Shaquanda Cotton - Side one/Side two
UPDATED! SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATED INFO.
I am going to break this post into two parts.
Side One
In case you haven’t heard by now, there is a case down in Paris, Texas that is getting a whole lot of attention regarding the racial overtones of the issue:
(chicagotribune.com) “Among the leading candidates for early release is Shaquanda Cotton, a 14-year-old black girl from the small east Texas town of Paris, who was sent to prison for up to 7 years for shoving a hall monitor at her high school while other young white offenders convicted of more serious crimes received probation in the town’s courts.
Shaquanda’s story was the subject of a March 12 Tribune article that triggered hundreds of Internet blog articles and thousands of message board postings and led to a nationwide letter-writing campaign to the Texas governor decrying perceived racial discrimination in her case.
Cotton, now 15, has been incarcerated at a youth prison in Brownwood, Texas, for the last year on a sentence that could run until her 21st birthday. But like many of the other youths in the system, she is eligible to earn earlier release if she achieves certain social, behavioral and educational milestones while in prison.
Looking at the cover of this case as it has been presented in chain e-mails and e-boards around the net, this definently looks like a case of sho’ nuff racism. After all, this same judge sentenced a White girl a much lighter sentence for burning down her family home. After the emotion died down, I decided to do some more hunting around the net for additional information about this case because most folks have been using the Chicago Tribune’s version as the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Here are two items that stuck out to me that left me with more questions than answers
More from the Chicago Tribune:
“But officials at the Ron Jackson Correctional Complex have repeatedly extended Shaquanda’s sentence because she refuses to admit her guilt and because she was found with contraband in her cell–an extra pair of socks.”
According to her own blog, she admits to shoving this hall monitor, yet she refuses to admit this to prison officials knowing full well that her sentence is being extended as a result. That doesn’t make any sense! Plus, I have never heard of someone’s sentence being extended IN YEARS just because a pair of socks were found in their cell.
Point 2 - Why does it seem that the ACLU is not moving forward with the charge of racism?
If you read the rest of the article, a gentleman by the name of Will Harrell (executive director of the Texas chapter of the ACLU) is mentioned. While it seems that he is keeping a pulse on this case, based on the article it seems that he is more interested in addressing the corruption in the overall system and not exclusively the Cotton case. Anybody who knows anything about the ACLU knows that when it comes down to discrimination cases, they are always on top of it. Why then does it seem that they do not share the same adrenaline rush about this case as so many Black folks around the country?
My next question from reading this information was “Did she have any priors?” According to her website, “No”. According to the Chicago Tribune…
“Shaquanda started getting written up a lot after her mother became involved in a protest march in front of a school,” said Sharon Reynerson, an attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid, who has represented Shaquanda during challenges to several of the disciplinary citations she received. “Some of the write-ups weren’t fair to her or accurate, so we felt like we had to challenge each one to get the whole story.”
Among the write-ups Shaquanda received, according to Reynerson, were citations for wearing a skirt that was an inch too short, pouring too much paint into a cup during an art class and defacing a desk that school officials later conceded bore no signs of damage.
[…]
But [Brenda] Cherry (local civil rights activist) alleges that Shaquanda’s frequent disciplinary write-ups, and the insistence of school officials at her trial that she deserved prison rather than probation for the shoving incident, fits in a larger pattern of systemic discrimination against black students in the Paris Independent School District. (source)
Still IMO, giving someone seven years in prison is quite an excessive sentence. Here is a comment I found on the blog “State of the Qusan“. Apparently, this commenter lives in Paris, Texas and knows more about the overall situation down there than most of us:
I agree that the punishment for Shaquanda Cotton is excessive, but many parts of this story have been taken out of context.
The comment about a 19 year old white man killing two black people and getting probation is the most egregious. The white man was convicted of criminally negligent homicide because of an automobile accident. A car containing a 53 year old black woman, her son, and her three year old grandson was stopped on a busy farm-to-market road in preparation to turn. The white male was not paying attention to the road and ran into the car, killing the woman and child. This was a tragic accident, but is being taken out of context. To the average reader that does not know the background information, the description sounds like a murder. That was most definately not the case.
There is a great deal of relevant information that is being left out of the Chicago Tribune story about Ms. Cotton to help give the impression that there is pervasive racism in Paris, Texas. There were black administrators and teachers who testified against Ms. Cotton in court, and recommended that she receive a stiff sentence because she was a habitual offender at school. I still contend that she received too severe a sentence since she did not have a criminal record, but it is not as though a group consisting entirely of whites conspired to teach blacks in Paris, Texas a lesson.
There were black leaders in the community who spoke up in support of Paris ISD, and its good treatment of students regardless of their race. The complaints against Paris ISD were found to be without merit during the investigations. What became evident is that there is a significant parenting problem, not a school district that singles out black students for more severe punishment.
As to the segregation in Paris, I doubt very seriously as to whether or not there is a single community in America in which the citizens do not, to a large extent, voluntarily segregate themselves. I am not saying that voluntary segregation is a good thing, but to attempt to label a community racist because of it would be as absurd as calling a business that caters to blacks more than whites (for instance a black barber shop) racist against whites.
I live in Paris, and the neighborhood that I live in is comprised of both white and black families right next to each other. To say that there is no racism in Paris would be just as inaccurate as to say that there is no racism in Detroit or Miami or New York, but it is dying. There are whites who are racist against blacks and blacks who are racist against whites in every single town in this nation. That’s a damn shame, but the truth is it’s dying.
Trying to interject racism into a situation in which there is none only serves to perpetuate that which a community is unfairly being accused of.
This commenter had much more to say about the case as well as Paris, Texas in general (check out this link and read all the comments)
Funny how folks have been leaving out the race of the school officials who recommended prison for Cotton.
Here is an article I found on the Paris News website. It features County Judge Chuck Superville’s reasoning behind the sentence (an article I have yet to see in any chain e-mails, blogs or e-boards).
So from the way it looks, while the sentence of 7 years does seem way too excessive (and downright racist if lighter sentences were assigned to Whites for greater crimes—again, follow that link to Qusan’s site for the 411 on some of those other cases), there are just too many unanswered questions and assumptions that are being made about this overall case. Like the local ACLU chapter in the area, I tend to be more interested in the level of corruption of that local Juvenile system than this story regarding Shaquanda Cotton.
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UPDATE: The seven years sentence claim
According to Judge Superville, she was given an indeterminate sentence up to seven years.
He also said:
“Once I set the indeterminate sentence, Shaquanda holds the key to her jail cell,†Superville said. “It is up to the child and TYC.†(more here–you may need to register)
In other words, she was NOT given a seven year sentence, but a sentence that could not exceed seven years.
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This is starting to sound a bit like the rise and fall of the Duke rape case.
Side Two
If you are not really interested in justice, then this is the part where you can just place your hands over your ears and sing “la-la-la-la-la”.
About a month or so ago, much of the Los Angeles area was abuzz with the story where a group of Black kids beat up 3 White girls while calling them racist names. From all accounts from eye-witnesses (including some Black eye-witnesses), these girls did nothing to provoke the fight. They were simply walking home from a Halloween party and were picked out by a group of Black teens to proceeded to beat them.
The suspects also began to gradually separate the girls, first by grabbing Laura by her long hair and yanking her backward.
She said she tried to fight off a group of girls who surrounded her and were clawing and hitting her, but then a man came up and slammed her in the head with a skateboard, knocking her unconscious.
“One of the witnesses told the police that he saw my legs go straight up in the air and I hit the ground face first,” she said, accounting for the bumps and bruises on her forehead and around her nose and eyes.
Her friends watched, horrified as the man raised the skateboard over his head and slammed her again as she lay on the ground. Others in the pack also began to hit and kick her motionless body.
[…]
Lauren was the first at Laura’s side, and a group of people immediately jumped on her and began punching her in the face and back of the head simultaneously. Some kicked her in the back of knees, causing her legs to buckle. At one point, when they got her cell phone away from her, Lauren said she knelt down to try and retrieve the phone.
“Once I knelt down, there was too much of a force on top of me to get back up,” she said. “They were pounding on my back, on my head. … They were kicking at the ball that was me.”
Lauren suffered 12 fractures in her face, including four to her eye socket, three to her nose and three to her cheek.
Doctors don’t yet know if she will regain all of her eyesight. Until the swelling goes down, they won’t know if she’ll require surgery to repair the many broken bones.
Forced to drop her college photography classes this semester because she cannot see well enough to use the camera, Lauren also can’t blow her nose or sleep lying down. The pressure, doctors told her, could cause any of the fractured bones to shift, which could lead to her eye becoming detached from the shattered socket.
Michelle said she saw the group drag Lauren down as she rushed up and knocked the man with the skateboard off Laura. But then he then turned on her, punching her in both sides of her face and in the ribs. (source along with all other links regarding this case)
Wanna know what sentences were handed out?
Eight of the nine they were able to catch that evening received 60-day house probation that allowed them to continue to practice with their track team during probation. The ninth person was given a sentence of 250 hours of community service and mandatory attendance at a racial tolerance class.
During this trial I did some serious searching online to see if the same folks who are raising hell now about this situation in Paris, Texas had anything at all to say about this apparent miscarriage of justice.
Nothing in comparison to this situation in Paris, Texas.
While there were a few Black voices out there beyond the West coast who voiced their anger over the injustice of this situation, I didn’t see chain e-mails or heated comments denouncing the action of these individuals on the e-boards I checked out. Even the local NAACP chapter in Long Beach sided with these convicted teens citing that they wanted to make sure that they were being treated fairly.
Me mentioning this case is no attempt on my part to cancel out any injustices committed down in Paris regarding Shaquanda Cotton. For the third time, on the cover, this case seem to have some of the elements of a case of racism. But without knowing all the facts, it is very hard for many of us to formulate any sound judgment. I simply brought up this particular case for the sake of those who claim that they hate all forms of racism when in reality they only hate racism aimed towards Blacks. In the meantime, racism aimed towards Whites is considered justified payback.
March 27th, 2007 at 10:43 am
It kinda makes you wonder a couple of things “why do judges placate to the public” “Is Justice blind” What are we teaching our kids” Let me start with the Shaquanda case. I would like to know why this judge gave such a harsh sentence. I understand that we are cracking down on violence in the schools but we have got to look at the bigger picture. Is justice truly being served by having her sit in prison for 7 years. 2nd why is her admission or denial of guilt a criteria for her release. I am interested to see how this one turns out.
March 28th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Honestly, is justice ever fair??? We have people from all races sitting in prison for crimes he/she didn’t commit or are being “overly punished” for minor offenses. In reading over the Shaquanda case, I must say I don’t agree with such a harsh sentence even if it is “undetermined.” 7 years is 7 years and any thing can happen while she is there and the max can be enforced. What if she is involved in a fight and it is self-defense??? The warden wouldn’t care it would be considered a violation and she could receive increase in her sentence.
I also do not agree with any race specifically singling out another race and “jumping” them but it happens. I work in education and I see students single each out all the time because of race, ethnic background, religion, or just because they don’t fit in or look funny. But I must bring it back to Shaquanda, we all make a choice with what we say, do, or go and sometimes the consequence doesn’t seem fair or necessarily fit our pre-conceive opinions. But again it started with the choice of her choosing to shove a staff person rather than waiting until it was time to allow students in. Why she felt to do so we may never fully know and unfortunately she is having to sit in prison because of it.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
I’m the anonymous blogger referred to in the text of the article.
I first want to thank you for looking at this case objectively. That seems to be a rare occurrence these days (although it is starting to pick up some steam as more and more facts come to light under increased scrutiny by the media).
I’ll try to answer some questions and provide some more insight. I have been a bit obsessed with this case, first because I felt compelled to defend the community that I love, and second, because I became fascinated with how stories are passed on in the new information age.
Saudia asked “Why did the judge give such a harsh sentence?”. I too felt that the sentence was too severe when the case began (which was roughly one year ago). The reason no one has heard about the case until now, is because for the people that knew about the case (the people of Paris), we know that Judge Superville has a long track record of excellent service for our community, and he is not a racist. The facts of the case were reported in the local newspaper, and everyone who looked at the case objectively knew that there was no injustice to Ms. Cotton by the judge, DA, or anyone else handling the case.
Emotionally, without knowing the facts of the case, one’s first reaction is “How can someone receive that sentence for a shove?”.
The facts are:
1. Ms. Cotton admittedly shoved a teacher’s aide, who is a state employee.
2. She was tried in court and convicted (not the proper legal term, since she is a minor) of assault of a public servant, which is a third degree felony.
3. Her defense asked the judge to determine her sentence (as opposed to letting the jury make a recommendation).
4. Judge Superville’s offer was two years of informal probation, which means she would certain conditions to meet, but would be in the custody of her mother, and after successful completion of the requirements of her probation, the charge would not become a part of her permanent record.
5. Her mother, Creola Cotton, stated in court that she nor her daughter would adhere to any of the conditions of probation that Judge Superville offered.
6. At that point his choices were to place her on probation (after her mother had already stated that she would not follow the requirements), or send her to TYC for an indeterminate sentence not to exceed her 21st birthday.
7. That sentence is the precise sentence that roughly 90% of the youthful offenders in the state receive when they are sent to TYC.
8. Once at TYC, the only entity with the authority to grant her release is TYC (I believe that the governor may be able to, but I have not confirmed that).
9. Her release is based on her successful completion of the TYC rehabilitation program.
10. She would have already been released if she has successfully completed her rehabilitation program, but TYC officials have stated that Ms. Cotton has not even gotten to stage one of the process because she will not admit that what she did was wrong (even though she stated in court and on her blog that she pushed the teacher’s aide).
11. She was also found guilty of having contraband in her room. While I admit that having an extra pair of socks is a silly offense, it is an offense nonetheless. Rules are rules, and when you are in a state facility because you have committed a crime, you are expected to follow all of the rules (even if they seem silly on the first examination).
Her mother and Brenda Cherry, the president of the group Concerned Citizens for Racial Equality, have been shopping the case for months trying to get someone to write about it. They were finally successful in getting a Houston-area tabloid to write a story about Shaquanda’s case. No one paid attention until Howard Witt of the Chicago Tribune wrote his highly sensationalistic article earlier this month.
Other major news players have called to inquire about the case (such as CNN), but have found nothing in the case to report. The major story is that this story has gained the notoriety that it has.
I will be happy to answer any questions that you have about the case. If you need someone official to report the story, I recommend going to dryerbuzz.com and listening to the Shaquanda Cotton story Part 3 in which Allan Hubbard, spokesperson for the DA’s office, granted an hour-long interview.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:55 am
I just want to say thank you for giving this objective view of the Shaquanda Cotton case.
Nowhere have you seen the details of this case or the others that were in question.
As for the LA case, noone here in Texas has heard of this. How outrageous! To think, the beating of three girls by a whole group (including one man and a skateboard) where the doctors said of one victim “… don’t yet know if she will regain all of her eyesight. Until the swelling goes down, they won’t know if she’ll require surgery to repair the many broken bones…” and all these attackers get is a slap on the wrist?
Forget the fact of race for the moment, and look and the viciousness of the attack. That alone should have the criminals behind bars for many years.
Tack on what sounds like obvious racism, and it becomes a hate crime, where the penalty should be more severe.
My sister lives in Paris, and I knew of the things behind the scenes that people here refused to listen to. It is truly sad how people leave out the details that make a story to further their own agenda (whatever it may be).
Racism of any kind is wrong, and to penalize one offense and not the other more brutal crime, is completely outrageous! I am appauled.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Does anyone know the case or docket number for this trial?