* Below I have posted a paper that I wrote for my English Comp. paper. We had to choose a controversial topic and write on it. And this is what I chose ...
"The Blame Game" or "The Age of Accountability" (I'll let you decide)
Cleveland, TX is my hometown. It is a quaint small town community. Not many people have ever heard of it and nothing of great significance ever seems to happen there – and that’s just how many of the long-time residents want it to stay (or at least that is what everyone is made to think)
The biggest thing I can remember that really created a media buzz for our ‘small town’ was DF Dub’s song “Country Girl” – where the starting lyrics say “She was a country girl from Cleveland, Texas…” (Which on a side note I personally don’t suggest listening to the song. It’s rather inappropriate). Recently, however, Cleveland has made quite a few media appearances. Not because of any great accomplishments or another artist writing catchy lyrics with our towns name in them though. In fact the recent events that have had our small town in the media are revealing the darker side of our town. The side that not even many residents are aware of.
Back in November an 11 yr. old Hispanic girl was allegedly gang raped by anywhere from 18 – 28 men (all ranging from the age of 14 to the age of 27). According to the story she had been lured from her residence into a car with one or more of the suspects. The suspects had taken her to a home and ordered her to strip down. The men then began to rape the young girl.
When a relative of one of the suspects came home all the men along with the young girl jumped out a back window. They then took the girl to an abandoned trail and continued to rape her.
They didn’t just stop their though, they called a few more men who came in and raped the girl as well. To top it all of a few of the so called ‘men’ recorded the entire thing on their cell phones.
The investigation started when a student of the local school district recognized the girl and some of the suspects from the videos that had been circulating (apparently not only did they record the horrific scene they also shared it with others)
Cleveland which was at one point separated by segregation but thought to have been moving away from such ways of thinking has been in an uproar. Since most if not all the boys arrested in the investigation are black/African American and the girl is Hispanic many have turned this into a racial fight instead of what it truly is – and that is a heinous crime. I think some people don’t realize that racism is just as colorless as anti-racism. All it takes is one person of any race or creed to decide they don’t like someone else and blame the entire race of that person for the way they are (for some they are even racist against their own race). The only true difference between racism and anti-racism is the fine line between love and hate.
According to the Houston Chronicle a meeting was held in Cleveland on March 10th led by Quenell X (Leader of the Houston district New Black Panthers group) to discuss the concerns some had on the investigation involving the suspects. Many concerns were made known during the meeting - one of which was that the girl apparently had been either sexually active or sexually assaulted beforehand with/by men of other races previously before. Mr. X wanted to know when these men will be dealt with as well and why only the “black men” were being prosecuted . Though I understand his concern one can’t help but wonder why right now in the midst of this crisis someone would choose to argue racism above all things. If there are other men I am sure they will be dealt with as well.
Many who left the meeting that evening left saying the girl was the one to blame.
An 11 year old girl being held accountable for the actions of young men and boys? Many residents stated that she had dressed provocatively, wore make up, and even talked of sexual relationships on her Facebook. This therefore deemed her accountable. How many grown women do the exact same thing and are just looked at as being “adults”? Is that saying they deserve to be raped as well?
Another point that was brought up was that the girl had lied about her age, saying she was 17. Even if she had lied about her age forcing sex upon someone-anyone would still be considered rape. Even if she were 111 instead of 11 it’d still be called rape. Age (like color) has nothing to do with the fact of whether or not it was truly “rape”.
That set aside even if the girl had lied about her age and even if she had consented to having sex with all these men. It’d still be considered rape. She was a minor and therefore it be considered statutory rape.
It shouldn’t matter how old the men/boys were- they were all old enough to know the difference of right and wrong. There are times where some situations are just as simple as yes or no. We all have a conscience living inside of us that reminds us if we’re doing something wrong. Anyone who walks around acting as if they don’t have one truly is evil in my eyes.
Mr. X raised the question asking why the girl had never told anyone about the rape. Almost making it sound as if she were not a victim based upon this fact alone. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) 60% of sexual assaults are never reported. Many victims do not report sexual assault out of fear or feeling guilty for the other person’s actions – feeling as if they somehow brought this on themselves. Jolanda Jones (A member of the Houston City Counsel) was quoted by Fox26 (a local Houston T.V. station) saying “I 'm irritated, I'm frustrated and I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed by anyone that would blame that baby for anything that happened to her. Shame on them. As a child who was molested by my uncle, it affects you forever. I was 8. He was a man. I did not make an outcry until I was 21 to my mom and my grandmother because he told me he would kill me and he would kill my mom”
Many people have been bringing up the question where the girl’s parents were while all this was happening. “I would know where she was. That’s the justice. Not knowing where your baby is is not justice” Said a mother of one of the suspects to a Fox26 news reporter. She also went on to state that she felt the mother should be held accountable for the rape because of her not knowing where her daughter was. Though most of us are asking the same question you can’t help but ask yourself where were the parents of some of these boys at as well? Did they know where their children were? If that’s how you settle who was or wasn’t accountable couldn’t the suspects parents be held responsible as well?
The child has been put into foster care for her safety. Her family has minimal contact with her. As is officials have also advised the girl’s family to move out of Cleveland for the time being for their safety as well.
As of now 19 men and boys have been arrested. 16 have so far pleaded not guilty. I will not lie there is a part of me that would love for those pleading not guilty to truly be innocent. I would not wish anyone to be guilty of this crime just like I would not wish anyone to be a victim of this crime. But things are not looking to be that way in this case.
Another thing that saddens me in this case is the negligence of some of the Cleveland city residence. Truth be told though Cleveland is small, quaint and comes across as a friendly town many of the problems we have in Cleveland are due to someone turning a blind eye or a deaf ear to everything going on. You know the sayings “The other side of the tacks” or “The wrong side of the tracks” ? We literally have that in Cleveland. We have a train track that runs through the town; on the north side of town just over the train tracks is the “ghetto” of Cleveland. Truth be told it’s not much different than nor safer than the inner city areas of somewhere such as Indianapolis.
Many people have been going on about how they never thought this could happen in our town. Sadly I am not surprised. According to cityscout.com on a scale from 1 to 100 (1 being most dangerous city and 100 being safest city) Cleveland ranked a 2. Showing we are only 2% safer than most U.S. cities . with property damage ranking highest in our crime rate.
The nerve racking part of it all is the people who want to sit by and be shocked by the crimes going on and yet can talk about how horrible of a school district we have due to gangs, violence, drugs, and etc. Is not the school district a reflection of the community?
Not to point fingers and not to play blame games but there comes a point where you have to ask yourself what are you doing to help change things around? Children are being raped, dressing like someone off the streets, and turning to substances such as alcohol and drugs. When did our children learn that it was okay to live this why? When was it socially acceptable for anyone let alone a child to live this way? Truth be told if you’re not trying to make a difference for the better then in some ways you can hold yourself accountable as well.
Being a law abiding citizen is good. It benefits you very much to be of good report with the law. But if you’re not using your good to help others then it could be considered laziness. Not saying one has to go to the ghetto and start trying to change the lives of those there. But there are many different ways you can make a difference in your community. Many churches, schools, and community programs have opportunities for you to be involved in.
Our town has been turned upside down by this heinous crime and I am glad they are finally starting to wake up. I have been waiting years for this to happen. I am however saddened by the fact that it was at the cost of a child’s innocence. A child should never have to pay the price for our ignorance or negligence.
I pray that maybe now those in the Cleveland community would start speaking up, start getting involved, and start making changes. There should never have to be another incident like this ever again. And I pray that there never will be.
