Lucius Gantt, a member of Omega Psi Phi, released an editorial rebuking the culture of hazing. In the Gantt report, he referred to Florida A&M Marching Band Member Robert Champion’s death as ‘hazicide.’
Read below for Gantt’s piece on hazing.
When I was in college, I was a founding member of Zeta Theta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. I love my line brothers to this very day and I’m eternally thankful for them.
I thanked them for stopping me from killing my “big brothers” from Morehouse College’s Psi Chapter that hit and paddled me whenever they wanted to. I also thank God that my children never joined a fraternity, sorority or marching band that would inflict bodily harm on fellow students and friends that they pretended to like as brothers and sisters.
I’d want justice
I can imagine how the parents of Robert Champion felt when they heard that the students that killed their son would only be charged with a hazing crime. I would be furious! I would want justice, and I probably would seek to get justice for my child by any means necessary!
I don’t care what the law enforcers and state attorneys, call it but “haze-icide” is still murder! You can be hazed to death, shot, stabbed, hung, electrocuted, impaled, poisoned, decapitated, water boarded, drowned or stressed to death. Either way, you are still dead and the people that caused your death are murderers.
Some of my friends and neighbors in Tallahassee try to rationalize and say Robert Champion volunteered to be hazed by “crossing Bus C.” I don’t think that anyone seeking to join a student group volunteers to give up his or her lives.
It’s not too far of a stretch to suggest that the people that beat Robert Champion to death volunteered to murder the young man if you think the volunteer argument is logical.
Florida’s bad reputation
No disrespect to the residents of the Sunshine State, but when I decided to work here and to attend graduate school here, the first thing my mother told me was to “stay out of jail,” because the Florida judicial system was internationally known as being unfair and somewhat backwards.
You can tell something was wrong with the charges being brought against the people that killed Mr. Champion because Florida state attorneys always over-charge Black defendants in criminal cases. Afterwards, baby mamas beg prosecutors to release their children on probation, the probation is violated, and the young people spend more time on paper or in jail than they ever would have.
When law enforcers take five months to figure out how to undercharge Black defendants in any case, just like in the O.J. Simpson case, something “is wong” (sic)!
One thing “wong” or wrong, it seems, with this case is that charges are being considered in a political sense. If you throw the book at FAMU and FAMU students, it would be wrong to some people. And if you let them get away with murder, you’ll anger other people.
Could it be politically expedient for law enforcers that made the decision to charge participants in the Champion murder with felony hazing merely because they didn’t want to upset Black voters?
I hope not. I hope the family of Robert Champion can get some peace one day, because today is not that day.
Band should march on
Reports say the family thinks the Marching 100 should be disbanded until all forms of hazing is discredited and abandoned at Florida A&M University.
But I think the Rattler band should hit the field at halftime of the first FAMU football game. However, it should be the Baby Rattlers band from the FAMU Developmental Research School
Excerpts from Gantt columns are now posted every week on The Gantt Report’s Facebook page; become a fan. Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook.
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the culture of hazing in the black greek community is becoming more violent at an accelerated rate. Black greeks diss others on who are more “Made.” But what does Made mean. Many of our black brothers and sisters have died due to this evil culture. We must ask ourselves will it stop?
the culture of hazing will never change if the mentality doesn’t. hazing goes all the way back to when these orgs were founded. it’s hard to break tradition.
there is always someone to speak out against hazing, but noone ever speaks about pledging. there is a way to teach men/women history of their respective orgs without hazing. yes, hazing has gotten out of control but that’s because we no longer have older members to teach us the way. there is a huge gap btwn the old heads and the new generation. We unite once again because the way our orgs are headed we may not have them in the near future
Ima PROUD Que. If it wasn’t 4 my processm i wouldn’t be the made i am 2 day. #ROO!
How can he be both proud of his fraternity but would never let his son join. His reasoning makes no sense
Hazing needs to Stop!!
This bruh is looking for 15 minutes of fame at the expense of Omega and the Hundred. He thanks his LBs for keeping him alone, any of the others from killing his big brothers? He was the only one with the gall enough to want to stand up for right. But he continued to be a willing participant in hazing. Dude is a walking contradiction. You know absolutely nothing about the 100 and are an opportunist. Like you the 26 year old victim aloud himself to be hazed and a tragic accident occurred for which the perpetrators will be prosecuted. They amount to less than a percent of the total band just like the small amount of OWT bruh who beat allow themselves to be beaten at will amount to a small percentage of Omega. You should sweep around your own door before trying to sweep aound someone elses. See you at the clave, can’t wait to here you speak. Leave the 100 to FAMUANS!
Bruh, if he didn’t speak out who else will. He said alotta real shit. I aint gon knock him. It needed to be said.
I wonder how many hazing rituals he himself was on the other side of (Im talking about him being the hazer)? Now all of a sudden he comes out and speaks against it when someone dies as a result? Then makes the assertion that the people involved were under prosecuted because of voting purposes?
White kids die from hazing incidents all the time.
i dont believe he’s looking for his “15 min of fame.” if he didn’t speak out, who else is?? hazing is a serious issue in the greek community. I have friends who were beaten, dropped and were scared to speak out. Gantt was very brave. Although it probably wont end hazing, hopefully it can serve as a message for the greek community to change their processes
This was a brave piece to write
I “PLEDEGED at FAMU as well, It was a decision one allows to go through. But its kids passing on what they went through from their experience on line. Everyone has there own opinion, but Today as an Omega Man wisdom has settled in, If my child were to pledege and lord forbid get killed over pledging, from baselius to DP.. ETC Betta find a NEW Identity. Fa Real… ROO
As a pRHOud member of Sigma Gamma Rho soRHOrity Inc. In know what it is to be made the RIGHT way and ive see nwhat it is to be made the WRONG way. Many greeks nowadays feel the need to be bigger and badder then those who brought them in, hazing and pledging are two different things I pledged into my org and do not regret a moment of it. I knew going in it would be a long hard RHOad to the land of Sigma but I made the choice to take the journey. I agree with a previous comment made if the old heads are not there to guide the neos then this vicious cycle of hazing will continue. I personally wish we could go back to the days where pledging could be done in the light with no thought of recourse but hey thats just me.
I’m a proud member of Omega Psi Phi, and we don’t haze we have process. My process took 114 days and I was by myself. NOw that I’m apart of this organization i realize my process was important and i wouldn’t have it any other way. YOu have to realize that you put yourself right there, and you can take yurself out of that situation. When a man or woman is killed through a initiation process, they helped to kill themselves!
Did you just say “they helped kill themselves” j. birdow? Yall got it all twisted and being in a fraternity or sorority first off doesnt make you any less or better than the next. Secondly, ain’t no brother or sister of mine beat me to a pulp, and thats damn near gang initiation. I dont knock nobodys groove or hustle, but str8 up, if you gone put yo hands on me to create a bond, I’m gone place my hands on you as well and it will just happen like that. I mean, has anyone thought that beating these people may cause one of the to flip out and go on a rampage? Look at the times we are in people! So if joining means a “secret” beating, then people need to realize that it goes both ways as the main purpose of anyone’s daily trials is self-respect. Just some food for thought yall…
I am A Mason. FATHER OF ALL GREEKS. Now with that being said I think it starts with us. Since we are where the greeks started. A lot of the founding members of both frats and sorrorities were masons and eastern stars. I think it needs to be pledging process but not a beat down process.
We as a society have gotten our channels twisted. We pontificate about the things we did, or did not go through to belong to our repspective orgs. However, the thing that perplexes me is what we allow ourselves to go through to ‘belong’ AND how our perception of manhood/womanhood is often predicated upon how much physical abuse we can take…all so that we can be ‘accepted’ and respected by our peers. I shutter when I view media reports about street gangs (white or black) and the things that they do and how much our organizations often resemble them.
Lastly, it would be NICE to have members put as much ferver in JESUS as we do our fraternities/sororities. Afterall, we are all CHRISTtian based…RIGHT???