Latoyia Figueroa Memorial Service

Marking a year since Latoyia Figueroa died
By CHRISTINE OLLEY
olleyc@phillynews.com 215-854-5184

Amid a small, tight-knit group of family and friends in Southwest Philadelphia last night, Melvin Figueroa tearfully recounted what the last year has been like without his daughter, Latoyia.

"I went to the cemetery yesterday, and it took a lot out of me," he said, standing on South Ithan Street near Spruce. "It's been tough."

Tuesday marked a year since his daughter's death.

Latoyia Figueroa, 24, vanished last year after going to a prenatal checkup with Stephen Poaches, the father of her unborn child.

Her body was later found dumped in Chester County.

Poaches was charged with her murder and the murder of their unborn child after a tip led police to follow the suspect to where the body was found.

Police say he intended to move the body, but never got the chance.

The case became a symbol for lack of attention given to cases involving missing minority women.

Philadelphia Prisons Department spokesman Bob Eskin said Poaches is awaiting trial in an undisclosed location in another jurisdiction.

"We're just paying our respects to Latoyia today. As for Poaches, he's been convicted, and I am glad," said aunt Michelle Perez, who recalled her niece's "free spirit."

"I hope that he rots in hell for what he did to her, because he denied it to the very end," she said of Poaches.

Citing the recent violence in the city, Melvin Figueroa prayed for peace.

"With 215 people already dead this year, it's hard, but you have to help," he told the assembled group.

Councilman Juan Ramos, a cousin of the Figueroas, led a prayer, blessing the efforts of Latoyia's father in trying to find his oldest child, and also asking for peace.

"We have to remember how sad this day is," he said. "Latoyia lost her life and we can't forget."

Then, in a final send-off with pink balloons for Melvin's slain daughter and blue balloons for his recently slain nephew, Eddie Figueroa, the crowd released them into the air.

Ending the vigil, Figueroa said, "Be careful out there and be well. You can't just lock the doors anymore, because they aren't just taking hostages, they are taking bodies."

Latoyia Figueroa

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Latoyia Figueroa's disappearance and death in Philadelphia. Ms. Figueroa's killer has yet to stand trial. Why so long? Latoyia's family wants closure. The justice system in Philly is taking its sweet time with the case.

Oh, and one other thing, the news media still place more emphasis on missing white women, ignoring women of color who are currently missing. Example: the saga of missing high school graduate Natlee Holloway.

Here's a brief bio of Latoyia Figueroa at Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia.com: Latoyia Figueroa.

Here's an article provided to me by Timothy Stelly about the low value this society places on lives of people of color:

Natlee Holloway Case Has Racial Overtones Thanks, Mr. Stelly.

More on James Dobson's Intolerant Views

Here are several links documenting Mr. James Dobson's views on Gays.

James on Gays: Click here
Click Here
James on IRs: Click here.
Click here.

James on Women: Click here.

Another article on the hate crime in S.C.

More on the hate crime from the State(Columbia, S.C.)

"Attacks prompt call for hate crimes law
The Anti-Defamation League says S.C. is one of only five states without such a law"
Click here.

Interesting and Important Response Regarding the Hate Crime in S.C.

At Alas, A Blog, there are many intelligent response to the news of a very horrific hate crime in S.C. It's very clear to me that mainstream media chose not to cover this one. Here's a posting by Gimmar:

ginmar Writes:

July 15th, 2006 at 8:29 am
I don’t think she’s remarkable. I think fifteen-year-old girls are a lot more intelligent and resourceful than the culture paints them as. As a matter of fact, when guys whine about how they get portrayed in the media, they have nothing to complain about when compared to how teenage girls get slammed as slutty, shallow, illiterate, vain, stupid, and vicious. They’re not granted any innocence or intelligence. That said, she was faced with a terrorist situation, and she came out alive. She deserves a frickin’ medal.

Here's another from Ann from Rachel's Tavern:

The severe psychological trauma she is suffering is devastating right now. She will need the constant support of her family, community and a skilled therapist in helping her overcome this tragic ordeal.

And it does not surprise me that one of the perps stated to the law authorities: “she (sic) was someone society wouldn’t care about, wouldn’t be missed”. With the long history of this society treating the rapes and murders of Black women and girls as less than worthy of human consideration, this so-called human’s words are just a Freudian slip of how devalued Black women’s lives still are in this country.

More from Alas, a Blog. I've just send Sailerfraud, an antiracist Asian American man who tracks hateful white supremacist groups the news about that horrific hate crime involving two white men raping and attempting to murder two black women in S.C.

It's time to be aware that black women are victims of hate crimes because of both race and gender instead of rationalizing such situations by blaming the victim and saying that she deserved it. Such racist views permeate American society and is destroying the lives of black women daily.

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.