WEEK 5: Modern Day Lynchings

To think that we are in the year 2008 and there are some states who do not have laws that outlaw lynching is a travesty, but much to my dismay, it's true. Not only is it true, but modern day lynchings are popping up every so often. James Byrd to Amadou Diallo to Lavena Johnson to Sean Bell, when is it ever going to end.

Whether it be down in the South where Confederate flags still wave proudly, overseas where we fight to wave our country's flag, or in the biggest metropolis in the United States, lynchings are still happening whether we believe it or not.

James Byrd
Black man walks home from a party in his hometown of Jasper, Texas, and accepts a ride from three drunk white men. Little did he know it would be the last ride of his life. After accepting the ride, Byrd was beaten and chained to the back of the males' pick up truck and dragged for 3 miles. Although it wasn't the traditional lynching that they did back in Jim Crow days, this incident was an obvious example of a modern day lynching.

Amadou Diallo
Unarmed black man is walking home from work and "matches the description" of a serial rapist in the area so the cops go after him. He runs because cops are chasing him, he does what any one would do. He reaches in his pocket for his wallet to ID himself, and the cops open fire. One man, four cops, 41 shots. Diallo was shot at 41 times by 4 cops. Hit 19 times. It only takes one bullet to kill a person, why did the officers need to let off 41 bullets. All this and they had the wrong guy. Amadou Diallo did not even have a rap sheet, he was a sidewalk worker that was working to make money to get into college where he was going to study bio chemistry, but did not get to do this because he was another black man "mistaken" for a criminal. Every firing officer was on trial for second-degree murder; every firing officer was acquitted of the charges. Perfect example of a modern day lynching. The Diallo case is looked at as one of the prime examples of modern day lynchings.

Sean Bell
Black man with 3 Latino friends exit a club, and cops approach them after hearing some choice words. Minutes later shots are fired. After the smoke clears one man is dead, and two more are in critical condition after being shot by NYC's finest. Sean Bell was killed on the early morning of his wedding day, after his bachelor party. Bell was unarmed, but the police officers found it necessary to fire 51 shots at the 3 males. There was 3 police officers firing, an extended clip in a 9 mm handgun only has 16 rounds, you do the math. Not only did the cops empty their clips, but someone had to stop and take the time to reload their gun. A little over excessive don't you think? Another black man killed by the police, the people that are supposed to be protecting our citizens. And guess what...all firing officers acquitted of the charges. No one goes to jail. Sound familiar? Bell case brought up reoccurring memories of Amadou Diallo. Almost the same exact situation. Excessive amounts of shots fired by the police says they were obviously shooting to kill.

Lavena Johnson
And of course, the story of Lavena Johnson. Black women in the military is found dead with scratches, bruises, and burn marks by her vaginal area, and is labeled a suicide. Evidence shows an acid type substance, that would burn away any possible DNA evidence, around her vaginal area, and they still call it a suicide...looks like a rape to me. This is happening in our own armed forces; the same forces that are abroad defending our country can't even put aside whatever inner prejudices they have for a little bit to fight for our freedom. They seem to be battling with a bigger enemy, the enemy of race. As the Johnson family still looks for answers, the military leaves out key details and says she shot herself. She was living a good life, enjoyed being in the military, but committs suicide. The pieces do not fit, and yet the case still gets passed over as just another black body dead. And for what, because some white bigot could not contain his inner racist demons. Again, a modern day lynching, in the form of rape and murder, but this time it wasn't by the cops, it wasn't by a bunch of country boys down South. It was by someone who we put our trust in to defend our country and it's beliefs and values. Wake up people! Racism is prevalent, whether the government believes it or not.

WEEK 4: Just Another "Non-Combat" Death

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080801/NEWS/384705178

Another instance of someone of color in our armed forces dieing of a "non combat related incident," but the details seem to be misplaced and aren't released to the public, or her family for that case. Army specialist Seteria Brown died while serving her time in Afghanistan, but no details were released about how or why; just that it wasn't during combat. If it wasn't during combat, and it wasn't something that might cause controversy, why hide the details. Why not give her family the respect of letting them know how she died.

Brown's mother was told that she died from a gunshot wound to the chest, but Army news releases said she died from "injuries sustained in a non combat related incident." Do you think it is just a coincidence that she was a black woman.

Why when people of color or women are killed serving abroad, and the military wants to leave out the details they always say the same thing. It's always either a suicide or from "non-combat related incidents." What are these incidents, how do they happen, and don't you think it's weird we have lost a lot of soldiers, particularly those of color and women, to these certain "instances."

Maybe we should stop doing these certain exercises since so many people are dieing because of them. I know the military is a hazardous line of work, and joining the military at this time is putting your life at immediate risk, but as a soldier one should be able to not only feel safe around their own, but to get the dignity of a proper story told about how and why they died. These soldiers whose stories are getting mistrued are fighting for the same cause that the white man standing next to them on the battle field is, so why do they get details left out when they pass on. Is it cause the military doesn't know? Doubtful...not when it happens so often.

WEEK 3: Is the U.S. Military a Racist Institution?

A question like this, if posed to the government, would probably create huge controversy among civilians, as well as the actual military itself, but I can notice a trend when I see one. The death of Lavena Johnson was just one instance of many that shows our military's true colors. I am proud to be American, and I have the utmost respect for the soldiers that are fighting and dieing overseas so that I may live this "free" life. That is not the issue. The issue is that after all these years and all these wars we have been through as a country, some people would have gotten over this idea that another human, especially one fighting right alongside them, is less of a human than they are.

Lavena Johnson's case is just another case in the history of the military where something bad happens within the confines of the U.S. military, and they do whatever they can, no matter how obvious it is, to cover up their tracks, and it somehow works. I honestly do not know what the military has to do for the government to actually punish someone for once. 1964 was a long time ago, but it seems for some people, it hasn't been long enough.

Racism has been prevalent in the U.S. military since the beginning of our country. Even before we were a country, when we were fighting to become our own nation, soldiers had to worry about it. Slaves who were here at the time of the Revolutionary War were basically forced to fight, and were put into all black regiments. Slaves were basically neutral, and would try to join forces with whoever promised them freedom. The British were the first to jump on this, and many slaves fled to the coast to try and join British forces, thinking they would be granted freedom after the war. The colonies noticed this and had no choice but to offer the same thing, so that they wouldn't lose slaves or be outnumbered by a military who already was a lot more skilled than them.

Many of the slaves who decided to side with the Loyalists, or the British, were not only not granted their freedom, but sold to slavery in the Caribbean, which the British owned the majority of. Some even thought that conditions for slaves was worse in the Caribbean than it was in America. After the American Revolution, blacks were prohibited to enlist in the military until they needed help again in 1862. I think it's weird that we get mistreated like this until help is needed than all of a sudden we are fine to help fight.

Than there was the Civil War, which at first was a battle to save the union, than became a battle to abolish slavery. Slaves who fled the South to side with the North were a key, if not the, reason that the North won this war. There were some issues that arose during the war having to do with racism though. President Lincoln was hesitant to issue the emancipation proclamation during the war because he was afraid that the Union states on the border who still owned slaves would side with the South.

During WWI, Corporal Freddie Stowers, who fought for the 371st Infantry Regiment, gave his life for his regiment, and was nominated to receive the Medal of Honor, only to have his Medal "misplaced." Not until 1991, 73 years after he was killed in battle, did the U.S. award Stowers's family with the award.

During WWII, blacks had a high enlistment number in the Army, but were still constantly mistreated. Only until the Tuskegee Airmen and 761st Tank Battalion proved they deserved it did the government desegregate the armed forces, and this was in 1948. It took 200 years of fighting and dieing for America for blacks to be considered "equal" in the military, and this was just legally.

And then there was the bloody war we are in today, the war in Iraq, and the case of Lavena Johnson. The Iraq War is a war that is one of the most controversial wars that we have fought as a country because of its pointless implications. So many soldiers are dieing overseas for a cause that no one really knows, and some soldiers, such as Lavena Johnson, are getting killed by her own. Not through friendly fire or any accidents, but through rape, assault, and preconceived murder. All evidence points to this, but the military still has to go back and cover up their tracks and call it suicide. The soldiers are supposed to be the courageous, brave men that defend our country. They are not only being cowardly by raping and murdering one of their own, but not owning up to their actions either. Are these the kinds of cowards we want serving us?

WEEK 2: Lavena Johnson: A Surprise or A Reoccurrence

Although my topic can be very broad, when I chose it I did so because of one issue that has arose in recent years. Lavena Johnson was a 19 year old Army soldier who was killed while serving in Iraq. Johnson was the first woman soldier from Missouri to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Although the Army ruled it a suicide, all of the evidence collected proves otherwise. This is a perfect instance of not only racial, but sexual discrimination that exists in our military system today.

Lavena Johnson was a 19 year old African American woman who was raped and murdered by someone from her own base, and the Army covered it up probably so they wouldn't deface the criminals who committed this heinous crime. There were bruises all over her body as well as burn marks around her vaginal area, suggesting someone trying to burn away any possible DNA evidence that might lead to the actual truth. Johnson's parents have turned in every possible direction to find answers, even to Congress, the one body of people that can hold the military accountable, and they have still been denied the truth.

Lavena Johnson's story is one horrible example of the discrimination that black people as well as women are still facing in the armed forces, and this is something that absolutely cannot be tolerated. You can read more about what women think of the issue at Salon, a women's rights website.

WEEK 1: Discrimination in the Military: A Surprise or a Reoccurring Trend

Racism and sexism are two issues that are ongoing in society today; as much as we would like to say our country is "free" and "equal," it's not. The fact that we have to deal with this in everyday life is a shame, but the fact that the people who are fighting to defend this "freedom" and this "equality" is even worse.

In recent years, more and more instances of racial and sexual discrimination have been showing up in our armed forces, and the stories are getting worse and worse. Our soldiers are out there fighting one battle, the battle for freedom from other countries, they shouldn't be forced to fight two battles at one time. It shouldn't matter where you came from or what kind of background you came from, when soldiers are giving their lives for this country, they should all be on the same side and not have to worry about battling with their own.

I was interested in this issue because I think that even through these harsh times of war people still can't put their prejudices aside to help out the country as a whole. This is to me a reason why I think as long as this country is alive, the U.S.A. will never be able to get over its prejudice issues.