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Clark Atlanta University Panther
October 9, 1991
Convicted By Society
By William Blackburn
Editorial Page Editor
When I heard that former
Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike
Tyson had been accused of rape I was not
shocked. Disappointed but not surprised.
Why should I be? Tyson has had a history of
wading into troubled waters outside of the
ring. There was the time he engaged in a
street fight with 'has been’ boxer Mitch
Green. How about the time Tyson rammed
his BMW straight into a tree? Don't forget
the fondling incidents in several
nightclubs. Of course we can’t forget the
rocky marriage to the ’she-devil’ Robin
Givens.
However, all of those events are
nothing compared to the rape allegations at
the Miss Black America Pageant. If Buster
Douglas didn’t prove to people that Tyson is
beatable then this latest episode in Iron
Mike's life will. Rape in America is viewed
as violent, sickening, inhumane and
totally unacceptable and unexcusable. But
there is one thing that separates rape irom
other crimes. With rape, the accused is not
innocent until proven guilty but guilty until
proven innocent - which in most cases is an
improbable if not impossible task.
You see even though Tyson may be
innocent - he already has been tried and
convicted by the media and society. When it
comes to the issue of rape - minds are closed
and everything is one-sided. A person can
be proven innocent of arson, murder,
burglary or assault and battery, but no
person can be proven innocent of rape.
Even if the accused is found innocent by the
courts, the media has plastered their name
throughout the newspaper in such a
distorted way that their life will never be
the same. William Kennedy Smith has been
tried by the media and society for the
alleged rape in Palm Beach and has been
found guilty. His life will never be the same
regardless of the courts decision. Tyson
could'have killed a man, he could have
wrecked every car he owns, he could have
attempted suicide and society would have
forgiven him, but they can't for rape -
whether he is innocent is insignificant to
the media and society.
There are always two sides to every
story. Your word against mine. That’s what
society tells us. But for rape the standards
and rules are different. It's the victim's
word that counts. No one cares what Tyson
or Smith has to say. Their word means
nothing. That's how it is in this
hypocritical society. Double-standards.
Smith's career as a doctor will survive
because his name is ’Kennedy’ but despite
his name, how many people in this
sensitive society that we live in will allow a
man once accused of rape to perform any
type of medical procedures on them? Not
many. All of this despite the fact that
neither man has even been given a judicial
trial as of yet. Be accused of rape not
convicted just accused and society never
forgets and never lets you forget. They will
always view you as guilty whether you had
10 millions dollars or $10.
Society dictates that it be that way.
So in all actuality, the allegation of rape
has not one victim but two.
Raped By The System
By Sheryl Kennedy
Editor-in-Chief
DING, DING, DING!
It’s only the first round and former
Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson is
already hitting below the belt.
Not only are the zebra stripped
referees complaining about his fancy hand
work so are a couple of beauty contestants
dressed in string bikinis and a couple of
women who like to hit the club scene with
nothing longer than a micro-mini skirt.
You see the only difference between
touching below the belt in the boxing ring is
that the sports commentators laugh and the
referee simple blows a whistle and yells
STOP. However, when Tyson touches below
the belt outside of the ring a female blows a
whistle to the tune of RAPE. This is one
comparative analyses Tyson seemingly
didn't learn in school nor from Cus D'Amato
or the shock proof Don King.
If money, power and popularity won't
kill you, making quick decisions based on
emotional impulse will - Tyson is a living
example of that. He also proves your
mother's theory that temptation will get you
into nothing but trouble.
When rape allegations hit the media
about Tyson at the Miss Black America
Pageant I was hurt. I was disappointed to
see him in the news again for allegedly
committing one of the most unforgivable
crimes in the nation. Just the mere mention
of that word rape makes my blood boil,
veins pop from my head and tears fall down
my face. It's a crime of power and sometimes
lust, but no matter how you sum it up it's a
crime.
I hear guys say all the time "why
print the accused male's name and not the
female's name?’ Even though I understand
the principle I have to chuckle because life
goes on for a man who was accused of rape,
but for the women it’s different. It’s full of
pain and an instant replay machine that
helps the victim relive every moment as if is
were happening all over again.
But if we want to talk about
hypocrisy in America let's talk about the
facts. Over 70 percent of men accused of rape
are set free and the other 30 percent serve a
couple of months to a year and get out on
good behavior or a slick lawyer's plea-
bargain. What a great justice system. And if
you have money, fame and the right last
name you get off free and can still smile and
wave at the news camera.
Heroes in America come cheap and a
dime a dozen. It doesn’t matter if you
murder, lie or rape someone in a couple of
months when the media moves on to its next
victim, everything will be forgotten and
Tyson and William Kennedy Smith will be
back on top.
But among all the cheers are cries of
pain from those women who were belittled
and dismissed in a courtroom dominated by
men who thought the case was useless and
amusing.
Rape is a crime that hurts everyone.
It destroys it's victims not just in the eye of
the public, but within. Think about it.
-i? NO-. 1 r »•< - f - • 1 j -t.-rot *.k*.
Look Whai The
Wind Blew In
By William Blackburn
Editorial Page Editor
I can't believe it. My eyes must be
deceiving me. Ooh my ears are burning with
the news. Now I have heard it all. Spelman
girls moving into CAU dorms. What has the
world come to? It couldn't be unity could it?
Whatever it is, I'm not down with it.
We could make a movie about it and
call it "Girlz n the Hood." The little princesses
have packed their luggage, swallowed their
pride and moved into dorms on CAU's
campus. The' same campus that they have
talked and laughed about for years. The same
campus that they call the ’upper class ghetto'
campus.
I know the dorms over at CAU can't
compare to the suites on their campus. But
the poor little girls ran out of space on their
campus. They couldn’t get Bill Cosby to give
them another $20 million to build some more
hotels over there. Or could it be that the little
fenced in institution has run out of room to
build anything else? Whatever it is I could
; care less.
When CAU had no more room to house
its students Spelman offered not a single
hand. When Morehouse had no more room to
house its students Spelman offered not a
single hand. God forbid Morris Brown run out
of room. Spelman would have closed it pearly
gates quicker than I could finish this
sentence.
i I could see Dr. Thomas Cole Jr. calling
Spelman president Dr. Johnetta Cole (No
relation) and telling her about the rooming
problem at CAU.
TC: "Hello, Johnetta this is Dr. Cole
from CAU"
JC: "Hello, Thomas"
TC: "Johnetta we have run out of room
to house our students"
JC: "Thomas I'm sorry to hear that,
but you're in luck because I heard that Days
Inn is having a special now on group rates
and I have the number down there if you need
it"
TC: "Thanks Johnetta, but I was
wondering if some our of students could room
over there for a little while"
JC: (Laughing) "Thomas you always
did have a sense of humor" click.
TC: "Hello, Johnetta, Johnetta, Johnetta"
click.
Not in a million years would Spelman
let any students from any other school room
on their precious little campus. The campus
where the adminstration has the gall to put a
fence around it. The same campus that could
easily change its name to Snobville, Georgia
and have no one ask why. Not that campus.
That campus is only for Spelmanites. How
dare anyone else try to room over there. But
now look. They have run out of room and now
they come running across the street looking
| for a place to stay. If I was president and
i Spelman's administration came over here
! looking for a place for their precious little
j babies to live I would have called the police to
I have them arrested for solicitation.
Spelmanites are always criticizing
the other AUC institutions, but they take
more classes at CAU, Morehouse and Morris
Brown than they do at their own school. They
get inside the gates of their little village over
there and swear that the world is their’s.
Walking around with their noses in the air
talking about 'you can't touch this.' Well on
CAU’s campus the students are down with
O.P.P. and right now Spelmanites are living
on Others People Property. So as Prince
would say "Gett Off'.