Tawana Brawley rape allegations

Tawana Brawley rape allegations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tawana Brawley at a press conference in 1987.

Tawana Brawley (born 1972) is an African American woman from Wappingers Falls, New York. In 1987, at the age of 15, she received national media attention in the US for accusing six white men of rape, some of whom were police officers. The accusations soon earned her notoriety, which was inflamed by Brawley's advisers Reverend Al Sharpton and attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason, public officials, and intense media attention. After hearing evidence, a grand jury concluded in October 1988 that Brawley had not been the victim of a forcible sexual assault and that she herself may have created the appearance of an attack. The New York prosecutor whom Brawley accused as one of her alleged assailants successfully sued Brawley and her three advisers for defamation.

Brawley initially received considerable support from the African-American community. Some scholars suggested that Brawley was victimized by biased reporting that adhered to racial stereotypes. The mainstream media's coverage drew heated criticism from the African-American press and leaders for its treatment of the teenager. The outcome of the grand jury decreased support for Brawley and her advisers. Brawley's family has maintained that the allegations were true.

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