By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Sep 30th 2010 5:14AM
Filed under: News, Race and Civil Rights
Bethany Storro (pictured) made national news when she claimed she was the victim of a random attack. Storro told police that an
African American woman walked up to her and threw acid in her face. Storro received the sympathy (and financial contributions) of people all around the world. Even
Oprah cleared a slot for her on her show.
It turned out that Storro was lying, making herself the latest in a long list of people who've falsely claimed to have been attacked by a black person. Her face is now blotched and red, where police say she allegedly put acid on to her own face, perhaps in a quest for attention. The story is quite sad, actually.
Wednesday, when Storro came to court, the judge ordered her to a mental-health facility, where she will stay until she is ready to stand trial. The 28-year-old woman has confessed that she made up the entire story. She also says that she threw the drain cleaner in her own face to either commit suicide or change her appearance.
Storro's trial is scheduled for Dec. 20. She spent $1,500 of the donation money, for which she is going to be held legally liable. All of the accounts containing the money have been frozen.
The case of Bethany Storro is not only bizarre, it's worthy of outrage. Law-abiding
African Americans across the country are being consistently portrayed as criminals by the media, police officers and malicious citizens who want to
divert attention away from their own unethical behavior.
Even though there are millions of Americans who understand that black people are not the default criminals of our society, the media may want to reconsider the images it portrays. These images have a very real effect on how others view black people, and they also play a role in black people being targeted for penitentiaries. The media also affects how we see each other.
On the other end of things, I feel a little bad for Bethany Storro. Any woman troubled enough to put acid on her own face is in need of serious psychological help. Her face looks terrible, and that's the face she has to look at every morning in the mirror. I can't help but think about the fact that no matter how bad her face looks, it doesn't come close to matching the pain that must be in the depths of her heart and psyche. This woman needs many years of counseling.
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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's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
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Comments: (38)
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By: ooo-b-doo on 9/30/2010 8:04AM
She's needs to be committed and watch 24-7 for a very long time.
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By: bob on 9/30/2010 8:35AM
The african americans in the media in a negitive way are not law abiding, far from it and you know it. There is also a list of blacks that blame whites for crimes they did not commit. The difference is if this were a Black women who claimed acid was thrown in her face by a white women the media would be all over it. You,sharpton,jackson, and all the race hustlers would march and riot. Then after the lifes of the white people are ruined there is no apology or remorse. That my racist friend is the difference!
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By: djkut on 9/30/2010 9:43AM
@ Bob typical as a white person always blaming and spinning and trying to throw a mental block on every sistuation whites have done and still do and claiming they are Holy people. So whites did not commited murders, burnings, rape, stole, lie and hung a certain race from trees and mentally try to keep Black people down during slavery huh ? According to you ! History and fact from back then to now show all of us clearly that whites, not all whites, but majority of them are no good people.
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By: David on 9/30/2010 10:32AM
The only race hustler in here is you
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By: bob on 9/30/2010 12:00PM
djkut you are the spinner! Stop with the slavery stuff you were never a slave and you don't know anybody that was a slave. That is just an excuse for lazyness and weakness on your part. Your own bros in africa still own slaves. My ansestors were not even here at that time and were also enslaved at one time but unlike you I don't use as a crutch. Black were not the only ones hung whites hispanics,indians,and asains were also hung, of course black are the only ones that complain about the criminals of their race getting hung, just as today they complain when the break the law and are prosecuted. Just as you should not be treated badly for you race you should not be treated better as well. Well this woman put acid on her face (she looks more hispanic than white) twana brawly whiped dog feces all over her self bill cosby and a lot of black famous people came to her defense they also sent her to college. I guess it would be ok if some famous people like mel gibson sent this women to college right?
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By: djkut on 9/30/2010 1:14PM
@ Bob don't try to go around with me on History cause if your really knew some history you know African own slaves just as American enslaves us here with all people. We work all our lives to pay the govt. , but we go home to our families. That how the debt was repaid and how africans did slavery. They did not come over taking families away and then torturing,kill, lie, steal and raped like whites did. The more you bring up Twana Bradley I can bring up James Byrd, The Noose incidents in this country, Rodeny King, Jena 6, Civil Rights era, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King. I can make a list from what whites did and you can even come up with Black on Black crime and still wont have enough incidents proving that Blacks do not kill over skin color majority of WHITES DO and they have an issue with SKIN COLOR Period. You care to debate that ??? I will be waiting
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By: L.T. on 9/30/2010 4:45PM
@Bob. What in the world are you babbling about. Your comment makes no sense whatsoever. GET A GRIP and go and take your meds.
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By: shaniqua on 10/01/2010 12:13AM
Bob you sound like a whiney fruitcake!
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By: bob on 10/01/2010 8:29AM
djkut You are easy! Why don't you look at the present day in africa. Tell me whats going on? They are raping,stealing,taking slaves (taking familys away) Did you know Mr history that oneof the first man in america to own a black slave was black? In america more whites are the victims of rape murder and robbery by blacks rather than the reverse. This is outragious considering that blacks are only about 13% of the us population. Do you dispute this fact? Shinquia,lt and all youother whining,racist,no job,blaming,excusemaking,lazy,ignorant,can't mind your own business losers. Yall don't even know this women all freaking out over a phantom black women proves my point that you all chimp out when a black person real or not gets blamed for something by a white person when its none of you fuc.. business!
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By: searchfortruth on 10/01/2010 8:57AM
I'm not going to reply to Bob because he is a lost cause. I am making my comment to all others. When you have a white racist like Bob red neck there is no way to get through to him. Don't waste you time. He is ignorant and obviously wants to get you angry. Don't let him. The majority of white people don't think like him. But the ones that do are usually uneducated and are so unhappy that they spend a lot of there time doing what Bob is doing. Seeing what black people are doing and trying to stir up evil thoughts. Ignoring him is the best revenge.
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