The Jena 6 and the movement for justice
Racism and Resistance: The Struggle to Free The Jena Six
By Jordan Flaherty
Guest Blogger
Almost a year ago, in the small northern Louisiana town of Jena, a group of white students hung three nooses from a tree in front of Jena High School. This set into motion a season of racial tension and incidents that culminated in six Black youths facing a lifetime in jail for a schoolyard fight.
The story that has unfolded since then is one of racism and injustice, but also of resistance and solidarity, as people from around the world have joined together with the families of the accused, lending legal and financial support, adding political pressure, and joining demonstrations and marches.
The nooses were hung after a Black student asked permission to sit under a tree that had been reserved by tradition for white students only. In response to the three nooses, nearly every Black student in the school stood under the tree in a spontaneous and powerful act of nonviolent protest. The town's district attorney quickly arrived, flanked by police officers, and told the Black students to stop making such a big deal over the nooses, which school officials termed to be a "harmless prank." The school assembly, like the schoolyard where all of this had begun, was divided by race, with the Black students on one side and the white students on the other. Directing his remarks to the Black students, District Attorney Reed Walters said, "I can make your lives disappear with a stroke of a pen."
The white students who confessed to hanging the nooses never received any meaningful punishment. Nor did the white students who months later beat up a Black student at a school party, nor did the white former student who threatened two Black students with a shotgun. But, after these incidents, when Black students got into a fight with a white student, six Black youths were charged with attempted murder, and now face a lifetime in prison. The Black students may not have been involved in the fight, but they were known to be organizers of the protest under the tree. The white student was briefly hospitalized, but had no major injuries and was socializing with friends at a school ring ceremony the evening of the fight.
The Black students were arrested immediately after the fight, in December of last year. School officials and police officials took statements from at least 44 witnesses to the fight. The statements do not paint a clear picture of who was involved. Statements from white students refer to "Black boys", but many testimonies are unclear as to the identities of who was involved. Some of the arrested youths are not implicated in the fight by any of the witnesses.
Despite this, when Mychal Bell, the first youth to go to trial, refused to take a deal in exchange for testifying against his friends, he was quickly convicted by an all-white jury. Bell's public defender Blane Williams, visibly angry at Bell and his parents because the youth did not take the deal, called no witnesses and gave no meaningful defense. This attorney's behavior gives a vivid example of our nation's broken and underfunded public defender system. Some have called Jena a throwback to the past, but in fact Jena presents a clear vision of the current state of our criminal justice system.
In Paris, Texas, a white teenager burns down her family's home and receives probation. A black teen shoves a hall monitor and gets seven years in prison. Genarlow Wilson, in Atlanta, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for participating in consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old when he was 17. Like these and many other cases, the case in Jena is textbook proof that there are still two systems of justice functioning in this country, one for Black people, and one for white. No serious observer can doubt that the students of Jena would never have faced charges if a Black student had been beaten instead of a white student. The unpunished incidents in the days and months leading up to the fight clearly demonstrate this. (read more here)
Local Resistance
Immediately after the arrests, parents of the accused began organizing. Their call, "Free the Jena Six," was initially heard by activists from other parts of Louisiana, such as the Lafayette public access TV show, "Community Defender," which was the first media from outside their immediate area to give coverage of the case. Non-corporate and grassroots media have been vital in spreading word of the case, beginning with blogs and YouTube videos, which then led to high profile stories on Democracy Now and in The Final Call.
Lasalle Parish where Jena is located is 85 percent white. The town is still mostly segregated -- from the white barber who refuses to cut Black hair to the white and Black parts of town, separated by an invisible line. Lasalle is also one of Louisiana's most wealthy parishes, with small oil rigs in many back yards contributing to area wealth. The parish is a major contributor to Republican politicians, and former Klansman and Louisiana gubernatorial candidate David Duke received a solid majority of local votes. Jena was also the former site of a notoriously brutal youth prison, which was closed after years of lawsuits and negative media exposure. The prison is now scheduled to be reopened as a private prison for the growth business of immigrant detentions
Three hundred supporters, most from the immediate region but some from as far away as California, Chicago and New York, descended on Jena on July 31 to protest District Attorney Reed Walters' conduct and call for dismissal of all charges. The largest groups included Millions More Movement delegations from Houston, Monroe and Shreveport, nearly 50 members of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children from Lake Charles and New Orleans. Other delegations from across Louisiana included members of INCITE Women of Color Against Violence, Critical Resistance, Common Ground and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. The demonstration marched through downtown Jena -- reported to be the biggest civil rights march the town of 2,500 residents has ever seen -- and delivered a petition with 43,000 signatures to the District Attorney's office.
In the two weeks since the demonstration, more major allies have begun to come on board. The Congressional Black Caucus, representing 43 members including Sen. Barack Obama, issued a statement calling for charges to be dropped, while the city of Cambridge, Mass. passed a resolution in support of the families of the Jena Six. Al Sharpton and other national leaders have visited Jena, while Jesse Jackson called members of the state legislative Black caucus on their behalf.
ColorOfChange.org, which has coordinated much of the outside support, has gathered 60,000 signatures on a petition to Louisiana Gov. Blanco, calling for her to pardon the accused, and investigate District Attorney Reed Walters.
Blanco, a Democratic governor elected with the overwhelming support of Black residents of Louisiana, responded with a condescending statement, tersely informing petitioners, "The State Constitution provides for three branches of state government -- Legislative, Executive, and Judicial -- and the Constitution prohibits anyone in one branch from exercising the powers of anyone in another branch." This is the same governor who, as Katrina approached, urged Gulf Coast residents to "pray the hurricane down" to a Category Two. When New Orleans was flooded and people were trapped in the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, she informed the nation that she was sending in National Guard troops: "They have M-16s and they're locked and loaded," she said. "These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will." More recently, Blanco created a program to bring federal money to homeowners rebuilding after Katrina -- the "Road Home" -- that has been a dismal failure on every level.
Mychal Bell's sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 20. The families are planning another demonstration for that date, and also have assembled a legal team for Bell and the other youths. National allies such as Southern Poverty Law Center and NAACP joined initial supporters such as Friends of Justice (from Tulia, Texas) and ACLU of Louisiana. Legal expenses for the youths could be hundreds of thousands of dollars, and funding is still needed. Except for Mychal Bell, who has a bail hearing scheduled for Sept. 4, all of the youths are out on bail.
The case of Jena Six has served as a wake-up call on the state of U.S. justice. It shows vividly the racial bias still inherent to our system. But is has also shown something else: That this group of families refuses to be silent in the face of injustice, and that hundreds of thousands of other people around the world have chosen to stand with them, and say that we are drawing the line, here, in Jena, La.
Jordan Flaherty is a New Orleans-based journalist and an editor of Left Turn Magazine. His May 9, 2007 article from Jena was one of the first to bring the case to a national audience. Please see www.leftturn.org for more coverage of the Jena case. Donations to the Jena 6 Defense Committee can be sent to P.O. Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342 or can be made online here.
By Jordan Flaherty
Guest Blogger
Almost a year ago, in the small northern Louisiana town of Jena, a group of white students hung three nooses from a tree in front of Jena High School. This set into motion a season of racial tension and incidents that culminated in six Black youths facing a lifetime in jail for a schoolyard fight.
The story that has unfolded since then is one of racism and injustice, but also of resistance and solidarity, as people from around the world have joined together with the families of the accused, lending legal and financial support, adding political pressure, and joining demonstrations and marches.
The nooses were hung after a Black student asked permission to sit under a tree that had been reserved by tradition for white students only. In response to the three nooses, nearly every Black student in the school stood under the tree in a spontaneous and powerful act of nonviolent protest. The town's district attorney quickly arrived, flanked by police officers, and told the Black students to stop making such a big deal over the nooses, which school officials termed to be a "harmless prank." The school assembly, like the schoolyard where all of this had begun, was divided by race, with the Black students on one side and the white students on the other. Directing his remarks to the Black students, District Attorney Reed Walters said, "I can make your lives disappear with a stroke of a pen."
The white students who confessed to hanging the nooses never received any meaningful punishment. Nor did the white students who months later beat up a Black student at a school party, nor did the white former student who threatened two Black students with a shotgun. But, after these incidents, when Black students got into a fight with a white student, six Black youths were charged with attempted murder, and now face a lifetime in prison. The Black students may not have been involved in the fight, but they were known to be organizers of the protest under the tree. The white student was briefly hospitalized, but had no major injuries and was socializing with friends at a school ring ceremony the evening of the fight.
The Black students were arrested immediately after the fight, in December of last year. School officials and police officials took statements from at least 44 witnesses to the fight. The statements do not paint a clear picture of who was involved. Statements from white students refer to "Black boys", but many testimonies are unclear as to the identities of who was involved. Some of the arrested youths are not implicated in the fight by any of the witnesses.
Despite this, when Mychal Bell, the first youth to go to trial, refused to take a deal in exchange for testifying against his friends, he was quickly convicted by an all-white jury. Bell's public defender Blane Williams, visibly angry at Bell and his parents because the youth did not take the deal, called no witnesses and gave no meaningful defense. This attorney's behavior gives a vivid example of our nation's broken and underfunded public defender system. Some have called Jena a throwback to the past, but in fact Jena presents a clear vision of the current state of our criminal justice system.
In Paris, Texas, a white teenager burns down her family's home and receives probation. A black teen shoves a hall monitor and gets seven years in prison. Genarlow Wilson, in Atlanta, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for participating in consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old when he was 17. Like these and many other cases, the case in Jena is textbook proof that there are still two systems of justice functioning in this country, one for Black people, and one for white. No serious observer can doubt that the students of Jena would never have faced charges if a Black student had been beaten instead of a white student. The unpunished incidents in the days and months leading up to the fight clearly demonstrate this. (read more here)
Local Resistance
Immediately after the arrests, parents of the accused began organizing. Their call, "Free the Jena Six," was initially heard by activists from other parts of Louisiana, such as the Lafayette public access TV show, "Community Defender," which was the first media from outside their immediate area to give coverage of the case. Non-corporate and grassroots media have been vital in spreading word of the case, beginning with blogs and YouTube videos, which then led to high profile stories on Democracy Now and in The Final Call.
Lasalle Parish where Jena is located is 85 percent white. The town is still mostly segregated -- from the white barber who refuses to cut Black hair to the white and Black parts of town, separated by an invisible line. Lasalle is also one of Louisiana's most wealthy parishes, with small oil rigs in many back yards contributing to area wealth. The parish is a major contributor to Republican politicians, and former Klansman and Louisiana gubernatorial candidate David Duke received a solid majority of local votes. Jena was also the former site of a notoriously brutal youth prison, which was closed after years of lawsuits and negative media exposure. The prison is now scheduled to be reopened as a private prison for the growth business of immigrant detentions
Three hundred supporters, most from the immediate region but some from as far away as California, Chicago and New York, descended on Jena on July 31 to protest District Attorney Reed Walters' conduct and call for dismissal of all charges. The largest groups included Millions More Movement delegations from Houston, Monroe and Shreveport, nearly 50 members of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children from Lake Charles and New Orleans. Other delegations from across Louisiana included members of INCITE Women of Color Against Violence, Critical Resistance, Common Ground and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. The demonstration marched through downtown Jena -- reported to be the biggest civil rights march the town of 2,500 residents has ever seen -- and delivered a petition with 43,000 signatures to the District Attorney's office.
In the two weeks since the demonstration, more major allies have begun to come on board. The Congressional Black Caucus, representing 43 members including Sen. Barack Obama, issued a statement calling for charges to be dropped, while the city of Cambridge, Mass. passed a resolution in support of the families of the Jena Six. Al Sharpton and other national leaders have visited Jena, while Jesse Jackson called members of the state legislative Black caucus on their behalf.
ColorOfChange.org, which has coordinated much of the outside support, has gathered 60,000 signatures on a petition to Louisiana Gov. Blanco, calling for her to pardon the accused, and investigate District Attorney Reed Walters.
Blanco, a Democratic governor elected with the overwhelming support of Black residents of Louisiana, responded with a condescending statement, tersely informing petitioners, "The State Constitution provides for three branches of state government -- Legislative, Executive, and Judicial -- and the Constitution prohibits anyone in one branch from exercising the powers of anyone in another branch." This is the same governor who, as Katrina approached, urged Gulf Coast residents to "pray the hurricane down" to a Category Two. When New Orleans was flooded and people were trapped in the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, she informed the nation that she was sending in National Guard troops: "They have M-16s and they're locked and loaded," she said. "These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will." More recently, Blanco created a program to bring federal money to homeowners rebuilding after Katrina -- the "Road Home" -- that has been a dismal failure on every level.
Mychal Bell's sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 20. The families are planning another demonstration for that date, and also have assembled a legal team for Bell and the other youths. National allies such as Southern Poverty Law Center and NAACP joined initial supporters such as Friends of Justice (from Tulia, Texas) and ACLU of Louisiana. Legal expenses for the youths could be hundreds of thousands of dollars, and funding is still needed. Except for Mychal Bell, who has a bail hearing scheduled for Sept. 4, all of the youths are out on bail.
The case of Jena Six has served as a wake-up call on the state of U.S. justice. It shows vividly the racial bias still inherent to our system. But is has also shown something else: That this group of families refuses to be silent in the face of injustice, and that hundreds of thousands of other people around the world have chosen to stand with them, and say that we are drawing the line, here, in Jena, La.
Jordan Flaherty is a New Orleans-based journalist and an editor of Left Turn Magazine. His May 9, 2007 article from Jena was one of the first to bring the case to a national audience. Please see www.leftturn.org for more coverage of the Jena case. Donations to the Jena 6 Defense Committee can be sent to P.O. Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342 or can be made online here.
Labels: criminal justice, louisiana, race and racism
42 Comments:
I would love to see those hundreds of thousands of supporters descend upon Jena on September 20th. Kids should be able to sit under any tree that want to, most especially on school property. Schools are funded by taxes. I imagine the Jena 6 teens parents pay them.
Unless a huge mass of people stand up and protest this behavior, it will continue. If law enforcement realizes the people are not going to stand for it any longer they may be forced to change.
those kids unfortunately beat another kid until he was bleeding from every orifice. the one kid had nothing to do with the noose hanging. i can't believe that the media is running with this story of how 6 blacks were mistreated. the community is strong. i hate to see strangers making comments on an article that is half fiction. justice will prevail.
I really feel for the black students. The justice system is clearly defined in black and white. Dr. King said it best. "Unjust laws are no laws at all". It a prime example how far we still have to go in order to have justice in this country. When my daughter brought this case to my attention it really drained my heart but it should bring good people together whether black or white to stand together against such bigotry. Here in America we see so many ills, I am glad that people are coming together to fight against this clear cut case of racism. I myself will be following this case and hope to spread the word about what is going on with Jena 6 as the editor and chief of Unheard-voices an online minority magazine www.unheard-voices.com. The magazine tackles these sort of ugly behaviors by whites. Blacks should put their trust in the Lord because it is through God that has brought us this far. Justice will prevail.
This hurts me cause i am only 13 years of age and i already really want to help raise money for the boys in jail because thats just plain rasim and thats so sad and hurtful to see and our speaches and other things go to waste and not put to good cause.
I cannot believe this. This is an outrage. To see that people are still this racist is amazing to me. I come from a small town in Tennessee with a population of under 2000, and we have nothing compared to this. As a white male I consider this a throw back to the stone age. To see people act like this is horrible. When people treat others different only because of the color of their skin it really irritates me to no avail. I consider this to be a huge blow to mankind, and think it is insane that we are just now hearing about it. Justice will prevail and heads will roll. To think I though racism was on its way out the door and some redneck backwards town does this and treats people this way really hurts me. Everyone know that hanging a noose from a tree in the South has a very great meaning in the eyes of a black person. There were so many injustices in the past and according to this town we are right where we begun. This is sad very, very, sad.
I can't bel;ive this story. It's not getting enough coverage. Bush should be speaking about this. The person named anonymous belives it's fiction. I am from the outside ... when I consider there's a tree for whites only to sit under and a noose..... Who do you think I BELIEVE?
I can't believe I am reading this. A tree for whites only?
A prosecuter coming to a school and threatening kids over a tree?
Good grief anoymous expects anyone to believe her bull story.
This is absolutely ridiculous, appalling, and an outrage!!! People, THIS IS 2007!! It is absolutely pitiful that even after slavery has been over for at least 200 years and segregation has been over for at least 30 years that this stuff is going on!!! We as people need to understand that we all are the same...we bleed the same color of blood, red; Women have the same organs, and men have the same organs. The only thing that is different about us is our color of skin, eyecolor, hair color, and physical features........take away all of this, we are the same!! Honestly, these children just didn't learn this just off the top of their heads, these children got this hatred from generations before....the parents!! Why else would these children act and condone such behavior as such? Because their parents are walking in this hateful way! I'm not angry at anyone, but people, come on....this is senseless!!! I just pray that if people have this mindset about other races like this, I pray you get it together before you die because guess what people, heaven is full of people of different races and nationalities!! Lord, I pray that everyone who hears about this story who has any prejudices against anyone race, I ask, Lord that you would bring conviction upon them, soften their hearts, and let them see that it's so much easier to walk in Jesus'love than to hate because they are only hurting themselves!!
EVERY THING THATHAS HAPPENED IS TRUE. BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO INSIST IT MUST BE A PRANK BY THE MEDIA TO RIAL UP FEAR AND ANGER...THINK ABOUT OTHER ISSUES THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO BLACKS. THE RACISM THAT STILL RUNS THROUGH OUR COMMUNITIES, NORTH OR SOUTH. OR DID WE ALL JUST MAKE THIS WHOLE "SLAVERY" THING UP? I'M FROM JERSEY AND I MOVED TO GA IN 2003 FOR SCHOOL. I HAVE NEVER EVEN FELT RACIALLY PROFILED UNTIL I MOVED HERE. ITS EASY TO SAY THIS STUFF DOESNT HAPPEN, IF IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO YOU OR YOUR SMALL GROUP OF FRIENDS IN YOUR CIRCLE. MY HUSBAND WAS STOPPED 8 TIMES COMING HOME FROM WORK IN THE PAST 8 MONTHS. HE NEVER RECEIVED A TICKET B/C THEY DIDN'T CATCH HIM SPEEDING. ONE OFFICER ACTUALLY SAID THAT THEY DO PROFILE BECAUSE THEY CATCH A LOT OF CRIMINALS THAT WAY. THERES A WHITE GUY IN MY CLASS AND HE HAS SOME REALLY SWEET IDEALS ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM. "ALLYOU HAVE TO DO IS WORK HARD AND YOU CAN SUCCEED IN LIFE" WELL, AT LEAST FOR HIM IN HIS COZY HOME IN THE SUBBURBS... THERES A COUPLE OF HUNDRED BLACKS IN MY TOWN WHO SAY OTHERWISE.
We all must remember that we are ONLY 142 years out of slavery. We have been out of slavery less time than we have been in slavery (400 years of hate, rape, anguish, beatings, bullying, and fear). I believe that the Judicial System of the United States is still operating as though slavery still exist. What is happening to the Jena 6 is unjust, cruel, prejudice, arrogant, coward, as well as CRIMINAL. We as black people need to call politicians, judges, and etc. daily until they come up with a non-prejudice solution and/or until they get sick and tired of hearing from black people. I wish that white folks would LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! STOP ALL OF THIS HATE, and STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR INSECURITIES. LOCKING UP OUR BLACK MEN AND THROWING AWAY THE KEY IS NOT THE SOLUTION TO YOUR MENTAL SICKNESS/ILLNESS, CALL A PSYCHIATRIST!!!
I can't believe racism still goes on in the year 2007. I feel so bad for these young black boys. I'm 18 years old and i feel as a young black women i should do something. This whole situation is just beyond my belief. I'm going to keep the Jena 6 in pray and hope justice is served.
In plain english this is just stupid we teach our children that people are treated as equals but thats untrue how can we progress as a whole and be united if you let people in office and people who have power make there own rule because they are a small town and you don't want to bothered with them it's just an injustice and due process is now due
I find none of this unbelieveable. I find it the ole American way. In America it's perfectly clear that resent that we aren't in their cotton fields. Those young brothers were done wrong but the devil is business. The biggest threat to them is the African man!!
While the noose incident was stupid, 6 blacks beating an innocent white kid is wrong. I'm gonna design a shirt that says PROSECUTE THE JENA 6. Apparently many blacks feel they're always being mistreated when in fact they commit a majority of the crime in this country.
Amazing what the victim mentality has done to blacks.
"Apparently many blacks feel they're always being mistreated when in fact they commit a majority of the crime in this country."
The problem isn't with the Jena 6 being disciplined, it's with the punishment, failing to fit the crime. When in high school, I saw and heard of countless outnumbered attacks, but they normally lead to suspension, expulsion, and possibly a maximum of a year in jail. You have people who murder in cold blood and get sentenced to 10 years or less, but they want to give 22 years for an "attempted" murder from a schoolyard fight. If they really wanted to murder someone, I'm sure they would've done it while in possession of the shotgun. And please check your statistics, because I finished a criminal justice course this past spring, and can assure you, we as blacks do not in fact, "commit a majority of crime in this country". It is actually the collective lower economical "class" that commits the most crime, regardless of race.
Jena 6 can get more coverage if we are seen. September 20th all americans who feel this is unjust should go outside of their job and stand on the street at 12 noon to pronounce protest of this injustice with signs and flyers. Just wearing black isn't enough. I don't have the money to go to Louisiana with PUSH or Al Sharpton. I do have a voice. Pass it on to draw support.
The hanging of the nooses was wrong and so was the beating of another person. If white kids had beaten a black kid that badly there would be riots and Al Sharpton would have to show his ugly mug on TV. They did the crime and now they have to do the time.
umm hello the white students did beat up a black student at a school party too so your point in saying the black students beat up the kid is not saying anything at all. read the whole article PLEASE
This is a typical example of reverse racisim. Was it wrong to hang nooses from the tree, absolutely. Should those students responsible for hanging those nooses be punished, absolutely and they were. Now to say that 6 black students jumping a white student and kicking him in the face is ok, that is wrong. If it were the opposite, if 6 white students jumped a black student than the NAACP, rev. Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton would have had a 10,000 black people protesting a hate crime, but because it was black on white and the students responsible are being punished appropriately the black students are being treated "unfairly". Enough is enough, black, white, or purple, 15 or 50 when you jump someone 6 to 1 and you kick them in the face while there on the ground regardless of the injuries inflicted they should be punished to the full extent of the law.
The sad part of all of this, is the injustice to another fellow Human Being. Ignorance is the true crime here. To past hatred onto your children in any form is just an example of the true American Way. We all know racism is alive and well, we witness it every day in some form. My question for this town is "What will it take for you to open your eyes". What we have to do is educate our children and most importantly PRAY. In the end the Lord will have the final say!
Im sick and tired of being sick and tired. For those who believe blacks commit more crimes than whites is a joke. Even if that were true the crimes committed by whites destroy thousands of lives, look at Enron, World Com and countless other scandals. people are still holding a check they can't ever cash.
6 black boys beating a white boy is wrong. Wait a minute. Let me rephrase that. 6 boys beating any boy is wrong. As a matter of fact, any school fight is usually considered wrong--but are those kids sent to jail for 22 years? Are we really going to go there? YOU BETTER BE SURE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE YOUR CHILDREN WILL NOT BE EXEMPT. Do you all hear me? Is this the opportunity you want for your children? The chance to have their school fight (and they will have some) turned into court cases and possibly jail? You might want to think about this very carefully. Justin or Shane or Damon going to jail will not be exceptions, they will be the rule.
its sad to see that this is happening, but the good outcome of all of it is movement that will follow. you see how the word spread so quickly. now all we need to do as people (all races included) is stay strong and over come it. thanks to fallen leaders such as mlk, and rosa parks, we have civil rights, now its time to "remind" the communities, small & large, that it is 2007.
It inrages me to hear, "Blacks are responsible for most of the crimes in the country". Hello! In 2006 here in New Mexico college classes, the studies showed actually it is "white americans" in prison...followed then by "blacks"...followed by hispanics... So all of you non-educated people, if you must talk about things lets stick to facts... I am a Black Woman. I do not think it was fair for them to jump another person, however what Black Americans is talking about the punishment does not fit the crime!
Racism is everywhere in this country and as a black female I see It a lot and hope It will go away for our children sake. By reading the Jena 6 article is has gotten to the point where is has Childeren has taking this to another level and will never know the impact of hanging the noose on a tree felt to the 6 black males. These children left home with this hatedred to blacks if love hearts and minds because this is what they are being taught at home. White parents should stand up for these boys even though the outcome was wrong, the the Justice System is not right for the punishment they are handing out for this misdermeanor. Whites that sit on benches should not have one punishment for black or white and it happens they should be voted off the bench.
A Voice in Delaware
It is sad that we continue to live in these times where racism, biogtry, and hatred still exist. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that violence is wrong period. It does not matter what race, ethnic background, gender because we need to all respect the differences of one another as we are all God's children.
However, lets think outside the box for a moment to reflect upon issues such as these where many ignored the warning signs of such ignorance. Sometimes talking is just not enough because many choose to ignore. So I say this to only mean that it is unfortunate that one has to go to such extreme in an effort to get a message across.
Don't think in a million year's that this is not happening for a reason. Don't think that God has not chosen these kids to help set an example to this country. Like many of our biblical leaders, each of them were used in some way in order to shape this country in hopes to preach love, embrace each other and to respect the cultural differences.
And the bottom line is either you are going to part of the problem or part of the solution. Where do you stand?
Now 39, I once was involved in a fight in High School in Kingston, New York because I was called a light skinned Nigger. Well that was there worst mistake they made. As I am a firm believer in non-violence, I strongly believed that it was important for me to send a message of non tolerance.
So as you can guess my cousins and I, also including a friend of ours who is White all decided to cause bodily harm for a lack of a better phrase.
We were arrested and my mother had to pay a $ 250.00 fine in addition to community service which I had never done. What I did sure did not constitute jail for the rest of my life. What happened to these kids in a serious injustice.
Let’s take a look at this a tree. A tree. A tree is the cause of a fight, and people being put in jail. a tree.. I say again a tree. Something God make years ago. A tree. Not some one being run over or shot or any thing else. But a tree. Are you for real. A tree what if some one sit under your tree(it is not your tree it belong to God). It is a tree. Most people (that have commented) are up in the air about the kids fighting and what Rev. Al and Jackson would have done if this happen differently but look at the authority figures. It’s a tree, a God given tree. But those in charge tell students that they can mess there life up with a stork of a pen…but you taking a bout a tree. You all the tree, the fighting an all that should be the last thing talked about. But go to jail for 22 years are you for real….like are you really in your right mind? But the top man is going to destroy every one else (the black kids or those godly enough to speak out) because they talk….what…….are you for real…all of it is wrong…from the begging to the end. It is all wrong. But a tree started all of this ….sit some were else or if some one is there go some were else…this is childish and it has ruined many people life’s. Stupid! a tree I just can not understand but only simple mined people would fight over some one sitting under there tree….Gods tree…. People go to Christ in prayer.. You all need him. Adams and Eve did not fight over a tree but it was the tree that separated them from God and caused them to die in the sprit and here we are again …o God. Let me stop I am about to preach up in here….A TREE…..STOP PLAYING…….
I appreciate the energy that is being put in the 9/20 demonstration for the jena 6, my question, what happens on 9/21 after the demonstrators have left and the jena 6 still have the townpeople to deal with. It seems like the good ole boys just have to wait out this storm.
No one wants to admit the system is racist. See the racism of today is subtle. Everyone even whites see it. it was ugly at first but it been dressed up now. dressed up as being subtle. its like its been served on fine china and then after a while it begins to taste good. people say oh i'm not racist i have nothing against black people. And we as blacks say the same thing but i bet if you had a crowd of black and whites. let someone black or white walk in a start socializing. each one would most likely conversation with those of our own race. the problem is we don't understand each other. It two completely different cultures. the majority of black people are under privileged. We don't understand one another. If gorge Bush came to the ghetto to live for two weeks. ( which would never happen)i would hope that maybe he would see what it is like to live there. why boys sell drugs. its not right but when life is skeptical from day to day. you'd might resort to selling drugs.
People say black commit the most crimes. No blacks are convicted for more crimes. my sister was expelled for getting in a fight. the class valediction for my class a white girl got in a fight with another white girl at a football game. on school grounds making the school responsible for the child's safety, neither one was expelled let alone suspended. i don't mean to saprk controversy but just think about it. What is the skin color of the people who dropped bombs on Hiroshima. whats the skin color of the people who killed Jews. or the people who ordered the invasion of Vietnam or iraq. Or the people that slaughtered the Aztecs and incans. the people who made the Cherokee native Americans walk the trail of tears. tell me what skin color they were. when a country can't seem to elect a black president or a woamn president, whats the message sent. its subtle message. one that present itself to the sub-conscience. maybe white are better than blacks. can anyone of us in here say truly we teach our children equality of races. do you bring white friends over. do you bring black friends over. Do don't have to verbally preach equality. Children learn by models. so when bad things fall upon this world. terror disease fighting. maybe we as people should stop and think maybe this is karma for being ungrateful. for being ignorant of one another.
when you in the supermarket complaining about bread they don't have think about how many people don't have it. who lay down at night an wish and i mean they literally wish, they think about the physical aspect of havening bread, remember that your blessed. we you get paid your big bucks and you don't give back to those and things that got you to where you are, just think. when bad things happen and " oh lord why me?" think about what you've done. was i mean to the garbage man. when i looked at her was the first thing i thought was " she fat and ugly." think about.
Injustice anywhere in this world should not be tolerated. I believe that in a city where black students and white students are kept "separate" until high school is definitely a breeding ground for racism. Should these boys be held accountable for their actions, most definitely but let the time match the crime and my god what happened to fair and equal representation. Too many bloggers at this site don't have all the facts. Here is a link to help stop ignorance: http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/70915030
Hanging nooses with nobody in them: not against the law. Kicking the hell out of a person in a gang related (read: 3 or more individuals) physical attack of violence: against the law. I'm not saying the noose hangers are right - in fact, they are stupid. However, it does NOT give a group of kids the right to beat someone nearly to death. Jesse Jackson is a moron.
This is insane, those kids beat that kid till he had to go to the hospital. 6 vs 1 that was not a school yard fight, thats gang activity. those boys should be put in jail for a long time and think about what they did. How are people going to band together to end racism when they teamed up on the white boy. Rev. Jackson and Al Sharpten both need to stay out of the whole scene. Its not a matter of racism its a matter of the LAW. The law says they can and should be prosecuted for attempted murder, all 6 of them.
The 6 black kids who beat the white guy that bad should not be getting the media coverage that they are getting. It seems that EVERY time a african-american gets in trouble with the law you see Sharpton and Jackson running around complaining about racism. There was racism in this case, but it was the black kids participated in a racially motivated attack. These kids should be brought up on hate crime charges including the attempted murder charges.
I am respnoding to the above comment. Sir/Madam, althogh you don't deserve to be said or called that title, Can you Prove to me that The D.A and The jurors have a case to convict that this was an attempted murder? I think you still Don't believe that this was all about racism.
they need to be prosecuted. rev al and jesse are worthless "ambulance chasers of racism" you are only solidifying racism.
Yes, this breaks my heart, but what I dont understand is why my White son gets choked at school on the playground when mistakenly standing in the wrong spot - Not knowing! be called "white boy", FAG, etc... But if my child were to say the word ALL WOULD BREAK LOOSE!
But when you get down to it - we are not teaching our kids how to IGNORE and go on - NO - Just beat the crap out of someone and your the big man!
When it comes to physical - the foot needs to come down!
Jena, Louisiana; You say you’re not racist and this is not a racially divided community, then what am I to think when I come to your town and I see confederate flags hung before peoples homes? What am I to think when I hear about your district attorney telling my African American youth that “I can take away your life with a stroke of my pen” just because they wanted to stand up and say to fellow students I’m an American just like you!
Why is it that anytime our black communities unite together to fight against injustice and against those that are in positions of power and abuse it, the white community automatically turns defensive... To the Jena, LA residents, no one is calling YOU names; no one is saying YOU are racist, a bigot, or a redneck, we are not trying to portray you in a way that you are not, this is not a witch-hunt for you, because you are a small town in the south.... This congregation has come together not to fight against YOU as the an individual, but to fight against those that are trying to destroy our youth and our future as a black culture, if you feel that we are naming YOU personally then feel free to step in line behind the District Attorney and anyone else who supports his actions and the outlandish words he has spoken to the future; forget the color of their skin, but know that they all represent the future of our great nation. Even your foolish children who hang nooses from trees in response to a young man's statement of "We want to be more integrated," are too the future of this great nation. I pose this question to anyone who is a citizen of the world, are these the kind of people you want to carry on your name and family legacy, relation or no relation, are these the kind of people you want to represent you and your family? If you feel you are not at all what it seems, racist or any other derogatory terms you have come up with, which none of these leaders that have brought about this great rally have said you are, then you to should be right out there with us protesting the destruction of these six young men! You feel that it is unjust for your small town to be picked on just because its in the south? Well the black community as well as all other concerned parties feel it is unjust that such hell has been brought to the door steps of these six young men and their families, because of some fight which was initiated due to the lack of respect that our children have for each other. To the residents of Jena, LA that have commented that they feel this media frenzy is destroying your families, and to have such bad media come to your town and make you feel as if you are being portrayed in such a way that is unjust, well then I welcome you to the reality of OUR world, and to the reality of the world in which you live in but do not have the decency to recognize that we live in a world of injustice everyday of our lives! What has our nation come to when the main concern is how you’re being portrayed in the media is more important than our concern for the lives of our children future of our cultures!
This is not about white and black, although the reason this has reared its ugly head yet again in the 21st century, is because of the pure ignorance of America, claiming it to be just a prank; well let me tell you this, parents of the white children that found this funny, IT’S NOT! and as parents you have FAILED to educated your children that “pranks” of that nature will not be tolerated at any level, and because you have failed to educated your children or even yourselves for that matter, you have brought about a group that will no longer stand for that type of behavior and are not afraid to fight back against past years of oppression and as it seems many more to come! Seeing that it is required to learn US history in order to graduate from any level of school, it aught to be required to also learn the history in detail of all races and cultures to retain a high school diploma, since ignorance is now an excuse for practical jokes, if you new better you’d do better! Again this is not about white or black, it’s about right and wrong, a shot gun being pulled on you and you being charged with robbery of that shot gun is WRONG!
Let me say this to all those that feel the punishment is unfair on either side, to be a subject to this issue alone is punishment in itself, whether it be the Jena six or the fellow young white students involved, regardless of the roll any of those involved let this be a lesson to you and many of us across this great nation.
Now to everyone who feels these 6 young men deserve to be in jail for the remainder of their years says a lot about your personal character alone. Whether you feel the nooses have anything to do with the beating that white student received is neither here nor there.
If you take the whole story from beginning to end and all of its series of events you will be able to see, assuming you set aside you personal feeling and all ignorance, you will see that everyone has there breaking point and tolerance levels only go so far. Why is it that these children have to ask a school official if they may sit under the “White Tree” in the first place just to accomplish an impromptu statement; then the city’s District Attorney threatens the black students because they are following in the footsteps of their former leaders “Non violent, non violent” Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks just to name a couple; who fought raising their voices demanding to be heard by means of marching, large crowds in protest knowing their lives were in jeopardy, asking for nothing more than EQAULITY! Then you have the beating of the African American student in which not many of you are even acknowledging, before the so-called Jena 6 students beat up the white student, not to mention some of the so-called Jena 6 were not even present during the fight. Then you have the two African American students at a liquor store in which there were held at gun point with a shot gun, and then later prosecuted for stealing the shotgun from the white student who claimed to be “intimidated by the two African American students,”
If that’s the case why would you leave and then come back with a gun?. Ok now remind me again what that solved?
Now you have these African American students being taunted by fellow black students with nooses and derogatory name calling, you all mean to tell me that these white kids or even their parents for that matter, don’t know that calling a African American a “Nigger” or hanging “Nooses” is inappropriate or just down right WRONG! I challenge anyone of this town or any town for that matter to show me a person that doesn’t know or understand the meaning or what they represent then I will show you a toddler, to say the least. So now you have a small group of African American students facing the same trials that the maybe their parents faced, most definitely their grandparents and great grandparents faced in the years and centuries before them, today! Now I ask White America what are our children to do? In the events before the beating up of the white student, our children turned the other cheek, instead of violence they took after their great leaders that I am pretty sure that many of your white children have no idea who they really are except when hearing about them during black history month, if that. I to understand that many of us black and white are ignorant to each others cultures, but that does not give anyone the excuse to taunt or brandish a firearm in the faces of those in which you refuse to understand just because they’re different. Now our children have reached their breaking points and resort to violence because it just seems as if their point is just getting through, so they figure “by any means necessary” Malcolm X!
I do not agree with anyone group beating up on any one person alone, I have no disagreement with anyone who supports the DA who feels this boy was beat up by more than one person, I am in total agreement with all of you in that issue alone and I am sure many educated African Americans would be in agreement with me; but the argument that stands is that this was all influenced by RACIAL DIFFERENCES, lack of RESPECT, pure IGNORANCE, and STUPIDITY! It is true violence only begets violence, but at what point do our children, African American children get to say no more without the District Attorney threatening the rest of their lives. No more enough is enough, enough has reached a point of too much!
Parents of Jena 6 speak at National Judicial Reform Conference
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8670236700863473591
Link to speech titled "No Justice, No Peace" given by Mark A. Adams, Esquire JD/MBA at the National Judicial Reform Conference at Rice University in Houston, Texas
Higher Quality Video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5135583133302349969
Lower Quality Video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5274592268158533722
I'm very lucky to say that I grew up in Arizona, and I have never known racisim. I'm very sad that it still exists, because it's ridiculous. I was naive enough to think that the Civil Rights Movement actually made all of it go away. I'm sorry to say that I am naive, and I feel terrible for those kids who actually stood up for themselves, and got a punishment that is highly disagreable. Not only were the white students not punished for the things that they did, these teenagers are being tried as adults, and they didn't have any weapons except for their fists. In my parents time that is how things were handled, and they didn't use guns, and they didn't use weapons, and it made their statements clear. I'm clearly outraged by this. Where I went to High School you had to keep your grades up in order to be in sports. The front guy on this is obviously in sports and he's not a bad student. I'm outraged by how this school, and town have handled this. I hope that these kids can get out and get on with their lives, and I really hope that after this those kids won't judge other white people by the rednecks in that town.
This case is purely a legal matter, It should be prosecuted as such. The only crime committed here is attemted murder. All 6 involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
How many of you can actually say that you have looked at this case thoroughly and know enough about it to make judgement in either direction? Not many, I'm sure because I have seen many posts that show that people aren't willing to give anyone other than their side of the issue the benefit of the doubt. First of all, just because the maximum penalty for a crime is 22 years, that does not mean a person will get that penalty. Go check out some facts and see how many people actually get the max penalty for crimes they commit, especially young people, who, with certain exceptions, seem to have a pretty clean record, and this is a determining factor in sentencing.
Second, the boys who hung the nooses were punished (and it wasn't just 3 days suspension) and them and their family's had to go to counseling. (Now just like all the rest of the posters on here, I am going off of what I've read online, because no matter what you say, unless you were at every incident that occurred in Jena, you only have hearsay to go off just like me.) Most hate crimes, that don't involve violence, are only considered as such when specifically targeting another person (such as a burning cross in someone's yard). There is no way anyone can know absolutely that those boys were hanging those nooses as a threat, so even if your assumption is pretty good, it is still just an assumption. It was stupid of them to do it, but it truly didn't do any harm directly or even immediately after so stop blaming those boys. (Besides, every person who has reviewed this case from the government has said the nooses and beating were not related. Get over it.)
And last, maybe some people should check out some unbiased legal sites, and specifically look into overcharging of defendents. It may not be a good thing but it isn't just blacks that it happens to. Prosecutors across the country use it to get people to plea bargain to a lesser crime and even, as seems the case here, to try to get a minor charged as an adult in circumstances that they see as it being needed. Now, it may not be the fair thing to do, but it does happen all the time and to all races and colors. If you check out some statistics, you'll find that less than 10% of cases actually go to court, most of the rest are plea bargained. This is what I think the DA was going for. And I don't want to hear about the pen comment, because again there are many conflicting stories on that too, and if you weren't there then you don't really know what happened or what was said. Many times, people will use only parts of comments to make their own case sound better. Heck, politicians do it all the time.
There is so much conflicting information in this story, that to say that we should free these boys without trials is wrong. There is evidence from eye witnesses that say these boys attacked another boy and beat him while he was unconscience. These boys should go to trial and then if found guilty be sentenced as a judge sees fit. If their lawyers feel some injustice was done, then they can appeal. But there are more noble issues that can be fought for than these boys, who lately just use their newfound fame to glorify themselves. Even if they weren't the ones to beat up Justin Barker, you would think that they would have the decency to act humble. I would be ashamed if these were my relatives. (For all those who haven't heard, some of the boys had photos up on myspace of them with lots of money and a couple got to present awards for BET.) (And yes I am white, but I live in Hawaii, where I am a minority and I do have black relatives. I also had a poor upbringing, but my parents taught me that if I work hard I can make something of myself, that money isn't everything, and you should judge people by their actions, not what color they are, where they come from, who they know, etc.)
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