Tawana Brawley rape allegations – Wikipedia, the free …
Tawana Glenda Brawley (born 1972) is an African-American woman from Wappingers Falls, New York, who gained notoriety in 198788 for accusing four white men of having raped her. The charges received widespread national attention because of her age (15), the persons accused (including police officers and a prosecuting attorney), and the shocking state in which Brawley was found after the alleged rape. She was found in a trash bag, with racial slurs written on her body and covered in feces. Brawley's accusations were given widespread media attention in part from the involvement of her advisers, including the Reverend Al Sharpton and attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason.[1]
After hearing evidence, a grand jury concluded in October 1988 that Brawley had not been the victim of a forcible sexual assault and that she herself may have created the appearance of such an attack.[2][3] The New York prosecutor whom Brawley had accused as one of her alleged assailants successfully sued Brawley and her three advisers for defamation.[3]
Brawley initially received considerable support from the African-American community.[4] Some suggested that Brawley was victimized by biased reporting that adhered to racial stereotypes.[5][6] The mainstream media's coverage drew heated criticism from the African-American press and many black leaders who showed no degree of skepticism or disbelief of the teenager and her story.[7] The grand jury's conclusions decreased support for Brawley and her advisers. Brawley's family has maintained that the allegations were true despite the overwhelming evidence mounted against her.
On November 28, 1987, Tawana Brawley, who had been missing for four days from her home in Wappingers Falls, New York, was found seemingly unconscious and unresponsive, lying in a garbage bag several feet from an apartment where she had once lived. Her clothing was torn and burned, her body smeared with feces. She was taken to the emergency room, where the words "KKK", "nigger", and "bitch" were discovered written on her torso with a black substance described as charcoal.[8]
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 department was able to provide. 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 she had been raped repeatedly in a wooded area by three white men, at least one of whom, she claimed, was a police officer. A sexual assault kit was administered, and police began building a case. Brawley provided no names or descriptions of her assailants. She later told others that there had been no rape, only other kinds of sexual abuse. Forensic tests found no evidence that a sexual assault of any kind had occurred. There was no evidence of exposure to elements, which would have been expected in a victim held for several days in the woods at a time when the temperature dropped below freezing at night.[9]
Public response to Brawley's story was at first mostly sympathetic. Actor Bill Cosby, among others, pledged support and helped raise money for a legal fund. In December 1987, 1,000 people, including Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, marched through the streets of Newburgh, New York, in support of Brawley.[10]
Brawley's claims in the case captured headlines across the country. Public rallies were held denouncing the incident. Racial tension climbed. When 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. At the height of the controversy in June 1988, a poll showed a gap of 34 percentage points between blacks (51%) and whites (85%) on the question of whether she was lying.[11]
Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason generated a national media sensation. The three claimed officials all the way up to the state government were trying to cover up defendants in the case because they were white. Specifically, they named Steven Pagones, an Assistant District Attorney in Dutchess County, New York, as one of the rapists, and called him a racist, among other accusations.[12]
The mainstream media's coverage drew heated criticism from the African-American press and leaders for its treatment of the teenager.[13][14][15] They cited the leaking and publication of photos taken of her at the hospital and the revelation of her name despite her being underage.[16] In addition, critics were concerned that Brawley had been left in the custody of her mother, stepfather and advisers, rather than being given protection by the state, and that she was used as a pawn by adults who should have protected her:[17]
State law provides that if a child appears to have been sexually molested, then the Child Protective Services Agency is supposed to take jurisdiction and custody of that child. Now, Tawana Brawley was 15 at the time of the incident. If that had been done... early on, the agency would have given her psychiatric attention and preserved evidence of rape, if there was evidence, and Mason and Maddox would have been deprived of their pawn.
Under the authority of New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams, a grand jury was called to hear evidence. On October 6, 1988, the grand jury released its 170-page report concluding Brawley had not been abducted, assaulted, raped and sodomized, as had been claimed by Brawley and her advisers. 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 more than 6,000 pages of testimony.[3]
In the decision, the grand jury noted many problems with Brawley's story. Among these were that the rape kit results did not indicate sexual assault. Additionally, despite her claim of having been held captive outdoors for days, Brawley was not suffering from hypothermia, was well-nourished, and appeared to have brushed her teeth recently. Despite her clothing being charred, there were no burns on her body. Although a shoe she was wearing was cut through, Brawley had no injuries to her foot. The racial epithets written on her were upside down, which led to suspicion that Brawley had written the words. Testimony from her schoolmates indicated she had attended a local party during the time of her supposed abduction. One witness claimed to have observed Brawley's climbing into the garbage bag.[18] The feces on her body were identified as coming from her neighbor's dog.[19] Brawley never testified.[20]
Much of the grand jury evidence pointed to a possible motive for Brawley's falsifying the incident: trying to avoid violent punishment from her mother and her stepfather, Ralph King. Witnesses testified that Glenda Brawley had previously beaten her daughter for running away and for spending nights with boys. King had a history of violence that included stabbing his first wife 14 times, later shooting and killing her. There was considerable evidence that King could and would violently attack Brawley: when Brawley had been arrested on a shoplifting charge the previous May, King attempted to beat her for the offense while at the police station. Witnesses also described King as having talked about his stepdaughter in a sexualized manner.[21] On the day of her alleged disappearance, Brawley had skipped school to visit her boyfriend, Todd Buxton, who was serving a six-month jail sentence. When Buxton's mother (with whom she had visited Buxton in jail) urged her to get home before she got in trouble, Brawley told her, "I'm already in trouble." She described how angry King was over a previous incident of her staying out late.[22]
There was evidence that Brawley's mother and King participated knowingly in the hoax. Neighbors told the grand jury that in February they overheard Glenda Brawley saying to King, "You shouldn't have took the money because after it all comes out, they're going to find out the truth." Another neighbor heard Mrs. Brawley say, "They know we're lying and they're going to find out and come and get us."[21]
In April 1989, New York Newsday published claims by a boyfriend of Brawley's, Daryl Rodriguez, that she had told him the story was fabricated, with help from her mother, in order to avert the wrath of her stepfather.[23] Writing about the case in a 2004 book on perceptions of racial violence, sociologist Jonathan Markovitz concluded "it is reasonable to suggest that Brawley's fear and the kinds of suffering that she must have gone through must have been truly staggering if they were enough to force her to resort to cutting her hair, covering herself in feces and crawling into a garbage bag."[5]
The case exposed deep mistrust in the black community about winning justice from legal institutions.[17] Some opinions remained fixed despite the overwhelming evidence. Legal scholar Patricia J. Williams wrote in 1991 that the teenager "has been the victim of some unspeakable crime. No matter how she got there. No matter who did it to herand even if she did it to herself."[24] These comments aroused controversy as well.[25] On May 21, 1990, Alton H. Maddox was indefinitely suspended by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn after failing to appear before a disciplinary hearing to answer allegations regarding his conduct in the Brawley case.[26]
In 1998, Pagones was awarded $345,000 (he sought $395 million) through a lawsuit for defamation of character that he had brought against Sharpton, Maddox and Mason. The jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one. The jury deadlocked on four of the 22 statements over which Pagones had sued, and it found eight statements to be non-defamatory.[27] In a later interview, Pagones said the turmoil caused by the accusations of Brawley and her advisers had cost him his first marriage and much personal grief.[28]
Pagones also sued Brawley. She defaulted by not appearing at the trial, and the judge ordered her to pay Pagones damages of $185,000.[29] The $65,000 judgment levied against Al Sharpton was paid for him in 2001 by supporters, including attorney Johnnie Cochran plus former businessman Earl G. Graves, Jr.[30][31] In December 2012, the New York Post reported that Maddox had paid his judgment of $97,000 and Mason was making payments on the $188,000 which he owed. Brawley reportedly had not made any payments.[32] The following month a court ordered her wages garnished to pay Pagones.[33][34]
Brawley has maintained she did not invent the story in a 1997 appearance; she still had supporters.[35] In November 2007, Brawley's stepfather and mother, in a 20th-anniversary feature for the New York Daily News, contended the attack happened. "How could we make this up and take down the state of New York? We're just regular people," Glenda Brawley said." They said they had asked New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Governor Eliot Spitzer to reopen the case. They also said that Brawley, who has converted to Islam, would speak at any legal proceedings.[36] As of 2013, Brawley lives in Virginia, under a new name, where she works as a nurse.[37]
Continued here:
Tawana Brawley rape allegations - Wikipedia, the free ...
- Rev. Al Sharpton urges Gov. Hochul not to remove Mayor Adams from office ahead of trial - Gothamist - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Al Sharpton calls for emergency meeting of NY leaders to discuss Adams corruption charges - New York Post - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton, Central Park Five members get out the vote in Philadelphia - NBC Philadelphia - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Report Links Mark Robinson to Comment That Cops Should Have Shot Al Sharpton - The New York Times - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Mark Robinson Once Called for Someone to Shoot Al Sharpton, Called Oprah a Witch - The Daily Beast - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton says theres no precedent for possible NYC Mayor removal by Gov. Hochul - MSN - October 1st, 2024 [October 1st, 2024]
- Jill Biden and Al Sharpton pay tribute to civil rights activist Sybil Morial - The Associated Press - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- Jill Biden and Al Sharpton Pay Tribute to Civil Rights Activist Sybil Morial - U.S. News & World Report - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- Jill Biden and Al Sharpton pay tribute to civil rights activist Sybil Morial - The Boston Globe - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- Kamala Harris, AOC, Al Sharpton praised Sean 'Diddy' Combs in 2020 townhall dedicated to COVID, honoring black Americans - New York Post - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- Jill Biden and Al Sharpton pay tribute to civil rights activist Sybil Morial - The Caledonian-Record - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- Reverend Al Sharpton's father passes away at age 93 as the social justice activist speaks out on their 'compli - Daily Mail - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- Jill Biden and Al Sharpton pay tribute to civil rights activist Sybil Morial - MSN - September 24th, 2024 [September 24th, 2024]
- From SBF to Al Sharpton: The infamous inmates of MDC, where Diddy is awaiting trial - Brooklyn Magazine - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Whos That Young Fella: Anthony Andersons Shocking Transformation Takes the Spotlight In New Photo with Al Sharpton - Atlanta Black Star - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- Reverend Al Sharpton Joins Rally With Citizens for a New Delaware Way PAC to Oppose Bethany Hall-Longs Gubernatorial Bid and Advocate for Justice -... - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Al B. Sure! and Rev. Al Sharpton Respond to CMS's Decision to Reinstate Medicare Coverage for Lifesaving Post-Transplant Blood Tests, Removing March... - August 20th, 2024 [August 20th, 2024]
- Reverend Al Sharpton: Celtics' Bill Russell took his celebrity status to the causes - Celtics Wire - August 20th, 2024 [August 20th, 2024]
- Reverend Al Sharpton: Celtics' Bill Russell took his celebrity status to the causes - Yahoo! Voices - August 18th, 2024 [August 18th, 2024]
- PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton on MSNBC - MSNBC - August 14th, 2024 [August 14th, 2024]
- Al Sharpton & Lloyd Williams: Honoring Harlem's past and inspiring the future: Harlem Week at 50 - New York Daily News - August 11th, 2024 [August 11th, 2024]
- The Rev. Al Sharpton gives eulogy for Milwaukee man who died at Hyatt - WISN Milwaukee - July 12th, 2024 [July 12th, 2024]
- Al Sharpton to deliver eulogy for Black man who died after being held down by Milwaukee hotel guards - Madison.com - July 12th, 2024 [July 12th, 2024]
- Dozens of community members attend DVontaye Mitchell's funeral - Spectrum News 1 - July 12th, 2024 [July 12th, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton Coming to Yonkers May 28 to Celebrate Messiah Baptist Church's 150th Anniversary & Landmark ... - Yonkers Times - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton and Aisha McShaw Dazzle at Met Gala - eurweb.com - May 20th, 2024 [May 20th, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton to give eulogy at Frank Tyson's funeral - News 5 Cleveland WEWS - May 7th, 2024 [May 7th, 2024]
- Al Sharpton comes to Delaware to urge inclusive judiciary - WHYY - May 7th, 2024 [May 7th, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton to give eulogy for Frank E. Tyson: Bodycam video shows man saying 'I can't breathe' before death in ... - WKYC.com - May 7th, 2024 [May 7th, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton joins Wilmington protest calling for Delaware court diversity - The Philadelphia Tribune - May 7th, 2024 [May 7th, 2024]
- MSNBC's Al Sharpton Slams Anti-Israel Demonstrations, Compares Their Actions With January 6 Capitol Rioters - The Stock Dork - May 7th, 2024 [May 7th, 2024]
- Mark Robinson Can't Stop Making Uncle Tom's Cabin References - The Root - April 4th, 2024 [April 4th, 2024]
- NYC Mayor Adams, Rikers Island detainees baptized by the Rev. Sharpton on Good Friday - Yahoo! Voices - April 4th, 2024 [April 4th, 2024]
- Mayor Adams, Rikers Island detainees baptized by Rev. Sharpton on Good Friday - New York Daily News - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- Al Sharpton Baptizes NYC Mayor Eric Adams at Rikers Island and There Are Photos - The Root - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- New York City Mayor Eric Adams gets baptized in jail by Rev. Al Sharpton on Good Friday - TheGrio - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton Calls Out Pastors Using Trump Bible on Easter - TheWrap - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- New York City's mayor gets baptized in jail by Rev. Al Sharpton on Good Friday - Lufkin Daily News - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- NYC Mayor Adams, Rikers Island detainees baptized by the Rev. Sharpton on Good Friday - Yahoo News UK - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- New York City's mayor gets baptized in jail by Rev. Al Sharpton on Good Friday - The Caledonian-Record - April 1st, 2024 [April 1st, 2024]
- Rev. Al Sharpton to give eulogy for Ramon McGhee, other Shelby County inmates who died - FOX13 Memphis - March 7th, 2024 [March 7th, 2024]
- HEiTC'S AL B. SURE! AND REV. AL SHARPTON TO CMS: RESTORE MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR LIFE-SAVING ... - PR Newswire - March 7th, 2024 [March 7th, 2024]
- More than 1200 Frontline Workers and Reverend Al Sharpton Rally With Faith and Union Leaders, Elected Officials at ... - New York City Central Labor... - March 7th, 2024 [March 7th, 2024]
- Rev. Sharpton joins Save SUNY Downstate hospital rally in BK - Amsterdam News - March 7th, 2024 [March 7th, 2024]
- Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live On MSNBC's PoliticsNation ... - nyc.gov - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Why Is Your Most Conservative Family Member Screaming About A ... - Defector - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Al Sharpton Biopic, New Tamar And Evelyn Braxton Show And More ... - Blavity News - October 15th, 2023 [October 15th, 2023]
- Al Sharpton biopic, Tamar and Evelyn Braxton's new show and more coming to TV One in 2024 - OiCanadian - OI Canadian - October 15th, 2023 [October 15th, 2023]
- The Stop Trump Summit: The View of History - The New Republic - October 15th, 2023 [October 15th, 2023]
- Rev. Al Sharpton, King family convene 60 national organizations as ... - The South Florida Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Rev. Jesse Jackson kept MLK's hope and dream alive - New York Daily News - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Behind the Death of Biz Markie - American Songwriter - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- CAPS board to get annual bullying report Monday - Cadillac News - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- DeSantis team fires back after Sharpton slams GOP governor at Neely funeral - Fox News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Jordan Neely was screaming for help, Al Sharpton says in funeral eulogy - The Guardian US - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Jordan Neely death: Al Sharpton says 'they put their arms around all of us' in funeral speech - Fox News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Jordan Neely NYC subway chokehold death: Reverend Al Sharpton to deliver eulogy, condemn vigilantism - WABC-TV - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Rev. Al Sharpton says Daniel Penny's arrest is "just step one" in getting justice for Jordan Neely - CBS News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Jordan Neely to be eulogized by Rev. Al Sharpton - Amsterdam News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Rev. Sharpton eulogizes Jordan Neely, man killed on NY subway - 25 News KXXV and KRHD - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Sharpton threatens to protest McDonald's over racial discrimination, putting fast food chain 'on notice' - Fox Business - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Rev. Al Sharpton demands CNN explanation on firing Don Lemon: 'We cannot afford to silence his voice' - Fox News - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Rev. Al Sharpton demands answers from CNN over Don Lemon firing - New York Post - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Al Sharpton said to be appalled by Palestinian pay-for-slay policy - JNS.org - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Don Lemon finds ally in the Rev. Al Sharpton who demands 'a full ... - Los Angeles Times - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls In Live To WBLS 107.5 FM's Open ... - nyc.gov - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Communities impacted by the digital divide cannot ignore innovation ... - BlackEngineer.com - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Met Gala 2023 Live Updates: Fashion Highlights From Carpet - NBC New York - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Al Sharpton wants DOJ, AG Garland to probe Antioch police - San Francisco Examiner - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Kamala Harris gushes over MSNBC's Al Sharpton as 'conscience of our country - Fox News - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Brittney Griner makes appearance at the Rev. Al Sharpton event - ESPN - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Tyre Nichols family sues city of Memphis, police officers for $550M - New York Post - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Appears Live on MSNBC'S - nyc.gov - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- The Theology of Mayor Eric Adams - Gotham Gazette - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Joe Tacopina is pretty sure he can get Trump out of this - The Washington Post - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Florida's African American History Task Force has been quietly shrinking for years - WTSP.com - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Brittney Griner makes appearance at Rev. Al Sharpton event - Toronto Star - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- Watch again: Families of George Floyd, Eric Garner, and Tyre Nichols meet Rev. Al Sharpton and Ben Crump - The Independent - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- STEM City Metaverse Creator to Present at 2023 National Action ... - BlackEngineer.com - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]
- NAN Convention brings together VP Harris, Tyler Perry, Kerry ... - Amsterdam News - April 13th, 2023 [April 13th, 2023]