BlogHer - Why is Shaquanda Cotton in Prison? - Comments

Sounds like a message was being sent ....

barbara_palaith — Sat, 12 May 2007 12:55:38 -0500

I have to admit I am not particularly sympathetic towards this young lady...and I use that term loosely, but this is not a child. The age of reason as I recall is placed around 8 years old. Now unless there is some developmental issue with this girl that we're not aware of..she most definitely knew the pushing of that school employee was the wrong thing to do. She found it was with that sentence and time spent.

Yes sometimes if a defendant does not show sufficient remorse or acknowlegement for their actions they may get a stiffer penalty imposed. Is it possible that was what happened here? Push came to shove and a point was being made? With regard to the race issue...I honestly dont believe judges sit around thinking up ways to impose their bias against certain races with punishments. Nor do I believe God is out there making tragic things happen on earth. We were given the right to choose which way we go in life. This young lady made a bad error and deserved to be accountable. She had the freedom of choice to not act out.. just like the judge has the power to impose punishment. Agree with me or not...the number of students far out number the monitors and control must be maintained or it would be run by the students and we all know what that would be like..pure chaos.

The story reads like theres something missing in the details regarding the judge and this sentence I'm just not sure what that is.

Professor Kim,

Marianne Richmond — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:27:00 -0500

Professor Kim,

The title of your post "Why is Shaquanda is Prison?" says IT ALL. What in the world is any 15 year old doing serving even a 7 hour prison term for pushing a hall monitor?

Emily Ann, This is a clear case of miscarriage of justice...no one is saying that pushing a hall monitor is "right", just that a prison term for it is WAY out of proportion; in fact, that sentence is criminal and violates every aspect of our justice system.

Your use of "you all" as a generalization for African Americans is disrespectful and completely inaccurate as is "our" to imply that being white places you and I in a like minded group wishing to use derogatory language but preluded from doing so by the police.

Nordette, I felt the same way about this as well as the "Baldwin v Bassinger" sitution... having lived through the latter, it is difficult to be concise.

In my opinion, it is not so much about either parent but highlights the complete failure of the family court system which pushes parents to the brink and sometimes past the brink with the absurdities that no one could ever imagine until forced to walk through the looking glass; Lawyers are the pigs at the trough and know they are well fed.

The judges, protected with judicial immunity operate with "judicial discretion" which is frequently as unrecognizable as justice as a 7 year prison sentence for a 15 year old.

Marianne Richmond
resonancepartnership

Just in case

Mata H — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:35:31 -0500

Emily Ann

Just in case you imagine that your comments would only offend African American people, you are wrong.

You are, however,making it very clear that the problem which allowed a judge to hand a 7 year adult sentence to one girl who pushed a hall monitor, and let another girl free who was an arsonist -- well, you are demonstrating as you "speak your mind" very clearly that the problem is endemic racism.

Look to your heart here - this is a child, one who has done wrong, one who needs correction to be sure. But a 7 year prison sentence? You know in your heart that this is wrong.

Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

EmilyAnnn, you are out of line

Kim Pearson — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:26:55 -0500

Ms. EmilyAnn,

First of all, I am speaking for myself, not for the management at BlogHer. I take some of what you wrote personally, and I will not stand for it.

I do not know you, and you are entitled to your point of view on the Shaquanda Cotton case, but when you say:

It's also funny that you all can call each other Niggers but when it comes out of our mouths you all have the Police called on us

You are out of bounds, and since "you all" is presumably a reference to the race of which I am a member, I experience your comment as a personal attack. Your generalization is specious and unsupported, and I will have you know that I will not be addressed that way by you or anyone else.

As for your your claim that there is

"racism the white people for not being able to speak their mind about the situation without being called racist pigs."

You have spoken your mind. No one in this forum has called you a name. If you don't like the New Black Panthers protesting in your town, you can mount a counter protest. If you have evidence that you were prevented from doing that, you have legal recourse, just as any other citizen does.

The KKK is allowed to march in this country. The Nazis are allowed to march in this country. I think they are both reprehensible organizations, but they have a consitutional right to express their views. The New Black Panthers have the same right to peaceful demonstration as anyone else.

(FYI:The New Black Panthers and the Black Panthers are not the same organization, as I tried to make clear earlier. The Black Panthers, whatever you think of them, were a multiracial organization, and they have been very critical of this new organization, which was founded by former Nation of Islam spokesman Khallid Abdul Muhammad, who died several years ago.The Black Panthers were not in Paris, Texas, as far as I am aware.)

If you would like to have a reasoned conversation based on mutual respect, I welcome the prospect. If you want to call me names and make unsupported charges, please address yourself to someone else.

BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|Contributing Writer, Online Journalism Review

Thank You!

emilyann — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:16:57 -0500

I am SO glad to hear your view of this story. Amazingly it matches with mine completly. I am so glad also that I finally hear someone else that is tired of hearing about poor little "baby" cotton. This criminal is NOT a baby. She is old enough to know that what she has done is wrong and she is not ashamed of it because all she has gotten is rewarded. This is a terrible way to show todays youth the difference between right and wrong. What American has proven by letting her out of jail is that it is Ok to lay hands on another human being because you wont get into trouble for it all you will get is rewarded by getting a trust fund set up in your name and getting to meet famous celebrities. Well you know what, Don't come around my neighboor hood Ms.Cotton, you or your mother because this mad resident of Lamar County WILL give you a whatfor. You know it's funny, the Black Panthers can come to the court house and have a protest, but I promise you that if the KKK would have stepped foot on the lawn they would have gotten thrown in jail. Now you cant tell me that isn't racist. I agree there is racism in Paris Texas... against the white people for not being able to speak their mind about the situation without being called racist pigs. It's also funny that you all can call eachother Niggers but when it comes out of our mouths you all have the Police called on us. But NOOOOO that's not racism because it's not against the Black Community. Shaquanda Cotton, you make me sick. Creola Cotton, you should be put in jail right along with your daughter for letting her grow up the way she has and not putting your foot down a long time ago.

Thank you, Kim. I saw this

Nordette — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:14:40 -0500

Thank you, Kim. I saw this when you first posted but didn't comment because these kinds of cases disturb me so much that I write way too long when commenting.

"Love is liquid. Brew and be drunkards!" ~~Nordette And here's a link to the blog.

@ effumm

Kekemr — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 21:16:05 -0500

Your comments are very conflicting...personally it sounds as if you have some racial issues you need to deal with. "What a waste, I was hoping that she would learn something from this and maybe be able to straighten her life out" - are you a relative of the judge? It sounds like something he said. In either case, thankfully we live in a society where "equaility and justice under the law" are not matters of personal bigotry and ignorance to most. A great injustice was done to Miss Cotton and it is wonderful to see a wrong made right. By the way her mother is a Hero, she did the right thing in not accepting probation for her daughter. If Shaquanda would conceeded to a guilty plea, she would have had a criminal record which would have hurt her chances in getting accepted to colleges and future employment. And as for your highly dramatization of Shaquanda getting killed because of her mother- the Copper Oscar for the "fear of the black child" goes to you!

I suppose you feel the white girl charged with Arson and given probation will lead a peferctly civilized emotionally balanced life.

Way to go Shaquanda!!!!!!

cant believe they let her out

effumm — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:21:42 -0500

Unfortunately she has been released back to her mother. I hope all the misinformed people that fought for this and her mother are happy when she ends up seriously injured or dead. All she has been taught now is that she can get away with whatever she wants because she is black and mentally incompetent. What is going to happen if the next person she decides to assualt is not some frail old woman? The next vcitim may fight back or may have family or friends that decides to fight back for them. What a waste, I was hoping that she would learn something from this and maybe be able to straighten her life out and not follow in the footsteps of her incompetent mother. Let's just pray that she can be seperated from her mother before she gets her killed.

can't we all just get along

effumm — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:13:50 -0500

I too am outraged about this story, but only at the girls mother. She would not allow her daughter to be given the probation that was offered. She instead insisted on going to trial which she miserably lost. Why won't she allow her daughters extensive record to be released by the school? Perhaps if everyone were allowed to see that, they would agree with the sentence. And by the way, the girl can get out at any time as long as she behaves and has someone that will be responsible for her when she gets out. It has been rumored that she has continued to misbehave just as she did in school and around town.

Outraged

southerngirl_1019 — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:35:08 -0500

No one is saying that pushing a teacher's aide is proper behavior for any child. We are outraged because the punishment DOES NOT FIT THE ALLEGED CRIME and I don't see how anyone could feel that 7 years in prison is Justice!!!

Shonte said it best....We can play politics all day and say maybe the hall monitor was hurt badly or maybe she wasn't...but what it truly boils down to is that if it were a Caucasian student who was in the same situation, the sentence wouldn't have been that harsh.
And for those talking about how she can get out with good behavior, think about this...how well would you behave if you were in prison with murderers and violent criminals? how do you make it trying to be an angel when you are surrounded by devils ready to pounce on and kill whatever doesn't fit with them? Could it be that if the child (because that is what 14 year olds are by law...children) had behavioral problems that maybe she should have been forced into counseling?
No, I don't think she should have put her hands on anyone, but children make mistakes and the punishment should fit the crime. You don't send your kids to the police station when they bite another child (which is called assault), do you?

I'm working to organize a letter campaign and phone committee to bombard the Governorâ€™s office, legislators and anyone else whom attention should be drawn to this case. Shaquanda should have NEVER HAD TO SEE THE INSIDE OF A JAIL CELL. Maybe with our combined efforts we can get Shaquanda released.
However; this is a wake up call for African Americans to become more involved in their community. If this can happen to Shaquanda it can happen to anyone's child.

Found some news articles

jcu1998 — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:49:44 -0500

from the local newspapers on her story. They detailed the chronological events of the morning. As I read them, I rolled my eyes. For instance, how this student was forced to sit in the Main Office while the Hall Monitor, described by the School Rescource Officer as a, "grandmotherly-type," was crying and eventually had to be taken out of the school on a stretcher to an ambulance and sent on her way to the local hospital. Of course, this was while the student had a laceration on her hand, a contusion on her head, and a sprained neck. (I never met my grandmothers, but I'll tell ya, one was German and the other Russian, and I don't think either would have done any of that to me...and I don't have ADHD!)

On every level of this story there is absurdity written all over it!

Yes, the DOE is aware

Kim Pearson — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:34:42 -0500

The Department of Education has been investigating a dozen charges of discrimination against the school district, and they are aware of the situation. The judge was recently quoted in the local newspaper as saying that he was forced to give Shaquanda a prison sentence because he was led to believe that her mother would not cooperate if she had not been given probation. He also said that her sentence is an indeterminate sentence that can be reduced at any time. He also denied that race was a consideration in his ruling.

Shaquanda's case has been appealed to the Texarkana Court of Appeals, and the local NAACP has called for expedited consideration. They are also asking the City Council to create a Diversity Committee to address community relations issues.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
Law and Journalism/Media
Professor Kim

Contributing Writer<

Curious...?

jcu1998 — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:22:51 -0500

Has the U.S. Department of Education been contacted regarding this issue? Please don't misinterpret the following: although from REPORTS Shaquanda pushed the hall monitor (for clarification...was he a hall monitor, or a school resource officer? Obviously, the media hasn't been given all the facts of this case in order to determine the serverity of her "crime.") up North, and perhaps in other parts of the South, she would have been treated more justly than seven years behind bars. Therefore, I'm curious if the Department of Education is aware of the tactics some school districts are using in order to "police" students.

BTW, is this a relatively "high crime" district? Are the monitors there to maintain hallway decorum or to "police?" There is a significant difference.

PS- Seems to me, on that day, a child was left behind.... Ho-hum.

This breaks my heart

TiffanyD — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:01:59 -0500

I can not believe that they are really treating this child like she murder or majorly harmed someone! I agree with Mata H, maybe if we generate some media coverage something will be done to remove this poor girl from that place. I will be emailing this story to everyone I know in every state that I can think of, as well as sending it to all the media outlets in my state! GMA, Today Show, Oprah....Someone has to do something!

There was a protest march today

Kim Pearson — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 21:22:21 -0500

Thanks, Mata. It looks as if agitation on Shaquanda's behalf is becoming more contentious, if newspaper coverage is to be believed. According an article in the Paris news, about 100 protesters marched on the offices of the local school district, demanding freedom for Shaquanda and taunting the black assistant superintendent. Members of the New Black Panther Party and Millions More Movement were reportedly in the group.

(Note: the NBPP is not affiliated with the original Black Panthers.)

BlogHer Contributing Editor
Law and Journalism/Media
Professor Kim

Contributing Writer<

Why is Shaquanda Cotton in Prison?

Kim Pearson — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 10:47:11 -0500

Shaquanda Cotton, 15, of Paris Texas, is entering the second year of a 7-year prison term for pushing a hall monitor at her high school 2005. Reportedly, there were no serious injuries in the incident and this was her first arrest. Cotton is black. The same judge had recently sentenced a white teenager to probation for arson.

During her imprisonment, Cotton has tried to seriously hurt herself three times. She says she is depressed and afraid of the other girls, most of whom have prior criminal records and serious felony convictions. She told Chicago Sun-Times reporter Howard Witt:

"I get paranoid when I get around some of these girls," Shaquanda said. "Sometimes I feel like I just can't do this no more--that I can't survive this."

A guard at the prison where she is being held is accused of molesting four girls. The board responsible for overseeing the Texas juvenile justice system amid charges that they covered up sex abuse scandals in several of the facilities it oversees.

Cotton's supporters say that her case reflects a long-standing pattern of racist treatment in a town whose best-known landmark is the public fairgrounds where black men were routinely lynched as white spectators cheered. The court and prosecutors reportedly denied a Chicago Tribune reporter's request for comment.

Cotton's mother said her daughter was singled out because she accused the school district of racism on several occasions. In fact, 12 discrimination complaints have been filed against the school district in recent years. School district officials dispute the charges, but the US Department of Education, which is still investigating, has reportedly asked the US Department of Justice to investigate.

Meanwhile, Mother at Chittlins and Chopsticks has issued a call to action:

"Mothers Unite!
(fathers, brothers, sisters,uncles, aunties, cousins, too)

I can't stand to see this child suffer like this. She's already been in that hell hole a year. We must do something..."

Here's what's being done:

1. Messages of support are being solicited at Shaquanda's blog.

2. She also receive mail here:
Ron Jackson Correctional Complex,
Unit 2, Dorm 4
P.O. Box 872
Brownwood, Texas 76804
1125308

3. A Facebook group has been created. In addition to the news and discussion generated there, the group has held a networked prayer vigil for Shaquanda.

4. Paula Mooney is urging that protest letters be sent to Judge Chuck Superville, who handed down the sentence:

Honorable M.C. (Chuck) Superville, Jr., Judge
Lamar County Courthouse
119 North Main
Paris, TX 75460
Phone # 903-737-2410
Fax # 903-785-3858

5. Letters can also be sent to Texas Gov. Rick Perry through his website.

Cross-posted at Professor Kim's News Notes