that or is that your weird, creepy, warped, mind speaking to you?)

Felicia Bueno · Orlando, Florida
Dear Lord 🙁

Jamaal O. Kemp · Works at Insurance
I’m not really sure what theroot is aiming for here. We all know that there are serious structural inequities in the justice system, but these four are disgusting savages that deserve every single solitary thing coming to them. We shouldn’t be defending these animals to make a another point. Choose a different case study.

Jimmy Flounderello
Margaret Sanger was right.

Lyndia Pitts
If Margaret, was right, why are YOU HERE?

Ishmael Hassan · Director / Engineer at African Movie Music Cmpany
Black RACIST

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