Who is Responsible for the Death of Derrion Albert?

By now most people have seen or heard of the young honor student who was beaten to death by gang members. He was coming home from school and he was jumped. What was his crime? He refused to join a gang. I have heard some people say he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but that is ridiculous.  He was coming home from school. He was doing what he should have been doing and he was killed. So when we look at who is at fault it is clear that these young men killed him, but is their behavior symptomatic of a greater problem? When you look at the tape you see some people strolling by the scene talking on cellphones, but the police said no one called them. Have inner city young people become immune to violence. So often you hear the code of the streets is not to snitch, but couldn’t someone have made an anonymous call? I was reading an article on thegrio.com and I struck by one of the commenters she gave her reason for the incident she identified herself as a “ghetto mom” and said, “if you want to know who is responsible look at all the white people living in their fancy homes and living large while we in the black community struggle day to day. The darkness of our lives never goes away and the ladder up is yanked away by white America.”  The flaw in this premise is so obvious. I did not see a fancy home slam down on Albert’s head. I saw a young black man with a plank. We can not put this carnage on the plate of white America. This is a problem within the black community. This is black on black crime.

When is Rape Not Rape…When Roman Polanski Commits It

 For the past several days I have watched so many people try to define rape. On the view Whoopi Goldberg said “there is rape and then there is rape.” This morning Matt Lauer interviewed Sharon Tate’s sister who is the sister-in-law of Polanski. She said there are degrees of rape. Well I must have missed the memo on this distinction. This man had sex with a 13 year old girl. A 13 year old girl can not go on a school field trip without a permission slip from her parents. So it suffices to say a 13 year old can not have consensual sex. For the past few days I have seen so many high profile people justify this man’s action. All rapists do not hold a knife to the neck of the victim. Rape is an abuse of power. So often I have politicians say that the people in Hollywood don’t see the world like the rest of America and I have always thought talk like this was over the top, but I am starting to see some validity in this thought pattern. What Polanski did was rape. Plain and simple, this was not some exotic, romantic romp. This was a grown man having sex with a child and not only was it wrong it was rape.

Quit Comparing Barack Obama to LBJ and Ronald Reagan it’s a New Century

 As I watch talk television I am annoyed with the constant comparisons between President Obama and former presidents Johnson and Reagan. Everyone seems to wax poetic when they talk about the political prowess of Johnson and Reagan. They talk about how they could work members of both parties and get things done, but what they fail to recognize is this is a very different time. This was a time when bipartisanship was not seen as a weakness. Compromise was not a dirty word and television anchormen still had integrity. This is the information age and there is a lot of misinformation that can be disseminated quickly by so many sources. LBJ and Reagan did not have to contend with this. So when we look at what they were able to do we need to take a serious look at the world in which they served. This is a different world and a more polarizing time. We have strong divisions that a phone call from the president is just not enough get everyone to walk in lockstep.

GOP Congressman Trent Franks Calls the President “An Enemy of Humanity

The Republicans are becoming masters at escalated and extreme rhetoric. Rep. Franks while speaking at to conservatives in St. Louis said the president was “an enemy of humanity.” Today his spokesperson came out and said what he meant. “Bethany Haley, a spokeswoman for Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, told CNN on Tuesday the congressman was actually referring to “unborn humanity” — a specific reference to the president’s policies on abortion. “ His entire statement was “A president that has lost his way that badly, that has no ability to see the image of God in these little fellow human beings, if he can’t do that right, then he has no place in any station of government and we need to realize that he is an enemy of humanity.” This extreme language has become the hallmark of the right. President Obama is not the first American president to support abortion.  Franks is also part of the birther movement. Franks along with his ilk is hell-bent on characterizing the president as “other”, different and not worthy of office, and when they are called on their extreme remarks they send out a spokesperson to clean it up.

Why Does Hollywood Continue to Defend Roman Polanski?

 This morning I saw Debra Winger on the Today Show defending the admitted rapist Roman Polanski. She like so many in the Hollywood community believe this is ancient history and he should not face further prosecution. Now why are they so forgiving of him? He has admitted that he slept with a 13 year old. There seems to be a real disconnect here. I think because the victim is now a grown woman people can not see the heinousness of his act. As a mother of a 13 year old girl I would have been hard pressed to let the legal system handle this matter. On The View yesterday the ladies say that the victim’s mother was present in the home when he had sex with the child. So they contend that could be a mitigating circumstance. They even said the mother might also be culpable. That might be true but we know he did and he needs to pay. Some people have been in prison for 30 years for raping a child whereas this guy has been living the life of a jet-setting director for the past 30 years. The other thing that is so ironic about this case is the fact that Polanski admitted his misdeed and Michael Jackson who never admitted guilt and also was never convicted of any crime was vilified until his dying day, but this guy received an Academy Award for best director in 2002, and Harrison Ford hand delivered it to him. The victim has forgiven him and that is wonderful but he still needs to answer for his crime.

What am I Missing in this Roman Polanski Case?

 Roman Polanski gave a 13 year old girl drug and liquor and he raped her. In the United States this act is classified as rape. Polanski fled the country 30 years ago to avoid serving time for the crime. He was arrested a few days ago in Switzerland and now he is fighting extradition to the United States. He has been living the life of a celebrity in the 30 years since the crime, but he is still a fugitive rapist. So why are his celebrity friends calling his act ancient history? If this is the case if you commit a crime if you can run away and stay away for years all is forgiven. Well not if you are a “Regular Joe” only if you are a celebrated artist like Polanski. Let us not forget he has had many hardships in his life. His family was killed in the Holocaust, his pregnant wife Sharon Tate was a victim of the Manson murders. Both these incidents have been brought up to show he has suffered. No one is questioning the fact that he has suffered, but the other thing that no one is questioning is the fact that he is a rapist. The travesty here is that he was not arrested years ago. Sure his victim has forgiven him and that is good for her and him, but forgiveness is not the basis of the law justice is, and justice has not been served. Bring this rapist back to the United States and hold him responsible for his criminal actions.

Where Are the Parents of the Kids Accused of Beating Derrion Albert to Death?

 When you look at the videotape of the beating death of Chicago teen Derrion Albert you can not believe the viciousness of the attack. You wonder if these young people are devoid of feelings, and you wonder what kind of parents raised these brutal killers. We now know this was not a random killing. These young people had targeted Albert because he refused to join a gang. Gangs rule by force and in some case that recruit by force and if a young person has the strength to say no to them they might have to pay with their life. In an article from Chicago Breaking News the accused killers have been identified as Eugene Bailey, Eugene Riley and Silvonus Shannon. Two of their mothers have made statements after watching the videotape. Eugene Riley’s, Sherry Smith mother said “That’s Gene. That’s my son. I’m not going to lie about that. She went on to say “I do give my condolences to that family because (their) child shouldn’t have lost his life over this.” She is accepting the fact that her son did a horrible thing. Whereas, Silvonus Shannon’s mother said “Silvonus is not a bad kid,” said Shannon, 40. “He was protecting himself. Silvonus is not what they are making him out to be.” Who is the “they” in this statement? The tape speaks for itself. We see several young men viciously beat another young man to death. These are not the acts of a “good kid”. One of the other sad elements of this story is the lack of fathers in the story. We have seen the mother of the victim and we have heard from two mothers of the accused, but we are left to wonder where are the fathers? Where are the role models for these black young men? I am not saying that lack of a role model is an excuse for bad behavior, but who is teaching these young men how to be men? What is going to happen to the accused? They will be tried as adults and likely spend the better part of their lives in prison, but does this fix the problem? No. They will be off the streets, but there are more like them and until something can be done about the ones left behind it is just a matter of time before this situation blows up again.

The President Wants to Bring the Olympic Games to Chicago, but Who is Going to Bring Peace to Chicago Streets

It is ironic that the President and the first lady will be traveling to Copenhagen to try to persuade the Olympic commission to bring the games to Chicago. Chicago is a beautiful city full of great venues for the games. The Magnificent Mile offers the ultimate shopping experience. The city has the beautiful picturesque Navy Pier and some of the greatest hotels in the country. This is the Chicago that the president will be talking about but like most urban cities there is a part of Chicago that the president will not be touting. That is the Roseland community on the south side of the city. Let me just say contrary to popular opinion not all of the south side is bad. There are pockets where violence is common place. The Roseland community is one of those areas and it is where Derrion Albert the 16 year old honor student was beaten to death. This area is no tourist attraction. This is a part of Chicago that the residents do not even feel safe enough to sit on their porches. The Olympic Games would truly be a feather in the cap of the city, but the city has more real, deadly problems to deal with. There is a dead 16 year old that will be buried soon with so much potential that will never be realized. He was invisible because he lived in the part of the city that the tourists won’t see.

Chicago Honor Student Killed and We Ask Why?

I just watched a videotape of Derrion Albert a 16 year old honor student who was beaten to death Friday on the grounds of his high school. The beating was captured on a cell phone. The people with the phone seemed to be almost have an amped up glee as they approached the scene. We clearly see one of the young men take a two by four and slam it against the skull of Albert. We witness others kick him and punch him as he lays defenseless on the pavement. After viewing the video I felt rage, anger and a deep, deep sadness. I am left to wonder do these young people know they have just ended a life. Do they care? Have they witnessed so much violence that this is common place in their lives? Three individuals have been arrested and charged as adults for the murder of this young man, but what does this actually do? Is this problem simply unfixable or do we not have the energy to try to fix it. Is this the product of dysfunctional families? Is this the problem of no positive role models within the community or is this just a crime by a group of vicious thugs? There are so many questions, but one thing I know for sure. Derrion Albert is dead and somebody has got to pay. Today on CNN Rick Sanchez had a Chicago policeman as his guest. This policeman had lost a son to a senseless act of violence; he used this term to describe Albert’s attackers he called them”unsalvageable.” That is a harsh word. It indicates that these people can not be rehabilitated. They are simply ready for the garbage heap. It is hard to say this about young people but when I watched the tape I wonder if there is any hope for redemption.

Facebook Poll Asks “Should Obama be Killed?”

A Facebook poll asked should Obama be killed and gave the voter four options:  (1. Yes  2. Maybe 3. If he cuts My healthcare 4. No) the poll has since been pulled, but what this demonstrates is a frightening mindset. Since President Obama has been in office assasination threats have gone up 400%.  During the election Fox News Contributor Liz Trotta made a joke saying Obama and Osama should be killed. No one really seems to be taking these threats, jokes or polls very seriously. Whoever posted this poll on Facebook should actually be questioned by the Secret Service. it is not enough to simply take the poll down there need to be consequences for irresponisible behavior. we can’t just laugh things off and say it’s just a joke. There are too many people sitting out there ready and willing to make a name for themselves and this kind of behavior makes them believe that they will be heroes if they do something deadly, and that’s no joke.