Disrupting Carceral Narratives: Race, Rape, and the Archives

It may state two separate claims as one.

Compared with the local community, white elites in Honolulu, their Washington lobbyists, merchants, planters, and territorial officials had easy and reliable access to print media and increasingly used it to their advantage.

“Compared to the local community, white elites in Honolulu, their lobbyists in Washington, D.C., merchants, planters, and territorial officials had easy and reliable access to print media and, with increasing frequency, used this tool to their advantage.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The Central Park Five were indicted for and convicted of the violent assault and rape of Trisha Meili and spent between six and 13-plus years in prison before their eventual exoneration in 2002.

“Indicted for and convicted of the violent assault and rape of Trisha Meili, the Central Park jogger, these five teenagers would go on to spend between six and 13-plus years in prison for charges that included attempted murder, rape and assault before their eventual exoneration in 2002.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The Central Park Five, all minors, were named, photographed, and presumed guilty long before they had legal representation or had been indicted.

“The Five, all minors, were named, photographed, and presumed guilty long before they had legal representation-before, in fact, they had even been indicted.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The Pinkerton National Detective Agency report found no evidence of an attack such as Thalia Massie described, with her clothing in perfect condition except for one stocking.

“a report prepared by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency found that”

• cites Pinkerton Agency, 1932, p. 60Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

It may state two separate claims as one.

In the Ala Moana Case, Thalia Massie was never named in Honolulu's major newspapers, while the five suspects were named and referred to as 'thugs,' 'fiends,' and 'gangsters.'

“To illustrate this point, Thalia Massie was never named in the city's major newspapers; the five suspects, however, were not only named, they were referred to as”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

Reyes testified in 2011 that he acted alone, and no DNA or other physical evidence connected The Five to the crime scene.

“Reyes testified in 2011 that he acted alone, and no DNA or other physical evidence connected The Five to the crime scene.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

The records of the Thalia Massie and Trisha Meili rape cases can be generally characterized as falling into four categories: government records, legal records, audio and visual media records, and individual manuscript collections.

“The records of the Thalia Massie and Trisha Meili rape cases can be generally characterized as falling into four categories: government records, legal records, audio and visual media records, and individual manuscript collections.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

McCray, Richardson, Salaam, Santana, and Wise later filed motions to vacate their convictions based on newly discovered evidence.

“McCray, Richardson, Salaam, Santana, and Wise later filed motions to vacate their convictions based on newly discovered evidence.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The Black press counter-narrated the experience of The Five as a common one that fit a broader pattern including the Ala Moana Boys, the Scottsboro Boys, the Trenton Six, and the Harlem Six, all cases of racial injustice involving groups of minority youths charged or convicted of violent crimes against white victims and all eventually overturned.

“The Black press was able to counter-narrate their experience as a common one: it fit into a broader pattern that included the Ala Moana Boys and the Scottsboro Boys from the 1930s, the Trenton Six from the 1940s and the Harlem Six from the 1960s-all four were cases of racial injustice involving groups of minority youths charged or convicted of violent crimes against white victims, and all were”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The declaration of a mistrial, Horace Ida's kidnapping and beating by Navy men, and a Hawaiʻi Times editorial entitled The Shame of Honolulu ignited a firestorm in mainland papers, many of which cited a cable from Navy admiral Yates Stirling incorrectly proclaiming that 40 unpunished rapes had occurred in Hawaiʻi in a single year.

“The declaration of a mistrial, together with suspect Horace Ida's kidnapping and beating at the hands of Navy men on December 12, 1931 and a Hawaiʻi Times editorial entitled”

• cites PBS, n.d.Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

The alleged rape of Thalia Massie and the succeeding media circus and hung-jury trial led many white people in Hawaiʻi to feel justice had not been served for Thalia, and Thalia's mother, Grace Fortescue, soon arrived on Oʻahu.

“The alleged rape of Thalia Massie and the succeeding media circus and hung-jury trial would lead many white people in Hawaiʻi to feel justice had not been served for Thalia and Thalia's mother, socialite Grace Fortescue, soon arrived on Oʻahu.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

Although the English-language press in Honolulu was replete with racially inflammatory articles and editorials on the Ala Moana case, few in the business, political, or military communities wanted the story to spread beyond the islands.

“Although the English-language press in Honolulu was replete with racially inflammatory articles and editorials on the Ala Moana case, few in the business, political, or military communities wanted the story to spread beyond the islands.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

After an exhaustive reevaluation of the evidence in 2002, expedited when Matias Reyes confessed to the 1989 crime, the charges against The Five were dropped.

“After an exhaustive reevaluation of the evidence in 2002-expedited when Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer and serial rapist, confessed to the 1989 crime-the charges against The Five were dropped.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

On May 13, 1989, The New York Amsterdam News reprinted an article in the New York Observer noting that newspapers had identified the names of the accused juveniles but not the victim, even after three local television stations had named Trisha Meili as the Central Park jogger.

“On May 13, 1989 The New York Amsterdam News reprinted an article in the New York Observer noting that newspapers had identified the names of the accused juveniles but not the victim, even after three local television stations had named Trisha Meili as the Central Park jogger.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

The narrative that emerged from the news media in the Central Park Five case was equally contradictory.

“The narrative that emerged from the news media was equally contradictory.”

Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.

National newspapers of the time are now available online, while articles from the ethnic presses are much harder to find.

“While any of the national newspapers of the time are now available online-as much a function of fiscal advantage as deliberate decision-making about presumed level of interest-the articles from the ethnic presses are much harder to find.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

At first the Massie story was confined almost entirely to local newspaper accounts, and the mainland press showed little interest until the hung jury decision.

“At first the story was confined almost entirely to local newspaper accounts; the mainland press showed little interest in the story until the hung jury decision (Stannard 2001).”

• cites Stannard 2001Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

In the Massie Affair, the Kahahawai murderers were effectively pardoned by Territorial Governor Lawrence Judd and permitted to serve their significantly reduced sentence of one hour of confinement in the governor's office.

“In what has since become known as The Massie Affair, the Kahahawai murderers were effectively pardoned by Territorial Governor Lawrence Judd and permitted to serve their significantly reduced sentence-one hour of confinement-in the governor's office.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

The New York Amsterdam News had already named Trisha Meili as the jogger when Tatum penned his editorial.

“The New York Amsterdam News had already named Trisha Meili as the jogger when Tatum penned his editorial”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

As a result of exoneration, the Central Park Five have come to be known as The Exonerated Five.

“As a result, the Central Park Five have now come to be known as The Exonerated Five.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Governor Judd never made the Pinkerton Report public or published it for general readership while newspapers continued to publish articles condemning the Ala Moana Boys.

“It is compelling that Judd never made the report public and never had it published for general readership especially while newspapers, reinforcing carceral savage Native narratives, continued to publish articles condemning the Ala Moana Boys.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The mainstream press reported only that the records had been released, and few noted that the data dump was incomplete at best and at worst a breach of the settlement awarded The Five after exoneration.

“The mainstream press reported only that the records had been released; few noted that the data dump was incomplete at best, and at worst a breach of the settlement awarded The Five after their exoneration”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The New York Law Department released the first portion of eventually 200,000 document pages, 95 depositions, and other records regarding the Central Park Five case and was initially criticized by the attorneys for the Central Park Five, who argued that the first release of discovery materials conveyed bias.

“The New York Law Department, which in 2014 released the first portion of what would eventually be 200,000 document pages, 95 depositions, and various other records in a data dump regarding the Central Park Five case was initially criticized by the attorneys for the Central Park Five who argued that the first release of discovery materials conveyed bias.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

Within months, Joseph Kahahawai had been shot dead and Grace, Tommie Massie, and several others were convicted of his murder.

“Within months, Joseph Kahahawai had been shot dead and Grace, Tommie Massie, and several others were convicted of his murder.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

The case of the Central Park jogger was reopened by the New York County District Attorney's office in 2002.

“The case of the Central Park jogger was reopened by the New York County District Attorney's office in 2002.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Because the facts of the Ala Moana case did not conform to the race hierarchy's narrative, it is now widely thought highly unlikely that Thalia Massie was raped and more probable that a white American sailor beat her near the Ala Wai Inn.

“Because the facts of the case refused to conform to the race hierarchy's narrative, it is now widely thought to be highly unlikely that Thalia Massie was raped and more probable that a white American sailor beat her near the Ala Wai Inn.”

Probably not a substantial claim.

Concrete traces of the past-the materiality of the socio-historical process-set the stage for future historical narratives.

“Michel-Rolph Trouillot (1995) similarly argues that it is the concrete traces of the past (the”

• cites Trouillot (1995)Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

The most important impact of carceral archives is the justifications for oppression that are codified, reinscribed, and reinforced in these spaces, from carceral records and recordkeeping practices to the narratives that emerge from them.

“in which I argue that”

• cites my 2019 articleNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

Disrupting carceral narratives and centering more liberatory counter-narratives can allow archives to envision and promote themselves as sites with emancipatory impulses and liberatory potential.

“Finally, I argue that it is through disrupting carceral narratives and centering more liberatory counter-narratives that archives might envision and promote themselves as sites replete with emancipatory impulses and ripe with liberatory potential.”

Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.

A critical race STS agenda builds upon feminist, postcolonial, and critical disability approaches, which would benefit from greater consideration of how carceral imaginaries seek to contain individual bodies and collective visions of the future.

“Benjamin, in her work at the nexus of STS and critical race theory, argues that a”

• cites Benjamin, 2016 sourceNot checked yet

It may state two separate claims as one.

Thalia Massie lied, and her carceral narrative cost Joseph Kahahawai not only his freedom but his life.

“Thalia Massie had lied, and in the end her carceral narrative would cost a Hawaiian man-Joseph Kahahawai-not only his freedom, but his life.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The documentary records examined in the Ala Moana Boys and Central Park Five cases both generate and draw upon a carceral archive, rendering their subjects vulnerable to the carceral state.

“This paper argues that the documentary records examined in each case, both generate and draw upon a carceral archive, rendering their subjects vulnerable to the carceral state.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Information studies scholarship has too often failed to connect the construction of damaging carceral narratives to actual carceral outcomes in the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

The social order in Hawaiʻi in the 1930s was ripe with racial tensions.

“The social order in Hawaiʻi in the 1930s was ripe with racial tensions.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Engaging the three primary underpinnings of the carceral archive-documentary records, narrative construction, and Foucauldian conceptions of 'the carceral'-through the Ala Moana Boys and Central Park Five cases can expose, complicate, and unsettle carceral narratives and provide a theoretical framework for troubling the 'danger of a single story' in the historical record.

“Through these two cases I demonstrate that engaging the three primary underpinnings of the carceral archive-documentary records, narrative construction, and Foucauldian conceptions of”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Information studies scholarship has too often failed to connect the construction of damaging carceral narratives to actual carceral outcomes in the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.

Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

By seeking out counter-narratives and considering the entire information environment around a historical event, it is possible to recover the imprint left by Black and Indigenous people and cultures and pull these stories out from under anti-Black and colonial knowledge.

“By seeking out and engaging counter-narratives and considering the entire information environment around an historical event, it is possible to recover the imprint left by Black and Indigenous people and cultures, to pull these stories out from under the social, intellectual, and political fabrications of anti-Black and”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

As Sujat Moorti argues, ethnic information sources give marginalized voices a forum to articulate their experiences and also work to validate those voices.

“As Sujat Moorti argues in her 2002 book Color of Rape: Gender and Race in Television's Public Spheres, these information sources not only give marginalized voices a forum to articulate their experiences, they also work to validate these voices (Moorti, 2002, p. 10).”

• cites Moorti, 2002, p. 10 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

Carceral narratives are often systemized in and perpetuated by archives.

“Carceral narratives are often systemized in and perpetuated by archives.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

The Hawaiʻi State Archives epitomize archives as carceral sites and as sites of violence and trauma for many Native Hawaiians.

“So, too, the Pinkerton Report remains foldered, boxed, and shelved in the Hawaiʻi State Archives that, for a variety of reasons including the archives' (mis)handling of sacred Native Hawaiian materials and longstanding concerns about provisions for appropriately equitable access, epitomize archives as carceral sites and as sites of violence and trauma for many Native Hawaiians.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Digitization decisions are effectively access decisions in archives, and every archival decision to include is also a decision to exclude.

“By the same token, because digitization decisions are effectively access decisions in archives, and every archival decision to include is, at the same time, a decision to exclude”

• cites Jimerson 2009Not checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

During the preceding decade tourism had begun to take off, Hawaiʻi's semiautonomous political status remained precarious, and the Navy commandant at Pearl Harbor was not eager for Washington to question his ability to maintain order.

“During the preceding decade”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

Racialized rape narratives in the United States and its territories were and continue to be inextricably tied to the country's violent history of chattel slavery.

“To articulate a critical race and critical archival understanding of racialized rape narratives in the United States (and its territories) one must acknowledge that these narratives were-and continue to be-inextricably tied to the country's violent history of chattel slavery.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

From the onset of their arrest and questioning in 1989 through trials, sentencing, and eventual exoneration in 2002, the Central Park Five were subjected to the carceral state, and all five were presumed to be criminals in the eyes of the law.

“From the onset of their arrest and questioning in 1989 through trials, sentencing, and eventual exoneration in 2002, the Central Park Five were subjected to the carceral state: all five young men were, from the beginning, presumed to be criminals in the eyes of the law.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

In both the Massie and Meili cases, carceral narratives were developed by the mainstream press, political establishments, and the criminal justice system, while ethnic presses centered competing narratives, courtroom testimony was inconsistent, and eyewitness accounts compelled different versions of events.

“In crafting narratives around the rapes of Thalia Massie and Trisha Meili, carceral narratives were developed in both cases by the mainstream press, political establishments, and criminal justice system, while in both cases”

It may state two separate claims as one.

By interrogating two race-based rape cases from tragedy to archivy, the paper demonstrates that narrative enhances the ability to document and understand an event in its entirety, with records influencing narrative versions of events and narrative influencing the production of records.

“By interrogating two race-based rape cases in the United States from tragedy to archivy, this paper demonstrates how narrative enhances our ability to document and understand an event in its entirety, with the understanding that records influence the narrative version of events and narrative also influences the production of records.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Because local newspapers were more readily available than the Pinkerton and Richardson Reports, the official local story of what happened to Thalia Massie was based on local newspaper accounts, and those accounts endure as carceral narratives.

“Local newspapers were more readily available to the general public than the Pinkerton and Richardson Reports, therefore what emerged locally in Honolulu as the official story of what had happened to Thalia Massie was based on these accounts-and these accounts endure as carceral narratives.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

The sometimes very human sources of data and the storytelling practices of journalists and editors are often disguised within rhetorical abstraction.

“The sometimes very human sources of data and the storytelling practices of journalists and editors are often disguised within this rhetorical abstraction (Moorti 2002).”

• cites Moorti 2002 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

Reports of profanity, threats, loud intimidating remarks, and a history of police brutality are not a myth.

“Reports of profanity, threats, loud intimidating remarks and a history of police brutality is not a myth.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

The cultural conceptions of racialized masculinity that underpin understandings of rape are intrinsically linked to safety and risk narratives built around the savage Native, the Black brute, and the risks they allegedly pose to the purity of women.

“The cultural conceptions of racialized masculinity that underpin understandings of rape are intrinsically linked to safety and risk narratives built around the”

Probably not a substantial claim.

Coverage of the Central Park jogger rape was different because it focused on the races of the suspects and the victim and on alleged unique features of this interracial rape that had nothing to do with the woman's gender.

“Byfield remembers that coverage of the rape of the Central Park jogger was different:”

• cites Byfield, 2014, p. 31 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

The documentary records produced in the Ala Moana Boys and Central Park Five cases both generated and drew upon carceral archives, rendering their subjects vulnerable to the carceral state.

“For example, the documentary records produced in the Ala Moana Boys and Central Park Five cases both generated and drew upon carceral archives, rendering their subjects vulnerable to the carceral state.”

Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.

The settlement awarded The Five after exoneration dictated the release of investigatory, exculpatory, trial, and reinvestigation records, a condition designed to proffer an emancipatory counter-narrative to the carceral narrative perpetuated by law enforcement.

“the terms of which dictated the release of investigatory, exculpatory, trial, and reinvestigation records-a condition specifically designed to proffer an emancipatory counter-narrative to the carceral narrative that had been perpetuated by law enforcement as the story of record for over a decade.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

As Europeans colonized Indigenous lands, Indigenous men were cast as a threat to European progress and a risk to the safety of the colonial project.

“As Europeans colonized the sacred ancestral lands of Indigenous tribes, Indigenous men were cast as a threat to European progress, a risk to the safety of the colonial project.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

The archival records from the Central Park jogger case allow a fairly comprehensive examination of the evidence used to both incarcerate and exonerate the Central Park Five, and the suspect interviews and trial testimonies are particularly compelling in their contradictions.

“The records allow for a fairly comprehensive examination of the evidence used to both incarcerate and exonerate The Five, and while it is not the work of this study to relitigate this case, it is worth noting that the records of the suspect interviews and trial testimonies, just as in the Ala Moana case, are particularly compelling in their contradictions.”

Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

Archives are a site with tremendous liberatory potential.

“Archives are one such site-one with tremendous liberatory potential.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

Portrayals of the Black brute depicted him as an anti-social menace and a predator whose primary target was white women.

“Portrayals of the Black”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

The trials of the Ala Moana Boys and the Central Park Five rested on four primary sources of information: the legal system, the local media, the national media, and informal communication networks such as the coconut wireless.

“The trials of the Ala Moana Boys-Kahahawai, Ida, Takai, Chang, and Ahakuelo-and the Central Park Five-Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise-rested on four primary sources of information: the legal system, the local media, the national media, and informal communication networks such as the coconut wireless.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Newspapers assert their nonfiction status primarily through rhetorical strategies of objectivity, focusing on public events and using empirically verifiable data distanced from bodies, emotions, affect, and desire.

“Newspapers assert their nonfiction status primarily through rhetorical strategies of objectivity; they focus on events and issues pertaining to the public addressing them within a rhetoric of empirically verifiable data that is distanced from bodies and emotions, affect and desire.”

• cites Moorti 2002 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

As Africans and then enslaved Africans were brought to the US continent, Black men were characterized as innately destructive, animalistic, and criminal.

“As more Africans-and then enslaved Africans-were brought to the US continent, Black men were similarly characterized as innately destructive, animalistic, and criminal.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

Racialized and colonial histories of risk and safety in America date to the earliest days of settler colonialism on the United States mainland.

“These racialized and colonial histories of risk and safety in America dates to the earliest days of settler colonialism on the United States mainland.”

It may state two separate claims as one.

Using government records, legal records, local media, national media, and informal communication networks, the paper interrogates how the carceral archive draws upon, contributes to, and perpetuates carceral risk narratives that the state has long used to justify behavioral control, surveillance, and punishment.

“I have used government records, legal records, the local media, the national media, and informal communication networks such as the coconut wireless to interrogate how the carceral archive draws upon, contributes to, and perpetuates the carceral risk narratives that have long been used by the state to justify behavioral control, surveillance, and the power to punish.”

Probably not a substantial claim.

DNA evidence has shown that Matias Reyes, a convicted serial rapist and murderer, raped Trisha Meili.

“DNA evidence has shown that a man named Matias Reyes, a convicted serial rapist and murderer, raped Trisha Meili.”

Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

Benedict Anderson theorized that print media was a key component of the nation as an imagined community, allowing people to share affective bonds with strangers and creating a communal sensibility.

“In his seminal work Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson theorized that print media was a key component of the nation as an imagined community; print media allows people to share affective bonds with people they have never met and creates a communal sensibility (Anderson 2006).”

• cites Anderson 2006Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

It may state two separate claims as one.

The end result of access decisions is that the most accessible narratives are carceral and counter-narrative construction is by default an uphill battle.

“The end result of these decisions about access-however seemingly benign or practical they may be-is that the most accessible narratives are carceral and counter-narrative construction is by default an uphill battle.”