March 22, 2006
On the New York Post Article: A Message from the RBMF
On March 20, The New York Post ran a story on a "new lead" in the investigation into Rashawn Brazell's murder. Because the RBMF shoulders the responsibilty of monitoring the case, as well as the coverage of his life and murder, we thought it was important to respond to what we see as poor journalism.
It comes as no surprise to those who follow Rashawn's story, and most New Yorkers for that matter, that the New York Post chose such a sensational title for its story ("Gay Beau Sought in Body Chop Slay"). By now, our frustration with the way the Post treats subjects who stand at the intersection of marginal identities has become commonplace. Are men who are suspected of murdering their girlfriends identified as straight in the headlines accompanying their stories? Of course not, but the Post keeps its circulation numbers up by concocting salacious headlines that normalize racism and homophobia.
While we aren't pleased with the article, we are even more troubled by its timing, and the implications therein. In monitoring the coverage of this case, we pay close attention to who covers Rashawn's story. This most recent story comes from Larry Celona, a Post reporter who covers grisly crimes across the city. He cites his source as a police representative, but for reasons unknown to us, the source seems to want to remain anonymous.
Because we are all too aware that many similar stories never get discussed in a newsroom, we remain encouraged that Rashawn's case still garners some coverage. But we must ask, why now? It is clear to us and to Desire Brazell, Rashawn's mother, that this information is not new. In fact, the police were told about the man in question within weeks of Rashawn's dissapearance last year. Surely, the police must have wanted to bring the man in for questioning at the time Rashawn's body was found. If not, that would highlight, at the very least, a serious lapse in judgment, if not responsibility, on the NYPD's end.
We also know that Ms. Brazell is planning a march on Rashawn's birthday (April 15) to the 79th precinct station house to demand answers about her son's murder. The police have asked her to cancel her march. To us, it seems all too convenient that the police would suddenly have a lead that necessitated communication with the New York Post, and not the mother of the victim. While that lead may be new to the reporter and the Post, it is all too old for Ms. Brazell and indeed the NYPD.
This leaves us with many questions and not too many answers. We at the RBMF, along with all of you who have taken an active interest in Rashawn's case, are committed to ensuring his story is told in the most straightforward and accurate manner. We also hope that the police are keeping their priorities in order and that they are not engaging in stealth PR tactics, which only serve to bolster the NYPD's cracking facade. As the cases of Immette St. Guillen and Nicole DuFresne received the appropriate amount of resources from the NYPD, we demand the same for the case of our brother, Rashawn.
Larry Lyons & Mervyn Marcano
Founders, RBMF
Posted by RBMF at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
May 31, 2005
Take Action
In their “Key Developments and Action Items” list, the Rashawn Brazell Collective provides seven exciting ways for you to get involved in the organizing efforts currently underway.
· Learn about the RBCPlanning listserv
· Attend the next RBC meeting
· Lend a hand at AVP’s posting events
· Submit your Rashawn-inspired art to our exhibition
· Join a Rashawn Brazell Memorial Scholarship committee
· Contact a vendor to donate goods/services to the fundraising auction
· Become our vendor liaison
New Listserv
The Rashawn Brazell Collective has created a separate listserv for members committed to attending monthly meetings and being active on a committee. Through this action we aim to:
· Reduce the number of e-mails subscribers to the RBCollective group receive.
· Facilitate communication amongst members interested in serving in an administrative capacity.
· Provide members interested in supporting RBC efforts in a non-administrative capacity with well-defined avenues of action on a regular basis.
The RBCPlanning yahoo group will serve as an administrative resource for RBC members who express an interest in being involved in the planning and execution of future events and initiatives. The RBCollective yahoo group will continue to serve as the primary site for receiving updates on the police investigation as well as notification for all Rashawn Brazell-related meetings, events and initiatives. For information about joining the RBCPlanning yahoo group, please attend our June meeting. To join the RBCollective yahoo group, click here.
Note: Posts to both listservs must be directly related to the Rashawn Brazell case. Neither will be used for personal reflections, announcements for unrelated events, etc. Moderators aim to keep your inbox free of clutter by promptly removing of such posts.
RBC Meetings
The collective will meet on a monthly basis to do planning, reporting and decision-making. Our next meeting will be held in the first or second week in June. Heru Khuti of Black Funk, this month’s facilitator, will post the time, date, location and agenda of the meeting shortly.
AVP’s flyer campaign
The reward for information leading to the arrest of Rashawn’s murderer(s) is now set at $15,000. Basil Lucas of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) invites you to help notify the public of this added incentive by distributing flyers at our upcoming posting events.
In addition to the sites recommended by the NYPD (The Warehouse, Escuelita and Down Time), we will be posting the new flyers at locations throughout the city that we deem most conducive to soliciting tips. Because flyers cannot be posted on lampposts or other public property (fines will be levied), volunteers will be instructed where and how to post flyers.
To volunteer, please contact Basil Lucas at felu2@yahoo.com. Flyers and guidelines for posting will also be made available in the “files” section of our yahoo group.
“Art in the City” exhibition
Photographer Bernard Morisset is currently planning an installation that gathers all of the art generated in response to the murder of Rashawn Brazell. The exhibition welcomes the work of RBC members and non-members alike and will be scheduled to coordinate with this summer’s pride events. If you are interested in submitting any medium of visual art, or in assisting in the planning of this exciting event, e-mail Bernard at Spiritus1@aol.com.
Rashawn Brazell Memorial Scholarship
The Rashawn Brazell Memorial Scholarship will be hosted by the North Star Fund (www.NorthStarFund.org), and offered annually to a college-bound student of African descent who resides in New York City and exhibits commitment to the fight against racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.
We will need members to be involved with the “marketing” of the scholarship (i.e. liaising with schools/guidance departments to disseminate information and solicit applications), as well as a selection committee to review applications.
If you are interested in serving on one or both of these committees, e-mail Larry at LarryLyons2@aol.com.
“Brighter Days” Fundraising event
The first fund-raising event for the Rashawn Brazell Memorial Scholarship will be held this summer. Titled “Brighter Days”, the party will celebrate Rashawn’s life while generating the funds to sustain this annual tribute to his memory. Two notable DJs have agreed to spin gratis, graciously aiding us in our goal to raise $5000 with this no-cost event.
We also plan to hold a silent auction during “Brighter Days”, which requires us to solicit donations from vendors in the area (restaurants, retailers, publishers, etc). Donations might take the form of autographed copies of books from authors, gift certificates for goods or services, etc. We are relying solely on the work of RBC members to contact potential vendors. To receive informational materials on our official letterhead for use in securing these donations, contact publicist Mervyn Mercano at Merv@riseup.net.
Also, a vendor liaison is needed to keep track of our efforts to secure donations, and to extend our thanks to vendors following the event. Mervyn will be posting a more detailed job description for the vendor liaison position to the listserv shortly.
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