AFRO-Americ@: Community Discussions

Each week, we post a topic for open discussion. Read on and give it some thought. Then when you're ready to add your voice to the dialogue, give us everything you've got.

Week of 02/09/98: An Oregon woman previously released following a conviction of the statutory rape of a 13 year old boy, was found in a parked car early one morning last week with the very same boy she was convicted of raping. Regardless of the boy's willingness, she nevertheless is deemed to be a rapist and may be returned to prison for her recent encounter. Do you agree with this result?

Submit Date: 8 FEB 1999
Name: Jack
Email: "la_a_kea@ibm.net
Response: According to the law, yes. According to reason, absolutely NOT.

Name: Lamika Toomer
Email: ltoomer755@aol.com
Response: Yes, she should be sent back to prison. She has only taken advantage of that child. After all, what could a 13 year old possibly to for her anyway. She should be sentenced to 15 years.

Name: kay
Email:
Response: she did not rape the boy the boy made his own chooice to have sex with the teacher and maybe it is illegal to have a relationship to people who is younger to our age but if it is love we cant to any thing bout it and its thier life so but out

Name: Polly Purebred
Email: Polly@aol.com
Response: I think the hussy should be tarred and feathered!

Name: snarine
Email: snarine@axispoint.com
Response: I believe that until this woman realises that her actions were inappropriate there is nothing that society can do to stop her, incarceration will serve to keep her away from the boy, but what happens when she is out of jail and the boy is an adult, it won't be illegal for her to be with him.

Name: april
Email: amw413@hotmail
Response: I think that this woman should know better than to sleep with a 13 year old. I have to wonder what is going on in his head to continue to go back with her-- whether he thinks he is in love or is he threatened by her? I think before she is returned to prison they both need some serious counseling first. If it continues past that then being the adult and knowing that what she is doing is wrong she should go to jail.

Name: Bernell F.
Email: Guest8@lacnyc.org
Response: yes

Name: Wayne
Email:
Response: I think that as i 13 year old he know want he wasdoing. As for her if she wants a 13year old, whoare we to judge.

Name: A. Faison
Email: 24faison@cua.edu
Response: In response to a comment made by _Sheri_, the double standard is against men.What man would have recieved such a light sentencing in the first place. The outragecame when she laughed at the courts mercy and violated the terms of here suspended sentence.On another point, this woman obviously needs some kind of professional help. Putting her in prisonwill not erase whatever emotional and psychological problems this woman has whichwould make her believe she could have a sexual relationship with a child.

Name: sydney
Email: syd.58.coolstuff.com
Response: I think the teacher should "GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL, WITHOUT PAROLL!!!"The boy should get psychiatric help!

Name: BARBARA
Email: BAS1267
Response: RECENTLY, I WATCHED THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW THAT FEATURED THIS WOMAN. THE WOMAN KEPT SAYING HOW MUCH SHE LOVES THIS BOY AND WILL EVENTUALLY END UP MARRYING HIM. I THINK SHE DESERVES TO GO TO JAIL. SHE HAD CONDITIONS THAT WERE IMPOSED BY THE JUDGE IN ORDER FOR HER TO REMAIN OUT OF JAIL. THE MAIN ONE BEING, SHE COULD NOT SEE THISBOY ANYMORE. SHE BROKE THE RULES AGAIN. SHE WASGIVEN A CHANCE, AND SHE DIDN'T APPRECIATE IT. SHE HAS TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER ACTIONS.

Name: Phillip Pugh
Email: Phillip_Pugh@cbreeze.uvi.edu.
Response: I really think this woman should be put in jail. She did She did not follow the rules of her probation or the rules of the law. If it were a man they would want to hang him.

Name: Leticia( Jazzy)
Email: just_us56.hotmail.com
Response: I think that all of the people who committ crimes such as these needs to be punished at all cost! NOW THAT IS FAIR!!!

Name: Tisha
Email:
Response: I think she was treated fair.Because if she was a man it would have probaly been a lot more differently!!!

Name: K.Copeland
Email: kyc_56@ hotmail.com
Response: I think she needs to go back to her cell and re-assess what her actions have done to everyone involved. In my opinion, she is a very selfish and confused woman. I'm also curious about the boy's parents. Do they have counseling going on for this young boy? Obviously his adolescence is shot to pieces. Anything that took place after the initial story broke, is just as much the parents' fault as the woman. C'mon, did they think it was cute that their son was having sex (unprotected) with a grown woman? Family therapy is definitely called for, and maybe a move to another city or state.

Name: leo browwn
Email: http.www.lee.com
Response: yes,she got what she deserved.

Name: Tyree Amala
Email: TyreeA@Hotmail.com
Response: This woman, an adult by any standard, choose to violate her parole. She choose to meet that boy, after she was told she was never to see him again. If I am not mistaken, there were packed clothes and other evidence of an upcoming trip. The part that took me out was she was found with him at some ungodly time of the early morning. Yes, she needs help, and to be put away. As for life, I don't know,, but she needs time by herself to understand she is to leave children sexually alone!

Name: Sheri
Email: rattler21@hotmail.com
Response: I agree that there is definitely something not right with this woman. However, I see a double standard here because men are doing these types of things everyday, but now that it's a woman there seems to be a total outrage. But it is commonly overlooked when a man is in that position.

Name: tgosby
Email: tgosby@fergflor.k12.mo.us
Response: She needs help. Something is wrong here. Both individuals should undergo some type of therapy. Where is the child?

Name: Brenda Morrison
Email: brenda_morrison@amat.com
Response: This woman was given probation which stipulated that she stay away from this child and also, that she attend a counseling program. She did not stay away from this child and she also, according to the Doctor's, did not want to be counseled on her outrageous behavior of hers. In my opinion, she deserved to be sent to jail.

Name: c.j.
Email: whoward2@bellsouth
Response: Apparently these two must enjoy each others company,therefore,they should be left alone. I am sure the local law enforcement can spend its time catching serious criminals.

Name: Lloyd Brown
Email: Lloydampoet@webtv.net
Response: She no doubt, has a serious problem that jail will not solve. A complete psychological evaluation is necessary. The fact that she is a teacher, makes one wonder. While there are cases of teachers having sex with young students, most seem to know what they are doing is wrong. I'm not sure thats true in this case. The fact that even after being released from jail, and warned to distant herself from the boy, or face 7 years, yet still is caught with him, leads me to believe her problem goes far beyound sex.

Name: Willie Earvin, Jr.
Email: wearvin@aol.com
Response: Someone should have been the adult in that situation and without voting, it should have been her. However, there are a lot of disfunctional people in our society and obviously she's one of them. Monies that is being used to build prisons and criminalize our young black youth would be better used to provide treatment for those people.

Name: Curtis
Email: bebaj@pilot.infi.net
Response: She should absolutly be jailed and studied. Also I have to go there if she were a man there would be no question he would be under the jail. I also question the parents of the 14 year old how, what and where were they. This young boy is certainly overwhelmed and definitely not being watched closely.

Name: K. Leonard
Email: leonard@detroitbest.net
Response: That is no brainer, indeed! That woman obviously needs help. Putting her back in jail, without the proper counseling, will just be putting a lid on a bomb. Who will be her next victim when she gets out?

Name: Monica G. Wood
Email: monicaw@afroam.org
Response: I first would like to know what type of treatment or therapy, if any, the woman received while in prison. If treatment was not given and the judge let her out then I am not surprised that she went right back to her old ways. I blame the system for allowing it to happen. Whatever the reason why she was released, she obviously needs to return to prison and receive proper treatment. And, if the young boy was a willing participant or not, he needs to receive some therapy also, before we read about him in the papers 10 years from now.

Name: Terry Moten
Email: tertramoten@msn.com
Response: This is a no brainer, unless one chooses to make it complicated. You have an adult female who was charged, tried and convicted of sexual assault. She was originally sentenced to months in jail, which was later reduced to a probated sentence. That probated sentence came with conditions. She violated the condition of her probation and as a result is now incarcerated. There is no question as to whether or not she was given "justice" by the court system. It is my opinion that, everything happened as it should. I guess the hardest thing about the entire issue, is there "seems" to be no "victim" to the crime. As the victim stated he "feels" no victimization. And many of us find it hard to understand how can there be a crime when there is no victim. We have to undertand that our crimes, at least in this state (Texas) are statutory. That is to say simply, that there must exist a statute of the State that forbids the conduct. So every crime comitted, is ultimately comitted against the state. The "statute" was not adopted to protect this one child who believes himself not be victimized, but to each and every child who stands the possibilty of being victimized wheteher they "feel" like a victim or not.The woman's conduct was statutorily forbidden. She was, evidently in the belief of the court, found to be mentally culpable. She made a conscience decision (choice) to comit the forbidden act, and in so doing being of apparent sound mind, made the same choice to accept whatever consquences that one would reasonably expect to as a result of such action. As Malcom X once said, "Tactics based solely on morality, only work when you're dealing with moral people." There was a morally gesture made by court by giving her probation after sentencing her to be incacerated. However, this moralistic approached only goes to support Malcom's claim. Her being sexually involed with the teen in the first place was and is morally unjust. Contrary to the cliche, all is NOT fair in "love" and war.

Name:
Email: PITTBUL@webtv.net
Response: This story has a familiar ring to it. A White Woman Seduces a White [13 year old] Kid into a Sexual Relationship. They have a Child Within an Adulterous Situation. The Husband Finds out, and the Mother of the Boy Finds out about it!! I recorded this on tape in 1992. So, this can't be the same people. But, it is Very Similar! I Most Definitelly Cuncur With the Decision. Neither Ethnicity Nor Gender Should Matter when Rendering a Penalty for a Crime This Serious....

Name: bruce allen
Email: bruttus@pacbell.net
Response: I think the woman should go back to prison...obviously she hasn't learned her lesson...this criminal act could really have some serious affect on the minor as he becomes an adult.

Name: ChildCareWorker
Email: bradfo43@ccvax.mmc.edu
Response: Yes! If she is THAT in love with this boy, her love will last until he is 18, and legally an adult, before continuing a love affair with him. If it is just a sex thing, then she is sick, and has some defect that is preventing her from pursuing sexual relationships with men her own age. I really hope that she is re-incarcerated so that she will not be free to further contribute to the delinquency of this child.

Name: Solomon Landers
Email: Solomon@memrain.org
Response: Just change the sexes around, and see what results: "...Oregon man..." "...a 13 year old girl..." A natural reaction would be, hang the pedophile high! The sex of the predator should not matter, and the "willingness" of a minor has no sanction in law. Obviously, the lady needs help to overcome her sickness and total disregard for the husband and children she had. I would prefer treatment for her dysfunction rather than prison time, but the law is the law.

Name: jmgilmore
Email: zion00@hotmail.com
Response: She raped the boy. She knew what she was doing. He didn't. She should be thrown back under the jail!

Name:
Email: Jerowalk@prodigy.net
Response: This is a "no brainer." This lady was on probation for raping this boy. One term of her probation was that she have no contact with this boy. I'm sure the judge made that term clear to her and she acknowledged that she understood it. She chose to violate that term, therefore, she must accept responsibility for it. I agree that she should be sentenced to prison. Hopefully, she'll get the help she needs while she's confined.

Name: Frank Craig, Jr.
Email: monidhic@aol.com.
Response: This woman CLEARLY VIOLATED a court order that she will have not make or have contact with this lad, period. I believe that the age of the younger person be it male or female is much too young.