Florida Senate Apologizes for Infamous Dozier School for Boys

Wrote about this a while ago describing the recovery of bodies of boys from unmarked graves at the school

This school didn’t close until 2011!

Florida Senate apologizes for abuse, deaths at reform school

The Florida Senate formally apologized on Wednesday to victims who suffered brutality, sexual abuse and even death after being sent as boys to a reform school with a history of troubles long denied by the state.

The infamous site, which opened in 1900 in Marianna as the Florida State Reform School and was later named the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, closed in 2011.

From its early days, the school was plagued by allegations of abuse. Senator Darryl Rouson, a Democrat who introduced the resolution expressing official regret and apology, said the state conducted six investigations in the school’s first 13 years after “reports of children being chained to walls in irons, severely beaten and used for child labor.”

A forensic investigation between 2013 and 2016 uncovered graves for 55 boys, 24 more sites than reported in official records, according to the Senate resolution. Most of the bones have not been identified and some of the deaths are believed to have resulted from abuse.

“These bones are telling the story,” Rouson said. “The story they tell is one of a shameful history.”

Boys were sent to Dozier for a wide range of alleged offenses from murder to smoking and skipping school. Many were not given a hearing or legal representation.

Fourteen men who had been sent to Dozier and a second reform school that opened in 1955 in Okeechobee, Florida, attended the Senate session on Wednesday.

“We apologize,” Rouson said to the men. “We are sorry, and this resolution on behalf of this Florida Senate commits to ensuring that the children of Florida are protected from this kind of abuse and violations of fundamental human decency.”

The Florida House of Representatives passed a similar resolution last week. Neither chamber is currently considering offering compensation to the victims, local media reported.

Investigative reports by the St. Petersburg Times newspaper starting in 2009 kicked off the increased attention in recent years to the scandal.

After U.S. Justice Department and state investigations revealed abuses by interviewing more than 500 former students, the two schools were shuttered.

 

Florida Finally Apologizes for Legal “Lynching” and Murder of Groveland Four

The wheels of Justice only took 70 years this time… Took about 15 minutes to convict the boys of something they couldn’t possibly have done.

70 years to admit a wrong that only took 15 minutes to commit.

‘We’re truly sorry’: Fla. apologizes for racial injustice of 1949 ‘Groveland Four’ rape case

In the summer of 1949, a 17-year-old white girl named Norma Padgett accused four black men of kidnapping her from a dark road in central Florida and then, in the back seat of their car, taking turns raping her.

Neighbors quietly doubted the girl’s version of events, and others speculated that the elaborate, detailed account was merely a coverup for the bruises she’d collected from her husband’s suspected beatings.

But this was the era of Jim Crow, in the middle of Lake County, where the local economy was sustained by orange groves that white men relied on black men to nurture.

And there to ensure law and order was Willis V. McCall, a sheriff buoyed by his segregationist, union-busting, white supremacist reputation.

Within days of Padgett’s accusations, three black men from the city of Groveland were in jail and a fourth, Ernest Thomas, was dead, shot and killed by an angry mob — led by McCall — who had chased him 200 miles into the Panhandle. In Groveland, black-owned homes were shot up and burned, sparking chaos so intense the governor eventually sent in the National Guard.

Based on little evidence, a jury quickly convicted the living three.

Charles Greenlee, just 16 at the time, was sent to prison for life.

Samuel Shepherd and Walter Irvin, friends and Army veterans, were sentenced to death, but the U.S. Supreme Court later overturned their convictions and ordered a retrial. Before that could happen, though, McCall shot them both. Shepherd died at the scene, but Irvin — who played dead — survived, and his sentence was later commuted to life in prison.

The saga of the men who became known as the “Groveland Four” has spanned nearly seven decades, tarnished the reputation of the town that endorsed it, inspired a revelatory, Pulitzer Prize-winning book and became the subject of an online petition demanding that Gov. Rick Scott formally exonerate all four.

After 68 years, and several previous failed attempts, the state of Florida has finally found the words that justice had been waiting on all this time: “We’re truly sorry.”

On the floor of the Florida House of Representatives on Tuesday, lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution apologizing to the families of the “Groveland Four” and exonerating the men. It also calls on Scott to expedite the process for granting posthumous pardons.

None of the “Groveland Four” are still living.

“This resolution is us simply saying ‘We’re sorry’ understanding that we will never know nor be able to make up for the pain we have caused,” said Rep. Bobby DuBose, a bill sponsor, according to the Miami Herald.

Then he asked House members to stand and face relatives of the “Groveland Four” who were present.

“As the state of Florida and the House of Representatives,” DuBose said, “we’re truly sorry.”

The formal acknowledgment of the case, now widely considered a racial injustice, has been years in the making. A book by author Gilbert King, “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America,” revived interest in the decades-old case and unearthed new evidence from once redacted FBI files that cast doubt on Padgett’s version of events.

Then in 2015, after reading King’s book in a college history class, University of Florida student Josh Venkataraman was driving from Orlando back to campus when he passed the road sign for the city of Groveland.

The book had “touched him,” he told a Miami Herald columnist in 2015, but seeing the physical place made it real.

He reached out to Carole Greenlee, the late Charles Greenlee’s daughter, who was living in Nashville, and asked if he could help.

At first the woman was skeptical, but eventually gave Venkataraman her permission to start a petition.

“I’m in the mode of trying to get my father exonerated,” she told the Herald years ago, “and I need all the help I can get.”

“Exonerate the Groveland Four” was born, and in the two years since has garnered nearly 9,000 signatures…Read the Rest Here…

 

Maggiano’s Donates Profits After Trump White Nationalists Trick it Into Serving Them

Maggiano’s Little Italy is a chain casual dining  restaurant serving Italian food which started in Chicago. The food and atmosphere at the two locations I have been to has been great, even if the portions tend to be huge. There are about 50 of their restaurants scattered in 21 states. If you like Italian, and are looking for a nice sit down place in the medium $ range, it is a good choice.

The NPI is a white supremacist organization specifically meeting in Washington, DC to support and cheer Trump. They believe he is their guy in the white house.

The NPI, after their conference in the Ronald Reagan Building (where else would they go?) made an emergency reservation at Maggiano’s giving them a false name.

Maggiano’s is so embarassed that they got tricked into serving these racist swine – they are donating the entire $10,000 profit they made on the hosting to charity.

Maggiano’s Little Italy Apologizes After Hosting White Nationalist Dinner

If someone told you that reality star Tila Tequila would give the Heil Hitler salute at a Friendship Heights’ Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant, would you believe them? Or would you think such a scene could only happen in some kind of sick fever dream. Well, see below. It happened Friday night.

 

Maybe you remember Tequila from her show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. Maybe you don’t. Let us catch you up. Tequila has since authored an article titled, “Why I Sympathize with Hitler: Part I.” She’s also unapologetically tweeted:

“Women who complain about Trump saying, “Grab her by the pussy!” Are retards because I love getting grabbed by the pussy! Lmao!

I just recruited some Hitler Youth people for the #AltRight

“I noticed all the protestors tonight were really ugly. No wonder they’re so angry! So glad I’m beautiful!” (Choke!)

The protestors Tequila mentions were related to her visit to D.C. this weekend where she participated in a National Policy Institute conference, as reported by The Daily Beast. Members of the group are known to be white-nationalists.

Before Saturday’s conference held at the Ronald Reagan Building, some attendees headed to Maggiano’s, which hosted a private banquet dinner for the group Friday night. Protesters showed up in droves the next day, even causing the restaurant to close.

Maggiano’s, a family-style Italian restaurant with three local locations, issued an apology today on Facebook. It reads:

On Friday night, Maggiano’s in Friendship Heights was the inadvertent site of a protest that caused us to close our restaurant to protect the safety of our Teammates and Guests.

The protesters were upset because of a banquet we were hosting for a group called the National Policy Institute (NPI). This was a last minute booking made Friday afternoon, and the reservation was made under a different name, therefore we were not aware that NPI was dining with us or what the group represents. After the event, an attendee sent a tweet in which she made a “Sieg Heil salute” in support of Hitler and white supremacy. This expression of support of Hitler is extremely offensive to us, as our restaurant is home to Teammates and Guests of every race, religion and cultural background.

We want to sincerely apologize to the community of Friendship Heights for inadvertently hosting this meeting, which resulted in hateful sentiment. We want you to know that at the suggestion of one of our Guests, we are donating the profits from our restaurant sales on Friday, $10,000, to the DC office of the Anti-Defamation League, which for decades has been working to bring people together in peace and understanding.

 

 

President of Nation’s Largest Police Association Apologizes For Past Treatment of Minorities

Showing that there is Police leadership which aren’t the boneheads who seem to grab the right wing press…

These are good guys to work with. After the Haiti earthquake worked with them on donating Police Radio Systems to replace those that had been destroyed. Been wondering when they would step up.

U.S. police chiefs group apologizes for ‘historical mistreatment’ of minorities

Terrence M. Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and chief of the Wellesley, Mass., police. On Monday he offered an apology for historic mistreatment of minorities by police.

The president of America’s largest police organization on Monday issued a formal apology to the nation’s minority population “for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color.”

Terrence M. Cunningham, the chief of police in Wellesley, Mass., delivered his remarks at the convention in San Diego of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, whose membership includes 23,000 police officials in the United States. The statement was issued on behalf of the IACP, and comes as police executives continue to grapple with tense relationships between officers and minority groups in the wake of high-profile civilian deaths in New York, South Carolina, Minnesota and elsewhere, the sometimes violent citizen protests which have ensued as well as the ambush killings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.

Police chiefs have long recognized the need to maintain good relations with their communities, of all races, and not allow an us-versus-them mentality to take root, either in their rank-and-file officer corps or in the neighborhoods where their citizens live. Cunningham’s comments are an acknowledgement of police departments’ past role in exacerbating tensions and a way to move forward and improve community relations nationwide. Two top civil rights groups on Monday commended Cunningham for taking an important first step in acknowledging the problem.

“Events over the past several years,” Cunningham said, “have caused many to question the actions of our officers and has tragically undermined the trust that the public must and should have in their police departments…The history of the law enforcement profession is replete with examples of bravery, self-sacrifice, and service to the community. At its core, policing is a noble profession.”

But Cunningham added, “At the same time, it is also clear that the history of policing has also had darker periods.” He cited laws enacted by state and federal governments which “have required police officers to perform many unpalatable tasks…While this is no longer the case, this dark side of our shared history has created a multigenerational — almost inherited — mistrust between many communities of color and their law enforcement agencies.”

Cunningham continued, “While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future…For our part, the first step is for law enforcement and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color.”

He concluded, “It is my hope that, by working together, we can break this historic cycle of mistrust and build a better and safer future for us all.”

Jeffery Robinson, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, applauded Cunningham’s statement. “It seems to me that this is a very significant admission,” Robinson said, “and a very significant acknowledgement of what much of America has known for some time about the historical relationship between police and communities of color. The fact someone high in the law enforcement community has said this is significant and I applaud it because it is long overdue. And I think it’s a necessary first step to them trying to change these relationships.”

Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said, “I think Chief Cunningham correctly identifies the need to acknowledge and apologize as a first step, and I don’t want to diminish how important the first step is,” because many police organizations have been reluctant to grapple with racial issues. She said the Legal Defense Fund has been speaking with the IACP about the role the Legal Defense Fund can play in improving policing. “They know that there’s a problem,” Ifill said. “They know that it’s a complicated and difficult one. They know there are problems in their own departments. And now we’re trying to take tentative steps toward what we hope will be productive measures.”

After his comments, Cunningham told The Post in an e-mail that, “We have 16,000 police chiefs and law enforcement officials gathered here in San Diego and it is an important message to spread. Communities and law enforcement need to begin a healing process and this is a bridge to begin that dialogue. If we are brave enough to collectively deliver this message, we will build a better and safer future for our communities and our law enforcement officers. Too many lives have been lost already, and this must end. It is my hope that many other law enforcement executives will deliver this same message to their local communities, particularly those segments of their communities that lack trust and feel disenfranchised.”

The IACP members present for Cunningham’s speech gave him a standing ovation, IACP spokeswoman Sarah Guy said. Cunningham made the remarks on behalf of the membership, Guy said….Read the rest here…

 

Black Chumph Pastor and Hillary in Blackface

Starting with this when it blew up in the Lawn Jockey’s face –

“I am standing behind that picture,” Burns insisted. “We as African-Americans, we need to make Democrats fight for our vote. We need to make them fight for us. We need to make them do what they say they are gonna do, because we are just as valuable as every race in the great state of the United States of America.”

And now leading to this “apology”

Now – the theory that black folks could support Republicans died a painful death, for me at least with the appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Since that time Republicans have opposed every single law or governmental effort that in any way is beneficial to black folks in this country.

1. They actively and support the murder of black men and boys in the streets by Police.
2. They actively support death by incarceration of black women.
3. They actively support blocking voting rights for black people.
4. They actively support the inclusion and voice of white supremacists and racists in their Party.
5. They actively support opposition to any effort to “level the playing field” for minorities, whether in access to credit, access to jobs, or the great white Republican bugaboo Affirmative Action.
6. They actively support and seek to elect racists like Donald Trump.

So, I don’t know what “god” this POS believes in, but if he is hawking “Jesus”…

Its a lie.

 

 

“The Most Racist Newspaper”?

This one is posted as –

College Paper Prints The Most Racist Front Page in America

Followed by the pic on the front page –

What do you think?

 

An Open Letter From Actor Kirk Douglass – Apologize For Slavery!

This one really surprised me. Not because of who is saying it (Spartacus!) – but because of the timing.

Thank You for pointing that out, Mr. Douglas.

 

An Open Letter to All Those Who Would Be President

If you want my vote in November of 2016, I am asking you to do something right now.

America has never formally acknowledged and apologized for the unspeakable evil of slavery. So I am asking Republicans and Democrats alike to apologize to the American people. Our continued refusal to apologize for slavery still shames and divides our nation. It is past the time to heal.

I have lived a long time — 98 years — and I have seen many incredible things.

I remember the days when the Ku Klux Klan was very powerful. They burned crosses on lawns.

I remember when there were segregated drinking fountains and bathrooms.

I’ve even lived long enough to see a black man elected president — twice. Incredibly, he now lives in a house that was built by slaves.

I hope to live long enough to see one of the candidates promise an apology for slavery. We cannot erase our history, but we can pledge that hatred will be banished from our great land.

I look forward to your reply.

 

Radioactive Drugbo

Rush Limbaugh has certainly lit the fuse on a bigger keg of dynamite than even he could have envisioned with his comments about Sandra Fluke and the Georgetown women.

Anyone has a question about who has the power in this country just needs to check out Drugbo’s example. It took COlor of Change over a year to make a definitive dent in Glenn Beck’s Faux News racism…

Looks like it is only going to take the ladies about a month to take Drugbo down.

Yeah – Cut off his supply of Viagra!

Rush Limbaugh loses 39 advertisers

At least 39 companies have pulled their ads from the “The Rush Limbaugh Show” since the conservative talk show host called a law student a “slut” on the air last week, as the social media blitz against the popular radio program showed no signs of slowing down Wednesday.

Companies are continuing to join the rapidly growing list of businesses that have ceased advertising on Limbaugh’s show, responding to the flood of grievances that are pouring in from disgruntled customers.

The list of companies that officially announced on Twitter, Facebook or in statements to other media outlets that they would stop advertising on the radio show include: AccuQuote Life Insurance, Allstate Insurance, AOL, Bare Escentuals, Bethesda Sedation Dentistry, Bonobos, Capital One, Carbonite, Cascades Dental, Citrix, Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, Constant Contact, Cunningham Security, Freedom Debt Relief, Girl Scouts, Goodwill Industries, Hadeed Carpet, JCPenney, Legal Zoom, Matrix Direct, Netflix, Norway Savings Bank, Philadelphia Orchestra, PolyCom, Portland Ovations, ProFlowers, Quicken Loans, Regal Assets, Reputation Rhino, RSVP Discount Beverage, Sears, Sensa, Service Magic, Sleep Train, Sleep Number, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Tax Resolution, Thompson Creek Windows and Vitacost.

 

Thomas v Hill… Round 2

In another one of those conservatism will make you stark raving crazy moments – Virginia Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas has called Anita Hill to demand an apology! WTF! Why the hey, after all this time would Virginia Hill want to stir up this one all over again? I mean – not only does it have to be painful to Hill – it has to be painful to Clarence Thomas, Virginia’s husband. You have to know the media is going to drag the whole thing up again, and re-debate the whole sexual harassment issue.

This is a no-win for Clarence Thomas – which raises the question as to whether Ginny Thomas has been drinking that Tea Bagger Kool-Aid so long as to get Christine O’Donnell/Sno’ Ho’ stupid. Or is she out to deliberately hurt her husband?

Hill doubly has nothing to say, especially after conservative “scions” took revenge on her in later years by getting her fired from her previous job at University of Oklahoma, and tried to ruin her both financially and professionally. Not to mention the book published by David Brock, though the conservative faux-publishing outlets which was a libelous hatchet job on her character.

 

Clarence and Virginia Thomas - Anita Hill

Anita Hill: No apology coming for Thomas testimony

Anita Hill, whose accusations of sexual harassment almost derailed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ high court nomination, has no plans to apologize for the charges she made nearly two decades ago.

The response from Hill, now a law professor at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, comes following a voice-mail message left for her by Thomas’ wife, Virginia, over the weekend, requesting an apology.

Charles Radin, the Brandeis director of news and communications, said Hill received the voice mail and turned it over to the campus Department of Public Safety, which then turned it over to the FBI.

Special Agent Jason Pack, an FBI spokesman in Washington, declined to comment late Tuesday.

“I certainly thought the call was inappropriate,” Hill said in a statement to CNN issued by Brandeis. “I have no intention of apologizing because I testified truthfully about my experience and I stand by that testimony.”

In a statement to CNN, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas said: “I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get passed what happened so long ago. That offer still stands, I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certainly no offense was ever intended.”

According to a source at Brandeis, who spoke on condition of not being identified, the message left over the weekend said:

“Good morning, Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas. I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology some time and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day.”

Virginia Thomas is a conservative activist who founded the organization Liberty Central.

Hill declined comment to CNN affiliate WCVB outside her Waltham home on Wednesday, saying, “Please, let me go teach my class.”

 

 

A Real Dad

This incident was captured on a security tape on a school bus in Florida, where a Father, outraged at bullying of his daughter, who has Cerebral Palsy goes ballistic –

Yeah – he was over the top…

But I can understand exactly where he is coming from.

Dad who stormed bus apologizes, cites daughter’s disability

A Florida father who stormed onto a school bus and threatened children because his 13-year-old disabled daughter had been bullied is apologizing for the way he handled the situation.

James Willie Jones said in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday that he is sorry for his “inappropriate use of language and for the way I handled the situation.” But he says his daughter suffers from cerebral palsy and he “could not stand by and helplessly watch her suffer.”

“As a dad, my No. 1 priority is providing for and protecting my children,” he said in a statement. “Since the school year started, my wife and I noticed that our daughter had become increasingly distraught about school and riding the school bus, but she wouldn’t tell us exactly why.

“As the involved parent of a child who suffers from cerebral palsy, it broke my heart. When I walked my daughter to the bus that morning, she broke down in tears and finally told me about the bullies who had tormented her on the school bus. She was afraid.

“In the heat of the moment, I wanted to confront the individuals who had bullied my daughter and the authority figure who failed to protect her. I sincerely apologize for my inappropriate use of language and for the way I handled the situation. As the protector of my daughter I could not stand by and helplessly watch her suffer.”

Jones plans to hold a news conference with his attorney 10 a.m. Tuesday to answer questions related to his arrest.

He was charged last week with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function for the Sept. 3 incident in Sanford, just north of Orlando. He later posted $2,000 bail and was ordered to stay away from the driver and county school buses.

The girl had to be hospitalized because of stress from the confrontation, Jones’ attorney, Natalie Jackson, said last week. She said Jones told deputies he complained to Seminole County school administrators in the past but nothing had been done to help the girl.

School spokeswoman Regina Murray Klaers said in an e-mail that Jones did not express his concerns to school administrators. He did report an incident involving another girl, not his daughter, Klaers said. That incident was fully investigated, and appropriate action was taken, Klaers said.

Jones boarded the school bus because several boys were allegedly bullying his daughter, according to the sheriff’s office report. He told deputies the boys placed an open condom on his daughter’s head, smacked her on the back of her head, twisted her ear and shouted rude comments at her, the report said.

Video surveillance from the bus — which fueled fodder on national talk shows — displays Jones asking his daughter to point out the students accused of harassing her. Jones is heard on the video threatening those who bully his daughter, and he also threatens the bus driver.

Jones said in the statement that he plans to advocate and raise awareness against bullying.

“Bullying has become an epidemic in our country,” he said. “Even though some schools are adopting ‘zero tolerance’ anti-bullying policies, it hasn’t eliminated the problem. Parents need to work with their children to let them know this kind of behavior is unacceptable and we all need to be aware of what’s happening with our kids.

“I hope that there are lessons we can all learn from this situation. I know I have,” he added. “It is my prayer that your children, whether disabled or not, will never have to endure anything like what my daughter went through.”

 

White House, Visilak Apologize to Sherrod

White House Apologizes to Shirley Sherrod

The White House has apologized to Shirley Sherrod for its hasty firing of her over an out-of-context video. “Without a doubt, Miss Sherrod is owed an apology,” said Robert Gibbs at his afternoon press conference. “I would do so on behalf of this administration.” But will she be rehired at the USDA? Unclear. He said agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack is trying to reach Sherrod to personally apologize, “and they will talk about their next steps,” reports Politico.

“I think, clearly, that a lot of people involved in the situation … acted without all the facts,” said Gibbs, who faced a lengthy grilling over the controversy. “A disservice was done. An apology is owed. That’s what we’ve done.”

USDA Secretary Visilak Apologizes

Agriculture chief Tom Vilsack said he personally called the ousted USDA employee today to apologize and offer her a new job, reports CNN. She was “extraordinarily gracious,” said Vilsack, but she’s going to think about that job offer for a while.

“A good woman has gone through a difficult time, and I will have to live with that for a very long time,” said Vilsack.

 

Tiger Woods Apology

“I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior.”

 

A Long Overdue Apology

Slaves Showing their passes to Plantation police

Senate Adopts Slavery Apology Resolution

The Senate adopted a resolution Thursday offering a formal apology for slavery and the era of “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws that followed.

After the clerk finished reading the resolution (S Con Res 26) in full, Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin , the measure’s sponsor, noted that Congress has never before issued a formal apology for slavery.