This was a headline in the Chicago Sun-Times this morning talking about Stillwater.
So what happened to this?
Jesse Jackson’s asst: “We are here tonight because we are not white or black. We are trying to do what’s right.”
— Daily O’Collegian (@OColly) August 23, 2012
If you’re black and you live (or lived) in Stillwater, I’d love to hear what you have to think about this.
I’m not saying prejudices don’t exist or that there isn’t still racism alive in America, I just want to know what people really think.
[opens comment section]
[probably regrets it later]
Have at it…
Dumb Basketball players are like gods in stillwater
Oklahoma, in general, is not exactly accepting from most social standpoints. And from a college perspective it seems less tolerant of other’s views. I (a white guy) witnessed plenty of intolerance at Stillwater.
Having grown up here and having lived near Memphis, Houston, and small towns in CA, and LA, Stillwater seems to be pretty safe for those of color. I have been in the South Side of Chicago and that my friends would be a tough place to live for any persons of color or not. Considering the source of the column, I would bet they have never spent more than a day in Stillwater. That said, It is important that as a white person or a person in Chicago, it is hard to really understand anything until you “walk a mile in someone’s shoes.”
This is a repeat of what I said on the August 23rd “Other Side”. It is difficult to admit that a lot of our myths are just that: that our society in general and justice system in particular are color and income blind…
Jesse Jackson must feel pretty strongly about this case to take the time to come to Oklahoma and ask what happened. He’s not young and has absolutely nothing to prove to America, or Oklahoma for that matter.
If anybody thinks justice is color blind, just look at the statistics. As they say, statistics don’t lie. I won’t repeat them here, just Google “black on white vs. white on black arrest and conviction rates”, “black on black”, “white on white”, etc., and other such search strings. It is not pretty.
The rest of the world follows these cases. There is this case being broadcast all over the world as I write: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/22/reggie-clemons-case-examining-the-evidence.
For Williams, I understand the facts to be as follows: no physical evidence, apparently no witnesses, she says he did, no rape kit, other people on the premises in similar attire and an all white jury except one Asian, which hardly counts. He passes two polygraph tests and his recorded testimony when arrested is consistent and rational.
When you are a minority and poor in America, this is too often justice as usual. Please don’t call me some mamby pamby softy. Like I said, the statistics don’t lie. Just the facts ma’am. I love the “What if it was Keiton Page” analogy mentioned above. In our heart of hearts, we all know the answer. It’s tough admitting myths are just that (America’s criminal and justice systems are color and income blind), but, puh-leez…
I live in China, where justice is often orchestrated Kabuki Theater (case in point: the sentence this week of Gu Kailai). In all honesty, the US in no better, when race and/or poverty is a factor, which is much of the time.
Watching this from the outside and as an Oklahoman, I am not surprised, only ashamed and embarrassed. It is a travesty.
Thank you, Jeff – you expressed much of what I was thinking of responding…. like poke, I witnessed plenty of intolerance in Stilly and Oklahoma in general. The town where I grew up in SW OK still has no minority population so to speak, and I think Payne county is similar in many respects. As a white, middle class male, I can’t speak to the experience of others, but had a few experiences when I was an undergrad and grad student at OSU when I was out with my (few) friends who were African American that changed my understanding of how people of color were (still) treated.
As to claims of “colorblindess” in the justice system – or anywhere in our society, those who adamantly suggest colorblindness are typically not of color. Why? Well, perhaps the notion of colorblindness gives us a sense of a clean slate – looking past the more egregious examples of overt racism in our country’s (not so distant) past.
I do appreciate we’re having this conversation, and in a place where we often focus on the more frivolous (but o’ so exciting, and engaging) aspects of OkSt – Thanks PFG…
Alan, thank you for your comments. For the record, I am a white male, upper middle class, raised in Oklahoma, OSU grad.
I was bussed to Northeast High School, OKC, for three years, 1970-72 (under the infamous Finger Plan)! I have done a lot of traveling around the US (every state except Alaska) and the world (work and/or travel to over 88 countries) and experienced racism as the minority many times (physically attacked, held up at gun point by corrupt soldiers, as well as highway robbers, harassed, abused and the like). So I at least have a notion of what it is like to be on the short end of the racial social stick. But in my case, I was either living or working there and could eventually move on. Luckily, I never had my life ruined like Mr. Williams’.
My only hope is that there can be some redress upon appeal. It truly is a sad day for Oklahoma, Stillwater and OSU.
uh huhuhu you said “hard-on”
Couldn’t have said it better from afar. As a Cowboy living in Arizona, I see this a lot and I ask myself, “It’s not like this back home is it? Or at least it didn’t used to be, right?” And then I hear/read reminders that it’s the same. I’m a middle-class, white guy just like some above and I agree, it’s shameful to hear that someone can still be found guilty when there is clearly reasonable doubt.
The problem, “reasonable doubt” in some parts of the country (and even worse in other parts of the world) is often times based on perception and not evidence. A misnomer and quite sad at that. I am surely glad I get the benefit of the doubt, but it should be a baseline right across all genders and races.
I couldn’t imagine having to look over my shoulder every night I went out during school in Stillwater, and it blows me away even more in this day and age. The university, towns folk, and students rely on each other to make this a world-class institution…and yet, we have great misdeeds like this case appears to be and it sets us back.
I only wish the case got more attention than the “I’m a man!” rant on Sportscenter (what a joke ESPN is) or in other national media outlets…it would probably pay off better for the town and school and community in the long run. I, however, am ashamed of my community from what evidence and testimony was and “wasn’t” produced.
Beyond disappointing that my alma mater is getting this kind of attention.
There are a few things that jump out at me that nobody seems to be talking about.
1) Whether or not Williams did this, nobody seems to doubt that it actually happened. The story seems to be that the girls were honest about the incident, just not the person involved. The Duke Lacrosse thing comes to mind.
2) There also doesn’t seem to be any doubt that the culprit was an African-American. Williams may be the wrong guy, and was misidentified, but everybody seems convinced that it was a tall, black man that was on the OSU basketball team. That kind of narrows it down, to three people as I have heard stated.
I want to know if the second point is true or if this was a decision by the defense to cast reasonable doubt, that backfired.