By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 26th 2010 7:34AM
Filed under: News, Politics
A teen was
kicked off a jury this week for wearing a
Kanye West T-shirt that the judge found to be derogatory. On the shirt were the words: "Who the f*ck is Kanye West?" The person wearing the shirt, 19-year-old
Nneka Eneorj, was called out by the judge for her outfit.
"Do you think it's appropriate to wear a shirt that says f--- on it in my courtroom?" the judge asked Eneorj, who protested that she had a sweater on, partially covering the words on the shirt.
"Sounds like a personal problem," she said to the judge, as she left the courtroom. "It's supposed to be a First Amendment issue," Eneorj said. "But ..I don't open my mouth. They'd better give me my check back," she said, referring to her $40 payment for jury duty.
I put this story under the "things my teenage daughters might do" category. Teens are antisocial by definition, possessing a naturally rebellious spirit that makes older people wonder what is wrong with them. What we have to also remember, though, is that the energetic idealism of youth is what inspires movements and gets all of us to push a little bit harder to be what we have always aspired to be.
Notice that the young woman cited freedom of speech in her argument with the judge. The truth is that she's right. Unless one can seriously explain why having the word "f--k" on a shirt is against the law, then she should have been allowed to wear it. There may be some covenant of decency in the courtroom, though, of which I am not aware, so in that case, perhaps the judge was justified.
All in all, this father-daughter fight happens in living rooms across America, including my own. It's part of what makes the world go round.
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16-June-10 - I know I'm supposed to be all outraged about the Seattle cop punching the teen in her face because I'm black and stuff like that, HOWEVER, I don't know whether it's because I'm a jaded '80s baby tired of young people's lack of respect for authority or I'm just insensitive, but I think the girls in this video absolutely deserve what they got.
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16-June-10 - I know I'm supposed to be all outraged about the Seattle cop punching the teen in her face because I'm black and stuff like that, HOWEVER, I don't know whether it's because I'm a jaded '80s baby tired of young people's lack of respect for authority or I'm just insensitive, but I think the girls in this video absolutely deserve what they got.
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15-June-10 - Jarretta Hamilton is angry and unemployed. The 39-year-old teacher was fired last April because she had sex before marriage and wound up pregnant. Now she has broken her silence and has gone public.
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12-June-10 - I am not quite sure what to make of the ruffled YouTube video that is now scouring the web out of Paterson, New Jersey, where an officer inexplicably grabs a man, turns him around and puts pepper spray in to his eyes twice.
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11-June-10 - Indianapolis Police Chief Paul Ciesielski called for the firing of a white officer who's been charged with repeatedly striking a 15-year-old biracial boy in the face during an arrest. The attacks allegedly occurred after the boy had been subdued by other officers.
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09-June-10 - Gary Coleman's ex-wife, Shannon Price, is up to her post-hubby's-death antics again. As if masterminding the sale of Coleman's pre- and- post-death photos wasn't enough, now the merry widow has managed to get in to Coleman's home and take practically everything that wasn't bolted down!
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09-June-10 - Todd Bridges, who co-starred with Gary Coleman on the popular sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes,"is livid about both Globe Magazine's and Shannon Price's involvement in Coleman's death photos.
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08-June-10 - Desiree Rogers, the former White House social secretary who "left" to seek greener pastures after a major security faux paux occurred under her watch, was recently hired by Johnson Publishing Co., the owners of Jet and Ebony magazines, as a consultant.
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08-June-10 - A law firm recently put property on the market, stating that the land was for sale to "whites only."
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07-June-10 - A Seattle writer is angry beyond words, because late last month his 8-year-old child was removed from her honors elementary school class. No, the child did not misbehave. Instead, the little girl was guilty of using a hair moisturizer that allegedly annoyed her Caucasian teacher.
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04-June-10 - Alejandra, Jermaine Jackson's ex-wife, is taking her ex-mother-in-law, Katherine, to court to demand financial security for herself and her children.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
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Comments: (105)
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By: Little Dickie Dydoe on 6/25/2010 2:38PM
This woman is a disgrace to the human race. It would appear that she doesn't know the difference between a Courthouse and a Crackhouse.
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By: bigdaddy on 6/25/2010 9:22PM
That was a little harsh. The girl was just young and dumb. Haven't you ever been young?
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By: Sheryl on 6/26/2010 11:01AM
I work in a Gov't bldg, and we would have asked her to leave too. It's a shirt w/ profanity on it, she should have known better.
Now... since the judge knows her name, she will probably face some backlash, if she tries to get a job, apply for scholarships, or apply for school.
STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
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By: tiya99 on 6/26/2010 1:33PM
that was stupid what you said she is just a teenager which they ask HER to be in jury dury.it sound like 2 me you are judging her of her apperence.how would you know she hang around crackhouses and dope boys?She aint the only teen that wear shirts like that.if you saw a teenager who weared a shirt like that just walking you wouldnt go up to her and say do you live in a crack house you can end up in jail.if you were her you wouldnt know you couldnt were a shirt like that.
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By: leonardjohnson on 6/26/2010 1:37PM
Hey big daddy we have all been that youn but not quite that d*m dumb. A few of us were taught respect.
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By: idiotsc on 6/26/2010 2:41PM
Yeah lets worry about the f word instead of the real criminal whos being trialed ro a crime. yeah cusing its bad, you know how stupid we are to embrace words and give them this much power, i could see if you threatend somebody but damn we just love for ppl to get in trouble for the dumbest things. ITS A WORD, all the curse words are. and if their so bad then they shouldnt have even been made in the first place. its stupid to worry about these types of things.
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By: mswll4 on 6/26/2010 3:13PM
The judge was right, plus he probably knows that KANYE WEST IS A COMMUNIST. Plus i wonder if she wore that shirt to school.
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By: LINDA on 6/26/2010 8:37PM
HEY YOU ARE A LIL BIT TO HARD ON THAT YOUNG LADY SHE IS ONLY 19.PEOPLE MAKE'S MISTAKE'S AND YOURE COMMENT IS A DISCRASE
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By: selfish people on 6/26/2010 9:46PM
Who wants to walk around with a derogatory word on their body whether it is a T-shirt, tattoo, credit report? LOL
Obviously, self respect is not a priority for some people who are careless with their appearance and behavior.
Furthermore the statement on the tee was not important.
Rev 21:8 talks about 'the abominable' and 'liars' shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
The reason I referenced 'lie' is because she knows who is kanye west.
Bizarre and unconscionable situation
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By: davk on 6/27/2010 12:58AM
Hmmmmmmm, judging by her name sounds like perhaps her parents are African. Maybe she didn't know any better. The judge was right by telling her to leave his court because even if she isn't a born American she still she have more respect for the courts.
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