Racial unrest in East Texas--It's going to blow soon

[Horse with no Name]

In Paris, the Black Panthers have taken to the streets. NAACP President in Sulphur Springs is forced to step down because he is calling for non-violence after a black man is dragged by a white man. These towns are about 30 miles from each other.



Here is the back story:
http://easttexasdailynews.com/?c=125&a=2234
Ralley At Courthouse
A ralley in front of the courthouse on Wednesday around 1pm (lunchtime) was staged by a group of self-described "Black Panthers" protesting on behalf of a local girl named "Baby Cotton"who was sent to prison after a "few mishaps" and is an african american. Yet, one protester said, there was a 'white girl' from Paris High with a "few mishaps" and she only received a light sentence. The group then planned to move on to the school administration building to demonstrate, and a spokesperson reported that the group planned a meeting this
weekend to organize more ralleys. They have called on supporters to not to purchase anything in Paris, starting Friday morning at
midnight going through Sunday at 11:59 (Monday, at 12 midnight)

The protest yesterday
http://easttexasdailynews.com/?c=125&a=2235
Protests Continue At PISD
Protestors At PISD

A protest in Paris Monday afternoon brought out members of the Black Panther party. The protest started at the Lamar County Courthouse before heading to the Paris Independent School District Administration building on Clarksville. The group was protesting a lengthy sentence handed down last year to an African-American juvenile for shoving a teacher’s aide. The group is claiming racial prejudice in Paris saying white students get preferential treatment when they misbehave. More protests are being planned.
http://theparisnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=62d60fce1b29cb0b
>>>snip
Cotton was convicted in March 2006 of assault of a public servant after she shoved a teacher's aide. Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville sentenced her to spend up to seven years in TYC.


And then, in Sulphur Springs the NAACP President was forced to step down because he supported non-violent approach for change.
http://ssnewstelegram.com/news/2007/March/nt031607hendrix.html
>>>snip
He also noted that many African Americans indicated they found his “lack of aggressiveness,” “non violent approach for change,” and “weak confrontational style” unsatisfactory as the leader of the NAACP. He also noted phone calls from whites who “labeled me as being a racist and a bigot,” and called him “a divider” and an “egotistical liar.” One “person” even went so far as to say “this place would be better off if you were dead,” according to Hendricks, all contributing factors in his decision to “step aside and resign as president of this organization.”

“My prayer remains that this city/county, one that I love dearly and passionately, will unite around our leaders and challenge them to do what’s best for us as a whole. Though many — black and whites — within the Christian faith challenged me biblically and spoke of being ‘very upset and angry,’ I received your statements out of love and not malice or ill intent and will not allow our chief enemy to separate us. From a humble heart I write, surely my Christian brothers and sisters, blacks and whites, by now, are well versed of my track record in this community.”

A Black man was drug by a white man after an exchange in a bar
http://www.ssnewstelegram.com/news/2007/March/nt030807assault.html
>>>snip
Braddy said the facts thus far indicate Weaver, who is Caucasian, and Wright, an African American, engaged in a verbal altercation in the Days Inn bar, where Wright's girlfriend is employed. Wright and his girlfriend, who is Caucasian, were in the parking lot after the bar closed. Weaver was also in the parking lot in a GMC Yukon. Braddy said another verbal altercation ensued, and something occurred which resulted in Wright leaning into Weaver's car. Weaver accelerated the vehicle while Wright was still leaning partially in the window of the vehicle. Wright's face was injured when he fell to the ground.

The Associated Press reported Christopher Wright, 26, of Sulphur Springs, was being treated at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler for facial injuries, bruised lungs and a fractured spine.

[Horse with no Name]

1. kick.

[donsu]

2. wishing the Black Panthers well

nt

[Horse with no Name]

4. Me too

Because it is BS. Granted the girl shouldn't have shoved the other girl...but to put a young girl in prison because she shoved another kid at school? Overkill.

[NorthernSpy]

7. yes, seven years for a shove is probably overkill...

Where I live, you'd have to commit a really serious act of violence to warrant being locked up for seven friggin years. Mind you, I live in a state that is close to 100% white, and for some reason we just don't throw away white life -- even delinquent white life -- quite so cheerfully as this.

[rec_report]

67. Me too. Great 'WMD' sign in the background, as well! n/t

[NorthernSpy]

3. there's no point in denying that young white offenders get more lenient treatment...

It's not a myth: white juvenile offenders do indeed enjoy favorable treatment compared to young black offenders who have the same criminal history and who commit the same offences:

Black youths are six times more likely to be incarcerated than whites, even when they are charged with the same crimes and have never been in detention before. Those charged with drug offenses are 48 times more likely than whites to be sentenced to juvenile institutions. And on average, when they are prosecuted as adults and sent to prison, they stay there 61 days longer than whites convicted of the same crime.

(...)

King County benefited from studies during the past decade by a University of Washington sociologist that showed racial disparities in the justice system. Professor George Bridges found that black youths who commit crimes are more likely to be depicted as having character flaws -- and therefore deemed less amenable to treatment or rehabilitation -- than white children.

The result, his studies showed, was harsher sentencing for black youths.

But yesterday's report, sponsored by the Justice Department and six of the country's leading foundations, showed the problem is nationwide.

Among the findings:

# In every crime category, a substantially greater percentage of black youths were detained than white youths.

# White youths charged with violent offenses are incarcerated for an average of 193 days, but blacks are locked up an average of 254 days and Hispanics are jailed an average of 305 days.

# Black youths are much more likely than white youths to be sent to adult court, even when charged with the same offenses.

# Nationally, 7,400 youths were sent to adult prisons in 1997. Three-quarters were minorities.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/juvi26.shtml

[BlooInBloo]

5. It's all well-known.

[kdpeters]

51. There's a bit of a corrollary with death sentences

nearly the single most relative factor in deciding death sentences is the race of the victims(s). It's been shown time and again that white life is worth death. Brown life? Not so much.

It's an important factor.

[w8liftinglady]

6. Dear God-this kind of shit happens in Texas all the time..I am so ashamed.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Something is going to happen

I wasn't in Paris yesterday but my daughter received several text messages from her friends that were and they said that the gathering was huge with every cop in Paris there. It was peaceful though.
But I just wonder how long it will stay peaceful with the events in the next town starting to explode.

[w8liftinglady]

11. dammit-I hate living here-I am SO unlike the people in my town

[Horse with no Name]

47. I know

Which is why I am leaving.:(

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. 7 years for shoving a teacher's aide?

Good grief. What's the penalty for not doing homework? 30 days??

[Horse with no Name]

15. Unreal isn't it?

It sounds like a true miscarriage of justice.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Don't get me wrong, I don't want kids shoving anyone at school

But 7 YEARS?? :scared:

[Solo_in_MD]

23. Rule #1 in school is never raise your hand/touch a staff member

There have been shootings and other incidents that have the educrats runnings scared. Even joke about it and you can and will be expelled.

That said my daughter witnessed a teachers aide being assualted openly on a playground. Child was special needs who was mainstreamed (perhaps inaapropriately). Childs parents invoked ADA, and there was no punishment. The aide got a protective order against the student and parented with a radius that effectivly barred the child from the school where she worked and he attened. District moved the aide before the issue got serious.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. I am a special ed teacher and I would never approve of

any violence (by kids or adults) at school. However, I think 7 years is a bit much. And my first thought was - is this girl disabled?

[Solo_in_MD]

30. The real hard point is when in done by the special ed students as in the case I outlined

Absolute no win situation for all concerned. All sorts of rights, rules, and laws in conflict. Does a protective order trump ADA kind of thing.

Given what I have seen with juvenile and family courts, I have to wonder if there was more to it than a just a shove in this case.
- Why was it not handled within the school system
- Who referred it for prosecution and why
- Why did juvnile court take such punitive action

There has to be more here than meets the eye, even for East Texas.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. It's still assault

I have a kid this year who has a history of assault. And he has a criminal record. Doesn't matter that he is disabled. It's still against the law to hit people. His disability affects how the school punishes him. Without the disability, he would have been expelled a long time ago. But when he beat up the kid in his neighborhood and the police were called, they didn't leave or not press charges because he is disabled.

But I still say 7 years is a bit extreme.

[Solo_in_MD]

36. If there is any integrity in the East Texas juvenile system, there has to be more to this

[Horse with no Name]

41. Bingo.

There is no integrity there.
There isn't any more to it than was reported.

[fishwax]

44. apparently the young woman's mother has long been critical of the district's racism

That might be the "something more" to the story; frankly, though, the story doesn't surprise or seem out of character to me at all.

Here's a pretty informative article in the Chicago Tribune about the case: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/photos/chi-0703120170mar12,1,335702.story?page=1&coll=chi-homepagenews-utl&ctrack=1&cset=true

[Horse with no Name]

43. Here is a blog entry

http://professorkim.blogspot.com/search/label/Texas
>>>snip
Shaquanda Cotton, 15, of Paris Texas, is entering the second year of a 7-year prison term for pushing a hall monitor at her high school 2005. There were no injuries in the incident and this was her first arrest. Cotton is black. The same judge had recently sentenced a white teenager to probation for arson.

During her imprisonment, Cotton has tried to seriously hurt herself three times. She says she is depressed and afraid of the other girls, most of whom have prior criminal records and serious felony convictions. A guard at the prison where she is being held is accused of molesting four girls.

Cotton's supporters say that her case reflects a long-standing pattern of racist treatment in a town whose best-known landmark is the public fairgrounds where black men were routinely lynched as white spectators cheered. The court and prosecutors reportedly denied a Chicago Tribune reporter's request for comment.

Cotton's mother said her daughter was singled out because she accused the school district of racism on several occasions. In fact, 12 discrimination complaints have been filed against the school district in recent years. School district officials dispute the charges, but the US Department of Education, which is still investigating, has reportedly asked the US Department of Justice to investigate.

[proud2BlibKansan]

48. Thanks for the info

This is a horrible tragedy. That poor girl.

[donco6]

64. If the aide filed the complaint in court, the school can't stop it.

It's out of the district's hands at that point.

[proud2BlibKansan]

66. True

But 7 years?? That is just way overkill.

[donco6]

70. The sentence is ridiculous.

Even in a worst-case scenario where the kid was some kind of pathological repeat offender armed with a knife or something, they wouldn't have gotten that much time here in Colorado. No way. And that doesn't even sound like this kid's situation.

[kdpeters]

55. You're a special Ed teacher!!!! You are my hero!!!

I'm considering the same career. I've been contracting with UCSF for the past year supportinng one of the Autism researchers. I've just absolutely fallen in love with the kids. Not much money, but I woke up every morning before my alarm went off and just sprang out of bed. There's nothing like loving what you do for work. Nothing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

65. The kids are great

but the system is fucked up. I am more of a baby sitter than a teacher these days.

But would I choose it again as a career if I could? You betcha.

[JackRiddler]

68. Your story...

Describes an appropriate response to a student shoving a teacher.

Seven years in juvie is insane. And here the background is unknown - how did the altercation develop?

[kdpeters]

53. Don't get me wrong -- I'm probably one of the most sensitive to authoritarian creep

But I was also the second most beat up guy in my elementary class. The bottom on the scale was my best friend. No matter. It was constant. It was awful. But there was something so different the couple of times I saw an assault on a teacher. I have a lot of anger and bitterness that no one thought i need to be protected, but it wasn't a completely destructuve experience Yet, seeing a student assault a teacher is quite another matter altogether -- in my extensive experience with assault.

[Blue_Roses]

10. Was just in East Texas this past weekend

to visit a friend. It's a hot-bed of racial tension. My friend can't stand living there, but does due to her husband's job. You go down the country roads and feel it.

I've lived in the south all my life and the history of racial hate is atrocious. When will this end? :cry:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. There is an air of inevitability about all this.

n/t

[Clark2008]

13. It's not worse than Boston and other places up north.

Trust my husband on this one (he's live in both the North and the South).

The stereotyping of Southerners on this board is what is atrocious.

We're actually much more tolerable in most situations. We've had years more experience in racial issues, as a whole.

[rman]

16. History indicates differently. nt

[Bridget Burke]

38. East Texas is a special case.

I know that some good people live there--many of then African-Americans whose families have lived there for generations. But this Houstonian finds East Texas scary. (& I'm white!)

Vidor is the most notorious example.

VIDOR, Texas (CNN) -- As a reporter for CNN, I've spent a lot of time travelling around the United States. And along the way, I've developed some impressions of who we are, and where we are, as a society.

When it comes to relations between blacks and whites, it's no surprise to me that we are, in many places, still separated, despite a desire for better relations. African-Americans often live in one neighborhood, whites in another.

When I was recently assigned to cover a story about the history of racism in Vidor, Texas, for the "Paula Zahn Now" show, it turned out that I was surprised by some of the things I found, namely that some whites were openly telling me they still wanted separation from blacks.....

Peggy Fruge told me she'd welcome blacks to her neighborhood. Then she said this: "I don't mind being friends with them, talking and stuff like that, but as far as mingling and eating with them, all that kind of stuff, that's where I draw the line."

www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/08/oppenheim.sundown.town/index.html

I'm glad to see that some people haven't given up. They are braver than I am.

[Horse with no Name]

40. And let us not forget Jasper

Where Mr. Byrd was dragged to death.
That is also East Texas.
It is it's own subculture.

[kdpeters]

54. Agreed. The stereotyping of white Southerners disgusts me

But then you had to go and compare and you lost everyone -- even me.

1. We aren't Boston or places up north. Shouldn't we be cleaning up our own back porch before we go handing our neighbors a broom?

2. The same stereotyping I try to resist from my west coast friends is just as invalid in reverse. We can't really complain and then proclaim ourselves better than Boston.

I've called anti-Southern bigotry for the bullshit that is is and have just been appalled by how many defend it. We liberals are truly tolerant and celebrate diversity, but so many seem to make that exception for us. *sigh* It's not as if us liberal queers in rural Georgia didn't already have our work cut out, but our allies don't seem to help, but nor do they leave us be. They reserve us the butt of jokes. Sometimes I just want to say -- "Ok. Stop helping me!"

[The Cleaner]

14. Oh joy.

This is sad indeed. East Texas is otherwise very pretty in my opinion, tall pines, forests, lakes...where I am in Dallas (only a stone's throw from East Texas) I don't see the racial tensions thank God, but one time in the post office I was absolutely shocked to hear an older white male disparage the manager based on his race. :(

When I was a youngin' I once visited a step-relative in Greenville, SC who proudly displayed a huge confederate flag on the back of his truck. I didn't know really exactly what it meant at that time but looking back, wow - it's true the South is still a hotbed for racism.

[july302001]

18. East Texas is not the south as a whole

Saying this is the case in "the South" as a whole is stereotyping.

This is a perennial problem in East Texas (remember the killing in Vidor a few years ago).

Let's talk about the racism in East Texas and not label the whole South with it. I've been to certain parts of East Texas (several years ago) and, compared to where I live in another part of the South, I found the local attitudes closed-minded and ultraconservative.

By analogy - just because Boston had anti-busing riots 25-30 years ago...I don't call the entire North racist.

There's a big difference between East Texas and places that are frickin' 500 miles away.

I have a low number of posts because a couple of years ago I threw away a handle with several hundred posts after having problems with certain kneejerk anti-Southern bigots on this board.

If Dems wanna build loyalty, certain of their members need to stop being so hasty with the stereotypes against all Southerners. Why do you think there is a problem with getting politicians from, like Massachusetts, elected? It's because too many of their supporters label the South as racist and ultraconservative.

In my section of the South, I hardly see "W" bumperstickers on vehicles like I did a couple of years ago. Around here, not many people like Bush anymore!

A lot of Southern towns and cities are more integrated than northern cities. Certain northerners need to clean their own house first.

That being said, it's a shame there are racial tensions over there in Paris Texas or wherever it is. That area needs some major reconciliation.

[Horse with no Name]

62. It is thick here

The closer to Dallas it is, the better...but when you get closer to Arkansas and Louisiana, it gets much worse.
Even Tyler is still segregated.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. Looks like the old Black Panthers.

Looks like they're back and they've got their shit together. Good on them.

[Catherine Vincent]

22. I agree. As long as it's a peaceful march with no weapons.

The only thing I hate to see is that it shouldn't be just the Black Panthers. But then maybe that's all who the locals called to help them.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. Oh, I'd be fine with weapons.

As long as they're used in self defense.

[The Stranger]

34. Don't the police have weapons?

The empowered use the taboo against violence when it suits them, and they continue their empowerment based on violence.

Wake up.

[Catherine Vincent]

20. Thanks for the info. I didn't know about all this.

Let's hope peace prevail. I hate this. :(

[Jcrowley]

21. K&R n/t

[submerged99]

26. This will probably follow a routine

More rallies, which grow smaller in number followed by a city sanctioned commission to look into the allegations followed by protest leaders negotiating with city officials to build a rec center, by which point the girl will have gotten out of prison.

[NorthernSpy]

29. and yet this could all be dealt with so much more simply...

Forget the rec center -- just reestablish a sense of proportionality in justice, and be scrupulous in applying the law equally to all. Seven years imprisonment is an extreme sentence for a minor act of battery: the punishment simply does not fit the crime.

[butterfly77]

27. Racism usually shows up when a repug is in charge...

because they feel comfortable now and they know that bush and his packed courts will let them get away with anything...

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. You've noticed that too

the king riots were race riots, pure and simple

[Solo_in_MD]

31. As a person who was living in LA at the time, I disagree

it was more like the NYC blackout when people took it as an excuse to loot and in the process destroyed their own neighborhoods. Many of which have still not recovered.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

57. let me tell you about my daughter's friend.

He was about 7 and wandered off to play on day. He lived in a Japanese hood in L.A.
He came back to the hood and it was all on fire. His parents were killed in those riots, when the blacks killed the Korean shopowners. He's in college now and doing fine. Turns out the lady I knew as his mother, in another city, is actually his aunt.

[butterfly77]

37. Did you also notice that a protest is called a riot..

if blacks are involved. The post stated that these were protests...

[cwydro]

33. Wondering who those guys are

on the protest sign...?

[Horse with no Name]

39. The first guy on the left

is the judge that sentenced her.
The rest are school officials.

[xchrom]

35. recommend

[Horse with no Name]

42. MORE INFORMATION

Apparently this story has made the Chicago Tribune and has over 20,000 google hits on "Shaquanda Cotton".
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/photos/chi-0703120170mar12,1,335702.story?page=1&coll=chi-homepagenews-utl&ctrack=1&cset=true
>>>snip
To some in Paris, sinister past is back
In Texas, a white teenager burns down her family's home and receives probation. A black one shoves a hall monitor and gets 7 years in prison. The state NAACP calls it `a signal to black folks.'

PARIS, Texas -- The public fairgrounds in this small east Texas town look ordinary enough, like so many other well-worn county fair sites across the nation. Unless you know the history of the place.

There are no plaques or markers to denote it, but several of the most notorious public lynchings of black Americans in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries were staged at the Paris Fairgrounds, where thousands of white spectators would gather to watch and cheer as black men were dragged onto a scaffold, scalded with hot irons and finally burned to death or hanged.

>>>snip
There was the 19-year-old white man, convicted last July of criminally negligent homicide for killing a 54-year-old black woman and her 3-year-old grandson with his truck, who was sentenced in Paris to probation and required to send an annual Christmas card to the victims' family.
>>>snip
The youth had no prior arrest record, and the hall monitor--a 58-year-old teacher's aide--was not seriously injured. But Shaquanda was tried in March 2006 in the town's juvenile court, convicted of "assault on a public servant" and sentenced by Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville to prison for up to 7 years, until she turns 21.

Just three months earlier, Superville sentenced a 14-year-old white girl, convicted of arson for burning down her family's house, to probation.

[heatstreak]

45. kick

[Joe Chi Minh]

46. K & R

[ellisonz]

49. I WISH THEY HAD A CHANCE!

K $ R

[Horse with no Name]

50. Apparently the paper says tonight

That the New Black Panthers are willing to bring thousands to protest here from around the country.
Like I said, this is going to get really ugly really quick.
http://theparisnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=5922781a09c325be
>>>snip
The leader of the Dallas chapter of New Black Panther Party, who identifies himself only as Zulu, said he was willing to bring in thousands of people from around the country to help protest.

“We will not go down on our knees,” he said.

Bryan Muhammad, president of Millions More Movement Fort Worth / Tarrant County, said people of all races need to come together to fight injustice.

“We're asking for all of the citizens of Paris of good will — black, white brown, red, yellow. If you're a person of good will and you are sick and tired of the racist policies of this government, we're calling for the Millions More Movement March,” he said.

[ellisonz]

56. I'm sure the system has enough boots to put it down if it comes to it.

But then again I'm really really cynical. That's barring of course government intervention, but Rick Perry?

You should post that link in a seperate thread prolly.

:thumbsup:

[Horse with no Name]

58. Paris is the home to Camp Maxey

which is National Guard so they will surely have enough troops to calm it down.
Paris isn't big enough to bring thousands of protesters in without creating a huge logistics problem.
It was awful enough when Musharref came in for his physical.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

52. The Sentence For The Girl Is An Outrage In My Opinion. The Last Story Though Seemed Like The Fault

of Mr.Wright not Mr.Weaver. Not sure why the former is supposed to be the victim when it seems like he was the aggressor. But the story about the girl shoving the aide is mind boggling and as outrageous a thing as I've heard. The latter is most definitely worthy of mass protest.

[porphyrian]

59. Lookee, a map...

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp?S=TX&m=4

[Horse with no Name]

61. See that area at the top where they are all on top of each other?

That's where Paris is.

[porphyrian]

71. That makes sense, and is scary. - n/t

[babylonsister]

60. Ugh. And scary. nt

[Colobo]

63. This is so sad

American against American...

[greiner3]

69. I hated that movied too!

Paris TX

[Horse with no Name]

72. kick,