Hope she is doing ok.

that "Obama Girl" a few years back only did it with her fingernail and a mirror ...

She didn't even break the skin, just mildly abraded it. Adorably stupid.

I honestly did not understand what you meant in your reply.

Maybe it happened the way she says but I remain skeptical until more of an investigation occurs.

As I'm nothing but an Internet poster, I can afford to wait for more information.

on more than half of her body when police responded to her 911 call Sunday night.

Now, I can understand being skeptical when all you have to go on was the word of the victim.

But this is the Louisiana State Police reporting the extent of her injuries.

Last edited Tue Oct 23, 2012, 12:18 PM - Edit history (1)

I lived in Louisiana. That is one racist state. Not all racists belong to the KKK. But bigots do like to invoke the KKK to intimidate people of color. Whoever scrolled KKK on her car may or may not have been a member of the KKK, but rather did it to intimidate African Americans, just like the idiots who deface Jewish community center walls with swatstikas are not members of the Nazi party, but just do it to imtimidate Jews.

Louisiana is NOT a particularly racist state.

I lived in South LA for nearly 20 years. People in Louisiana tend to get on with each other very well.

Are we going to blame the KKK for every act of violence committed in their name?


Glad we cleared that up.

yes or no.

Rather it seems that randome is willing to ask questions and is that really a bad thing?
After all sometimes things are not what they seem like when that one women claimed that a black women threw acid in her face and later it was discovered she lied and did it to herself.

like I said, certain cultural and/or racial certainties are implied in this case, kkk, black victim, so defense of the alleged perpetrators and their apologists is understandable...in this mean, vicious country of hateful ignorance.

Randome saw the headline alone and immediately assumed the victim wasn't injured at all. Pretty much every 'question' and assumption that's been tossed out since then could have been addressed by reading the first paragraph of the initial story, never mind the rest of the article. Hell, even the victim's skin color has been denied at least once in the whole "discussion," despite that being fifth word of the first sentence of the article.

You don't have to outright say "I am calling you a liar" to do that when enough layers of increasingly-convoluted "questions" and implications and misdirections and innocent claims of skepticism (which is a different thing from reflexive rejection) will do the job just as well.

So yes, I do believe that what randome is doing is calling the victim a liar, because the very first thing he said in this thread did just that. That decision isn't waiting for "more information," it was the immediate, kneejerk conclusion reached and settled before even reading the article.

Something felt wrong to me about the story. I didn't zero in on it immediately but the 'KKK' signature stood out as suspicious.

And in the CBS story, more details are added. Her attackers wore white hoods. That sounds too 'pat' to me, also.

All I'm suggesting is that we wait for details before jumping to conclusions.

As a snip from the CBS story also suggests:

Otis Chisley, the president of the local branch of the NAACP, said he was in touch with Moffitt's distraught family. He said he was waiting for more facts before drawing any conclusions about what happened and that "everyone wants to move with caution."

Don't tell me otherwise, since you've said as much all over this thread, and if you didn't the rest of your posts would prove that anyway.

You don't get to speak about jumping to conclusions at all here.

If the attack happened as alleged, I'm all for seeing the attackers locked away for attempted murder. I truly have no agenda here.

Please join me in hoping that they find what they are looking for. But it won't be with me.

It's horrible to think that some assholes might have brutalized someone just for kicks.

And it's horrible to think she might have done this to herself.

Appalling either way.

So there was just this mass of appallingness sitting around in the thread and it was bound to cause some reactions.

But I'm with you about not wanting to fight. It is impossible to get under my skin with words posted on an Internet forum. Not difficult, but impossible.

I'm sorry that you were treated so badly for maintaining a reasonable and healthy skeptical attitude.

On another thread I jumped to the conclusion that it was a hate crime - Seeing a juxtaposition of "black woman" and "KKK" has that effect on people. That one has fallen off of Page 1, but I feel silly now for having done so.

"Two days after multiple law enforcement agencies began an investigation into the attack and burning of a Winnsboro woman at Civitan Park, authorities now believe the wounds were self-inflicted."

http://www.franklinsun.com/news.php?id=5412

Sad and tragic story.

Unfathomable.

..there's always a few people here who immediately decide that the victim's lying.

It's very consistent around here, and not necessarily the same people each time. It baffles me how regularly it comes up.

I know you've decided she wasn't actually injured in the first place, but I'm curious as to how you reconcile that with the police saying she's in critical condition with massive burn coverage.

"There's not enough information to know she's been injured" is a really bullshit thing to even suggest, given what information is available.

Todd manufactured a "SCARY BLACK PEOPLE" story for Fox Boobs when she carved a backwards "B" on her face and claimed that Obama-supporting black men mugged and stabbed her.

because no white man could ever do anything like that.

Actually, I'm not even claiming to be right about anything.

therefore has the capacity to lie.

How soon we all forget: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021007767
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014174167

/entirely possible this is true. entirely possible it is a hoax. I will wait and see.

The Nebraska lesbian attack turned out to be a hoax.

Yet the lesbians in Texas attacked on June 25th was not a hoax. I wonder benignly how many people took a wait and see attitude on that one...?

(Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and Mary Christine Chapa, 18)


Six of one, half a dozen of the other...?

I think the wait-and-see attitude didn't dominate the reactions to that because (1) they were "sufficiently" injured and (2) they passed the colour test.

We seem to have forgot the immediate outrage that people here felt after that (prior to the facts coming out) that essentially turned to a lynch mob.

And that that proved to be embarrassing for those who failed to wait until all the evidence was available.

Now people are making that same mistake.

You're going to invoke Tawana Brawley?

Racism and intolerance always make me sick. But when I see these little clues dropped by posters on DEMOCRATIC Underground, it makes me feel like someone has punched me in the stomach.

Thanks for punching me, asshole.

No clues dropped nor implications intended. I said I'm suspicious when something this blatantly racist occurs. That doesn't mean I discount it and it doesn't mean I wholeheartedly believe everything I read, either.

are an....never mind! You know it already.

I imagine your suspicions were greatly raised when a black man in Jasper, Texas was dragged to his death in the summer of '98. Although I'm quite certain you didn't discount the possibility that it may have happened...

Especially an article with sketchy details like this one?

Maybe it happened as the article implies, maybe it didn't. Why make any assumptions?

The allegation that the attackers wrote the initials 'KKK' on her car and the allegation that they wore white hoods when they attacked her.

Both of those sound 'over the top'.

Admittedly, I was only aware of the first item for a while but that was enough to make me think something MIGHT be wrong with the story. And then when I saw the second item, that made me more suspicious.

I don't think I made any assumptions. The story just sounded fishy. Maybe I didn't explain myself very well on my first post but I had an intuition, that's all.

Because it is not unusual for these type of attacks to be the product of someone mentally ill (acid attacks, gay woman in Nebraska, church arsons, etc.).

As the replies to randome show, there's a reason why I didn't post my thoughts on this.

was waiting for her name to be interjected as a certainty that the burn victim was lying and poured flammable fluid on her own body and lit it.

The allegation of 3rd degree burns has been removed from the story.

Maybe it's a journalistic oversight or something. I don't know. And neither do you.

yeah, I read it! But even though and 3rd degree burns have not been disproven, 50% burns is really extreme and maybe, just maybe you should not have cast doubt without knowing all the facts either. It would have been the better part of discretion, but somehow I don't think I should expect that from you and the other apologists on here. straws, just grasping for straws. I understand.

And I'm sure as hell not apologizing for anyone. I'm just saying the story sounds too 'pat'. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. In either case, I think it's best to wait for more facts before assuming anything.

right!

Perhaps you'd care to explain to us how someone can fake having third degree burns, and what sort of "investigation" is needed to prove their existence to your satisfaction, since the police statement seems not to be enough for you.

A meth lab explosion, maybe?

And maybe I'm parsing things too closely here, I'll grant that. But since my opinion means next to nothing, I'll still wait for more information before deciding that I 'know' exactly what happened.

One thing that makes me suspicious is why would members of the KKK write 'KKK' on her car?

But no, I don't doubt the police report of her injuries.

Your thought process smells rather more than the original story possibly can.

And I'm only guessing here but I think 'meth lab' can be matched more easily to 'white' than 'black'.

On edit: Obviously I did know she was black since I read the OP. But I didn't think anything of that when I made my suggestion.

but a meth lab explosion would actually have a crime scene, not to mention trace evidence. And is usually stupid white guys. Why go here at all??

More information is needed on this. I don't believe everything I read.

people will defend other vicious people because of cultural and/or racial certainties being implied. I'm not surprised by the ones stating it might be a drive by burning or faked. Nothing surprises me much anymore.

So, yeah.

A Nebraska woman was arrested for faking an anti-gay hate crime in which she claimed three masked men bound her, cut words into her skin and spray-painted slurs on her wall before setting her house on fire.

Charlie Rogers, 33, had told police that the three assailants broke into her Lincoln, Neb., home on July 22.

Rogers, a lesbian and a former University of Nebraska women's basketball star, became a face for anti-gay hate crimes after the alleged attack.

Reports of the alleged assault outraged the gay community, and hundreds of people participated in rallies outside the Nebraska capitol building, and at a park in Omaha.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/nebraska-woman-charlie-rogers-faked-anti-gay-hate/story?id=17057847#.UIX5BcXA-co

Who puts themselves into the ICU with 3rd degree burns over 50% of their body to fake a hate crime? There is a good chance she will die from this. Scratching letters into your arm or cheek is just not comparable. Sheesh.


This is an f-ed up thread.

the case of the woman who through acid on her own face and claimed it was a stranger attack?



http://www.examiner.com/article/woman-who-threw-acid-her-own-face-to-plead-not-guilty

it's possible to self-inflict harm. Right?

Who puts themselves into the ICU with 3rd degree burns over 50% of their body to fake a hate crime? There is a good chance she will die from this. Scratching letters into your arm or cheek is just not comparable. Sheesh.

But hey, on the bright side, two months after the police issued their report and everyone on this thread learned what really happened, you get to dig up this f-ed up little thread and post your snide jab poking someone who gave this sad woman (as opposed to the KKK) the benefit of the doubt. Merry Christmas.

While I appreciate cynicism, except for Buddhist monks, who have no intention of surviving, statistically few people set themselves on fire.

you're making a joke?

UPDATED: Burn victim's family speaks
4:39 PM, Oct 22, 2012

The family of a Winnsboro woman set afire by unidentified assailants while she walked on a park trail says they are shocked by viciousness of the crime and possible racial motivations behind it.

Edna Moffitt said her daughter, Sharmeka, 20, was exercising alone at Civitan Park when she was attacked by three men wearing hoodies. The words “KKK” and “n-----” were on her car in white, said Sharmeka Moffitt’s sister, Michelle. Both women said they were unsure why someone would want to hurt the daughter and sister they described as a good person, who is very fun, outgoing and energetic.

“To my knowledge, she has never been threatened,” said Edna Moffitt as she softly cried and wiped tears from her face during a Monday afternoon news conference at LSU Hospital in Shreveport. “I have never known anything like this to happen in Winnsboro.”

Sharmeka Moffitt remains in critical condition with burns over 60-percent of her body. She has third-degree burns on her arms and other areas and will undergo surgery Tuesday, her mother said.

More:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20121022/NEWS01/121022003/UPDATED-Authorities-confirm-KKK-written-on-burn-victim-s-vehicle-?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

[center]

Sharmeka Moffitt[/center]

Thanks for the article, and thanks to the human beings who haven't lurched forward to vomit their race hatred out under the pretense of adding their opinions. The injuries which put this woman into the hospital in critical condition, to await a series of operations were not self-inflicted, no matter how many people imagine others want to see them drag out the Brawley incident. It doesn't take a genius to be more than superficially aware of Emmett Till, etc., etc., and the multitude forced to suffer and die at the hands of racist monsters who presumed themselves "superior" to others, then proved to the world you can't get lower than they.

It is hard to say what would motivate someone to injure themselves so severely. People who feel desperate and unloved will do a lot of harm to get the attention they need and desired. Unfortunately, when they do, and they are discovered, it just adds even more doubt to the true cases.

-----------------------------------

Officials: Burn victim's claims false

http://www.franklinsun.com/news.php?id=5412

Two days after multiple law enforcement agencies began an investigation into the attack and burning of a Winnsboro woman at Civitan Park, authorities now believe the wounds were self-inflicted.

According to Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Thomas, evidenced gathered at the scene of the incident shows 20-year-old Sharmeka Moffitt's initial claims that she was attacked and set on fire turned out to be false claims made up by Moffitt.

~ snip ~

After analyzing the evidence at the State Police Crime Lab, it was discovered Moffitt's fingerprints were on the cigarette lighter and the lighter fluid recovered near the wooded area around the crime scene.

"There is more physical evidence along those lines that back this up," Thomas said.

~ snip ~

It's sickening that this sort of thuggery still happens in the U.S.

This poor lady needs some intense counseling. Setting yourself on fire is an extreme cry for help.

I hope they work on finding out who has really abused her and punish them.

I bet these monsters will not be able to keep themselves from bragging about what they did.

of instantly knowing all relevant facts the second they hear/read one emotionally charged sentence about a crime.

And before you go blasting me I will point out there have been other cases where people have injured themselves and lied about the cause like for example when Bethany Storro claimed a black women threw acid in her face when in fact it was discovered when it was investigated that she did it to herself.

These punks will be bragging about it, like bank robbers always do. Their buddies will be hi-fiveing them.

Burns are terrible and very painful. I wish her a full recovery, but she has a long road ahead.

As for the perpetrators, I ope they catch them and throw them in jail for life.

I'm not saying this is a hoax. I'm not trying to be 'right' about anything.

I'm just saying something about this doesn't smell right to me. Maybe my smeller's on the blink.

I googled and the first result was from ABC, updated an hour ago, and it still says she received 3rd degree burns.

Maybe it doesn't mean anything. I don't know.

Maybe the snippets don't come from the linked article.

I don't know what that means, if anything.

From the CBS News story:

Otis Chisley, the president of the local branch of the NAACP, said he was in touch with Moffitt's distraught family. He said he was waiting for more facts before drawing any conclusions about what happened and that "everyone wants to move with caution."

A whole bunch of the supposed hate crimes turned out to be hoaxes.
So I am waiting to see if more info becomes available.

...I don't consider myself 'right' about any of this. I just pointed out a couple of things that made me suspicious.

No apologies. No vindication. Let's just move on to the next argument...er, discussion.

that the people that jumped all over you and called you the worst kind of racist have behaved despicably in this thread. Disgusting.

It's all good.

I should have cut you more slack, and waited for the follow up reports from the authorities.

Having said that, and recognizing that your words did raise doubts about the incident, there were two separate lines of skepticism raised.

One, that the injuries were exaggerated.

Two, alternatively, that the injuries were self-inflicted.

The first turned out to be false, the second true.

I'm glad you're still here, because minds that are not easily influenced by peer pressure are rare.

UPDATE: 6:19 p.m. -- The News Star reported Tuesday afternoon that police now believe Moffitt's story about being attacked was fabricated. Police now believe that she wrote "KKK" and "n---er" on her car and lit herself on fire.

The Franklin Sun reports that Moffitt's fingerprints were found on the cigarette lighter and lighter fluid recovered in the wooded area near the crime scene. The writings on the car, written in toothpaste, were linked to female DNA.

Police Chief Lester Thomas said that regardless of the outcome, this tragic event is still a heavy burden, according to The Franklin Sun. Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb added: "Although I think what she did was wrong and had major consequences not only for her, but throughout our community and our country, there's something wrong here, and we need to help individuals like this. In the same way our community came to support her as a victim, I still hope the community will support her emotional and physical recovery."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/sharmeka-moffitt-louisiana-woman-set-on-fire-kkk-race-related-attack-_n_2005232.html?1351030571&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing6%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D224554

Sad story nonetheless. She must be mentally ill.

After all arent there enough people in this thread who are suffering from severe foot in mouth? Would hate to see a repeat.

to do to herself what she did? At the very least she must be suffering from depression.

Could she have done it in an effort to cash in on it? Sure.
Do I know her reason? No.
Is she suffering from depression? Well, wouldnt you if you now had burns on your body?

So, if she's now depressed due to her burns, she's got no one to blame but herself.

I lived in the NYC Metro area during the Tawana Brawley situation. It went on so long, and a couple cops really were dragged through the mud. Rev. Sharpton made a total fool of himself, as well.

If you weren't there and didn't see the media circus, which Rev. Sharpton revved up, and then see the thing just fall apart, it's hard to really understand the reluctance of those of us who did see the whole thing through to immediately believe that a report of something similar is true. I wish that I didn't have that hesitation, but it's just there.

I really hope that this young woman gets help, physically and emotionally. It sounds like a really difficult situation for her and her family, and I wish them godspeed though this time in their lives.

so much self righteous crap...so much foot in mouth.

AWESOME!

How many times have we seen this same story, yet some people call skeptics names still.

as being in the wrong.

Let's see how many people come back and admit this was a fake and they were wrong to become outraged without any facts.

The poor woman, in critical condition, admitted she set fire to herself.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012121023045&nclick_check=1

But, I knew from experience to keep that to myself on here.

She is still of a victim, of her own mind, and I hope she can get the help she needs.

During the 1940s-1960s states had plenty of mental health clinics. It seemed people then recognised that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Pharmaceuticals can help just a little, but not alone. So many people need access to interactive one on one therapy. I feel so sad for Ms. Moffit's little girl.

I 100% agree with you.

I bet you $100 that this woman probably has financial problems and/or a crappy job and /or a dead beat husband to deal with. Happy, financially stable people rarely do shitty stunts like this. Free healthcare does nothing to deal with the cause of the disease, it just only cures the symptoms which will probably return when the patient moves back to his/her original source of the mental illness.

Fix the economy(not the stock market) and you start the healing process for many struggling Americans. The disease is poverty and no amount of free healthcare will cure it

Mental Illness strikes people from all economic classes, but the poor get considerably less in the way of treatment. It's absurd to claim that healthcare does nothing to deal with the cause of disease. Posts like yours demonstrate grotesque ignorance.

caused by you socioeconomic level. Now understand, I am not saying that poor people dont need healthcare, all I am saying is that you will see less of this kind of behaviour with an improved economy.


Btw who ever said the poor woman has a mental problem? for all we know, she could be normal with no mental issue whatsoever.

Most of the population there lives at or below the poverty level. Driving through there is like stepping back in time.

I realize she was burned badly, but may have underestimated her pyrotechnics.

I'm just not going to wax lyrical with sympathy for someone in a mad rush to make her a victim of some kind. Greed can also be a motivator, and stories like this do great damage to real hate crimes happening every day.