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Anene Booysen, South African Teen Gang-Raped and Disemboweled, Laid to Rest in Bredasdorp

February 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

anene booysen Anene Booysen, South African Teen Gang Raped and Disemboweled, Laid to Rest in Bredasdorp

Anene Booysen, South African Teen, Gang-Raped and Disemboweled, Laid to Rest in Bredasdorp (Photo credit: Twitter)

#RIP Anene Booysen:  Hundreds gathered in South Africa to pay final respects to Anene Booysen, 17, was found brutally raped and left for dead in Bredasdorp Western Cape. She was laid to rest on Saturday.

The mother, grandmother and brother of 17-year-old victim Anene Booysen broke down in tears during the service in a packed church in the southwestern town of Bredasdorp, according to SABC Radio today. The girl was found disembowelled at a construction site last weekend and later died in hospital.

Pictures posted on social media showed the girl’s white coffin being carried out onto a dusty street before being buried. A single bouquet of pink flowers adorned the casket. The brutal murder has triggered much soul-searching in a country that often appears numb to sexual violence and is known as the world’s rape capital.

The girl’s attackers reportedly slit open her stomach, took out her intestines and broke her legs. Police have so far arrested three people in the case, including one of her friends. The victim’s brother said he felt betrayed as he had been close to one of the suspects. “He was a friend of mine, we went to school together, stayed in one house, we were like brothers,” Ryno Booysen told the SABC. Source

This is eerily reminiscent of the brutal gang-rape on a bus in India that left a young woman fighting for her life. She has since died. When will violence against women stop? That includes domestic violence, mental abuse, financial abuse, etc. Women around the world have to unite and take a stand, no matter when your socioeconomic status, ethnic background, creed, or sexual orientation is. Violence against women is real and must stop.

Cartoon from Zapiro about Anene Booysen’s vicious murder:

anene booysen murder Anene Booysen, South African Teen Gang Raped and Disemboweled, Laid to Rest in Bredasdorp

South African Teen Anene Booysen Buried After Being Gang-Rape and Disemboweled (Cartoon: Zapiro)

Here are some tweets about Anene Booysen’s death:

Filed Under: African News, Violence Against Women Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Hundreds Pay Last Respects to Murdered Chicago Teen Hadiya Pendleton

February 9, 2013 by 1 Comment
hadiya pendleton 217x300 Hundreds Pay Last Respects to Murdered Chicago Teen Hadiya Pendleton

Hadiya Pendleton, Honors Student Who Performed at Obama Inaugural Event, Gunned Down in Chicago

Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, who was murdered last month, was laid to rest Saturday. Also in attendance at her funeral, which was held at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church, were First Lady Michelle Obama, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Prior to the service, Michelle Obama met privately with about 30 of the teenager’s friends and classmates, and then with members of her family, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Father Michael Pfleger posed an important question during the funeral, “when did we lose our soul?” He called Hadiya Pendleton an “innocent victim of gun violence.’’ Somebody knows who killed her and they need to speak up. That will be one less murderer on the streets of Chicago.

President Obama’s handwritten note to Hadiya Pendleton’s family was printed on the back of the funeral program:  ”Dear Cleopatra and Nathaniel, Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about Hadiya’s passing. We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless.”

How many more Hadiya Pendletons do we have to bury before something is done to curb the gun violence holding communities under siege? We can’t go back to business as usual. Too many young people are dying to gun violence. Far too many. Her mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, said it best, “No mother, no father should ever have to experience this. I kept her living [saying she helped her daughter stay away from negative influences] When your children try to talk to you, listen. Don’t judge them. This should be a judge-free zone. You made them. You deal with that.”

Hadiya Pendleton laid to rest:

Filed Under: Chicago News, Gun Violence Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rev. Jesse Jackson Pleads with Fugitive Ex-Cop Christopher Dorner to Stop the Hurt, Fear

February 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
300px Jesse Jackson at Max Palevsky Cinema crop Rev. Jesse Jackson Pleads with Fugitive Ex Cop Christopher Dorner to Stop the Hurt, Fear

Rev. Jesse Jackson Pleads with Fugitive Ex-Cop Christopher Dorner to Stop the Hurt, Fear. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Always the attention seeker, Rev. Jesse Jackson pens a letter to triple murder suspect, ex-LAPD officer Christopher Jordan Dorner:

Dear Christopher Dorner,

I understand your feelings of hurt and pain. I make this plea to you to stop spreading the pain, the hurt, and the fear. Please stop. Don’t take any more lives.

Christopher, your mother is distraught and deeply concerned for your safety. There are many good and credible people in Los Angeles who will help you. Danny J. Bakewell Sr. (The Los Angeles Sentinel’s Executive Publisher/CEO),

Bishop Noel Jones, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer and Rev. Charles Singleton are all individuals I know personally. I promise that they will gladly receive you.

I will do whatever I can do for you without hesitation. Please contact me through Danny Bakewell at the L.A. Sentinel at 323-299-3800

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Coalition-Keeping Hope Alive

Here’s an interesting tweet — “if one man can put LAPD and various other police departments on edge like this, imagine what 100 men with the same mindset could do.” So true.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Pleads with Fugitive Ex Cop Christopher Dorner to Stop the Hurt, Fear
Filed Under: Crime News, Latest News

Christopher Dorner for President Facebook Page as Support Grows for Triple Murder Suspect

February 9, 2013 by 3 Comments
chris dorner 1 300x300 Christopher Dorner for President Facebook Page as Support Grows for Triple Murder Suspect

Chris Dorner wanted in Irvine double murder, murder of Riverside cop. (Facebook)

Triple murder suspect Christopher Dorner has garnered support in the public for his actions and his manifesto railing against the alleged injustices in the Los Angeles Police Department where he previously worked until he was fired. One Facebook page is proclaiming Christopher Dorner for president saying, “we propose electing a man who could no longer sit idly by and watch as malicious tyrants abuse the innocent.”

Another group, “We Are All Chris Dorner” has 1,308 likes and says he is a “victim of a manhunt and smear campaign.” Then there’s the “I Support Christopher Jordan Dorner” page that has

Nearly 3,000 people like the page “I Support Christopher Jordan Dorner,” has 4,666 likes. The page says it’s “not about supporting the killing of innocent people. It’s supporting fighting back against corrupt cops and bringing to light what they do.”

Rapper Ab-Soul took to Instagram to show his support for the fugitive ex-cop saying “it was a necessary evil. God bless you sir.”

Of course, because he seems to be pro-Obama and mostly pro-gun control, somehow some people are tying him to President Obama as though he had anything to do with his decision to murder three innocent people. This is the type of freak-out we don’t want to witness. Let’s be mindful of the fact that there has been a long history of distrust of the police across this country by some minority groups, such as blacks and Hispanics. There has been a long history of tension and distrust between the police and some residents of Southern California, so in their minds, Christopher Dorner is taking a stand for what they have endured for decades.

UPDATE (02/09/13: Weapons, cold weather survival gear found inside Christopher #Dorner’s truck. CBS is also reporting Christopher Dorner’s truck contained “two long-range rifles with suppressors & a Glock handgun.” A Coleman stove, cot and propane gas supplies were reportedly also found inside his Nissan Titan truck. http://cbsloc.al/14K9uke  - @CBSNews.

rapper ab soul christopher dorner 300x139 Christopher Dorner for President Facebook Page as Support Grows for Triple Murder Suspect

Rapper Ab-Soul backs Christopher Dorner’s actions as ‘necessary evil.’ (Photo credit: Instagram)

Filed Under: Breaking News, Crime News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rep. Elijah Cummings: Postal Service Cutting Saturday Delivery Would Hurt Minority Groups, Single Mothers

February 9, 2013 by 2 Comments
Rep. Elijah Cummings: Postal Service Cutting Saturday Delivery Would Hurt Minority Groups, Single Mothers

Rep. Elijah Cummings: Postal Service Cutting Saturday Delivery Would Hurt Minority Groups, Single Mothers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) pulled the race card on the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to eliminate Saturday delivery saying it could disproportionately affect minority groups and single mothers. Um, really?

“You’re talking about just this reduction … from six days to five days will cut anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 employees. And with regard to Asian, African-Americans, and Hispanics, they comprise about 40 percent of the Postal Service employees,” Cummings told Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC Friday night. “So it’s logical to believe if they were to lose that 30,000 jobs, easily 40 percent of them would be African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans.”

“So you have a lot of women, many of whom are single women — head of household, and they depend upon that decent wage, decent working conditions and benefits to take care of their families,” he said. “So, yes, it would have a devastating effect in an economy that is already very, very fragile.”

I have no words to adequately describe my frustration with career politicians like Elijah Cummings. So, what he’s saying is that even though the postal service is bloated and there’s rampant mismanagement of scarce resources, it should be business as usual and taxpayers like me should continue to foot the bill. Why not talk about job retraining? By pulling the race card, Rep. Elijah Cummings isn’t seeking a solution but is part of the problem.

Rep. Elijah Cummings: Postal Service Cutting Saturday Delivery Would Hurt Minority Groups, Single Mothers
pixel Rep. Elijah Cummings: Postal Service Cutting Saturday Delivery Would Hurt Minority Groups, Single Mothers
Filed Under: Latest News, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,