MSNBC You Later Imus

76. reports that they have launched an investigation.


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(Page 6 of 6)Previous 15 Comments | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 76. Tawana Brawley (born 1972) is a black woman who received national attention in the U.S. when she was 15 years old for her claim that she was raped by six white men, some of them police officers, in the village of Wappingers Falls, New York. The alleged incident soon became a media sensation, championed by Reverend Al Sharpton and by attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason. There were no indictments in an investigation conducted by a grand jury in October 1988, who cited a lack of evidence, concluding she had not been abducted, assaulted, raped or sodomized.

Origins of the case
On Saturday, November 28, 1987, Brawley, who had been missing for four days, was found lying conscious but unresponsive in a garbage bag several feet away from an apartment she had once lived in, her clothing torn and burned, her body smeared with feces. She was taken to the emergency room, where various slurs and epithets were discovered written on her torso with a black substance described as charcoal.

A detective from the Sheriff's Juvenile Aid Bureau, among others, was summoned to interview Brawley, but she remained unresponsive. The family requested a black officer, which the police granted. Brawley, described as having an "extremely spacey" look on her face, communicated with this officer with nods of the head, shrugs of the shoulder, and written notes. The interview lasted 20 minutes, during which she uttered only one word: "neon." Through gestures and writing, however, she indicated that she had been raped repeatedly in a wooded area by three white men, at least one of them a police officer. A sexual assault kit was administered, and police began building a case.


Public response
Public response to Brawley's story was at first mostly sympathetic. Bill Cosby, among others, pledged support for her. Articles about Brawley captured headlines across the US. Public rallies were held denouncing the incident. However, racial tensions also climbed, and when up-and-coming civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, with attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason, began handling Brawley's publicity, the case quickly took on an explosive edge.

Under the wing of Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason, a full-fledged media sensation was born. The three claimed that the entire case was a coverup going all the way up to the state government. They named New York prosecutor Steven Pagones specifically, calling him a racist and a rapist, among other accusations.

Grand jury hearings
On October 6, 1988, the Abrams Grand Jury released its extensive and thorough 170 page report concluding that Tawana Brawley ("Brawley") had not been abducted, assaulted, raped and sodomized as had been claimed by Brawley and her advisors. The report further concluded that the "unsworn public allegations against Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney Steven Pagones" were false and had no basis in fact. To issue the report, the Grand Jury heard from 180 witnesses, saw 250 exhibits and recorded over 6,000 pages of testimony.

In the decision, the grand jury noted many problems with Brawley's story. Among these were the results of the rape kit, which did not indicate sexual assault. Also, despite her claim of having been held captive for days, Brawley was not suffering from exposure, was well nourished, and appeared to have brushed her teeth recently. There were no burns on her body, despite her clothing being charred. A shoe she was wearing was cut through, yet she had sustained no injuries to her foot. Testimony from her schoolmates indicated that she had attended a local party during the time of her supposed abduction, and one witness claimed to have observed Brawley climbing into the garbage bag. An ex-boyfriend of Brawley's told Newsday that Brawley had admitted making the attack up.

A total of 180 witnesses were called during the hearings. Brawley herself never testified.


Aftermath
Brawley and her mother were issued subpoenas to testify in front of the grand jury, and refused to do so. This may have prompted Brawley and her family to move hastily to Virginia, taking with them a "defense fund" of $300,000 which had been contributed by well-wishers. There is still an outstanding warrant in New York against the two for ignoring the subpoena.

The case still hangs over Sharpton, particularly following his entry into mainstream politics (his race for the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination involved his addressing the convention from its podium), not merely because he defended Brawley's story but for the unfounded accusations he leveled, and, according to some of his critics, his "playing the race card

Maddox was later disbarred after being accused of billing and abandoning clients in an unrelated series of incidents.

In 1997, Brawley changed her name to Maryam Muhammad.

In 1998 Pagones was awarded $345,000 (he sought $150 million) through a lawsuit for defamation of character that he had brought against Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason, in which the jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one.

Pagones had also sued Brawley. She defaulted by not appearing at the trial, and the judge ordered her to pay him damages of $185,000. As of 2003, none of the award had been paid.

Maintaining innocence
Brawley maintains she did not invent the story, and she still has supporters. Sharpton HAS NEVER APOLOGIZED TO PAGONES FOR NAMING HIM A PERPETRATOR.


Posted at 7:04PM on Apr 11th 2007 by GlassHouse

77. THE HEAD BECOMES THE TAIL...REAP AND WEEP

Posted at 7:05PM on Apr 11th 2007 by BOPRAH

78. This is appropriate. He is a repeat offender. I do not think African-Americans are pretending to be insulted. There is real pain in the community.


There is pain in the community because they dont take any personal responsibility. Its everyone elses fault for everything that goes wrong in their life. Illegitimate children, fathers in jail should be their biggest concerns

Truth hurts but, its TRUE

Posted at 7:08PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Republitarian

77. I think Rev. Sharpton should fall on his knees and ask God to forgive him. Oh wait...I think God said he can only forgive us if we can forgive our enemies. Sorry Sharpton...no hope for you.

Posted at 7:20PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Jackie

78. I dont watch or listen to imus. I will now not watch msnbc anymore at all goodbye Scarborrough country i will miss you.

Posted at 7:49PM on Apr 11th 2007 by floozy

79. Goodbye Imus. Couldn't stand you anyway. And how about that ranch issue - two months its used for tax write off? and you enjoy the other 10 months. Is that right?

Curious to know the real story.

Posted at 7:09PM on Apr 11th 2007 by so long

80. Imagine if there was White Entertainment Television? No, that would be "racist" But BET is ok.

Posted at 7:09PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Republitarian

81. I wonder if the same leaders in the African American community who are becoming successful in pushing for the firing of Imus, will apologies to the exonerated former Duke lacrosse players they denounced last year? When will these same African American leaders invest the same amount of energy they have in destroying Imus, by going after the equally racially offensive stereotypes, crude, harmful, and degrading lyrics regarding women, rape, cops, and anyone who isn’t black in rap music? NBC-Universal dumps Imus’ show from MSNBC, yet they will continue to release this music on their record labels?

I find it all so hypocritical….and tragic

Posted at 7:16PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Rich from LA

82. I applaud MSNBC. The CRAP that is in the media is totally out of control and reflecting how we are living and how we are seen as Americans. I am grateful to the NFL for punishing the bad boys, I am grateful to the Attorney General of North Carolina for saying those "boys" were INNOCENT today.....now, if we can just get Rosie off TV........

Posted at 7:11PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Lucky

83. 97- EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 7:12PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Republitarian

84. I personally think that this man should crawl under a rock and
hibernate, FOREVER! This rush of unthoughtful words cannot be erased
with a simple apology. How would he have felt if someone would have
refered to his beloved wife as " A bleached blonde bimbette"? Perhaps
if he were told that he was a cradle snatcher due to the fact that he
is 24 years older than this bleached blonde bimbette, would he feel
the same pain as the parents of the so called "nappy headed ho's"
This man has NO business on television or radio , his words cannot be
removed from the minds of the ladies they were directed towards . IT
IS PERSONS LIKE HIM THAT GIVE THE REST OF US DECENT WHITE PEOPLE WHO
NO LONGER LIVE IN THE "OLD SOUTH" WITH SLAVES, A BAD NAME . THERE ARE
MANY OF US THAT ARE STRIVING TO MAKE ALL PEOPLE EQUAL , NOT BELITTLE
ONE FOR THE TEXTURE OF THEIR HAIR, STEROTYPICAL IDEAS OF LIFESTYLES ,
OR THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN . WE ALL BLEED RED!!!!! Keep him off the air before he really pisses someone off that will not accept an apology.

Posted at 8:00PM on Apr 11th 2007 by SURE???

85. Sprint, Nextel, Proctor and Gambile basically all sponsors pulled out today Staples.......Steve Capus NBC News President...what price do you put on your reputation?????????.....It's all about the money...........all sponsors were pulling out......................................................

Posted at 7:14PM on Apr 11th 2007 by I see *********

86. I think this is one of the most STUPID things I have ever heard of.
Personally I can't stand Sharpton nor Jackson why do they put such
stock in those two???? They always gotta jump out to get into something
that is ridiculos. Why do the black people want to cause this man to lose his job???
What about Rosie??????????What she said is far worse. I hate her.
YEAH i AM WHITE
But you know what ??????
I can't stand Don Imus either. I just think they should accept his apology.

Posted at 7:15PM on Apr 11th 2007 by dee

87. Hey at least Sharpton and Jackson got another Rolex watch and probably so much more money from all this hype! Black people are so gullable, they actually think these two frauds are working for them.

Posted at 7:50PM on Apr 11th 2007 by fedup

88. It's just confusing why he even said it. It was wrong and hurt a lot of good people. But it's not just racist---it's also incredibly demeaning to all women. He really went for the jugular. I hope the Rutgers women can put this behind them---one person should not be allowed to take away any of their power and diminish their many successes. I do believe Imus should meet with the team, in private, and they can all say what they want to say. But I still do not understand why people have to meet with and apologize to Al Sharpton all the time. Only if they offend him personally. This I will never understand. God Bless you women of Rutgers!

Posted at 7:16PM on Apr 11th 2007 by Janet

89. He was very offensive to all women..there were white women on that basketball team as well. You do not call women whores. These women are highly accomplished, educated and respected. He had no reason to make remarks like that. I wonder how he would feel if people called his wife and daughter whores...I don't think he would be happy with that. He has no business being on the airwaves and insulting people like that. What a jerk!

Posted at 7:16PM on Apr 11th 2007 by The Maven

90. I'm not a betting person,but I am sure we will be hearing the rants of Al Sharpton taking credit for Imus being fired. Maybe someone should picket outside of good ol Al's radio station and ask for his firing! He is full of racisim and crap! He has never apoligized for any of his racial spews! I will no longer watch MSNBC !! While I do not agree with what Imus said, he apoligized for it over and over again! How many rappers, stars and comedians have used racial slurs and never apoligized for their remarks. What happened to sticks and stones? Pretty soon they will stop us fro talking altogether, we won't be able to express ourselves unless we put it on a rap song.

Posted at 7:18PM on Apr 11th 2007 by VanG