I type this with a heavy heart. Pastor James Luther Bevel, a hero of the civil rights movement, has been arrested and charged with incest. Bevel was a key player in Dr. Martin Luther King's organization. Bevel was one of Kings "Field Generals" responsible for organization and logistics. He was one of the men behind the civil rights movement who make it all work. A true hero of the civil rights movement, now forever shamed.
...Authorities said 70-year-old Reverend James L- Bevel was arrested late last month in Eutaw, Alabama, after being indicted by a Loudoun County, Virginia grand jury on one count of unlawfully committing fornication.
Apparently Bevel, who is a Baptist pastor, is alleged to have committed his crimes on child as young as 13 old. A child in his own family. Bevel would have been in his 50's at the time.
I did not report this when he was originally arrested. I let it go, thinking maybe it had been a mistake. It seems I was wrong. A hero has fallen, and it looks to be a hard fall.
7 comments:
Is the good Rev. a Muslim? If so that is just more proof that not letting people even play with their weenies makes them go fucking nuts? God bless us all!
Anybody who is "SHOCKED" behind this must have just arrived in America. Being one of the incest victims of that era, when the so called civil rights movement was about injustice and human rights violations, You see, those same complainers did not fight in-house for our civil rights and human rights. those hypocrits used the movement as one of the EXCUSES to silence us as a reason to not report black men. GOD DON"T LIKE UGLY. Why do you think the black community is trying to keep this silent? Oh, he is not IMUS or a Klan. Incest is not new or rare in the black community it is the norm. And when black women start talking and get some backbone, and come out of cultural lockdown you will hear some stories. I admire the white woman, They did not allow "cultural lockdown" to keep them from going after those priests molesting their children. Black women haven't been freed from the black man yet to take a bold stand against them like that. But other victims as myself are still pissed off because of statue of limitation laws; and praying for them. And all states including D.C. need to get rid of the statue of limitation laws on sex crimes because victims need time before they decide to come forward. These laws allow people like him to live amongst us and not be prosecuted, like Fred and DeVern Ulmer of D.C., my incest perpetrators. But there day will come too.
Incest, rape and sexual crimes are truly crimes against humanity that must not go unpunished. Bevel has taught against sexual misconduct to thousands of people over the years and is not exempt from restraint in human relations. Having said this, I would like to put some perspective on this issue. However unorthodox his methods have been over the years, no one can argue against his effectiveness on many fronts.
In the United States of America, a man (woman) is presumed innocent until proven guilty, according to the law. However, it has become common practice, particularly in the case of strong Black Leaders, to accuse them of a crime and try the case in the media, convicting our leaders in the court of popular opinion, when there is little to no evidence to substantiate those charges. Is it right that a man with so much good in his favor should be labeled as "forever shamed" and referred to as "fallen" before any trial or proceedings have even begun? Being arrested on false charges is not new to Bevel, to King, Ghandi, to Jesus or to any of the other great leaders about whom Bevel has modeled and taught principles and practices to countless individuals, including myself. The scriptures of the Quran warn us, "when an unrighteous man brings you news, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance and be sorry for what you did". I empathize with the pain of abuse. I empathize with the tragedy of lives that have been damaged in a way that only God Himself can step in to repair. However, I detest the crucifixion of our leaders in the media and this practice must stop. To all of those who have convicted Bevel already, what is your motivation?
Why are you so quick to judge him as guilty when you have no knowledge
of his guilt or innocence. It would be more proper in the eyes of God and man for us to reserve judgment until the actual facts of the matter have been presented. Until that time, we would be wise to follow the instructions we have been given in scripture and "look carefully into the charges" before rushing to judgment. Since the vast majority of us who have commented and written on this issue have no knowledge of sexual misconduct on his behalf, why not restrain our-selves in the same way that many have discussed that Bevel should have restrained himself. Jesus taught us to be careful of the judgment by which we judge, for we may be judging (and condemning) ourselves. Be careful, for the same lack of restraint of which we accuse one man, is the evidence of that lack of restraint within ourselves. Those who convict this man and others with no evidence are in manifest error. If he is guilty of misconduct, then justice should prevail. But, I ask the question of each of you who have already convicted this man without having a comprehensive knowledge of the truth of the matter. Which of you is without sin, that you are qualified to cast the first stone? Why not reserve judgment, or is there some perversity in your heart that is motivating you to speak out of turn? A cursory glance at Bevel's history will reveal that God has without doubt, used this man all of his life. He has and will continue to use Bevel's best and his worst to teach all of those of us who will learn. Be careful, for this may not be his trial, it just may be yours.
As a black women over a half century years old, I have long ago learned to hate the dialogue that whenever one of us accuse a "black man/leader" of sex crimes, there are those who feel his job resume takes presidence over the innocense of a child. THAT IS SICK THINKING. Would the allegations be more acceptable if he/they were accountants, firemen, nurses, plummers,repairmen? My point is their sex drive or fantasies and whether or not they act on them has not a dam thing to do with their occupation. I don't care how many freedom marches they direct or how many plates they handed out at a homeless shelter. IF they have enough common sense to identify human rights and civil rights violations done to us by "white people" or the system, then they dam sure have enough common sense to know when they are infringing upon the innocense of their child or anybody elses child when it comes to INCEST and rape. I DON"T CARE WHAT THE MEDIA SAYS ABOUT THEM, it does not make them exempt from being called out on these issues the way the black community calls out others who are none black for the same crimes. The problem is when it is black on black it appears to me that the women especially have taken it upon themselves to think they have a right to, for lack of a better word sacrifice us as I felt I was as a child for the sake of the "movement." Well we have lots of movements that need to be confronted right in the black homes. And since a lot of women and men in the community have nurtured this incesual behavior to a point black men now believe they have a RIGHT to our children because they are black and should not be held accountable or pick up the financial tab it costs to treat them afterwards, and with the black women covering their back because all someone has to do is make them feel guilty about the "cilvil/human rights movement" then I'd say, I wish I was anything but black because this is warped thinking, and there is nothing anybody who feels this way can say out of their mouth that I will trust. The point is, because he is a black man there is a unwritten rule in the black community that you don't speak about it, you certainly don't tell the media, and you are ostracized by many blacks; and that is even if he were taken to trial and found guilty. It is no wonder so many of us have left home, have issues with our mothers, can't stand to see men alone with children, and vow to never put our lives in the hand of a man; etc. Well the results, give yourself a pat on the back because so many children incest victims have grown up and conciously chosen not to have a man in their life and home, present company included. So take responsibility for this too, you see, we a lot of us have chosen in our quiet way not to be like our mothers who made us feel ashamed for something we did not do to ourselves that brought about other problems for us while growing up like obesity for overeating/comfort food, drugs, alchoholism, suicides, unfinished education,and a lot of other health issues, not wanting our children to have a male in the home around them. I myself had 2 suicide attempts, and can't stand to be around my mother and family no longer than I have to since they are still pissed off for me telling on the 2 niggas who did this to me and a doctor at 15 yrs old. Oh I know that would not be what you'd want to hear, but if you're going to sacrifice our daughters for the pleasure of black men's over sexual appetite all because he may have "led a march" hell then tell me. WHY IN GOD's name do you think you have a right to march on anybody else about civil/human rights violations upon our people when you are acting just like them? Why is justice not necessary for me as a child and other incest victims I know who have thrown up their hands and still suffer the consequences due to a hypocritical group of people confused about when justice should be seeked. And why is it that when black incest victims speak out, whenever they get the nerve, there is then talk about what GOD said? Why won't anybody tell black men what GOD said about INCEST/ Leviticus 18:1-30 during his lifetime, yet they always want to tell us victims to forgive and forget or move on and get over it? And where is a INCEST victim going to get evidence after years of being humiliated by the black community, you kept us ignorant as children about it, you LIED about history making us believe the white man is the only RAPIST when all the time we as children were being molested by the men in the family, and some families to the point of silence. The truth of the matter is you don't want to know because you don't care because it is a black female child. You never cared and history shows it. If it ain't about a black man you really don't want to hear it because if Bevel turns out to be guilty of the charges, your next fight will be throwing stones at the justice system for getting him, and nobody will ever as usual care, wonder, or want to know the psychological effects of the girls, how the children are doing now or in the future. Trust me, these are black female victims I'm talking about. And nobidy usually cares about black female incest victims. Why, because There has not been one comment written anywhee yet that I have seen in this case or any other black female victim of rape or incest where there was concern for how the child or black woman was feeling or doing, it is always focused on the black man. Until blacks relize this, they/we have no right to utter the words civil and human rights violations while pointing the finger at anybody else none black on this earth.
I am sorry. I do not normally delete posts. It is my policy to allow free and open speach. I draw the line at racism. the last post was racist, so I removed it.
Sounds like somebody did not want black men to know they are selective in how they discipline themselves, or maintain self control depending on who they choose to victimize. That was not racist that was documented history from the mouths of historians and repeated from the mouth of a black women. But I guess black men are only allowed to talk about their historical plight. And black women are supposed to accept what they say? I got your number too, though expected. Racism, sexism, and a band on freedom of speech/ historical observations all in one. So I guess all blacks aren't for the 1st Amendment afterall.
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