Speaking of bias

[ladyinred]

I guess self defense against being a potential murder victim of a hate crime is now a crime.
WASHINGTON (Nov. 30, 2007) – November 14 marked six months since the New York City sentencing of Renata Hill , Venice Brown, Terrain Dandridge, and Patreese Johnson, four Newark, NJ African-American lesbians aged 19 to 25. Their sentences ranged from 3.5 to 11 years. Yet many allege their only crime was self-defense.



On August 16th, 2006, Brown, Dandridge, Johnson, and Hill were out with three friends in New York’s West Village when Dwayne Buckle, 28, began verbally harassing and threatening them. He spat on them, threw a lit cigarette at them, and told Dandridge that she “looked like a man.” The confrontation then turned physical.



Buckle was choking Hill when Patreese Johnson took a 99-cent steak knife out of her purse and swung it at him in defense of her friend. At least two male bystanders helped break up the fight. It was found that Buckle had been stabbed in the lower abdomen, and he was hospitalized.



Three of the women pled to 6-month sentences. Brown, Dandridge, Johnson, and Hill were tried for assault and attempted murder, and sentenced by Judge Edward McLaughlin to 3.5 to 11 years in prison, despite the fact that none of the seven women had prior records and two are parents. Hill's attorney called the sentences, "off the charts."



All seven women knew Sakia Gunn, a 19-year-old lesbian from Newark who was stabbed to death in May 2003, in a fight started by similar sexual comments and physical aggression by a male onlooker who objected to Gunn’s boyish appearance.



"This case shows the complicated intersection of race, gender, and sexual orientation. These women were disadvantaged on each front, and by all reports the legal system has done them a terrible injustice," says Lindsay Bond, a youth advocate for human rights at the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition. “It’s tough enough being young, female, gay and black if you’re also masculine in appearance. We hope their lawyers will mount a prompt appeal and we call on the courts to ensure that this time justice is done.”



TAKE ACTION!

Sign the online petition to the appeals court here: http://www.petition online.com/ theseven/.

Write to New York Governor Eliot Spitzer about the case. A letter template is here: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/justice4ne wark4/message/ 48

Visit www.fiercenyc.org to learn about writing letters or sending care packages to the women in prison.

Sakia Gunn's death is profiled in GenderPAC's 2006 human rights report, 50 Under 30: Masculinity and the War on America's Youth. To read the 50 Under 30 report and to support the campaign, visit http://www.gpac.org/50under30/.

[ladyinred]

No person should be prosecuted if attacked and having to defend themselves. It seems like they were being punished not for a crime but being lesbians. Society is more tolerant of such offense as on the part of the man who harrassed and threatened them.

[Progo35]

This does seem really unfair. Is there a transcript of the judge's decision somewhere? The only question that I have is: why was one of the girls carrying a steak knife in her purse for? Was it there for this specific purpose of self defense?

I think that If someone where choking my friend like that and I had a weapon, I would use it. I hope that this works out for them.

[ladyinred]

Progo, I'm just speculating but this may have been the reason why they had a steak knife in their purse.(Perhaps just in case) But who knows maybe she picked up at the dollar store for dinner... I put all sorts of crap in my purse, not for a personal weapon, but I have even bought utensils like steak knives and put the bag in my purse.

All seven women knew Sakia Gunn, a 19-year-old lesbian from Newark who was stabbed to death in May 2003, in a fight started by similar sexual comments and physical aggression by a male onlooker who objected to Gunn’s boyish appearance

[ladyinred]

The fact is no one wants to be the victim of violence. I'm beginning to think our society has gone stark raving mad. I don't think that we as a society are that advanced or enlightened enough to realize that violence hurts everyone including our children. I just wonder when the heck people are going to wake up and "get it" and decide to do something about it and take their communities back. Hate crimes or any violent crime against anyone should not be tolerated. Frankly we live in a society of diversity... religious, racial,sexual and otherwise whether we like it or not .We cannot have a civilized society unless we can all coexist together as civilized people , yes there will be issues we disagree on.. and no one has the monopoly on that but people have gotten so ugly and I notce this on other forums and even websites like youtube, they get into arguments and fights and name calling. People can't have disagreements without getting violent or hateful anymore it seems. Violence isn't some subculture and just some group , violence is our culture and accepted too often as a normal part of existence.

[Progo35]

I know, U-Tube can be absolutely awful, and people in general just seem angrier and angrier.

[Alecto]

My best guess is that, given that they all knew another lesbian who was KILLED by hate violence, she probably absolutely was deliberately carrying a weapon. And y'know what? At the time, it worked. The guy got off hurt, but ultimately fine, and all the girls are still alive. I'm not saying "yay go violence", but I will say that I can definitely understand why folks would want to have SOME kind of plan in place for 'what would I do if..."

I know I've thought about it often enough.

[ladyinred]

I'm just curious what was he charged with? If he wasn't for assault, something is drastically wrong.