Hate Crime in S.C.

Why this isn't reported in the national news. There ought to be an outrage. Please click here

Here's the whole story:

Accused rapists have ties to KKK, investigators say

Jennifer Miskewicz on Clarendon Co. rape, stabbing as a hate crime
Jack Kuenzie interviews wife of one man accused in Manning rape, stabbing
Jack Kuenzie on investigation into Clarendon Co. rape, stabbing


(Manning) July 10, 2006 - Investigators now say the alleged sexual assault and stabbing of a teenage girl in Manning was a hate crime.

Jeremy Sweat and Dustin Evans are charged with raping and stabbing a 15-year-old girl one week ago.

Sweat and Evans are white. The alleged victim is black.

The sheriff says officers believe Sweat and Evans targeted her because of her race, and may have been targeting any African-American woman.

As a teenager, investigators say Jeremy Sweat liked the Ku Klux Klan.
Deputies showed News 10 a report from a camp for troubled teens in Louisiana, stating he "frequently makes references to his involvement in the KKK."

The 1997 report also said Sweat "threatens to kill specific staff members."

Since moving to Clarendon County a year ago, deputies believe Sweat's violent feelings grew.

"He doesn't make references to the KKK, but he does make references to the lack of value he places on the young woman's life. Basically he said, she's just a black whore-- no one's going to care about her," says Tommie Burgess.

Lieutenant Tommie Burgess says officers also believe Sweat and Evans raped a black woman from Summerton last month.

Both women said the men talked about killing them.

"The first victim ... They talked about throwing her to the alligators ... The second one, they discussed tying blocks to her legs and throwing her in the lake," Burgess says.

Investigators believe Sweat and Evans may have approached more black women. A group of girls told deputies the men came up to them at this Waffle House, and asked if they wanted to go to their house and drink beer. The girls said no.

As of Monday night, both men remained in jail after a judge denied bond.


Charges, background and timeline

21-year-old Dustin L. Evans was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and assault and battery with intent to kill. He was taken into custody without incident at approximately 9:05 Thursday morning at his mother's home in Manning. He's now at the Clarendon County jail.

Evans' wife says he'd been gone for three days, but gave up, saying he couldn't run anymore. "All he could do was cry. Like he was just really scared. He let them handcuff him. He didn't try to fight."

24-year-old Jeremy Shay Sweat was arrested last Monday afternoon and faces the same charges.

Investigators say inside the mobile home, the victim was choked and had her neck cut with a knife before she was repeatedly raped by the two men.

They then forced her into a shower, told her to turn around and began stabbing her. The teenager fell into the bathtub and played dead.

She played dead and overheard the men talking about getting some trash bags and dumping her body in a lake. That's when her attackers left.

Then she ran away, climbing over the back fence to get help next door. Oather Webster tells what happened next, "I could hear somebody stumbling and banging on the wall as they were going down the porch."

The girl was soaked in blood and pounding on Webster's house, begging to be let in, "I had this blood-soaked figure come bolting in the house."

"She was starting to go into shock. I'm assuming from loss of blood. I mean the amount of blood that she had left on the walls and the spot where she had sat in my dining area, was tremendous."

A sheriff's spokesman says the victim is recovering from her wounds, and doing well. Authorities said Thursday she has been released from the hospital.

The case will be prosecuted by the 3rd Circuit Solicitor's Office. As always, officials stress all defendants are innocent until proven guilty.

That's important to Evans' wife Crystal. Two years ago, Dustin Evans was a proud new father of his first child with Crystal, who's now pregnant with the couple's second baby. "He was a gentle guy. I mean he'll appear to be kind of rough to people, but he's really gentle. I mean, because of the tattoos and his body build, I mean he appears to look rough, but he's just always been real gentle."

Investigators say they have also linked Sweat and Evans to the rape of a 45-year-old Summerton woman June 20th. She was also black.

Debate on IRs

Debates on IRs at various blogs:

There has been plenty of debates on various blogs regarding IRs, particularly black/nonblack ones, especially if the man is black and the woman in question is white.

On some blogs, quite a few bloggers say that there's still the devaluation of black women in american society that is at work when it comes to dating/marriage/mating.
Shannon on her blog takes the position regarding it. Click here. She feels that blacks should be committed to one another. Which I agree given our history. But, at the same time, I believe in free choice as well, again, because of our history. Blacks and Multiracials are denied freedom of choice throughout the history of this country. Still, there are racial/gender/class dynamics that need to be covered.

Reappropriate wrote in her post that celebrating Loving Day is problematic, giving the Eurocentric views of IRs on its website. Click here.

Even conservative evangelist James Dobson weigh in his views regarding
intermmarriage at Mojoey. Click here. There, he uses code words to express his latent disapproval of intermarriage, particularly if its interracial. His views represent the mainstream Americans and conservatives in particular. It's not fashionable to state one's disapproval in a blatant fashion. Now it's in code. Isn't any wonder that America is still a deeply divided society. Rachel formulate how today's racists use such views in code words. She has written an article on her blog regarding how today's white supremacists talk in code words to gain receptive mainstream audiences. Click here. A very important read.

Star Jones

There's a battle royal heating up on the View regarding the departure of Star Jones Parker and Barbara Walters. Ms. Walters was just being a hypocrite when she said that Star betrayed her. But in reality, the women in "The View" and the viewing public just cannot abide Star Jones because, for one, she's an outspoken young black woman, two, she lost weight, three, that she has a very loving marriage to Al Parker, prosperous stockbroker in his own right. Some people can't stand other people to be happy. The following article is from the black oriented news website, EURWEB:

WALTERS FEELS ‘BETRAYED’ BY STAR JONES: “View’ creator says co-host’s announced departure Tuesday took her by surprise.




*Talk about being blindsided. Star Jones Reynolds apparently told no one of her decision to announce her departure from “The View” during Tuesday’s live show. Even her boss Barbara Walters was caught off guard.


"I love Star and I was trying to do everything I possibly could — up until this morning when I was betrayed — to protect her," Walters told The Associated Press.


Walters also said she was unaware of Star’s interview in People magazine (on stands Friday), where she said that producers made the decision not to renew her contract for a tenth season. She told the magazine: “I feel like I was fired.”


Star was right. Walters said ABC brass was unhappy with research that showed audiences had soured on the former prosecutor since her mysterious weight loss and 2004 wedding to banker Al Reynolds. She was roundly criticized for a website that promoted companies that donated items for the wedding party's gift bags. According to Walters, ABC execs made the decision last fall to let Reynolds go.


"We tried to talk them out of it," Walters said, "and we tried to give Star time to redeem herself in the eyes of the audience, and the research just kept getting worse."

Star, please keep your cool and don't let the haters get to you.

Rappers' and Oprah

Should Oprah reserve the right to refuse some of the foulest-mouthed, woman-bashing rappers to be on her show? I say yes. She has the right not to invite rappers who made a fortune off of disrespecting black women and women of color in general. Bravo, Oprah!

Rappers Aren't Feeling Oprah's Love

By Yvonne Bynoe, AlterNet. Posted June 21, 2006.


Oprah has refused to bring Ice Cube and Ludacris on her show. But it's not their music she hates -- it's their message of contempt for black women.

Ludacris was the first rapper to complain about Oprah. In the May 2006 issue of GQ, he said that Oprah only grudgingly invited him to her show because of his role in the Oscar-winning film "Crash." Ludacris called Oprah "unfair" and said that she edited his comments and lectured him about his music.

Then 50 Cent -- the infamous crack dealer turned rap artist -- joined the fray, telling the Associated Press that Oprah rarely invites rap artists on her show. Revealing his disdain for what he characterized as Oprah's older, female, and primarily white audience, he said, "[I] couldn't care less about Oprah or her show."

And now Ice Cube, the former frontman for controversial rap group N.W.A, has expressed his displeasure with Oprah. He told FHM magazine that he's been involved with three projects that were pitched to Oprah but has yet to receive an invite. "Maybe Oprah's got a problem with hip hop," Ice Cube said.

But contrary to what Ludacris, 50 Cent and Ice Cube have implied, Oprah has had rap artists on her show, but her tastes lean more toward John Legend and Alicia Keys than to Lil Wayne and Trina. To promote the film "Barbershop," Oprah invited rapper-actress Eve and comedian Cederic the Entertainer. Sean "P-Diddy" Combs was on before he ran the New York City marathon to raise money for local public schools. Incendiary rap artist-producer Kanye West, whose religious anthem "Jesus Walks" stirred up controversy among church folks, has also appeared on her show. Queen Latifah and LL Cool J have sat on Oprah's stage. More importantly, rap artist-producer Missy Elliott and "queen of hip hop" Mary J. Blige were both part of Oprah's Legends Weekend celebrating accomplished black women.

Earlier this month Oprah responded to her critics, explaining to MTV: "I respect other people's rights to do whatever they want to do in music and art. ... I don't want to be marginalized by music or any form of art. ... I feel rap is a form of expression, as is jazz. I'm not opposed to rap. I'm opposed to being marginalized as a woman."

In case Oprah's comments need some decoding, what she's saying is she believes rap artists should be free to record songs that call women "bitches" and "hos," and she should be equally free not to invite them on her show. Oprah does not have a problem with rap music -- she has a problem with rap that degrades women.

There's a particular arrogance that permeates Ludacris, 50 Cent and Ice Cube's statements, as if Oprah owes them a spot on her show. It's Oprah who has issues by refusing to celebrate black men who've made millions by demeaning black women?

If songs such as Ludacris' "Move Bitch" or NWA's "A Bitch Iz A Bitch" are not Oprah's cup of tea, then why should she be obligated to give them a platform? It doesn't seem to occur to these black men (or their supporters) that Oprah has the right not to use her show -- which is seen by 21 million viewers a week in 105 countries -- to promote performers whose work she feels is misogynistic or offensive. Oprah may not be kicking any black feminist credentials, but rather than blindly using her influence to "help the brothers," she is choosing not to support black entertainers whose work denies the humanity of black women.

The main focus of this brouhaha is not hip hop or rap, but the commercially successful subset of these genres that has transformed the public image of black women from flygirls to bitches, tricks, 'hos and chickenheads. This is the same sector of hip hop that has mainstreamed stripper culture, reduced the value of women to their body parts (remember Nelly's music video "Tip Drill?") and mocked the importance of love.

Rap shouldn't be banned or censored, but if living in an open society means that performers are free to express themselves, then that same freedom of expression must be extended to folks who aren't feeling it. Unfortunately, among black Americans there is little substantive debate about how popular culture affects our communities; any criticism of rap music, however slight or legitimate, is routinely dismissed as "hating."

In early 2004, Motivational Education Entertainment (MEE), a Philadelphia communications firm, released a nationwide study of 2,000 "urban" teens. The authors of the study concluded that, overall, the teens in their survey believed "black females are valued by no one."

The vast majority of the teens received their perceptions about life from the rap they regularly consumed. The study states that one of the most relevant changes in the hip hop generation (from their civil rights and black power movement predecessors) is an open disdain for black women. It makes perfect sense, then, that Oprah would not want to even indirectly advance messages that negatively impact young black women.

In his FHM interview, Ice Cube claims he deserves an invite to Oprah's show because of his "rags-to-riches story." Sure, Ice Cube has made millions -- but his success was founded on songs like NWA's "One Less Bitch," and the extremely raunchy "Giving Up the Nappy Dugout" (a solo release).

What Ice Cube fails to understand is that Oprah herself is the prototype for the "rags to riches" stories she highlights on her show; her life has been much more dramatic than those of many rap artists. She grew up dirt-poor in rural Mississippi to unwed parents. At age 9 -- and repeatedly thereafter -- she was sexually abused by a relative. She endured years of bad relationships, drug addictions, weight problems, and a career-changing demotion that moved her from her news anchor seat to co-hosting a morning talk show.

Oprah credits her fortune to education and faith; her shows reflect her strong belief in self-transformation. For over 20 years, Oprah has featured "success" stories on her show. Most of these have been women who became influential through perseverance and creativity, as well as people who have overcome adversity, tragedy or abuse to create richer lives for themselves, their families or communities. For Oprah, success is not predicated on amassing large sums of money; it is based on the contribution a person makes to improving his or her world.

Oprah has her detractors, mainly because she uses her show to promote the subjects she cares about. Implicit in all of the criticism from rap artists is the idea that because Oprah is black, she is expected to push every black entertainer's latest film or album, regardless of her opinion. The underlying sentiment is that if she is unwilling to set aside her values, then she can't be down for black people.

This position assumes that what is good for black entertainers is good for all black folks -- a highly arguable notion. There are many media outlets that expose U.S. rap artists to the global marketplace. But Oprah is virtually alone in her ability, through her selection of guests, to provide the world with a broader view of black Americans and their achievements. For black women, who are so commonly equated with the stereotypes of half-naked, gyrating women found in rap music videos, an opposing portrayal is welcome.

If the brothers feel they need more media visibility, they should use their millions to finance their own talk shows, instead of jocking Oprah Winfrey.

Yvonne Bynoe is the author of two books: "Stand & Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership and Hip Hop Culture" and the "Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture."

Rosina Ferrara

To all art lovers and John Singer Sargent fans out there,

I've just published a bio on American artist John Singer Sargent's muse, Rosina Ferrara at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosina_Ferrara

And, at my official website of Rosina Ferrara at:

http://www.geocities.com/nun6_99/Rosina_Ferrara_index.html

Isn't she lovely?

Claydes Smith

Claydes Smith, R.I.P.


Claydes Smith, the bandleader from the popular 70s and 80s music group, Kool and the Gang, died this past week from a prolonged illness. He was 57 years old. He helped put popular dance song, Celebration to the top of both pop and R&B charts back in 1981.

Here's more on Mr. Smith at:

http://www.koolandthegang.com/news/news062006.html

May he rests in peace!

Tributes- Billy Preston R.I.P.

Billy Preston (1947-2006)

The following obituary is from Yahoo!:

PHOENIX - Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own hit singles including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59.
His longtime manager, Joyce Moore, said a heart infection in November left him in a coma, and he never regained consciousness; he was taken to a Scottsdale hospital Saturday after his condition deteriorated.
Preston had battled chronic kidney failure and received a kidney transplant in 2002. But the kidney failed and he was on dialysis ever since.
Known for his big gap-toothed smile and towering Afro, Preston was a teen prodigy on the piano and organ, and lent his gospel-tinged touch to classics such as the Beatles' "Get Back" and the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"
He broke out as a solo artist in the 1970s, winning a best instrumental Grammy in 1973 for "Outta Space," and scoring other hits with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles," "Nothing From Nothing" and "With You I'm Born Again," a duet with Syreeta Wright that became a favorite at weddings. He also wrote Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful."
Other career highlights included being a musical guest, in 1975, on the debut of "Saturday Night Live"; having a song named after him, by Miles Davis; and appearing last year on "American Idol." Among his film credits: "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
His partnership with the Beatles began in early 1969 when friend George Harrison recruited him to play on "Let It Be," a back-to-basics film and record project that nearly broke down because of bickering among band members. Harrison himself quit at one point, walking out on camera after arguing with the Beatles to get along — Harrison likened his effect to a feuding family staying on its best behavior in front of a guest — but contributed a light, bluesy solo to "Get Back," performing the song with the band on its legendary "roof top" concert, the last time the Beatles played live. He was one of many sometimes labeled "The Fifth Beatle," a title he did not discourage.
More of Mr. Preston's death at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060607/ap_en_mu/obit_preston_27
Please also visit the website dedicated to the late, great Billy Preston at:
http://www.billypreston.net/