So, my sister keeps tabs on racially motivated news stories...She came across this news story, and e-mailed it to me...I am going to put the story in my own words, then add some snips of coverage...
Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian were two University of Tennessee students, aged 23 and 21. They were on a date when an attempted carjacking turned fatal. Four black men and a black woman kidnapped the couple, tortured, raped, and eventually murdered them. The e-mail my sister sent me included this graphic and disturbing information from the investigation;
The kidnappers raped Christopher Newsom, cut off his penis, then set him on fire and fatally shot him several times while they forced his girlfriend, Channon Christian, to watch.
Channon Christian, was beaten and gang-raped in many ways for four days by all of the men and woman, while they took turns urinating on her. Then they cut off her breast and put chemicals in her mouth while she was still alive in order to cleanse her mouth of any DNA evidence....she was then murdered.
Both Channon and Christopher's bodies were then dumped in remote sites in trash bags.
The Knoxville police department indicted several people in the murder...
here is what they are being charged with;
Lemaricus Davidson, 25, faces a total of 46 charges. Davidson was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 2 counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robberies from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.
Letalvis Cobbins, 24, faces a total of 46 charges. Cobbins was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 2 counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robberies from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.
George Thomas, 24, faces a total of 46 charges. Thomas was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 2 counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robberies from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.
Just last night, police in Lebanon, Kentucky, arrested 18-year-old Vanessa Coleman. She faces 40 Tennessee state charges. Coleman was indicted on 12 counts Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 1 count Premeditated Murder of Christian only, 1 count Especially Aggravated Robbery of Newsom only, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts of aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom and 2 Counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.
Eric Boyd, 24, also arrested in connection with the fatal carjacking, only faces federal charges as an accessory after the fact. He was not indicted by Knox county grand jury.
Now explain to me, how such a brutal double murder has been completely overlooked by EVERY news program? I wouldn't have heard about this had my sister not e-mailed me.
I am not racist. I believe totally in equality for all, justice for all, race, religion, gender, sexuality, none of that matters to me. But I must confess I am SICKENED that day in and day out I hear some kind of news story about racial profiling, how white people are constantly acting out against blacks...hate crimes, racially motivated crimes against blacks, hell look at the DUKE LACROSSE RAPE HOAX as a perfect example...when a black person even utters the idea of being "put down" by white people, it's primetime news. When black people do the same, it's completely ignored. Why?
This should have been front page, headline news, Greta should have been there, and this should have been a story EVERYONE knows about. Those people who did this should have had their faces plastered around news papers, people should have been informed about what these horrible human beings did, they should have been made aware, and it was just completely ignored.
I also think it says something when not one single influencial black member of society stands up and condemns such gruesome acts. Where is the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the New Black Panther Party--are they too busy trying to still hold together the obvious LIE that a black stripper was raped by several members of the Duke lacrosse team, to acknowledge the devastation five black people brought to a white community, family? Is it only important to condemn whiteon black actions of hate? Standing up for equality means standing against ALL forms of hate against EVERYONE, not just those who match your skin tone.
I took a moment to look on the NC NAACP website (since I follow the Duke case closely) and was disguste dthat they took the time to contruct a 100 point elaborate story about why the "rape" (which is now known to be a complete and utter lie) took place, as theboys were apparently reinacting the book "American Pycho"...they have time to construct this elaborate lie full of falsehoods, but don't have time to condemn a thoroughly investigated, confessed and legitimated brutal crime against two white kids? Give me a f*cking break!
If I could beg anything from the readers of my blogs, it is to please contact any local media outlet you can and ask why this story hasn't been covered. This case is only a month old, and still I have seen nothing about it.
These two kids deserve justice, the same justice minorities get when a member of their community is dragged behind a truck, beaten up, raped, killed, or railroaded. People deserve to know what those five people did, they deserve to know that it is NOT just whites who harm blacks, and members of the African American community who have failed to acknowledge and condemn this brutal crime deserve to be called out on their hypocricy and lack of compassion.
Its unfortunate that those happened but stories are always pushed under the rug or hushed hushed regardless of race. Not everything is main streamed for a reason. Would you have liked to know all of those gruesome details on the television so that children (younger than 15) can hear them. I would not.
Race is a problem in the country but not everything is black and white.
Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth!~JFK
Well, I heard about the gruesome rape that Rade, Collin, and Dave apparently performed on Crystal Mangum;
I heard about how she spit semen onto the floor of a bathroom, how she had her finger nails ripped off, how she was anally, oally, and vaginally raped, how she was strangled and beaten...
Is that suitable for under 15? Because the main stream media had NO problem reporting those gruesome details.
Or perhaps under 15's should hear about the "police brutality" issue with Sean Bell. I'm sure that's something they need to be hearing about as well.
I'm sorry, but this case had main stream media written all over it. This should have been an important case, people had every right to know what those 5 people did to those 2 kids, and I can barely find a reliable google hit on them.
And do you remember when black people were up in arms that the Natalie Holloway story was covered so vehemently? "They are making such a big deal over a missing girl because she's white, meanwhile black kids go missing every day; RACISM".
Trust me, i am NOT racist; but I definitely notice racial inequalities on BOTH sides of the spectrum; I find it hypocritical that many blacks scream about some things when it happens to them, but couldn't give 2 shits if it's not a black person it happens to.
It would have been right for the NAACP or other AA organizations to condemn such disguting acts of hate, simply because hate of such magnitude against anyone, regardless of race, is inexcusible. Could you imagine, IMAGINE if 5 white people had kidnapped, raped and tortured a black couple? I'd be hearing tales of the old south over and over again, stories of slavery ringing in my ears.
You can't deny it's hypocritical and ridiculous unfair.
it is unfair but that is society.
Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth!~JFK
Doesn't mean you can't change it by making people knowledgable about it.
And why do you assume the motivation was racial...? I assume the victims were white? Even if they were white, why do you automatically assume that was why they were chosen?
Or if you're talking about the lack of coverage, why do you assume it was because they were black?
...what a terrible murder though. For a man to die after being gang-raped and having his genitals cut off is bad enough... but then to force his girlfriend to watch and torture and rape her for days??
Sickening.
Actually, I don't assume it was racial- nothing has come up to suggest it. However, if you read blogs on the case, every racist white person assumes it is, and there is a HUGE backlash "fucking n*ggers, we should lynch them, animals" blah blah...ignorance, yes, but a lot of people have that sentiment. My point about the NAACP stepping up isn't for them to say this was a racially charged murder, but to say that we see how the situation appears, and being an organization that stands for equality and fairness, we absolutely denounce the brutality of the murders by several african americans agains whites, we absolutely believe they deserve to be punished accordingly if found guilty, and we stand by the victims and their families in this time of gried DESPITE the fact that those on trial are currently black. I think it would have made all the ignorant racist whites look like assholes, because they assume all black people are like this, which clearly isn't the case.
And it's funny you ask if it was racially motivated just because the victims were white and the attackers black. Had this case been reversed, and five white people jumped, kidnapped, tortured, raped and murdered two black kids, it wouldn't even be a QUESTION of whether or not it was racial---automatically it would be assumed. There is a double standard there.
Again, look at the recent Sean Bell case in New York---Al Sharpton, high and mighty, screamed about RACISM for 2 straight days after the case broke...about how WHITE police abuse BLACK citizens. Then, it was determined that only TWO of the police officers under investigation were white. In fact, one of the two police officers who were indicter was black. Sharpton had to change his tune of course, but right off the bat, without any evidence, it was assumed it was a racially motivated crime. WHY? Why do blacks get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to racially motivated hate crimes, but whites dont? Why is it a hate crime if a white guy attacks a black guy (without using slang, just say he jumps mugs, beats, murders, no words exchanged), but it's just a murder, n attack, when a black guy does it to a white guy.
"Actually, I don't assume it was racial- nothing has come up to suggest it."
But you seem to mention race a lot, it should be how what we can do to make this story more available, and horrible crimes like this shouldn't go unnoticed.
"However, if you read blogs on the case, every racist white person assumes it is, and there is a HUGE backlash "fucking n*ggers, we should lynch them, animals" blah blah...ignorance, yes, but a lot of people have that sentiment."
Yes, becuase that's what racists do, whether they are black, white, or whatever. Their logic isn't very rational.
"My point about the NAACP stepping up isn't for them to say this was a racially charged murder, but to say that we see how the situation appears, and being an organization that stands for equality and fairness, we absolutely denounce the brutality of the murders by several african americans agains whites, we absolutely believe they deserve to be punished accordingly if found guilty, and we stand by the victims and their families in this time of gried DESPITE the fact that those on trial are currently black"
Have you tried to write to them? I think you have this wrong idea that just because a black person is on trial that most black people will automatically be behind them regardless, that is not the case.
"Again, look at the recent Sean Bell case in New York---Al Sharpton, high and mighty, screamed about RACISM for 2 straight days after the case broke...about how WHITE police abuse BLACK citizens. Then, it was determined that only TWO of the police officers under investigation were white. In fact, one of the two police officers who were indicter was black. Sharpton had to change his tune of course, but right off the bat, without any evidence, it was assumed it was a racially motivated crime."
I really dislike people who automatically play the race card.
"I think it would have made all the ignorant racist whites look like assholes, because they assume all black people are like this, which clearly isn't the case."
They already have a habit of putting their foot in their mouth, but again all racists have skewed thinking.
Its terrible that crime has happened, and hopefully they will get what they deserve but why don't you write to the NAACP or something. I think that you might be putting all black people in one, er, basket I guess without noticing it saying that blacks can do this this and this. It is a shame that the story wasn't covered, yet we see Britney Spears on breaking news, or some rapper getting arrested again. I think that it is a double standard with SOME people, I for one aren't one of them. You hold some animosity without a doubt and that's ok. But to say that why do blacks get the benefit of such and such is kind of jumping the gun. It seems like you watch what you see on the news and make your judgements there. As for Al Sharpton, he's uberly annoying to me, no if and or buts about that.
"Had this case been reversed, and five white people jumped, kidnapped, tortured, raped and murdered two black kids, it wouldn't even be a QUESTION of whether or not it was racial---automatically it would be assumed."
By whom? Not by me, not by a lot of people. Unfortunately the people who do things like that get the most attention...gotta love the media. Again I think you should try to do SOMETHING to help get the story covered more, call you local news team even, because it shouldn't have been that way. But something that caught my attention was that, why did they say what race the people were when they were already caught, seems irrelevant to me, they killed someone, they should be punished. Race should only be looked into if it is suspected to be a hate crime, which wasn't mentioned in the story. The people stating the race of the killers and victims, I think the media did to kind of "putting more heat on the fire" I guess.
"Why is it a hate crime if a white guy attacks a black guy (without using slang, just say he jumps mugs, beats, murders, no words exchanged), but it's just a murder, n attack, when a black guy does it to a white guy."
Not too long ago I blogged about a story of a black man who got a life sentence for a hate crime against whites, he came with the intention of killing people (Thankfully he didn't) and he was punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Shameless self promotion: www.progessiveu.org/blog/npsm18
Have A Nice Day :)
I'm not really sure why stories of murders and rapes get on the news in the first place because (unless the murderer/rapist isn't caught) it doesn't really affect anyone. That's why I hate most news media.
--Mike
There are those following this case who note the media's *black-out* of this is because Channon & Christopher new their assailants and were buying drugs.
This is even uglier: they are saying that Channon arrainged to have Christopher murdered and was a sadist who wanted the 'death by sexual torture'.