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AALBC.com's Thumper's Corner Discussion Board » Culture, Race & Economy - Archive 2007 » Lesbians sentenced for self-defense: All-white jury convicts Black women « Previous Next »

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Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya

Post Number: 6196
Registered: 07-2006

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Posted on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 09:56 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The description of the events, reported below, is based on written statements by a community organization (FIERCE) that has made a call to action to defend the four women, verbal accounts from court observers and evidence from a surveillance camera.

The attack

On Aug. 16, 2006, seven young, African-American, lesbian-identified friends were walking in the West Village. The Village is a historic center for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) communities, and is seen as a safe haven for working-class LGBT youth, especially youth of color.

As they passed the Independent Film Cinema, 29-year-old Dwayne Buckle, an African-American vendor selling DVDs, sexually propositioned one of the women. They rebuffed his advances and kept walking.

“I’ll f— you straight, sweetheart!” Buckle shouted. A video camera from a nearby store shows the women walking away. He followed them, all the while hurling anti-lesbian slurs, grabbing his genitals and making explicitly obscene remarks. The women finally stopped and confronted him. A heated argument ensued. Buckle spat in the face of one of the women and threw his lit cigarette at them, escalating the verbal attack into a physical one.

Buckle is seen on the video grabbing and pulling out large patches of hair from one of the young women. When Buckle ended up on top of one of the women, choking her, Johnson pulled a small steak knife out of her purse. She aimed for his arm to stop him from killing her friend.

The video captures two men finally running over to help the women and beating Buckle. At some point he was stabbed in the abdomen. The women were already walking away across the street by the time the police arrived.

Buckle was hospitalized for five days after surgery for a lacerated liver and stomach. When asked at the hospital, he responded at least twice that men had attacked him.

There was no evidence that Johnson’s kitchen knife was the weapon that penetrated his abdomen, nor was there any blood visible on it. In fact, there
was never any forensics testing done on her knife. On the night they were arrested, the police told the women that there would be a search by the New
York Police Department for the two men—which to date has not happened.

After almost a year of trial, four of the seven were convicted in April. Johnson was sentenced to 11 years on June 14.

Even with Buckle’s admission and the video footage proving that he instigated this anti-gay attack, the women were relentlessly demonized in the press, had trumped-up felony charges levied against them, and were subsequently given long
sentences in order to send a clear resounding message—that self-defense is a crime and no one should dare to fight back.

Political backdrop of the case...


Full Story: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/07/09/18434203.php

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Kola_boof
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Username: Kola_boof

Post Number: 4600
Registered: 02-2005

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Posted on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 10:09 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

This really, really bad.

I could just scream for these poor women.

Do you see why so many people stop believing
in God?

Those on the side of the powerful are
given free reign of evil.

I'm writing a short story collection and one
of the stories will be based on this event.

Loosely.

But powerfully.




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Mzuri
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Username: Mzuri

Post Number: 5204
Registered: 01-2006

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Posted on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 11:33 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)


This article is really disjointed. I'm curious to know what the actual charges against the women were. And what was the charge against the one that supposedly stabbed the harrasser. Was it carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted homocide or what? I think that you can only defend yourself with the same level of force that is being used against you, and so you can't use deadly force because someone is pulling out your hair.


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Tonya
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Username: Tonya

Post Number: 6198
Registered: 07-2006

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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 02:53 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Kola, Pat Collins devoted a chapter in her book to a case similar to this one. It's good to see more authors are paying attention to this issue. :-)
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Tonya
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Username: Tonya

Post Number: 6199
Registered: 07-2006

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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 03:02 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

...In fact, I think it was the Sakia Gunn case, which was later mentioned in this piece.
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Abm
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Post Number: 9467
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 10:17 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

It's ironic that this is being spun into an evil all-White jury story when the victim of what these women have been convicted of is a Black MAN, who has historically been MOST fairly victimized by the criminal justice system.

And WTF is FIERCE? Some sorta GLBT advocacy group? If so, perhaps their perspective on what happened is a tad...biased.
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Misty
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Post Number: 1007
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:12 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

i dont understand how he's the victm when HE was trying to attack and choke the women...nobody knew if he was trying to kill the woman or not so it was self defense. it could have easily been a homicide if someone else wouldnt have stepped in to help the woman.a knife is probably the only way for a woman to fight back some strange man that she doesnt even know. they didnt even know what was in his head and what he planned on doing to them.


how else do you think the women should have racted being that they were women and their friend was being overpowered by some man that they didnt even know?

not oly that another reason the article is saying the women ahve been unfairly convicted is because there is no proof that the knife of the woman is what stabbed him.
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Abm
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Post Number: 9468
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:21 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Misty,

I'm not taking sides here. I'd just like to receive a recounting of what happened from an OBJECTIVE source. Because I think it unusual that an all-WHITE jury would consider a Black MAN to be the innocent victim of WOMEN - Black, White, straight or gay - unless there was something interesting went down.
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Enchanted
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Post Number: 932
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:29 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

the video of what happen was online months ago he was no victim he nearly took out his weewee taunting the girls and he struck first what were they to do? Abm since the mannish lesbian look more like a black man than him maybe that what the jury went by?
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Enchanted
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Post Number: 933
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:43 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Now this is wrong an illegal QUOTE: The video captures two men finally running over to help the women and beating Buckle. At some point he was stabbed in the abdomen. The women were already walking away across the street by the time the police arrived.

Buckle was hospitalized for five days after surgery for a lacerated liver and stomach. When asked at the hospital, he responded at least twice that men had attacked him.

There was no evidence that Johnson’s kitchen knife was the weapon that penetrated his abdomen, nor was there any blood visible on it. In fact, there
was never any forensics testing done on her knife. On the night they were arrested, the police told the women that there would be a search by the New
York Police Department for the two men—which to date has not happened.

After almost a year of trial, four of the seven were convicted in April. Johnson was sentenced to 11 years on June 14.

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Chrishayden
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Post Number: 4855
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 12:17 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

There is something wrong with this story. Some gay women couldn't get a fair trial in NEW YORK CITY for stabbing a black man?

They ain't telling the whole thing. What was Buckle's side of the story?

Do any of these women have records? Where were they from?

There is something they aren't telling--
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Abm
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Post Number: 9470
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 12:22 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Enchanted: "Abm since the mannish lesbian look more like a black man than him maybe that what the jury went by?"


I suppose that's possible. And please forgive my chuckling.
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Abm
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Post Number: 9471
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 12:25 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Chris,

I agree there's GOT to be a lot MORE to what went down than what's been presented here.

Because I just CAN'T see an all-WHITE jury side for a BLACK MAN against women in, as you alluded to, NYC.
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Serenasailor
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Post Number: 1692
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 04:15 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Assuming that just because these women are Lesbians that they look "like men".

WHAT A BUNCH OF IGNORAMUSES!!!
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Chrishayden
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 04:44 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

She was carrying "a small steak knife"--what--in case they didn't have none in Ponderosa? Or maybe the easier to roll a drunk--
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Tonya
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Username: Tonya

Post Number: 6201
Registered: 07-2006

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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 08:02 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Chris & Abm, y'all act as if Black women don't have it bad too; and like heterosexualism and sexism aren't as oppressive as racism (!?!?!?!?!?!).

I mean, this Black guy only has racism to deal with. But these women have sexism, heterosexualism AND racism on their plates.........

......Do the math, brothas!

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Cynique
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Post Number: 9233
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:08 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Is hetereosexualism the same as homophobia?
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Kola_boof
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Post Number: 4609
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:23 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

This definitely ties in with
Yvette's film about men harassing
women on the street.

This is on "un-cut" video:

The man ran these women down,
shouting obscenities and flaunting
his penis.

He got in their face and SPIT in
the face of one of the women---he struck
the other with his hand.

The women started fighting
to protect themselves, as women
will do when they're frightened
of a man---two other black men,
who probably didn't know the women
were gay---came to the women's
rescue (this is on video) and
they began beating the man, because
he cursed, spat and kicked at them.

There's no forensics proving who
or how this man was stabbed!

The only reason that ABM and Chris
aren't appalled by this behavior is
because the women are GAY.

If these were straight women who
LIKE SOME DICK up in them---then ABM
would be saying homie got what he
had coming harassing a bunch of
"sistas" like that.

And when it comes to Homophoboia...I
have seen WHITE and BLACK MEN "integrate"
as ONE
in their hatred of gays and lesbians
quicker than you can say Father and Son.

This is a JUDEO-CHRISTIAN nation. I'll
bet more than 10 of the JURY were raised
Christian.

My kid's own father HATES gay people and
calls them "F****T" just because he knows
how much I detest him saying that.

When he's with his Mexican and White
employees--they sit right up with the
Black ones and LAUGH and make horrible
remarks about "lesbians", "gays", you
name it. Race goes out the window!

One time on Skid Row (4th Street)...we
saw a "black drag queen" being kicked by
a circle of Mexicans and Simon said, "Good
for that freak! They ought to kill
that monster!
"

Don't dare add 1 or 2 Conservative Christians
to that JURY.

NOW IF THOSE WOMEN HAD BEEN "STRAIGHT"
....then the black man who was stabbed
probably would have went home in defeat.
They would have sided with the black
women he harassed on the street and said
there was "lack of evidence".






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Serenasailor
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Post Number: 1695
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Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 12:19 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Just to ellaborate on what Kola said is maybe because Black men feel that this is one chance that they can "identify" with White men. They can all agree with and hate on something "Gay ppl". Since Black men are so used to being the subject of White men's hatred anyway.

Homophobia in our society is different. Many Black men feel that the only way to be a "man" in our society is to be "White". Therefore they feel that they must act "extra" masculine just to prove there "manhood".

But in the end who is more "powerful"? Gay White men or Black men!!

You do the math!!!
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Tonya
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Post Number: 6208
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Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 01:54 am:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Just to ellaborate on what Kola said is maybe because Black men feel that this is one chance that they can "identify" with White men. They can all agree with and hate on something "Gay ppl". Since Black men are so used to being the subject of White men's hatred anyway.

That's exactly what I was thinking too, SS, as I read Kola's post.
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Abm
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Post Number: 9477
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Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 02:32 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Tonya,

The problem with adding, conflating and comparing Hetererosexualism and Sexism to that of Racism is that all of these "ISM's" manifest differently based on sex, ethnicity, class, geography and even generation.

Sure both Black men and women experience racism. But there are certain elements of racism that Black men experience that Black women do not. And most of them relate to the issue of FEAR.

Sure White men might dislike, if not loathe Black women. But they don't fear you, at least not from the perspective of immediate injury to life, limb and their daughters' (willing) vaginas.


So my point here is that even though Whites might dislike Black lesbians there’s almost no historical support behind asserting they’ve been especially, uniquely motivated to utilize the criminal justice system to persecute, prosecute and punish them like they HISTORICALLY have done and CURRENTLY are doing to Black MEN (be they straight, gay or other).
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Renata
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Post Number: 2406
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Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 06:55 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I say he's lucky they only shanked his dumb ass. Dude was asking for it, I don't care what race or sexual orientation the people were.
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Chrishayden
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Posted on Thursday, July 12, 2007 - 02:47 pm:   Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

They were on there way over there to jack somebody, weren't they?

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