Thanks for the sidebar. I didn't realize there was a situation of that magnitude in Detroit, and likely elsewhere too.
As for Parker, he was acquitted of the rape charge so I think that does have to be taken into account when the media covers this story. The man was cleared in the eyes of the law so why bring it up, why lead with that, especially when that wasn't an 'issue' before in his career? Granted, he has a much higher profile now, but I do see the rape case being used to define him in a negative light. Looking more into the case the other person involved, whom Parker maintains contact with and I believe co-wrote Birth of a Nation, he wasn't acquitted so his record here is more dubious but he's not a celebrity, he's not the face of this project, so the media doesn't care about him.
I disagree with you that the critique and calls of reform in the criminal justice system and crimes (including rape and other sexual assault) that occur in the black community are not mutually exclusive because I also see this kind of linking leading to dodging on the issue of criminal justice reform. It goes back to the 'black on black crime' deflection, and essentially, 'clean up your own house before you criticize police/justice system', and I'm not down with that. White people never get that sermon. Nor do I think that black people, who are citizens who pay taxes and contribute to this society in multiple ways should wait on expecting public servants to actually do their jobs and respect their constitutional and human rights, not when that is something that happens basically automatically for just about every other citizen in the country.
Rape is an important issue, as is drug dealing, murder, and a host of other crimes afflicting black people (but also afflicting other communities as well), but I don't think we should lump it all together with criminal justice reform. Nor do I think these issues are race specific, now how they are dealt with is likely very well tied to race and economics and I think that is a welcome conversation that dovetails right back into the criminal justice reform issue. That being said, I don't think we should get distracted by including every ill in the criminal justice reform debate. Narrow on accomplishing that without feeling we have to tackle every other subject at the same time, that we are going to achieve some comprehensive criminal justice and community reform at the same time. I don't think many advocates of reform want no police or prisons (though there are some that do), but they want to be treated fairly if they encounter police and they don't want to be excessively, aggressively, or illegally over-policed either.