Teens sentenced to prison for lynching black teen on country road

[deadparrot]

Five white South Carolina teens will spend two to six years in prison for lynching a black teen on a country road in July 2005.

The defendants, ages 17 to 18, faced up to 30 years each for the severe beating of 16-year-old Isaiah Clyburn, who was left on the roadside bruised and bloodied from the attack.

Speaking through 7th Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy, Clyburn told his attackers that he forgave them for what they had done.

"He wants me to tell the five defendants he has forgiven them and holds no hatred in his heart for what they've done to him," Gowdy said as Clyburn, now 17, stood next to him.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ct/20060110/cr_ct/teenssentencedtoprisonforlynchingblackteenoncountryroad

[sasha031]

1. OH My Gawd

6yrs!!!!!! lynching black people is back!

[sniffa]

2. a corpse was standing in court, next to the soLicitor?

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. Uhhh, no. A lynching does not necessarily result in death

Clyburn is still alive, very badly damaged. Essentially, the youths were convicted of assault, with intent to commit a hate crime (or whatever the specific state charge was.) They were not convicted of murder.

[sniffa]

15. but Lynching means just that

i understand that some poLiticians have corrupted the word to mean any sort of criticism against themseLves, but it stiLL means dead.

[meganmonkey]

18. I looked it up, and you're right, sniffa:

Main Entry: lynch
Pronunciation: 'linch
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: lynch law
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction

[TomInTib]

21. In S Carolina "lynching" is 2 or more people attacking another person

Why the heck they call it lynching is beyond me.

Probably goes back to the "Good ol' Days" when a bunch of crackers would gang up on some poor black dude.

[mike_c]

22. it's used as a synonym for "mob violence against an individual...."

eom

[LisaL]

25. According to South Carolina law

"South Carolina law defines second-degree lynching as "any act of violence inflicted by a mob upon the body of another person and from which death does not result."

[rodeodance]

36. It is a myth that hangings result in death

[rodeodance]

37. SC jutstice said he was lynched (and he is still doing his dirty work).

[billbuckhead]

27. According to wikipedia, lynching doesn't have to be death

"Lynching is violence, usually murder, conceived by its perpetrators as extra-legal execution, or used as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. Victims of lynching have generally been members of groups marginalized by society.

The term "lynching" is believed to come from Charles Lynch, whose vigilance committee, an irregular court, tried and punished petty criminals and supporters of the British during the U.S. Revolutionary War.

The term has also been referenced as being derived from William Lynch giver of the William Lynch Speech: The Making of a Slave--A speech by the British-born, Caribbean plantation owner that visited Virginia to describe how best to "break" and control slaves. The controversial speech has been cited numerous times by Louis Farrakhan. However, it should be carefully noted that the legitimacy of this so-called document is seriously questionable at best, and should not be used or considered as a historical document.
Postcard depicting the lynching of Lige Daniels, Center, Texas, USA, August 3, 1920. The back reads, "This was made in the court yard in Center, Texas. He is a 16 year old Black boy. He killed Earl's grandma. She was Florence's mother. Give this to Bud. From Aunt Myrtle."
Enlarge
Postcard depicting the lynching of Lige Daniels, Center, Texas, USA, August 3, 1920. The back reads, "This was made in the court yard in Center, Texas. He is a 16 year old Black boy. He killed Earl's grandma. She was Florence's mother. Give this to Bud. From Aunt Myrtle."

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching>

[sniffa]

32. 1. wiki means shit

since you or i, or anyone can enter whatever we want.

2. this sort of broad definition detracts from an awfuL era, that shouLd never, ever be watered down.

3. if this definition were true, i've been Lynched a few times in my Lifetime.

[Canuckistanian]

33. You think this is an attempt to water down the term?

You know, make it seem like "lynching" means just 'a little roughing up by some good ol' boys'?

[sniffa]

34. yes, i do

[anotherdrew]

42. no it does not mean shit, try it and see what happens

go and try to change the deffinition to "offering a loolipop to someone" and see if that ever even makes it to the real web-page.

[LisaL]

23. He didn't die.

[stray cat]

3. good to here it - they claimed it was just a fight

however five against one is not a fight.

South Carolina does have a different definition of lyching. SC law defines second-degree lynching as "any act of violence inflicted by a mob upon the body of another person and from which death does not result."

[Centered]

4. WOW

Never thought I would hear about something like this how absolutely terrible. What a brave young man with a good heart to forgive, I doubt I would have that strength of character.

I hope those kids have plenty of time in jail to contemplate what they have done. 2-6 years is getting off light IMHO

[bluestateguy]

5. They should get life in prison

and the only reason I am no tadvocating the death penalty is because they are minors.

I don't want these future Republican voters being allowed to register to vote.

[Scurrilous]

6. Have fun in prison guys!

I'm sure you'll get a nice warm welcome.

[0007]

7. Attempted murder?

[Xithras]

8. Errr, the victim is alive. I wonder why they used the term lynched.

A quick perusal might give someone the idea that these guys got off with a few years for murdering a black guy. What they did was beat him up. Still racist. Still assholes. They still deserve jail time (lots of it). But it's a completely different crime than killing someone, which is what the lynching title suggests.

Sorry to go OT, but that's just odd and got my attention.

[sniffa]

9. same here

dead guy shows up in court to forgive murderers.

[deadparrot]

14. Perhaps this will clear things up:

From the article:

South Carolina law defines second-degree lynching as "any act of violence inflicted by a mob upon the body of another person and from which death does not result."

[sniffa]

17. at Least it's quaLified

the term Lynching shouLd never, ever be perverted to mean something eLse.

[PDJane]

10. THIS

is why I believe in hate crimes legislation.

[MnFats]

11. do they send juveniles (under 18) to regular grown up prison in S.C?

i imagine they do for certain crimes, as most states do now.
I can almost feel a little sympathy for these little bastards.
word of their crimes will surely preceed their arrival at the 'correctional institution.'
but now that I think of it, and this has been done in my state (Minn.), they may send them out of state.
give them some kind of cover story to serve time in another state.
otherwise they won't last a week.

[shanti]

28. they won't last a week???

please! they will be REVERED by the supremacists! this is the south, remember.

this is a travesty of justice, imo! :grr:

[BamaLefty]

13. An eye for an eye

Lynch their sorry ass back... and leave them on the roadside bruised and bloodied. You think they'd like it?!?!

[4morewars]

24. Leaves us all blind.

Ghandi said that.

I'm not that enlightened.

[sui generis]

16. mommas don't let your children grow up to be

lynchers.

Just the same, I really dislike the judicial opinion. I think there are more appropriate and constructive punishments that could have been rendered here under the circumstances, including community service for those boys. When you send an 18 year old to jail for thirty years you are creating a 48 year old burden on society.

Why not try to figure out how to make them pay AND still be productive to society?

Maybe I'm just too much of a bleeding heart liberal - but I sense an opportunity was missed IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE by yielding to authoritarian thinking on punishment and retribution rather than reparation and rehabilitation.

[arcane1]

20. 6 years in an all-black prison should do the trick

:evilgrin:

[lastliberalintexas]

41. I certainly don't claim to know the answer

But you are very correct- prison is not a good option in many situations. This reminds me of the Byrd murder in Jasper. Two of the 3 murderers had been sent to prison for fairly petty theft crimes, and were supposedly introduced to the world of white supremacists in prison. By all accounts, they came out of prison/jail far, far more dangerous than when they went in. Nice rehabilitation, state of Texas. :eyes:

At the same time, I wouldn't want these kids to get off lightly, since what they did is horrible. As I said, I don't have any good suggestions, but I hope someome smarter than I is out there who does.

[WI_DEM]

19. 2 to 6 years--this was not only attempted murder but a hate crime

They got off pretty easy.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. I wonder how much time they would've gotten

if they'd been black and the victim had been white? ...or if all parties involved had been black?

[shanti]

29. i think we know the answer to that one n/t

[applegrove]

30. Yeah - that kid being attacked is scary. The lynching law is a law that

replaces the "hate laws". Only 4 states have them instead. It means only that two or more people attack & assualt one.

Apparently it is applied in this state more often to african americans that white.
This according to CNN.

Question is why are these four states so afriad on hate laws?

[justjones]

31. Why weren't they going to be tried as adults? nt

[pinerow]

35. Because as you very well know...

"Boys will be boys"...especially if it's ive to one and the victim is black...I wouldn't doubt that the "forgivness" may have been the result of "community" pressure...in other words..."We know where you live"...:wtf:

[wordpix2]

38. this is what happens when all the money goes to a murderous war and not to

schools, after school, health and social programs

[superconnected]

39. People are always sorry when they get caught.

Takes a special person to commit those kind of acts on another person.

this is sickening. I'm really glad the kid they lynched is alive.

[William Bloode]

40. Hmmmmm....

May or may not have been racially motivated, but very possibally was. So i don't know if agree with the lynching aspect. I don't know other particulars of the case either, but 2-6yrs is about right for a simple gang up attempted murder. If it was intentionally done as a hate crime it's to low.