79-531: Tawana Vicenia Brawley (born December 15, 1971) is an African American woman from New York who gained notoriety in November 1987 at age 15 when she falsely accused four white men of kidnapping and raping her over a four-day period. On November 28, 1987, Brawley was found in a trash bag after having been missing for four days from her home in Wappingers Falls , New York. She had racial slurs written on her body and
158-483: A 20th-anniversary feature for the New York Daily News , contended the attack happened. "How could we make this up and take down the state of New York? We're just regular people," Glenda Brawley said. They said they had asked New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Governor Eliot Spitzer to reopen the case. They also said that Brawley would speak at any legal proceedings. As of 2013, Brawley works as
237-585: A Black girl's claim of sexual victimization . In the 1980s New York City's media landscape was significantly influenced by racial tensions, shaping the coverage and response of major news outlets, notably The New York Times , and law enforcement to racially charged incidents. The Tawana Brawley case stands as a pivotal example of how racial dynamics influenced media reporting and public perception. Initially, The New York Times , among other national media, hesitated to extensively cover Brawley's allegations of racial and sexual assault due to uncertainties surrounding
316-529: A child appears to have been sexually molested, then the Child Protective Services Agency is supposed to take jurisdiction and custody of that child. Now, Tawana Brawley was 15 at the time of the incident. If that had been done... early on, the agency would have given her psychiatric attention and preserved evidence of rape... Sharpton's former aide, Perry McKinnon, said that Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason were unconcerned with Brawley, and were using
395-549: A church was built at the corner of West Main and Church Streets. In the spring of 1868, with the idea of merging the Wappingers Falls and Middlebush congregations, land was purchased from the estate of Margaret Reese. The old Middlebush church was taken down and the materials used to construct a barn on the new church property on Mesier Avenue. The church was known as the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1939 when
474-711: A garbage bag." The case highlighted mistrust of legal institutions within the black community. Legal scholar Patricia J. Williams wrote in 1991 that the teenager "has been the victim of some unspeakable crime. No matter how she got there. No matter who did it to her—and even if she did it to herself." These comments aroused controversy as well; Daniel A. Farber and Suzanna Sherry responded to Williams in their book Beyond All Reason: The Radical Assault on Truth in American Law , writing "The radical multiculturalists seem unable or unwilling to differentiate between Brawley's fantasized rape and another woman's real one. Indifference to
553-580: A general strategy of discouraging Brawley and her family from testifying, which they justified by claiming that an unjust refusal by the state to prosecute the alleged attackers was inevitable. Their inflammatory rhetoric and tactics, such as conditioning interviews with investigators on Cuomo, Abrams and Ryan undergoing psychological evaluations, were viewed by many as flippant and inappropriate. Sharpton, in particular, drew criticism for comparing requests to meet with Abrams, known for his strong record on civil rights, to "asking someone who watched someone killed in
632-430: A history of violence that included stabbing his first wife 14 times, which later escalated into him shooting and killing her. There was considerable evidence that King could and would violently attack Brawley: when Brawley had been arrested on a shoplifting charge the previous May, King attempted to beat her for the offense while at the police station. Witnesses also described King as having talked about his stepdaughter in
711-541: A large local printing works, shortly after the plant was built in 1848. It remained in company ownership until the company failed in the 20th century. In 1984 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Police Station is located at the corner of South Avenue (NY 9D) and East Main Street. It was originally built in 1940 as the village's new post office, a WPA project. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took
790-471: A later interview, Pagones said the turmoil caused by the accusations of Brawley and her advisers had cost him his first marriage and much personal grief. Pagones also sued Brawley. She defaulted by not appearing at the trial, and the judge ordered her to pay Pagones damages of $ 185,000. The $ 65,000 judgment levied against Al Sharpton was paid for him in 2001 by supporters, including attorney Johnnie Cochran and businessman Earl G. Graves, Jr. In December 2012,
869-426: A local party during the time of her supposed abduction. One witness claimed to have observed Brawley's climbing into the garbage bag. The feces on her body were identified as coming from her neighbor's dog. Brawley never testified, despite a subpoena ordering her to do so. On June 6, 1988, Tawana's mother, Glenda Brawley, was sentenced to 30 days in prison, and fined $ 250 for contempt of court for refusing to testify at
SECTION 10
#1732851290512948-424: A merchant from New York City. In May 1777, soldiers and local residents attacked Peter Mesier's house in Wappingers Falls, disputing the price of tea for sale in a small store inside his home. Mesier was a merchant from New York City and a Loyalist . The angry mob struck Mesier, beat his slaves, and drank wine stored in the cellar. They also took the tea and left a small amount of money behind. The local waterfall
1027-736: A nurse in rural Virginia , under a new name. Influenced by her interactions with Louis Farrakhan (who supported her claims), Brawley converted to Islam during the trial, and according to the Daily News she remains an active member of the Nation of Islam . Michael Hardy, who served as Sharpton's defense lawyer in Pagones' defamation case against him, would in 1991 become a prominent founder of Sharpton's organization National Action Network , where he served as Executive Vice President and later also General Counsel. Several sources including articles and books discuss
1106-579: A personal interest in the project, as he had with other new post offices in Dutchess County. He wanted it to be built of fieldstone in the style of many Dutch colonial houses in the area, and chose the Brewer-Mesier House in the village as the model for its design. The old post office contains two Treasury Section of Fine Arts murals by Henry Billings . The paintings show two views of the town's waterfall at different points in time, one from 1780 and
1185-470: A public park since ca. 1891, and hosts many annual events that focus around the bandstand and tree-lined paths of the park. In 1984 the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Dutchess Company Superintendent's House is located on Market Street in the western corner of the village. It is a large brick residence that was built as housing for the manager of the Dutchess Company,
1264-475: A racist and a white supremacist . Based on Crist's suicide note , The New York Times reported that he killed himself because his girlfriend ended their relationship shortly before his death, and because he was upset that he was unable to become a state trooper . The mainstream media's coverage drew heated criticism from the African American press and leaders for its treatment of the teenager. They cited
1343-774: A school which closed in 2019. Mount Alvernia Retreat Center sits on 204 acres overlooking the Hudson Valley and is run by the Franciscan Friars of the New York Province of the Immaculate Conception. It was built in 1950 and until 1967 served as a seminary to train Franciscan friars for the Roman Catholic priesthood. Its chapel offers daily Mass while the former seminary building hosts retreats and other events. On
1422-434: A sexualizing manner. On the day of her alleged disappearance, Brawley had skipped school to visit her boyfriend, Todd Buxton, who was serving a six-month jail sentence. When Buxton's mother (with whom she had visited Buxton in jail) urged her to get home before she got in trouble, Brawley told her, "I'm already in trouble." She described how angry King was over a previous incident of her staying out late. Neighbors also told
1501-429: A time of heightened racial awareness. False claims of sexual violence are rare. In most cases, news media still blame victims with and without evidence. And childhood abuse, a 15-year-old is a minor according to New York State's age of majority, often goes underreported and thereby may be underinvestigated by those who report it in the media. It was only in the 1970s that adult survivors began reporting child sexual abuse to
1580-504: A total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km ), of which 1.1 square miles (2.9 km ) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km ), or 6.45%, is water. Wappinger Creek flows through the village. The Wappingers Falls post office serves both the village of Wappingers Falls and the town of Wappinger (as well as portions of Fishkill , East Fishkill , Poughkeepsie and LaGrange ) under the ZIP code "Wappingers Falls, NY 12590". US 9 passes through
1659-428: A victim held for several days in the woods at a time when the temperature dropped below freezing at night. The initial public response to Brawley's story was mostly sympathetic. Bill Cosby offered a $ 25,000 reward for information on the case, while Don King pledged $ 100,000 toward Brawley's education. In December 1987, more than one thousand people, including Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan , marched through
SECTION 20
#17328512905121738-463: A wooded area by six white men, at least one of whom, she said, was a police officer. A sexual assault kit was administered, and police began building a case. Brawley provided no names or descriptions of her assailants. She later told others that there had been no rape, only other kinds of sexual abuse. Forensic tests found no evidence of sexual assault or sexual intercourse. There was no evidence of exposure to elements, which would have been expected in
1817-462: The New York Post reported that Maddox had paid his judgment of $ 97,000 and Mason was making payments on the $ 188,000 which he owed. Brawley reportedly had not made any payments. The following month a court ordered her wages garnished to pay Pagones. In a 1997 appearance Brawley maintained she did not invent the story; she still had supporters. In November 2007, Brawley's stepfather and mother, in
1896-835: The Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, with supporters of the Treaty forming the nucleus of the National Army of the newly created Irish Free State , while the anti-treaty forces continued to use the name Irish Republican Army . After the end of the Irish Civil War (1922–23), the IRA was around in one form or another for forty years, when it split into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA in 1969. The latter then had its own breakaways, namely
1975-555: The Irish War of Independence . In Irish law, this IRA was the army of the revolutionary Irish Republic as declared by its parliament, Dáil Éireann , in 1919. In the century that followed, the original IRA was reorganized, changed and split on multiple occasions, to such a degree that many subsequent paramilitary organisations have been known by that title – most notably the Provisional Irish Republican Army , which
2054-485: The African American community. Some academics have suggested that Brawley was victimized by biased reporting that was influenced by racial stereotypes. The mainstream media 's coverage drew heated criticism from the African American press , and from many black leaders who believed the teenager and her story. The grand jury's conclusions decreased support for Brawley and her advisers; Brawley's family have maintained that
2133-584: The Dutchess Bleachery. The plant, which at times employed as many as 1,150 people, stopped printing calico but continued as a bleachery and dye works. On June 3, 2017, downtown Wappingers Falls had a devastating structure fire that left more than 30 people displaced and six businesses temporarily closed. No one was injured during the fire, which spread through a strip of buildings in the East Main Street corridor on Saturday afternoon. That portion of
2212-481: The Fulton Street property was sold and the present brick structure on South Avenue erected. The new church was dedicated July 23, 1872. The church lasted for just over 150 years before it closed, holding its final service on January 13, 2023. The first Methodist Episcopal Church in the area of Wappingers Falls was started by noted circuit riding preacher Freeborn Garrettson in 1788. By 1824, services were held in
2291-555: The Grand Jury in Brawley's case, following allegations of a hoax, sparked a debate on the newsworthiness of racial victimization narratives, revealing underlying tensions between white guilt and black journalistic loyalty. This period underscored the complex interplay between race, media coverage, and the response (or lack thereof) of institutions, highlighting the challenges of navigating racial politics in journalism and law enforcement during
2370-437: The allegations against Pagones were false and had no basis in fact. Before issuing the report, the grand jury heard from 180 witnesses, saw 250 exhibits, and recorded more than 6,000 pages of testimony. In the decision, the grand jury noted many problems with Brawley's story. Among these were that the rape kit results did not indicate sexual assault. Additionally, despite saying she had been held captive outdoors for days, Brawley
2449-491: The allegations were true. On November 28, 1987, Tawana Brawley, who had been missing for four days from her home in Wappingers Falls , New York, was found seemingly unconscious and unresponsive, lying in a garbage bag several feet from an apartment where she had once lived. Her clothing was torn and burned, her body smeared with feces. She was taken to the emergency room, where the words "Pimp-Nigger" and " KKK " were discovered written on her torso with charcoal. A detective from
Tawana Brawley rape allegations - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-632: The belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic free from British colonial rule. The original Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) , often now referred to as the "old IRA", was raised in 1917 from members of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army later reinforced by Irishmen formerly in the British Army in World War I , who returned to Ireland to fight against Britain in
2607-452: The case to "tak[e] over the town," as he had heard Sharpton say that the case could make him and Brawley's other two advisers "the biggest niggers in New York." In June 1988, at the height of the controversy surrounding the case, a poll showed a gap of 34 percentage points between blacks (51%) and whites (85%) on the question of whether Brawley was lying. Faced with an uncooperative Brawley, who
2686-573: The case to national prominence. 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 may have created the appearance of such an attack herself. Steven Pagones, the Greek American New York prosecutor whom Brawley had accused as being one of her assailants, later successfully sued Brawley and her three advisers for defamation . Brawley received support from
2765-721: The church in Wappingers, but often found time to row across the Hudson to conduct services in Marlboro . The church's most notable pastor was Henry Yates Satterlee , assistant rector 1865-75 and senior rector 1875–83, who was elected the first bishop of the Washington Diocese in 1896 and there established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral . The Franklindale Baptist Church
2844-619: The creek. The Bain Commercial Building is located at the corner of Church and West Main (NY 9D) streets. The Bain family is believed to have built the building in 1875, shortly after Channingville became part of the village. It was both their residence and their place of business. It is a late 19th-century brick building that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Wappingers Falls Historic District includes downtown, several adjacent residential neighborhoods, and Mesier Park & Homestead. Mesier Park has been
2923-405: The creek. By 1836, Ednam had about thirty dwellings and a cotton factory with 2,400 spindles and 90 looms, making 500,000 yards of cloth per annum. J.J. O'Riley's North American Hotel and Eagan's Opera House (built in 1876 by John Eagan, with a seating capacity for five hundred people) were located here. The village's first post office was established here in 1840. The post office bore the name of
3002-512: The distinction between fact and fiction minimizes real suffering by implying that it is no worse than imagined or self-inflicted suffering." Reviewing Spike Lee 's film Do the Right Thing , cultural critic Stanley Crouch wrote negatively of "men like Vernon Mason who sold out a good reputation in a cynical bid for political power by pimping real victims of racism in order to smoke-screen Tawana Brawley's lies." On May 21, 1990, Alton H. Maddox
3081-481: The events and the complexities of racial politics highlighted by their prior challenges in reporting the racial attacks during the Howard Beach incident . This cautious approach reflected a broader trend of media outlets adopting a reactive stance towards racial issues, often waiting for civil rights activists or political figures to label events as significant before reporting them. The eventual shift in coverage of
3160-553: The falls. In December 1833, Matthew Mesier gave a small tract of land between the burial ground and the turnpike (now Main Street) in front of what was then Mr. Givens' place. One month later plans were made to construct a church. The stone for the church came from the property of Benjamin Clapp, much of which he hauled himself. Zion Protestant Episcopal Church was dedicated by Bishop Onderdonk on May 6, 1836. Mr. Andrews served as pastor, not only to
3239-553: The gas chamber to sit down with Mr. Hitler ." When Roger L. Green , an influential Black member of the New York State Assembly , spoke out against language he perceived as unhelpful and needlessly divisive, Sharpton responded by calling him "a state-sponsored Uncle Tom." On October 6, 1988, the grand jury released its 170-page report that concluded Brawley had not been abducted, assaulted, raped, or sodomized , as Brawley and her advisers said. The report further concluded that
Tawana Brawley rape allegations - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-660: The grand jury hearing. She evaded arrest by hiding in churches, with the police failing to arrest her, arguing it would lead to violence. The Brawley family then fled New York state, travelling around the country for several months before settling in Virginia Beach . Much of the grand jury evidence pointed to a possible motive for Brawley's falsifying the incident: trying to avoid violent punishment from her mother and particularly her stepfather, Ralph King. Witnesses testified that Glenda Brawley had previously beaten her daughter for running away, and for spending nights with boys. King had
3397-471: The grand jury that in February they overheard Glenda Brawley saying to King, "You shouldn't have took the money because after it all comes out, they're going to find out the truth." Another neighbor heard Mrs. Brawley say, "They know we're lying, and they're going to find out and come and get us." In April 1989, New York Newsday published claims by a boyfriend of Brawley, Daryl Rodriguez, that she had told him
3476-463: The hillside opposite the mill are lined with frame houses, mostly duplexes, built by the mill for its workers. The two halves of the village are connected by an 1884 stone arch bridge that replaced earlier wooden structures. The village of Wappingers Falls was incorporated in 1871 and included the adjacent community on the west side of the Wappinger Creek, by then called Channingville. The east side
3555-615: The home of Joseph C. Smith at Middlebush , before moving to a schoolhouse. In 1827, the Methodist Society purchased the former Baptist meeting house, also at Middlebush. In 1841 it became part of the Johnsville circuit. John Given donated land in the then village of Ednam, at the falls west of the Wappingers Creek. Ednamville was established as a mission church served by preachers who rode circuit to Middlebush and New Hamburg. In 1845,
3634-596: The larger New York – Newark – Bridgeport , NY- NJ - CT - PA Combined Statistical Area . County Players Falls Theatre, a volunteer, non-profit community theatre is located on West Main Street in the village, in the former Academy Theatre building. TV stations (with antenna pointed south) WCBS-TV -2, WNBC-TV -4, WNYW-TV -5, WABC-TV -7, WWOR-TV -9, WPIX-TV -11, WNET -13 TV stations, with antenna pointed north to Albany, include WRGB-TV -6, WTEN-TV -10, WMHT-TV -17 and WCWN -45. These stations are also delivered by cablevision. St. Mary Elementary School
3713-470: The leaking and publication of photos taken of her at the hospital, and the revelation of her name despite her being underage. In addition, critics were concerned that Brawley had been left in the custody of her mother, stepfather, and advisers, rather than being given protection by the state. In an opinion piece in The New York Times , Martha Miles and Richard L. Madden wrote: State law provides that if
3792-736: The name was changed to The Methodist Church. In 1968, it was changed to the United Methodist Church. In 1974, with the merger with the New Hamburg Methodist Church it became known as The United Methodist Church of Wappingers. In early 2020 the church merged with the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church and the building was sold. Roman Catholics of what is now Wappingers Falls were cared for by priests from St. Peter's Church in Poughkeepsie until 1845 when
3871-597: The nearest Episcopal church, but felt the need for a church less distant for the farmers of the area and their families. In 1833, the Reverend Doctor George B. Andrews moved to a farm, "Highmount", between Hughsonville and New Hamburg . On July 14 of that year he conducted the first official service of the Episcopal Church somewhere on the north side of Wappingers Creek. He continued to be driven up from his farm with his family and servants to spend Sundays near
3950-556: The other from 1880, facing each other from opposite ends of the small building. Zion Episcopal Church began in 1820 under the shade of an apple tree when Joanna Mesier, wife of Matthew Mesier, began a Sunday school . There were only seven or eight families living in the area at the time. The class was subsequently moved to a corn barn near the Mesier homestead where the village flagpole now stands. The Mesiers attended Trinity Church in Fishkill ,
4029-402: The parish was founded to serve southern Dutchess County. In 1850, the first pastor took up residence. Masses were offered in local homes until a church was constructed on Clinton Street. The current church building was consecrated in 1879, although the interior has been renovated a number of times, the last being in the early 2000's. The parish also has a cemetery which is still in operation and
SECTION 50
#17328512905124108-742: The property of the Retreat Center is the Monastery of St. Clare built in 2004 for the Poor Clares , Franciscan nuns who moved to Wappingers Falls from Throgs Neck in the Bronx. Wappingers Falls is situated at the head of navigation on Wappinger Creek , about 2 miles (3 km) above (northeast of) its confluence with the Hudson River . According to the United States Census Bureau , the village has
4187-595: The public. The Brawley incident took place near the end of the 1980s. When Black girls and women report being victims of gender-based violence , sexual assault , or family violence , they often are not believed creating a condition of silence by other alleged and real victims, which makes Sharpton's publicizing of the Brawley case all the more tragic for true victims. These are consequences that befall underage victims of assault and violence as well as members of social institutions like journalists at major news outlets or public police forces. All are shaped as individuals by
4266-476: The purchase of the house across Prospect Street, which had belonged to Dr. Kerrigan. Referred to as "Bethel Annex", the 1830s building provided space for the church school and events. In the mid-2000s, the Kerrigan House was sold and transported across South Avenue to be replaced by a new church building. The Presbyterian Church at Wappingers Falls owed it existence to Mrs. John Fisher Sheafe, whose country seat
4345-422: The racial aspects of media coverage when the case emerged. "With so many miserable precursors, the case instantly activated [New York] city's black rage, white guilt , and media pursuit." According to one source, the television station WCBS uncovered Al Sharpton's deceits while Black journalists practiced racial loyalty. Brawley's case marked a remarkably singular case of spectacularized news coverage centered on
4424-476: The sensationalization of racial tensions, the racialization of Black female victims or the police in cases where sexual exploitation and racial/sexual oppression are plausible. Wappingers Falls, New York Wappingers Falls is a village in the towns of Poughkeepsie and Wappinger , in Dutchess County , New York , United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,522. The community
4503-534: The sheriff's juvenile aid bureau, among others, was summoned to interview Brawley, but she remained unresponsive. The family requested a black officer, which the police department was able to provide. Brawley, described as having an "extremely spacey" look on her face, communicated with this officer with nods of the head, shrugs of the shoulder, and written notes. The interview lasted 20 minutes, during which she uttered only one word: "neon". Through gestures and writing, however, she indicated she had been raped repeatedly in
4582-601: The state. The Wappinger were an Algonquian-speaking confederacy of Native Americans whose territory in the 17th century extended along the eastern bank of the Hudson River . Primarily based in what is now Dutchess County, their territory was bordered by Manhattan Island to the south, the Mahican territory bounded by the Roeliff Jansen Kill to the north, and extended east into parts of Connecticut . Wappinger means "easterner" in most Algonquian languages . The area
4661-458: The story was fabricated, with help from her mother, to avert the wrath of her stepfather. Writing about the case in a 2004 book on perceptions of racial violence, sociologist Jonathan Markovitz concluded that "it is reasonable to suggest that Brawley's fear and the kinds of suffering that she must have gone through must have been truly staggering if they were enough to force her to resort to cutting her hair, covering herself in feces, and crawling into
4740-459: The streets of Newburgh, New York , in support of Brawley. Brawley's claims in the case captured headlines across the country. Public rallies were held denouncing the incident. When civil rights activist Al Sharpton , with attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason , began handling Brawley's publicity, the case quickly became highly controversial. Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason generated a national media sensation. The three said that officials all
4819-496: The village lying north of the creek, in the town of Poughkeepsie, was originally known as "Ednam". It later became known as Channingville (sometimes rendered "Chiningville"), which name is derived from the Channing family, who owned the farm on which it mostly lies. The first merchant in this part of the village was a cooper, John Crilley, from Ireland by way of Glenham. In 1842 he built the first brick building erected on either side of
SECTION 60
#17328512905124898-518: The village was $ 39,123, and the median income for a family was $ 50,000. Males had a median income of $ 38,147 versus $ 26,607 for females. The per capita income for the village was $ 20,491. About 10.4% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over. It is part of the Poughkeepsie – Newburgh – Middletown , NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as
4977-407: The village, as well as NY 9D . As of the 2010 census, the total population of the village was 5,522. The racial makeup of the village was 72.5% white, 7.4% African American, .03% Native American, 4.8% Asian , 10.2% from other races , and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.2% of the population. The median age was 35.5 years. The median income for a household in
5056-626: The village. The New Hamburg station on Metro-North Railroad 's Hudson Line serves Wappinger's Falls. Stewart International Airport is located just over the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge , and offers domestic and international flights. Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army ( IRA ) is a name used by various resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to anti-imperialism through Irish republicanism ,
5135-572: The way up to the state government were trying to cover up defendants in the case because they were white. They further suggested that the Ku Klux Klan, the Irish Republican Army , and the Mafia had conspired with the U.S. government in the alleged cover-up. Harry Crist Jr. became a suspect in the case because he committed suicide shortly after the period when Brawley was allegedly held captive and
5214-693: Was a Catholic K-8 school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in Wappingers Falls that opened in September 1893 and closed in June 2019. It had 118 students when it closed. The Village of Wappingers Falls is part of the Wappingers Central School District . Since the closing of St. Mary's Elementary School there are no schools within the village, although James S. Evans Elementary School and Wappingers Junior High School border
5293-473: Was a key participant during the Troubles in the north of Ireland. The contemporary IRA organisations each claim the sole right to the name, each insisting they are the original IRA's only legitimate descendant. The playwright and former IRA member Brendan Behan once said that the first issue on any Irish organisation's agenda was "the split". For the IRA, that has often been the case. The first split came after
5372-419: Was a part-time police officer in Fishkill, New York , which borders Brawley's hometown. Steven Pagones, an assistant district attorney in Dutchess County, New York , attempted to establish an alibi for Crist, stating that he had been with Crist during that period of time. Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason then said that Crist and Pagones were two of the rapists. They also accused Pagones, a Greek American , of being
5451-408: Was advised by Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason to not answer questions, New York governor Mario Cuomo eventually appointed the state's attorney general, Robert Abrams , as special prosecutor for the case. A grand jury was convened to hear evidence, with John M. Ryan , Abrams's assistant in charge of criminal prosecutions, delegated the responsibility of leading the investigation. Brawley's team employed
5530-420: Was awarded $ 345,000 through a lawsuit for defamation of character that he had brought against Sharpton, Maddox and Mason; Pagones initially sought $ 395 million. The jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one. The jury deadlocked on four of the 22 statements over which Pagones had sued, and it found eight statements to be non-defamatory. In
5609-507: Was covered in feces. The feces came from a collie owned by a resident of the building where Brawley was found. Brawley accused four white men of having raped her. The charges received national attention in part because of the appalling condition in which she had been left, her young age, and the professional status of the persons she accused of the crime (including police officers and a prosecuting attorney). Brawley's advisers— Al Sharpton , Alton H. Maddox , and C. Vernon Mason —helped in bringing
5688-460: Was important for early industrial development. In 1819 a small cotton mill was built in the hollow created by the creek as it descends from Wappinger Lake to drain into the Hudson River. By 1856 it had become one of the largest printworks in the country. A fire that year destroyed the original buildings completely, but they were immediately rebuilt and continued in operation until 1931. The streets on
5767-607: Was indefinitely suspended by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn after failing to appear before a disciplinary hearing to answer allegations regarding his conduct in the Brawley case. Vernon Mason was disbarred for 66 cases of misconduct in 1995; while the Brawley case was not specifically cited, Mason claimed that he was being punished for his role in promoting Brawley's accusations. In 1998 Pagones
5846-621: Was known as Franklindale. In 1885 the Franklindale Cotton Mill, which employed about 130 people, was destroyed by fire. During President Grover Cleveland ’s second administration, the Independent Comb Factory on the corner of Fulton and Prospect streets was forced to close. The repeal of the tariff made it impossible for the company to compete with German-made combs. In 1909, the Garner Print Works were sold and became
5925-458: Was named for the cascade in Wappinger Creek . The Wappingers Falls post office covers areas in the towns of Wappinger, Poughkeepsie, Fishkill , East Fishkill , and LaGrange . This can result in some confusion when residents of the outlying towns, who do not live in the village, give their address as "Wappingers Falls". Grinnell Library, located in the village, is the sixth-oldest library in
6004-543: Was near New Hamburg. She asked the Rev. John D. Wells, who was then preaching at Ellessdie Chapel, situated two miles north of New Hamburg on the river road, to see if there was a need for a church in Wappingers. This resulted in the organization of the Presbyterian Society in 1848, and the same year a church edifice and parsonage were built by Mrs. Sheafe on Fulton Street. During the pastorate of Rev. O.A. Kingsbury (1879-1883)
6083-439: Was not suffering from hypothermia , was well-nourished, and appeared to have brushed her teeth recently. Despite her clothing being charred, there were no burns on her body. Although a shoe she was wearing was cut through, Brawley had no injuries to her foot. The racial epithets written on her were upside down, which led to suspicion that Brawley herself had written the words. Testimony from her schoolmates indicated she had attended
6162-526: Was organized in 1838. Benjamin Clapp, former warden of Zion Episcopal, converted to the Baptist faith and donated land on the corner of Prospect Street and South Avenue. The church building was dedicated on December 5, 1847. In 1967 the Bethel Baptist community purchased Franklindale Baptist, which was dedicated as Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on October 15, 1967. In 1997 the need for additional space brought
6241-598: Was part of the Rombout Patent . In 1741, two Dutchmen, Nicholas and Adolphus Brewer, purchased 750 acres (300 ha) of land around the falls and built the first stone house in the village near the present Mill Street. In 1742, the Brewers built a mill on the east side of Wappinger Creek . Nicholas Brewer built the Mesier Homestead, which he sold in 1777 to Matthew VanBenschoten, who, in turn, sold it to Peter Mesier Sr. ,
#511488