A friend of mine sent an ESPN story to me on the social networking tool—facebook—about the People v. Eric Frimpong case. This story is about a young man who left his home in Ghana in 2005 to pursue the American dream. I beseech you to read this story with an open mind so that you can keep your heart open as well. Please remember that a presumption of innonence is at the foundation of every case in our criminal justice system.
The year is 2007. Eric Frimpong is accused of rape. Prior to the rape accusation, Eric Frimpong played soccer at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and he was headed to a professional career in the North American Soccer League. Here is an excerpt from the story:
”I don’t care that he’s a soccer star…and I’m a nobody. Eric Frimpong ruined my life…”
“There’s a rumble in the gallery. If his supporters could chime in now, they’d say that the kid in the prison garb has never spoken an unkind word or acted aggressively toward anyone. They would remind the court of the points made at trial: that his accuser was a woman with little memory of what happened that night because of a near-toxic blood alcohol level; that Frimpong’s DNA wasn’t found on the victim; that semen found on her underwear belonged to a jealous boyfriend, a white student who was never a suspect. They would argue that overzealous law enforcement was determined to nail a high-profile athlete, facts be damned…”
Eric Frimpong is now a convicted rapist. Rape is an ugly crime. The perpetrators are ugly people who often seem like beautiful people to the outside world. It is hard to distinguish the ugly from the beautiful in a rape case.
In our criminal justice system, rape is centered upon penetration, but the rape has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt. It is true that Eric Frimpong was on the beach that fateful night with Jane Doe; it is also true that he turned down Jane Doe’s advances. Eric Frimpong is not abdicating responsibility. He admitted that he let Jane Doe put her hand down his pants, which is how her DNA was found on him.
I believe that the accuser, Jane Doe, was raped. The bruises on her body and the lacerations around her genitals tell the story of rape. Nonetheless, doubt is looming large over her story. Sadly, there is a very low conviction rate for rape unless the perpetrator is black. Eric Frimpong is just another “black mythical rapist” who is caught up in an unfortunate entanglement with a very drunk woman. She needs someone to pay for the crime committed against her. I understand her peculiar predicament. However, the DNA test proved that Eric Frimpong did not rape Jane Doe.
Don’t misconstrue my position: I know that there are black men out there who commit rape against white women and try to finagle their way out of accepting responsibility by playing the race card. However, many black men have been depicted as rapists in order to conjure up a justification for terrorizing and destroying black lives. False accusations of rape against white women have proven to provide an effective system of social control over black people. It must be hard when people of power brand you as something that you’re not in a concerted effort to set your entire world on fire. It is easy to see that the false accusation of rape serves as a weapon of destruction.
Without a doubt, the Eric Frimpong story is reminiscent of the Rosewood story. For those of you who didn’t see the movie, Rosewood was a small black rural town in Florida. Florida had an extremely high number of lynchings prior to the 1923 calamity—the Rosewood massacre. In 1923, a white woman was beaten and raped by someone. The white men around her accused a black drifter and lynched a Rosewood resident. When the black residents defended themselves, several hundred white people began hunting down and killing black people; they also burned down almost every structure in Rosewood.
Eric Frimpong has experienced a modern day lynching, and his world was set ablaze by a white woman’s accusation of rape. Eric Frimpong was found guilty by an all white jury and sentenced to six years in a California state prison. However, there was reasonable doubt.
Eric Frimpong said it best, “It’s a terrible thing that happened to me. Being in here (prison), I keep asking myself why God put me in that situation. And then it struck me: Maybe I can reach more people, help more people, if they hear my story.”
There has been a gross miscarriage of justice. I pray that a little justice escapes from our criminal system and sets Eric Frimpong free. I also pray that Eric Frimpong and Jane Doe find it in their hearts to forgive each other so that they can truly be free in their minds, bodies, and souls. Eric Frimpong’s supporters will say that he doesn’t need to be forgiven because he did not commit the crime. Maybe Jane Doe needs to forgive him for turning down her advances so that she can wake up and move on. The Bible reads: “And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32. Even in rape cases, forgiveness has the power to heal and set things right.
We understand that “black” is not another word for guilty. Let’s pray that some of that understanding seeps into our court system.
I leave you with a letter from Eric Frimpong’s “other mother”–Loni Monahan.
“Dear Friends of Eric Frimpong,
570 days (1 year, 6 months, 22 days) have passed since Eric’s incarceration for a crime we all believe he did not commit. We have been working around the clock with investigators and attorneys to prove his innocence. We have received emails, calls and letters from supporters world wide who have read Eric’s story and have felt compelled to get involved in fighting the incredible injustice that has taken Eric’s freedom.
To those of you who have contributed to his defense fund, we greatly appreciate your support!
To anyone else who can donate resources to help set Eric free, please send a check made out to the Eric Frimpong Freedom Fund to:
Acct# 191507711
Montecito Bank and Trust
PO Box 2460
Santa Barbara, CA 93120-2460
or you can go online to Paypal to use your credit card to send funds to the Eric Frimpong Freedom Fund at : frimpongfreedom@gmail.com
We are closing in on submitting his Habeas Corpus ( A writ issued to bring a person before a court or judge in order to release that person from unlawful restraint or detention.) By the end of the summer this document will show the justice system what an injustice has occurred. That said, we need additional financial help to get the resources in place to make sure the Habeas Corpus does not fall on deaf ears.
Your donations will go towards 4 expert witnesses who will illuminate Eric’s innocence for the court to plainly see during our next and final hearing of the case. It is our hope these experts will be exactly what the court needs to set Eric free!
Eric has no money (he makes 30 cents an hour in prison!). My family has exhausted our finances to support Eric. We are reaching out to 100+ emails on this list, plus the 5000+ friends within his Facebook group who have written in support of his innocence to help Eric.
None of your support will go to waste! Let’s unite to get this wonderful kid out of prison!
Please email or call if you have any questions.”
Let’s help Eric Frimpong keep the faith!
Peace and Love,
Rachel Araya
Comments on: "The Eric Frimpong Story" (7)
AAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh Luv this shizzle. This is what I’m talking aobut. Advocacy. Do your thang my sister. Put us all to shame. Great work Rachel. Informative, intuitive, current and provacative. Nice work. What else can be said about this. You’re well on your way.
~DDuncan
Very nice Rachel. The Lord had me send that to you for a reason.
Thank You Rachel for this informative piece. I was not aware of this young man’s troubles. What is ironic is that I just watched the movie “Obsessed” last nite on DVD. It really makes me realize how we are put in tough situations on a daily basis. Some of which could become a mistake that takes a lfetime to correct..
HEY SIS, I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU TO WRITE AND RESEARCH SOMETHING HARD TO ALL OF US LIKE RAPE! YOU DID THIS ARTICLE JUSTICE AND YOU HAVE MADE ME VERY PROUD OF YOU. YOU HAD TO OPEN YOUR MIND, BODY, AND SOUL TO BE ABLE TO WRITE THE FACTS AND NOT YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS! WELL DONE, AND I KNOW, SAY IT AGAIN, I KNOW THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OPENED MINDED TO THE POSSIBLE OF DISPUTING A RAPE VICTIM, BUT I AM WELL AWARE THAT WHAT IS FACT TO SOME PEOPLE IN A DISTRAUGHT MOMENT, MY ACTUALLY BE FICTION, BECAUSE AS A WISE DOCTOR ONCE SAID, YOUR BRAIN TAKES OVER TO HELP THE PERSON IN A STRESSFUL SITUATION DEAL OR COPE WITH THE ORDEAL, SO THAT PERSON CAN LIVE A LIFE, JUST LOOK AT SYBIL———LOVE THIS PEACE AND LOVE YOU! GREAT JOB!
TO THE POSSIBILTY OF DIPUTING A RAPE VICTIM—SORRY BRAIN THINKING FASTER THAN MY TYPING SKILLS!
Cousin Rachel, I am deeply touched by the story you wrote. The pain and suffering that anyone feels who is unjustly accused of a crime he or she didn’t commit is terrible. Serving time for an unjust accusation is horrific! Black men in America are constantly under attack. This is just another reminder for all Black Men to wake-up, identify with their true heritage, and focus on community and how to best serve it. Young people need to read and embrace this story.
I guess this is what is called American Justice. Free Eric Frimpong.