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.

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.

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.