blackagendareport.com - Ten Reasons Why "Save Darfur" is a PR Scam to Justify the Next US Oil and Resource Wars in Africa

blackagendareport.com - Ten Reasons Why "Save Darfur" is a PR Scam to Justify the Next US Oil and Resource Wars in Africa: "The star-studded hue and cry to 'Save Darfur' and 'stop the genocide' has gained enormous traction in U.S. media along with bipartisan support in Congress and the White House. But the Congo, with ten to twenty times as many African dead over the same period is not called a 'genocide' and passes almost unnoticed. Sudan sits atop lakes of oil. It has large supplies of uranium, and other minerals, significant water resources, and a strategic location near still more African oil and resources. The unasked question is whether the nation's Republican and Democratic foreign policy elite are using claims of genocide, and appeals for 'humanitarian intervention' to grease the way for the next oil and resource wars on the African continent."

AP Video On Baby Grace

Hat tip from Kenneth Hudson:

Here's the link to AP videos on the Baby Grace case:

http://video.ap.org/v/Legacy.aspx?g=26b0d457-7f8d-4432-8b61-cfe185ecb84c&f=&partner=en-ap

Thank you, Mr. Hudson.

Democracy Now! | Former Black Panther Details Brutal Police Torture to Extract Confession in 1971 Murder Case

Democracy Now! | Former Black Panther Details Brutal Police Torture to Extract Confession in 1971 Murder Case: "Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates are calling for all charges to be dropped against eight former Black Panthers arrested earlier this year for allegedly killing a San Francisco police officer over 35 years ago. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mairead Maguire said the charges against the San Francisco Eight should be dropped because the case is based in part on statements made under torture. Harold Taylor, one of the co-defendants, gives a detailed and powerful account of the abuse he endured while in police custody. We also speak with Ray Boudreaux, another of the San Francisco Eight as well as their attorney."

Truthdig - Reports - When Did the Victim Become the Murderer?

Truthdig - Reports - When Did the Victim Become the Murderer?: "WASHINGTON—Why do you suppose so many people were so quick to blame Sean Taylor for his own murder? Relax, that’s a rhetorical question. There’s no need for self-exculpatory huffing and puffing, no need to point out that the verdict of suicide-by-bad-attitude—pronounced so often this week, and so coldly—was usually couched in broad hints or softened by the nebulous fog of the conditional mood. Everyone knew what was really being said, and everyone knew why. Taylor instantly became not a person but a character, one whose purpose was to advance a narrative about young black men and their manifold failings. Taylor, a gifted defensive back for the Washington Redskins, had been in trouble with the law. Despite the millions he earned playing football, he never managed to escape the quicksand lure of the mean streets—parasitic friends, envious haters, a culture of casual violence. It was his decision to swim in this cesspool of dysfunction, the narrative said. And, like so many other young black men who have made the same wrong choice, he paid for it with his life."

Officer stuns pregnant woman with Taser

Officer stuns pregnant woman with Taser


TROTWOOD, Ohio, Nov. 29 The FBI is reportedly investigating an Ohio police officer's use of a Taser on a pregnant woman.Michael Etter, public safety director in Trotwood, said the officer did not realize the woman was pregnant, WHIO-TV in Akron reported.Etter said the woman came to the police department Nov. 18 trying to hand over custody of her 1-year-old son. She became agitated and tried to leave with the boy, at which point the officer decided he had to stop her for the child's safety.The woman was wearing a heavy coat and held her son on her lap while she talked to the officer, Etter said. He added she did not say anything about being pregnant even after she was arrested.

The Black Commentator - Black America's Legacy of Struggle

The Black Commentator - November 29, 2007 - Issue 255: "Life is struggle. Shirk it and lose it. Embrace it and most assuredly fulfill it. What does Black America’s legacy of political struggle really mean? In succinct terms, it refers to the enormous sacrifices, both personal and collective, made by those men, women and children who endeavored to further the cause of economic, social, and political equality, justice, and freedom, particularly with respect to Black Americans and our Red and Brown sisters and brothers."

With case unsolved, family searches for closure
Slain woman's family seeks closure, justice
By Tara Malone, Tribune staff reporter
November 26, 2007


Stuffed animals, rose bouquets and blue signs reading "It's a boy!" ringed a tree in the dusty abandoned lot Sunday, reminding nearly four dozen family and friends who gathered in the cold of their double loss here earlier this month.Theresa Bunn, 21 -- eight months' pregnant with her first child, a son relatives said she planned to name Michael Pierre Terry Bunn -- was found strangled and burned in a garbage bin nearly two weeks ago along the 6100 block of South Prairie Avenue, the first of two women killed in a similarly grisly manner near Washington Park this month.Bunn's killer remains at large. Chicago police officials continue to investigate the slayings of Bunn and Hazel Lewis, 52, who was found strangled and burned Nov. 14 in another trash bin behind an elementary school near her home. Investigators have not found evidence linking the two slayings, Officer John Henry said Sunday.


Related links
Family and friends remember a pregnant woman who was killed, burned Video
Murder victim's kin seek closure Photo
Family remembers 2nd burn victim as giving


Because Bunn's body was so badly burned that it was identified only through dental records, her family decided to forgo a formal funeral and instead hold a vigil where Bunn's charred remains were found. They came searching for some sense of closure."To me, this is her last place," said Anthony McCray, Bunn's father. "It shouldn't be here. They took our baby and burned her like she was garbage."Many extended condolences to Lewis' family, saying they know too well the grief the Bronzeville woman's relatives must feel.

The vigil came a day after Bunn's memorial service, and relatives, friends and neighbors laid flowers, a music box topped with a ballerina and nearly two dozen stuffed bears around a tree in the center of the lot. Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of Bunn smiling. Others paused before a framed, poster-size picture that, like a tombstone, listed her full name -- Theresa Marie Bunn -- and the dates of her birth and death. Many carried balloons that they let loose together, with red and blue filling the sky."That's Theresa's tree from here on out," said Bunn's cousin Chris Hogan, who wore a T-shirt that on the back read, "Rest in Peace, Baby Boy Mike."Photographs from her days at Englewood High School are stored away, McCray said, unable to offer any comfort yet. Her bedroom remains untouched. Her 19-year-old brother, also named Anthony McCray, still comes home expecting to gab with his sister, the eldest of five siblings, whom friends remember as quick to lift everyone's spirits. Bunn's youngest brother, Michael, 14, for whom she planned to name her son, tries to escape the reminder of her loss in his schoolwork.

Until Bunn's assailant is arrested, charged and put behind bars, relatives said, any closure will remain elusive."This didn't even ease the pain," said Rose Marie Williams, Bunn's aunt. "We were expecting a baby next month and we don't have [anything]."Bunn's son would have been the family's first grandchild, McCray said.Police said Bunn was last seen Nov. 12. She told family members she was going shopping either in Chicago or Evergreen Park. Her mother worried that a mental condition she had might have left her confused.

Bunn's body was discovered just before midnight that day.Her relatives urge anyone who might have seen or heard anything suspicious to contact police. Apartment buildings surround the lot."This time it's our daughter. But it could be your daughter, your niece, your mother," McCray said."We, as a community, need to help each other."Tribune staff reporter Megan Twohey contributed to this report
tmalone@tribune.com
More articles

Baby Grace Identified and Serial Killings In

Thanks, Ann.

Here are two articles concerning murdered and missing women and girls:

http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/baby-grace-identified/#comments

THE SERIAL KILLINGS OF ACRES HOMES

http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/the-serial-killings-of-acres-homes/

A very chilling report on violence against Native American women in the US and Canada

http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/rape-of-native-american-women-uninvestigated/


Thank you Ann for keeping me abreast regarding violence against women of Color around the world. This needs to be addressed.

About those other women ...

About those other women ...
November 21, 2007

We're in Week Two of an all-out national dragnet for missing Bolingbrook woman Stacy Peterson. And now a fresh national media frenzy has swarmed over a Glendale Heights family, the second Indian family from DuPage County this year where children were doused with gas and burned.

Yet we hardly hear a mention of the cases of two women whose charred bodies were found on the South Side: Theresa Bunn, a 21-year-old black woman, and another woman, believed to be 30-50 years, were discovered in ashes in garbage containers near Washington Park in the Woodlawn community. Bunn was last seen Nov. 12. The unidentified middle-aged woman -- whose remains were too damaged to determine race -- was discovered Nov. 14.

And in between those grisly finds, a 14-year-old black girl, Deanna Glass, from Bronzeville, disappeared.

"It definitely symbolizes something to whomever committed these grotesque acts that [the burned women] were thought of as trash," said Delilah McDonald, a 20-year-old student, while waiting for a Cottage Grove bus with a male escort for her safety.

How is it that we know so much about the Peterson family and their Jerry Springer-like story arc and yet we know virtually nothing about these other missing women, believed to be all black on the South Side? We don't even know who killed Nailah Franklin, the 28-year-old black woman whose body was found in a Calumet City forest preserve in September.
Stacy Peterson had plenty of reasons to rethink her choices and escape to start anew. If some tragedy has befallen her, let's hope authorities can find her quickly.

But what about the burned women and the missing teen? These were not run-of-the-mill murders -- if there is such a category. Not only was Bunn strangled and burned, she also was eight months pregnant. That means her baby boy, to be named Michael, was murdered, too. Police have no clue who the second burned woman is. And there's nothing about Deanna that would suggest she would run away. She's described as an A-student and no-nonsense girl. Deanna's mother, Gail Glass, last saw her daughter while she was in the hospital and now has the onerous task of gathering Deanna's dental records in case police find a body. Police have distributed community alerts to solicit residents' assistance in these cases.
We hate to even bring this up, but could a serial killer be on the loose? Two women burned, a third girl missing on the same side of town. We aren't the first to suggest these incidents might be connected.

"We don't think we have enough to classify this as a serial killer," said Monique Bond, Chicago Police Department spokeswoman.

Many Woodlawn women are resigned to the fact that heinous crimes in their neighborhood don't necessarily generate big headlines. They are used to seeing white women publicly elevated when something happens, and Peterson and her prosaic life are no different.
"I'm afraid for my daughter," said Camille Fairman, 32, who's given her own teen daughter orders to stay in a group and to call home for a ride after dark. "I told her to scream, kick or try to do something like that to put up a fight."

Several years ago a serial killer on the South Side was knocking off prostitutes and leaving them in abandoned buildings. Their deaths didn't make the front page until someone connected the pattern.

We shouldn't put a value on life in certain neighborhoods. If these two women were found burned to death in Lincoln Park, there'd be a task force formed by now. That Woodlawn is just a stone's throw from our celebrated University of Chicago and the planned site for the 2016 Olympics shouldn't matter, but if that's what it takes to generate some outrage, so be it.

Burned woman was mother of three
SOUTH SIDE Body of 2nd victim identified, family gets the news
BY ANNIE SWEENEY Staff Reporter/asweeney@suntimes.com

Authorities have identified the second of two women found strangled and burned in South Side garbage containers last week.

Hazel Lewis, 52, was identified by dental records Friday afternoon, according to Chicago Police.
Reached Friday, Lewis' family said relatives had received the news and were gathering together. Lewis, her family said, was the mother of three children.
"She was a great mother," said her daughter, who declined to give her name.

The daughter said the family had no information as to what could have happened to her mother.
"We didn't know anything until the detectives contacted us," she said.

Lewis' body was found Nov. 14 in the 800 block of East 50th Street.
The gruesome discovery came two days after the body of another African-American woman was found on the South Side. The body of Theresa Bunn, 21, who was eight months pregnant, had been found in the 6100 block of South Prairie.

Both murders remain under investigation, with detectives trying to determine if they are related.

Theresa Bunn

Theresa Bunn, R.I.P.

Cops Identify Burned Body Of Pregnant Woman

Police Flock In After 2 Strangled, Charred Bodies Found Near Each Other On South Side

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Police late Thursday afternoon identified one of the two women found strangled and burned on the South Side. The family was holding out hope it was not their loved one. As CBS 2's Rafael Romo reports, 21-year-old Theresa Bunn had been missing since Monday, when she told her mother she was meeting a friend at the mall. "She never did make it," Bunn's mother, Rosemary Williams said Wednesday night. "She said she was going to call us about eight o'clock. She never did call. So I haven't heard nothing from her or seen her." Chicago police confirmed Thursday afternoon Bunn's body is the one found in a dumpster in a vacant lot near 61st Street and Prairie Avenue on Monday, just before midnight.

"Theresa Bunn's family was contacted by detectives from our special victim's unit yesterday," said Deputy Chief Michael Shields of the Detective Division. Police say the body was burned beyond recognition. Detectives had to use dental records to positively identify the victim, who was eight months pregnant. "She was just staying here [at home], living with me and trying to go through her pregnancy," Williams said of her daughter. Williams said her daughter was expecting a boy, whom she planned to name Michael after her younger brother.

The body of a second woman found about 1 a.m. Tuesday in a dumpster behind Reavis Elementary, 834 E. 60th St., remains unidentified. "There are common denominators in both of the homicides in that both of the victims were found strangled and both of the victims were found burnt beyond recognition," Shields said.

A roll call for officers of the Third and 21st Districts was conducted Thursday morning at 61st Street and Prairie Avenue, where Bunn's body was found. As police conducted roll call near the Prairie Avenue location, a commanding officer instructed his subordinates to go door to door and ask if anyone had seen anything, and show them a flier they are distributing about the cases. They hope to solve the macabre double mystery. Police have yet to link the two cases due to lack of forensic evidence. "It's a concern for every woman that something like this happened in the area," said area resident Henrietta Limehouse. "You know, you're very concerned, very worried, because I have to walk the streets myself." Police say they have been talking to other people who have missing relatives in an effort to identify the second body.

Detectives collected several items as evidence at the site where the body was found, but so far they have no suspects. There is no description of a suspect. Anyone with information on either of the cases is urged to call police.

Dear Mr. Jesus

Japan Today - News - New York police kill teenager armed with hairbrush

Japan Today - News - New York police kill teenager armed with hairbrush: "NEW YORK — New York police shot and killed an 18-year-old youth armed with only a hairbrush, U.S. media reported Tuesday. Khiel Coppin was shot late Monday after a violent confrontation with his mother, who had called police for help, according to The New York Times. While she was on the phone, Coppin screamed that he had a gun and was going to kill her, the paper said. When police arrived, Coppin had jumped out of a ground-floor window with something in his hand and was shot by officers on the street."

Sherrice Iverson - 1989-1997

Sherrice Iverson was a 7 year old whose life was taken in a senseless murder in 1997 in a casino. The thief who stole her life and innocence was tried on Court TV. The lesson here is that we MUST watch over our children with vigilence. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." (John 10:10). Sherrice, we love you and will see you again. Love forever -

Memphis battling infant death epidemic - Kids and parenting- msnbc.com

Memphis battling infant death epidemic - Kids and parenting- msnbc.com: "Twice the U.S. average A 2002 federal report put this city at the top of the list for infant deaths in American cities: 692 dead babies over a four-year span, a rate of more than 15 deaths for every 1,000 births, more than twice the U.S. average. Broken down by ZIP code, centering on the poorest places in this very poor city, there are spots where babies die at a higher rate than they do in some Third World countries. Some health officials object to that characterization because the figures are small enough to call their statistical significance into question. But no one denies that there is an epidemic of dead babies here."

STATEMENT ON THE CASE OF MEGAN WILLIAMS

Thanks, Brownfemipower for bringing this to the fore. As I wrote in reply to this, . Violence against women of Color is a serious problem in society today. Meghan Williams is among many WOC who are victims of hate crime. The victim and her son in the Dunbar Village gender hate crime needs to be acknowleged in the general public as well. The Newark Ladies who were arrested in NY after being assaulted by a bigot deserves our sympathy. The Black woman in Missouri who was the victim of police brutality deserves our sympathy.


WEST VIRGINIA COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WOMEN OF COLOR CAUCUSSTATEMENT ON THE CASE OF MEGAN WILLIAMS
October 1, 2007

We, the Women of Color Caucus of the West Virginia Coalition of DomesticViolence, stand in solidarity with allies and in partnership with TonyaLovelace of the national Women of Color Network from Harrisburg,Pennsylvania, and issue this statement of concern for Megan Williams andoutrage for the crimes committed against her person.

Megan Williams, a resident of Charleston, West Virginia, was a victim ofdomestic and sexual violence as well as a victim of hate crimes based onrace and gender. In addition, Megan is a victim of the criminal justicesystem, of the media and of the community at large, all of whom failed toacknowledge the fullness of her humanity as a woman of color, as a womanwith a disability, and as a young woman who experienced extreme torture,dehumanization and gang rape.

We are concerned that the criminal justice system failed her by bringing hercase of bad checks into the media at the time of Megan’s initial recovery.While she may have some charges of her own to contend with, the timing ofMegan’s public arraignment served only to downplay the violence sheexperienced and diverted attention away from the central issue of hersurviving atrocious crimes perpetrated by offenders in callous disregard forher safety. Many women exposed to violence have criminal histories oftenaccumulated as a result of being connected to an abusive partner. Megan’svictimization must remain central in the media as well as in the systemsthat claim to “serve and protect” her and other victims of violence.

We as women of color and allies in West Virginia identify Megan as asurvivor and as a woman who represents dozens of women of color who aremistreated, mishandled, disrespected and often dehumanized across this stateand across the country. Violence against women of color is often viewedwithin the context of stereotypes held by police officers, attorneys, judgesand even advocates. Women of color may express anger at the scene; may havelittle money; may have several children; and may fulfill every stereotype.But regardless of life circumstances, women of color deserve support,assistance, protection and fairness.

We believe that the crimes committed against Megan are rooted in racism, sexism, and ableism. All women must be, heard, acknowledged and treated withdignity and respect by the criminal justice systems and all other systemsseeking to address violence against women. Violence against women must betaken seriously or there will be more Megans who will suffer at the hands ofothers whose bias-motivated behaviors inflict great harm. As such, we arelooking for accountability for those who hurt her, for due process, and foreach and every person to evaluate themselves and see what each of us can doto make a difference and to see where we may have collectively failed Megan.

We are calling upon each of you to take a stand on gender and raciallymotivated crime. We are calling for legal reform that recognizes theinterplay of hateful gender and racial epithets uttered during thecommission of violent crimes committed against those of protected classes.We are calling for the media to offer fair portrayals of victims and to beresponsible in seeking multiple voices. We are calling for the criminaljustice system as a whole to take violence against women seriously and tohold batterers accountable for their actions. We are calling for advocatesto integrate violence against women of color and other marginalized groupsinto the heart of the work of creating safety in communities around thestate and across the nation. We are calling for men to check male privilegeand engage in the work of ending male violence against women. And finally,we call upon women of color and people of color to stand up, be heard, andoffer support to Megan and her family. With all of us working together, wecan bring the issue of violence against women and hate crimes to theforefront.
We stand in solidarity with Megan Williams and support all efforts thatrespond with justice and accountability to the plight of victims braveenough to reveal their identity and their hope for change.

###

For more information regarding this statement, please contact Kenyatta Grantat West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, (304) 965-3552.
*This statement was developed by the West Virginia Coalition AgainstDomestic Violence Women of Color Caucus and allies at the WV Summit onViolence Against Women and was read to conference participants.

Re: Latoyia Figueroa - A Philadelphia Tragedy

Remembering Latoyia with the Bee Gees "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" video as background music

Memorial to Erica Green (Precious Doe)

Genarlow Wilson and the Invisible Black Girls

This essay talks about the lack of honor when it comes to Black female victims in the Black community. Thank you, Ann.

Megan Willliams a victim of a Hate Crime

Megan Williams was kidnapped, beaten, raped and dehumanized by animals in human skin. Praise God she survived please Pray for her, send a card, money help her by showing you care. Also check out myspace.com/U4meganwilliams

Dunbar Village Prayer Walk

A few months back, Dunbar Village was thrust into the national spotlight due to a heinous crime committed in community. In response, the local churches banded together for a prayer walk around the neighborhood to reclaim the community for Jesus Christ.

Dunbar Village

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: World Bank Lists Country As 'Fragile State' (Page 1 of 1)

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: World Bank Lists Country As 'Fragile State' (Page 1 of 1): "THREE years after the World Bank characterised and listed Nigeria as a fragile state, the country remains so listed in a 2007 study report alongside Burundi, Cambodia, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Kosovo (territory) and Lao PDR."

Nixzmary the Angel

6 Jane Does - Alone and Forgotten

These Jane Does haunt me even now, just as they have haunted the detectives handling their cases. These unknowns have earned the right to have their names known to the world - Not only are no names available, but also one has no face with no clue as to her identity. Background music used is "Love Is The Answer" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion".

Tribute to Victims of Henry Wallace

Never forget!

Missing - Baby Come Home

"I Miss You" by Klymaxx is used as the background music for some of America's missing minorities. And we do miss them ___ come home soon, little ones. KWH

Rwanda: Genocide Justice System Prompts Row With Amnesty (Page 1 of 1)

allAfrica.com: Rwanda: Genocide Justice System Prompts Row With Amnesty (Page 1 of 1): "Rwanda has dismissed as unfounded a claim by Amnesty International that its justice system was unsuitable for trying genocide suspects currently detained abroad."

FBI Knew of O.J. Simpson Plan in Advance

Latest News | Top Stories | News Articles: "LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Federal agents learned three weeks in advance that O.J. Simpson and a memorabilia dealer planned an operation to retrieve personal items Simpson said were stolen from him, according to FBI reports obtained Friday by The Associated Press. Dealer Thomas Riccio told FBI agents Aug. 21 that Simpson wanted to televise the operation as he confronted a collector who was peddling thousands of pieces of Simpson's memorabilia. But Riccio was not clear how the operation would unfold, and there was no mention in the report of guns that were allegedly drawn as Simpson and five other men stormed a Las Vegas hotel room. Riccio was advised to contact a lawyer before taking any action and was told that alerting the FBI would not absolve him of any potential crime, agent Linda Kline wrote of the meeting, which occurred in Los Angeles. 'I went along with O.J.'s plan,' Riccio told the AP on Friday. 'It was a self-organized sting operation. Except for the final result, with him bringing people who had guns. I knew nothing about that.'"

Erace Racism Carnival Essays at Kill Bigotry!

Here are several essays being featured at Kill Bigotry! website. My essay is one of those featured on the website. Please visit:

Kill Bigotry! Erase Racism Carnival

Amsterdam News - National March for West Virginia Torture Victim Nov. 3

Amsterdam News - Article - national news: "(NNPA) - Promising “busloads” of supporters and demonstrators from across the nation to protest the absence of hate crime charges in the alleged month-long rape and torture of a young Black woman, attorney Malik Shabazz of the Washington D.C.-based Black Lawyers for Justice says a national march and rally is planned for Charleston, W. Va. for Saturday, Nov 3."

Al Sharpton, African-American brokers receive racist e-mails

Al Sharpton, African-American brokers receive racist e-mails: "Someone posing as a manager for Merrill Lynch & Co. has been sending racist e-mails to the Rev. Al Sharpton and several African-American brokers at the global investment house, it was charged Wednesday. Merrill Lynch filed a trademark infringement suit in Manhattan Federal Court to stop the phantom e-mailer from sending out missives that invoke the N-word and phrases such as 'Nappy Headed Hoes.' Merrill Lynch names a defendant known only as 'John Doe.' The company said it suspects he lives in the Midwest."

FBI used mafia capo to find bodies of Ku Klux Klan victims | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

FBI used mafia capo to find bodies of Ku Klux Klan victims | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "The FBI recruited a mafia enforcer to help solve the slaying of three civil rights workers by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi in the 1960s, according to evidence provided in Brooklyn state court by a mobster's moll. In the 1988 film Mississippi Burning that recreated the events, the case was broken when the FBI brought in a black agent to put the frighteners on a Ku Klux Klan member. But Linda Schiro told the court it was her boyfriend, Gregory Scarpa, who had kidnapped a klansman, put a gun in his mouth and forced him to reveal the spot where the three had been buried. The FBI until that point had been engaged in a fruitless search for the civil rights workers, facing silence from the klansmen and the white community in general."

WV Torture Victim at Final Call

The following is from Ann's Website. Thanks, Ann for everything you do in keeping this case on my mind. Here's the article:


Final Call Exclusive: One-on-One Interview with West Virginia Race Torture Victim Megan WilliamsBy FinalCall.com NewsOriginally Published Oct. 9, 2007

Updated Oct 14, 2007, 10:37 am

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sent a delegation consisting of Attorney Abdul Arif Muhammad, editor-in-chief of The Final Call newspaper, Student in the Ministry Abdul Khadir Muhammad of Washington, D.C. and Final Call Contributing Writer Ashahed M. Muhammad to Charleston, West Virginia to determine the facts of the case, and also to minister unto the family of the young woman who was the victim of this heinous and barbaric attack.
Megan Williams (second from right) with her mother Carmen Williams (l); Ashahed Muhammad (r); Abdul Arif Muhammad (l rear).
‘They didn’t feed me, didn’t give me no water, they said when they came back they were going to finish me off.’ —Megan Williams
What follows is an exclusive interview with Megan Williams and her adopted mother, Carmen Williams, conducted on Thursday, October 4, 2007, at their home. For the first time here you will see, in Megan Williams’ own words, the description of this repugnantly vicious assault.
The Final Call (FC): We know this was a difficult experience for you, but in order for the public to know the full truth of what happened, you have agreed to tell us in this interview. We want you to go as slow as you need and if you have any questions, or feel uncomfortable, just let us know. Tell us the story. Tell us what happened.
Megan Williams (MW): When I first went up there, a girl I knew named Christa, she took me up there, she said we were going to a party.
FC: When Christa took you there (the trailer home in Big Creek in Logan County) what did she do?
MW: She said she had to make a run and she would be right back. She didn’t come back.
FC: Do you believe Christa was involved in arranging this?
MW: (Nodding.)
Carmen Williams (CW): Yes, it was a setup, she left her there. When Megan was in the hospital, Christa called and I answered the phone. Christa was asking, ‘how is my friend?’ I told her that she wasn’t a friend of Megan’s because she left her. Christa then hung up the phone. We have not seen or heard from Christa since that time.
The police investigators say they are trying to locate her for an interview, but have not been able to find her.
FC: There were some news reports that you had a relationship with one of the defendants, Bobby Brewster. Is this accurate?
MW: We were just friends. It was nothing like that.
FC: No dating relationship between you and defendant Bobby Brewster?
MW: No. They kicked me in the head with steel toed boots, they hit me in the head with several objects, I remember seeing a knife, and they tried to cut my foot off. They told me that is what they did to Kunta Kinte when they cut his foot off so he couldn’t run and that is what they were going to do to me.
FC: When exactly was this?
MW: It was like in August. When she (Christa) dropped me off up there, that’s when they started beating on me, and calling me names. When they were hitting me and stabbing me, they called me n----r, they said ‘this is what we do to n----rs up here’ and they said they were going to kill me.
They didn’t feed me, didn’t give me no water, they said when they came back they were going to finish me off. They made me eat rat poop, dog poop and human feces. I had to do it to stay alive. They were taking my head and drowning me in a toilet, taking it back out and putting it back in (starting to cry). They were stabbing me in the leg, and I was screaming for my mom, and they would cover my mouth up.
They made me pick green beans out of the garden, they made these switches into a braid and they were whipping me as I was picking the greens. They made me pick weeds out of the garden and they were calling me n----r and said they were going to take me out to a creek and cut my throat and throw me in a river. All I was saying is I wanted to get back to my mom, and they were like, ‘you ain’t ever going to see your mom ever, ever again, never.’ I wanted to get back home so bad.
FC: When they were forcing you to go out into an open field was this a secluded area where no one could see you?
MW: Nobody seen me, nobody knew where I was at; it was a wooded area.
FC: At any time did you try to scream for somebody to help you ?
MW: Yep, they kept kicking me and stuff and saying that if I screamed again they were going to cut me and all kinds of stuff.
FC: Describe what was going through your mind when you first realized that Christa might not be coming back?
MW: I was scared and frightened.
FC: Megan, you went with an associate to this place for a party, did you know where she was taking you?
MW: No.
FC: When you got there, did you know where you were, did you know the house?
MW: No.
FC: After you got to the “party,” how long was it before you realized that Christa was not coming back?
MW: A couple of days. She said ‘I’m going down to my friends house and I’ll be right back’ two days went by and she never came back up, I got worried and then they said she wasn’t going to come back and get me, and that no n----rs were allowed up there, and they were going to kill me.
FC: What kind of party did you see?
MW: They were just up there doing drugs, it was not a party.
FC: What kind of drugs?
MW: They were making Meth. (Methamphetamines)
FC: Anything else besides Meth?
MW: Crack.
FC: They were actually doing these drugs, were they trying to make you do drugs?
MW: No. I wouldn’t.
FC: Did you start praying to God for help?
MW: Yes, I was asking Him to get me out of this. The only thing I was thinking about was my mom.
FC: Did you ever try fighting back?
MW: I did. I fought back when they would cut me, and they had me taped up with duct tape around my neck, my hands and feet, and when they left to get drugs and stuff, they said they were going to finish me off; they were going to take me down to a river, cut my throat and throw me in it, and I would never get to see my family ever again.
FC: There were several people involved. Who was the most vicious?
MW: All of them passed the knife around when they were stabbing me, all I remember is that when they were stabbing me, I passed out, and I guess that’s when they quit because I passed out, because I lost so much blood. I had noticed the stab wounds and they were this big and my meat was hanging out (shows the location on her left thigh). All I can remember was the knife, and I wake up every night now. That’s the only thing I see when I close my eyes is that knife.
FC: Ms. Williams (Megan’s mother), you told me since this happened, she has nightmares?
CW: I sleep with her actually, because if she doesn’t feel me near her, she’ll wake up and scream out in the middle of the night hollering ‘Mom! Mom!’
FC: At the point you realized after one or two days that you didn’t hear from your daughter—is it customary for her to be absent for long periods of time without checking in?
CW: Yes, she’s 20 years old, so she goes when she wants to and comes back when she wants to. At the time, she didn’t live with me. She would call me every now and then, but at the time, she was not living with me.
FC: How did you find out that something had happened to Megan?
CW: Logan Hospital called me and they asked me if I had a daughter named Megan Williams, and I said yes. Then they proceeded to tell me what happened to her, and they asked me how soon we could get up there.
FC: Megan, while you were being held there, can you tell us more about what happened?
MW: Yes. Bobby kicked me in my stomach a few times, kicked me in my back and my face and all I remember is that they hit me with several objects, a cedar stick, a fly swatter handle, a belt, a shoe, and you know the gloves with the lead in them, they were smacking me in the face with those. Both my eyes were black and every night, they made me sleep outside.
FC: While they were doing all of these drugs, what were you doing?
MW: I just wanted to get away. I asked one of them if they could let me go, they said no because ‘ain’t no n----rs allowed up here,’ and they were going to kill me. One day, I was asleep in the room, one of them came in and was kicking me and said ‘hey n----r, we got a noose out there for you, want to come look at it? We’re going to hang you, come on.’ I got really scared. I just wanted to get out of there. I was fighting for my life.
FC: You said that they cut your hair?
MW: As they would cut it, they were literally pulling my hair out, and pulling it out in patches. They were all sitting on the porch drinking beer, and they had that knife out. Bobby made me lick his mom’s bottom at knife point, and then he made me suck her toes. They were laughing and calling me names. One of them held me at gun point with a 9 mm.
FC: Now where did they have you sleeping?
MW: In the shed. They told me there were no n----rs allowed in the trailer.
FC: What male members of the group raped you?
MW: Danny (Combs) and Bobby (Brewster).
FC: Do you know who made the anonymous tip to the police?
MW: Yep, it was a boy named Eddie that was up there. He lived a couple of houses down. He was walking and saw my hands out the window and went for help.
CW: He said he heard her holler for help, he ran back down the street and called police. I spoke to him on the phone and he said ‘ma’am, I’m the one that made the call.’
FC: Since this ordeal have you been harassed or received any threats?
CW: No. We haven’t been staying here. We just came home about a week ago.
FC: Have you received any support from the Religious Community?
CW: Yes, my pastor Bishop James Carter has been to every pretrial hearing that they have had, and he is going there today; and Allen Hill and Emanuel Heyliger.
FC: How are you feeling now Megan?
MW: I feel a lot better.
FC: If there was one thing you could get across to people who hear about this case, what would it be?
MW: There are dangerous people in the world and everybody needs to keep an eye on their kids so that their kids will be safe.
FC: What do you hope happens to the people who did this to you?
MW: I think they need to be put away and never get out again. They should never again see daylight.
CW: I just hope they get what they deserve. I hope they get life. I don’t wish nobody dead, because that’s not my belief, but they should be in prison for the rest of their lives.