It is pathetic that our racist "justice" system is still allowed to get away with this. Spread the word to those who aren't already in the know:Jena SixFor those too lazy to read, this video breaks down the basics:
White supremacist backlash builds over Jena case By Howard Witt | Tribune senior correspondent
HOUSTON - No sooner did tens of thousands of African-American demonstrators depart the racially tense town of Jena, La., last week after protesting perceived injustices than white supremacists flooded in behind them.
First a neo-Nazi Web site posted the names, addresses and phone numbers of some of the six black teenagers and their families at the center of the Jena 6 case and urged followers to find them and "drag them out of the house," prompting an investigation by the FBI.
Then the leader of a white supremacist group in Mississippi published interviews that he conducted with the mayor of Jena and the white teenager who was attacked and beaten, allegedly by the six black youths. In those interviews, the mayor, Murphy McMillin, praised efforts by pro-white groups to organize counterdemonstrations; the teenager, Justin Barker, urged white readers to "realize what is going on, speak up and speak their mind."
Over the weekend, white extremist Web sites and blogs across the Internet filled with invective about the Jena 6 case, which has drawn scrutiny from civil rights leaders, three leading Democratic presidential candidates and hundreds of African-American Internet bloggers. They are concerned about allegations that blacks have been treated more harshly than whites in the criminal justice system of the town of 3,000, which is 85 percent white.
David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, last week announced his support for Jena's white residents, who voted overwhelmingly for him when he ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana governor in 1991.
"There is a major white supremacist backlash building," said Mark Potok, a hate-group expert at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group in Montgomery, Ala. "I also think it's more widespread than may be obvious to most people. It's not only neo-nazis and Klansmen???you expect this kind of reaction from them."
Controversy over the Jena 6 case has been percolating for months but it exploded into national view last Thursday when a crowd of at least 20,000 peaceful demonstrators from around the country marched through the central Louisiana town.
They came to support the six black high school students who were initially charged by the local prosecutor with attempted murder for attacking Barker, a white classmate who was beaten and knocked briefly unconscious last December. The charges were later reduced to aggravated second-degree battery.
The incident capped months of racial unrest after three white students hung nooses from a shade tree at the high school after black students asked permission to sit under it. School officials dismissed the noose incident as a prank, angering black students and their parents and triggering a series of fights between whites and blacks. The whites involved were charged with misdemeanors or not at all while the blacks drew various felony charges.
McMillin has insisted that his town is being unfairly portrayed as racist???an assertion the mayor repeated in an interview with Richard Barrett, the leader of the Nationalist Movement, a white supremacist group based in Learned, Miss., who asked McMillin to "set aside some place for those opposing the colored folks."
"I am not endorsing any demonstrations, but I do appreciate what you are trying to do," Barrett quoted McMillin as saying. "Your moral support means a lot."
McMillin declined to return calls seeking comment Monday.
Barker's father, David, said his family did not know the nature of Barrett's group when they agreed to be interviewed, adding, "I am not a white supremacist, and neither is my son."
But Barrett said he explained his group and its beliefs to the Barker family, who then invited him to stay overnight at their home on the eve of last week's protest march.
Rev. Jesse Jackson told the Tribune that he had grown so concerned about white extremists' threats against the Jena 6 families and perceived injustices in the town that he called the White House over the weekend to ask for immediate federal intervention.
Jackson said the acting head of the U.S. Justice Department's civil right division phoned him Monday to say that the agency had begun investigating the Jena situation.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
THE HIP HOP PERSPECTIVE on the JENA 6:
This was sent to me by KC, a colleague from the ACLU who went to Jena, LA and met up with his pals, Davey D. and DJ Paradise of X-Clan, as part of the National HipHop Political Convention.
"This is some real coverage of the Jena protests that you will never hear on CNN. Brought to you by Davey D. (thats me holding the National HipHop Political Convention sign of the right by the way:)) peace, KC"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: [Hip Hop Political Community Cipher] please spread this around folks
Click HERE to Listen to Jena 6 Rally Interviews and Speeches
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There's so much to say about the historic Jena 6 Rally. It was a beautiful and inspiring thing. It was overwhelming to see so many people come out, especially young people from the so called Hip Hop Generation. Folks came from all over, many of them driving thousands of miles. My good brother DJ Paradise of the legendary group X-Clan captures a lot of what went down in his blog entry below.
It was good to see Hip Hop in the building. No 50 and Kanye didn't show, but Mos Def was there. Bun B from UGK was there, Ice Cube was there, Salt-n-Pepa was there, Sway from MTV was there, The Hip Hop Political Convention was there and scores of local artists independent artists from all over the country. Of course there was Jasiri X out of Pittsburgh's One Hood who put together the song 'Free the Jena 6'. Right now he is back in the studio with Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers and NY Oil doing a remix.
However, Mos Def in our interview with DJ Chela expressed disappointment, because he expected to see and hear more from his more visible collegues. He explained that he's in the middle of shooting a movie and recording an album, but saw the Jena 6 issue to be too important to miss. He had to be there on hand especially since there were so many poor and working class people who showed up.
With so many poor and working class Blacks who have little means showing up in Jena the Diddys and Jay-Zs should've ideally been on hand or at the very least using their platforms to speak about this issue. But the success of Jena does not rest and should not rest on the presence of corporate backed artists. The people came in large numbers and took a strong stand on a hot day in the south in September. As you read the rest of this and listen to the audio, I want people to keep a few things in mind.
First, cell phone service in Jena was cut off the day of the rally. The excuse given was the cell towers were 'overloaded'. We think not. It seemed quite deliberate and served the purpose of preventing folks from communicating with one another. It showed me just how dependent we are on modern technological tools like the Internet and cell phones and how we can quickly be crippled should someone in a position of power decide to flip the switch.
People like myself and other journalists were not able call in our news reports to radio stations and other media outlets. Organizers were not able to text one another to co-ordinate during the rally. We should be aware that jamming cell phones and shutting off other modes of communication like the Internet will be a way to stifle our movement. Another thing to note is that residents in Jena suddenly had their cable disrupted. Hence they weren't able to see the coverage from CNN and other media outlets that had descended on Jena. This needs to be investigated.
The other thing that was not reported was the number of buses and other vehicles prevented from coming into the city. More than 120 buses along with other vehicles were pulled over and kept at the side of the road about 20 miles outside of Jena for more than 2 hours. Cars with out of state plates were pulled over by Louisiana State Troopers that were posted on every exit and entrance between Jena and Alexandria which is an hour away. The police definitely were going after folks when they could get away with it...One beautiful moment was seeing when the New Black Panther Party went to speak in front of the courthouse and how the state troopers tried to surround them as if to make them stop. The brothers turned around faced the cops and held their ground while they went ahead and did an impromptu rally that lasted for a good 40 minutes.
Lastly a question that got raised was where were the white progressives who show up in mass at Anti-War Rallies and other causes? The large numbers of Black folks that showed up to Jena was due in part to people like Michael Baisden wisely using his syndicated radio show to talk about key issues and not nonsense like Kanye vs 50 or OJ. This in turn led to other Black talk shows to follow suit. Heck even Hot 97 in NY got on board and had on air discussions. We should be giving praise and asking for more of this type of on air activism. Again props to Michael Baisden and others who decided to use those airwaves in a good way.
One glaring omission at Jena was the Progressive white community. With so many Black people coming to Jena, think of how powerful it would've been had those white progressive that routinely listen to shows like Democracy Now , NPR and other alternative outlets where the Jena issue and the upcoming rally was discussed daily had also saw fit to show and take a strong stand against racism. It was a missed opportunity to see people from all races come together and take strong stance against the insidious racism in Jena. People need to keep in mind even though we came down in large numbers you still had white boys driving around with confederate flags and nooses in the back of their trucks.
Prior to the march you had rumors of the Klan showing up. A group of brothers from St. Louis showed up calling themselves the KKK Killers. They got wind of the Klan stories and were ready to go at it with them had they shown. They raised the issue as well about the progressive left being absent from this event. They held a noose around a Black man to show what historically went on in the south and still goes on. They also held a noose around some stuffed dogs and noted that there are many in this country who care more about the mis- treatment of dogs versus the mis-treatment of people. As one young brother rhetorically put it as he raised this issue 'I want answers from A.N.S.W.E.R. why weren't you here today in Jena?'.
On a related note, where the hell was Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama Apparently none of those cowardly presidential candidates saw fit to come to Jena? Perhaps they find some gumption and use their Senatorial powers to call for an investigation and bring about some Justice.
In conclusion the key to Jena will be the follow up. It will be up to us to write letters we write and make phone calls to Congress demanding an investigation. It will mean us sending money to the families. It will mean us making phone calls to 'Democratic' Governor Blanco demanding Mychael Bell be set free and charges dropped against the Jena 6.
Davey D
Observations About Jena by DJ Paradise of X-Clan
On the night of September 18th, 2007, a mini-van carrying 6 diverse people left Pittsburgh, PA. Forgetting about their own individual struggles, banding together to travel to Jena, Louisiana to fight a common fight against oppression for The Jena 6 and for the freedom of 17 year old Mychal Bell.
Traveling 1,100 miles across many places with the same names as the one's traveled by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the "Freedom Riders". Without the fear of being stopped by racist sheriffs accompanied by KKK members in pickup trucks brandishing shot-guns, there was still an uneasy feeling and keen awareness of what was faced
by many brave souls who traveled these dark unlit roads in search of "Freedom, Justice and Equality" decades before us as we passed through Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Listening the the radio and reading every newspaper from Pittsburgh to Jena. It seems to us that the masses of white people across America are in denial. They seem to believe that America is over racism, it just flat out does not exist according to many of them. In spite of the statistics for incarceration, housing, economics, education and unemployment. The excuses that many white people believe are responsible for so called African-Americans not doing well are lame and racist in themselves. The sad truth is that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of towns like Jena, Louisiana out there, in denial, bubbling, waiting to blow!
We arrived in Jena on the night of September 19th to check out the area so that we would have a feel of what we were riding into the next day. Things were very quite except for a few driveways full of pickup trucks at the homes of some white residents who I imagine had gathered to discuss the next days events.
Jena, Louisianan is a isolated community between 127 (West) and 8 (East), either way it's a long lonely ride into Jena from the highway, except of course on September 20th when over 60,000 people converged on the town with a total population of 3,000. Thousands of cars and hundreds of buses from all over America jammed the roads to a stand still. We stopped at the "GOTTA GO" convenience store, the spot that a white teen pulled a shot-gun on Brian Bailey (who grabbed the weapon and ran home with it). The police charged Brian and his friends with stealing a firearm, but did not charge the teen who had pulled it out of his pickup truck with anything.
The Nooses have been cut down, the oak tree AKA "white tree" has been cut down, (Royal Shariyf's email reminded me that: "They cut it down, but the tree didn't do anything. The tree was innocent!"), The School has been half burned down, the one thing that has been left standing tall and deeply rooted is the white supremacy that many of the black children of Jena refuse to be dominated by any more. That is the point that is being lost in all of this. I would love to have had more time to listen to the young black residents of Jena, Louisiana. I did not go to Jena to lead them, they are the leaders that I went to Jena to follow, the one's who have had enough! The one's who have heard enough talk and pretty speeches. The one's who exhibited the strength and courage of the ancestors, when they stood up in the face of incredible odds and said "NO MORE"!
They were brave in spite of the fact that they were greatly outnumbered and threatened by LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walter who said in a special assembly at Jena High School with white students at one side of the room and black students seated at the other. "I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen". (A threat that he surely aims to enforce on Mychal Bell in spite of marches, court rulings and the law).
The black children of Jena, Louisiana were threatened with nooses, a shot gun, hit with bottles and the threat of the rifle and ammo found in Justin Barker's truck on school grounds must constantly be on their minds. Somehow the only person in Jena in trouble for a weapon is Mychal Bell, his tennis shoe! Still, somehow they remained brave, and somehow DA Reed Walter and too many white residents of Jena, Louisiana continue to act as though Justin Barker is the only victim in this case.
If this is not an obvious case of systematic racism, I don't know what is, consider this:
In Jena, Louisiana: hanging nooses from trees is not a hate crime "it is a prank".
In Jena, Louisiana: pulling a shot-gun on black teenagers is not a crime, "disarming the person who pulls it on you is".
In Jena, Louisiana: a group of 6 or 7 white youths jumping a black youth is "simple battery", 6 black youths jump a white youth it is "attempted murder".
In Jena, Louisiana: a shot-gun, a rifle, a bottle, brass knuckles are not dangerous weapons, "a gym shoe is".
In Jena, Louisiana: Confederate flags are not symbols of hate or racism, "it is free speech".
In Jena, Louisiana: racism and white supremacy is not considered a crime, "fighting back is".
Overall the March in Jena was a success depending on who you ask. Personally I'm disappointed by the results. I thought that the point of the march was to "Free The Jena 6" which is more than a hot t-shirt slogan. I know that I can speak for brother Jasiri X when I say: more than "the hook to a song". 7 Organizations had separate events and no one had itinerary's or schedules. Security was unorganized which was scary as hell considering that Jena has only 2 roads in and out. And the town had cut off all cell phone communications during the march.
My Elder Sonny Carson told me long ago "Never ask for anything that you cannot take!" I can't help feeling like, "Why did we travel so far to leave Mychal Bell's mother in tears"?
Right after the march on Jena I heard from people in the crowd that Al Sharpton and Michael Baisdon were having a "Rally" in the neighboring town of Alexandria.
We had heard rumors on the way there that there was to be a town hall meeting organized by them in collaboration with th NAACP. Whatever happened, it wound up being 2 separate events and we had no idea as to where the NAACP meeting was. The decision was made easy for me as my friend Jasiri X was a guest of Michael Baisdon who had been "Banging" his song "Free The Jena 6" on his nationally syndicated show all month, plus I wanted to speak to my good Brother Al Sharpton about ways to build better bridges across the the Hip-hop generation and our Elders in the civil rights generation . I think that there was a little too much celebrating and not enough done to empower new young leadership. Leadership that sets goals, organizes, communicates and implements strategic plans nationally.
No one is above criticism, (especially myself) but to allow this energy of young black people "taking personal responsibility" in a way that I have only seen at the Million Man March (once In my life) to dissipate would truly be "Jena-cide". No one can be blamed for feeling so good about our youth after watching so many of them come out to see that their brothers get justice. And for that I thank the racists who just so happen to live amongst some fine people in Jena, Louisiana, who are so arrogant, so sure of themselves and so supreme, that they may well have just messed around and awakened a sleeping giant! And I am not even talking about the small group that went to Jena! It has been so hard for us to convince the average person on the street in America that this country is as racist as ever! Now thanks to you, everyone in the world saw those nooses (after the rally), and we heard about the ones that were hanging in the "white tree", we saw all the confederate flags too (we know exactly what all that means), y'all might have just make my job easier.
Media Literacy 101:
White residents, politicians and the media continue to paint a picture of Justin Barker as the victim in this case. However Justin Barker was not randomly picked out of a crowd and attacked for being white. He is close friends with the 3 white youths who hung the nooses in the "white tree", and he was involved in the process of continuing the oppression and intimidation of Brian Bailey who had already been jumped and hit with bottles by a gang of 6 or 7 white youths one of them a 21 year old white male and had a shot-gun pulled on him at the convenience store.
While much is being made of Mychal Bells "prior criminal history", 2 incidents of Battery and 2 charges of criminal damage to property, nothing is being said in the press about the fact that Justin Barker was arrested for possession of a firearm
in a firearm-free zone after a .22 caliber rifle and bullets were found in his truck at Jena High School on May 10, 2007 after his friend
It is not surprising to see that Mychal Bell had a prior criminal record, his friend Brian Bailey was charged with "aggravated battery, 2nd degree robbery and disturbing the peace" after wrestling a shotgun from the hands of one of 6 or seven attackers who jumped him and beat him with bottles (2 days earlier at the Fair Grounds. Only 1 person was charged with simple assault and given probation).
Contrary to reports in the press, Justin Barker was not "Brutally" beaten, his injuries are consistent with a one on one fight rather than being jumped and stomped by 6 members of a football team. In fact he was treated and released from the hospital in 2 1/2 hours and attended a social function that same night. The use of the words "Brutally beaten" is media propaganda, a mind trick that subliminally plants the image in peoples heads that the Jena 6 are "Brutes". A concept at the very foundation of White Supremacy. Dehumanization. " The Brute Caricature " http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/brute/
Brian Bailey, Mychal Bell, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jessie Ray Beard are the Jena 6.
On a related note, where the hell was Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama Apparently none of those cowardly presidential candidates saw fit to come to Jena? Perhaps they find some gumption and use their Senatorial powers to call for an investigation and bring about some Justice.
On a related note, where the hell was Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama Apparently none of those cowardly presidential candidates saw fit to come to Jena? Perhaps they find some gumption and use their Senatorial powers to call for an investigation and bring about some Justice.
The reason that was given over here in the news was that - in the case of Barack - he is so post blackmovement that he is also willing to criticise blacks for their actions. Thus - as it is believed - the six were beating the white guy when he was already on the ground and hitting him when he couldn't move anymore. This might be a fact that Barack is not taken proactive measures. Although clearly 2 separate measures of justice are at play in the case of the jena 6. That is also the quintessence of the news coverage (whites are punished too weakly, black guys waaay too hard). Noone is denying the role of racism in this, but newsagents over here argue that this case will probably not help to revive a black rights movement and they try to downplay it as a schoolyardrambling. Also - not surprisingly - the black guys were said to worship all the bad things that the hiphop culture brought up a la everyone wants to be 50 Cent and pose with their money and stuff. Riduculonkus...I dunno what to say about all this...I think this graemlin says it all totally perfect....
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Noone is denying the role of racism in this, but newsagents over here argue that this case will probably not help to revive a black rights movement
It is pathetic that our racist "justice" system is still allowed to get away with this. Spread the word to those who aren't already in the know:
can you explain explicitly what your problem with this case is? In all the coverage I've seen of the protests and whatnot, there are no real concrete complaints being mentioned...I don't know if this is just the media's crappy coverage or what. I understand the racist justice system argument (more fact than argument), but are people upset that these kids are in jail, or do they feel like they shouldn't be charged at all?
Personally I think it's ludicrous that they are getting any jail time for this, but at the same time you can't go around beating people without there being consequences. I guess it seems like more attention should be focused on the white kids that hung the nooses and GOT AWAY WITH IT.
It is pathetic that our racist "justice" system is still allowed to get away with this. Spread the word to those who aren't already in the know:
can you explain explicitly what your problem with this case is?
Hmmm...maybe that the kids are being prosecuted for second-degree murder charges for what amounts to stomping a kid who fucking deserved it? That he was convicted by an all white jury in an area where the racial background of a jury is bound to have a huge impact on the case?
If you don't see how clearly racist this case is then I don't know what to say.
And even though I'm pulling for Obama in the primary, I think it is cowardly of him not to speak out on this issue. Same holds true for all political candidates, but he is a particularly strong position to bring attention to this and hasn't done jack about it.
That he was convicted by an all white jury in an area where the racial background of a jury is bound to have a huge impact on the case?
no doubt attempted murder charges are ridiculous...what do you think is appropriate? Assault, absolutely nothing, something else? Just because someone is a piece of shit doesn't give you the (legal) right to jump them.
And regarding the jury, from the Associated Press:
The six-member jury that convicted Bell was, indeed, all white. However, only one in 10 people in LaSalle Parish is African American, and though black residents were selected randomly by computer and summoned for jury selection, none showed up[/b]
No. "Free the Jena 6" does not translate to "Let them go completely" in my book, it means "Give them freedom". That is, give them the freedom to be treated and charged to the same degree that white students are/would be. They were not given this freedom.
I think his point is that they deserve some sort of punishment, although attempted manslaughter is clearly over the top.
I don't see why it is so pertinent for some to look beyond the "over the top" actual reality to some nonexistent "fair" one where a proper punishment can be taken into consideration.
That is placing the cart ridiculously far ahead of the horse.......
I think his point is that they deserve some sort of punishment, although attempted manslaughter is clearly over the top.
I don't see why it is so pertinent for some to look beyond the "over the top" actual reality to some nonexistent "fair" one where a proper punishment can be taken into consideration.
That is placing the cart ridiculously far ahead of the horse.......
true. the people who tried to make the original ridiculous charges in the first place should face consequences i think.
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids. all i was saying is that this was the original issue: because of blatant racism, these kids were not treated fairly, and were stripped of basic freedoms of facing the same consequences for their actions as 6 white kids would. that's what "free the jena 6" means. those kids aren't free.
I think his point is that they deserve some sort of punishment, although attempted manslaughter is clearly over the top.
I don't see why it is so pertinent for some to look beyond the "over the top" actual reality to some nonexistent "fair" one where a proper punishment can be taken into consideration.
That is placing the cart ridiculously far ahead of the horse.......
Do you think the people calling for the six to be freed would then add that they should be retried under lesser charges?
Obviously the DA needs to either drop the current charges completely or retry the offenders under lesser charges. Nobody should disagree that him appealing the judge's acquittal of attempted manslaughter is fucked up.
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids. all i was saying is that this was the original issue: because of blatant racism, these kids were not treated fairly, and were stripped of basic freedoms of facing the same consequences for their actions as 6 white kids would. that's what "free the jena 6" means. those kids aren't free.
That's some tortured logic. Would you consider six white kids beating up one black kid and getting a slap on the wrist justice? Do you want justice for nobody to become the norm simply because one side benefits from it?
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids. all i was saying is that this was the original issue: because of blatant racism, these kids were not treated fairly, and were stripped of basic freedoms of facing the same consequences for their actions as 6 white kids would. that's what "free the jena 6" means. those kids aren't free.
That's some tortured logic. Would you consider six white kids beating up one black kid and getting a slap on the wrist justice? Do you want justice for nobody to become the norm simply because one side benefits from it?
I think we all have different conceptions of what the appropriate punishment in general is for a few kids beating up another kid. Are you really going to argue that an appropriate punishment for that involves jailtime? For minors? 5 day suspension and some community service hours seems more appropriate, and is what I've seen pretty much across the board.
All of that is irrelevent though as these kids have already had their lives threatened. You really think they haven't gone through enough already that they need to be punished?
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids. all i was saying is that this was the original issue: because of blatant racism, these kids were not treated fairly, and were stripped of basic freedoms of facing the same consequences for their actions as 6 white kids would. that's what "free the jena 6" means. those kids aren't free.
That's some tortured logic. Would you consider six white kids beating up one black kid and getting a slap on the wrist justice? Do you want justice for nobody to become the norm simply because one side benefits from it?
I think we all have different conceptions of what the appropriate punishment in general is for a few kids beating up another kid. Are you really going to argue that an appropriate punishment for that involves jailtime? For minors? 5 day suspension and some community service hours seems more appropriate, and is what I've seen pretty much across the board.
All of that is irrelevent though as these kids have already had their lives threatened. You really think they haven't gone through enough already that they need to be punished?
Well, a five day suspension for beating a kid's face into a bloody pulp hardly seems fair, but neither does attempted manslaughter.
The only people who seem to have a really different conception for punishing those six boys were the superintendent and the DA.
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids. all i was saying is that this was the original issue: because of blatant racism, these kids were not treated fairly, and were stripped of basic freedoms of facing the same consequences for their actions as 6 white kids would. that's what "free the jena 6" means. those kids aren't free.
That's some tortured logic. Would you consider six white kids beating up one black kid and getting a slap on the wrist justice? Do you want justice for nobody to become the norm simply because one side benefits from it?
I think we all have different conceptions of what the appropriate punishment in general is for a few kids beating up another kid. Are you really going to argue that an appropriate punishment for that involves jailtime? For minors? 5 day suspension and some community service hours seems more appropriate, and is what I've seen pretty much across the board.
All of that is irrelevent though as these kids have already had their lives threatened. You really think they haven't gone through enough already that they need to be punished?
Well, a five day suspension for beating a kid's face into a bloody pulp hardly seems fair, but neither does attempted manslaughter.
The only people who seem to have a really different conception for punishing those six boys were the superintendent and the DA.
That's a good point. And they are the ones who need to face the most severe consequences, in my opinion. How kids should be punished for fights that occur at school is debatable.
How kids should be punished for fights that occur at school is debatable.
Why does it matter that it occurred at school? Especially at a PUBLIC school? You don't magically rise above the law when you step on school grounds. WTF.
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids.
you're looking at it backwards...this is my problem with all of this. Instead of calling for equal punishment for white kids, you just want everyone to get off scott free? That doesn't make sense to me.
Comments
Paging Rockadelic and Mad Drama Teacher
By Howard Witt | Tribune senior correspondent
HOUSTON - No sooner did tens of thousands of African-American demonstrators depart the racially tense town of Jena, La., last week after protesting perceived injustices than white supremacists flooded in behind them.
First a neo-Nazi Web site posted the names, addresses and phone numbers of some of the six black teenagers and their families at the center of the Jena 6 case and urged followers to find them and "drag them out of the house," prompting an investigation by the FBI.
Then the leader of a white supremacist group in Mississippi published interviews that he conducted with the mayor of Jena and the white teenager who was attacked and beaten, allegedly by the six black youths. In those interviews, the mayor, Murphy McMillin, praised efforts by pro-white groups to organize counterdemonstrations; the teenager, Justin Barker, urged white readers to "realize what is going on, speak up and speak their mind."
Over the weekend, white extremist Web sites and blogs across the Internet filled with invective about the Jena 6 case, which has drawn scrutiny from civil rights leaders, three leading Democratic presidential candidates and hundreds of African-American Internet bloggers. They are concerned about allegations that blacks have been treated more harshly than whites in the criminal justice system of the town of 3,000, which is 85 percent white.
David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, last week announced his support for Jena's white residents, who voted overwhelmingly for him when he ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana governor in 1991.
"There is a major white supremacist backlash building," said Mark Potok, a hate-group expert at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group in Montgomery, Ala. "I also think it's more widespread than may be obvious to most people. It's not only neo-nazis and Klansmen???you expect this kind of reaction from them."
Controversy over the Jena 6 case has been percolating for months but it exploded into national view last Thursday when a crowd of at least 20,000 peaceful demonstrators from around the country marched through the central Louisiana town.
They came to support the six black high school students who were initially charged by the local prosecutor with attempted murder for attacking Barker, a white classmate who was beaten and knocked briefly unconscious last December. The charges were later reduced to aggravated second-degree battery.
The incident capped months of racial unrest after three white students hung nooses from a shade tree at the high school after black students asked permission to sit under it. School officials dismissed the noose incident as a prank, angering black students and their parents and triggering a series of fights between whites and blacks. The whites involved were charged with misdemeanors or not at all while the blacks drew various felony charges.
McMillin has insisted that his town is being unfairly portrayed as racist???an assertion the mayor repeated in an interview with Richard Barrett, the leader of the Nationalist Movement, a white supremacist group based in Learned, Miss., who asked McMillin to "set aside some place for those opposing the colored folks."
"I am not endorsing any demonstrations, but I do appreciate what you are trying to do," Barrett quoted McMillin as saying. "Your moral support means a lot."
McMillin declined to return calls seeking comment Monday.
Barker's father, David, said his family did not know the nature of Barrett's group when they agreed to be interviewed, adding, "I am not a white supremacist, and neither is my son."
But Barrett said he explained his group and its beliefs to the Barker family, who then invited him to stay overnight at their home on the eve of last week's protest march.
Rev. Jesse Jackson told the Tribune that he had grown so concerned about white extremists' threats against the Jena 6 families and perceived injustices in the town that he called the White House over the weekend to ask for immediate federal intervention.
Jackson said the acting head of the U.S. Justice Department's civil right division phoned him Monday to say that the agency had begun investigating the Jena situation.
This was sent to me by KC, a colleague from the ACLU who went to Jena, LA and met up with his pals, Davey D. and DJ Paradise of X-Clan, as part of the National HipHop Political Convention.
"This is some real coverage of the Jena protests that you will never hear on CNN. Brought to you by Davey D.
(thats me holding the National HipHop Political Convention sign of the right by the way:))
peace,
KC"
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Subject: [Hip Hop Political Community Cipher] please spread this around folks
http://www.switchpod.com/users/mrdaveyd/JenasoundsfromJena.mp3
Click HERE to Listen to Jena 6 Rally Interviews and Speeches
..
There's so much to say about the historic Jena 6 Rally. It was a beautiful and inspiring thing. It was overwhelming to see so many people come out, especially young people from the so called Hip Hop Generation. Folks came from all over, many of them driving thousands of miles. My good brother DJ Paradise of the legendary group X-Clan captures a lot of what went down in his blog entry below.
It was good to see Hip Hop in the building. No 50 and Kanye didn't show, but Mos Def was there. Bun B from UGK was there, Ice Cube was there, Salt-n-Pepa was there, Sway from MTV was there, The Hip Hop Political Convention was there and scores of local artists independent artists from all over the country. Of course there was Jasiri X out of Pittsburgh's One Hood who put together the song 'Free the Jena 6'. Right now he is back in the studio with Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers and NY Oil doing a remix.
However, Mos Def in our interview with DJ Chela expressed disappointment, because he expected to see and hear more from his more visible collegues. He explained that he's in the middle of shooting a movie and recording an album, but saw the Jena 6 issue to be too important to miss. He had to be there on hand especially since there were so many poor and working class people who showed up.
With so many poor and working class Blacks who have little means showing up in Jena the Diddys and Jay-Zs should've ideally been on hand or at the very least using their platforms to speak about this issue. But the success of Jena does not rest and should not rest on the presence of corporate backed artists. The people came in large numbers and took a strong stand on a hot day in the south in September. As you read the rest of this and listen to the audio, I want people to keep a few things in mind.
First, cell phone service in Jena was cut off the day of the rally. The excuse given was the cell towers were 'overloaded'. We think not. It seemed quite deliberate and served the purpose of preventing folks from communicating with one another. It showed me just how dependent we are on modern technological tools like the Internet and cell phones and how we can quickly be crippled should someone in a position of power decide to flip the switch.
People like myself and other journalists were not able call in our news reports to radio stations and other media outlets. Organizers were not able to text one another to co-ordinate during the rally. We should be aware that jamming cell phones and shutting off other modes of communication like the Internet will be a way to stifle our movement.
Another thing to note is that residents in Jena suddenly had their cable disrupted. Hence they weren't able to see the coverage from CNN and other media outlets that had descended on Jena. This needs to be investigated.
The other thing that was not reported was the number of buses and other vehicles prevented from coming into the city. More than 120 buses along with other vehicles were pulled over and kept at the side of the road about 20 miles outside of Jena for more than 2 hours. Cars with out of state plates were pulled over by Louisiana State Troopers that were posted on every exit and entrance between Jena and Alexandria which is an hour away. The police definitely were going after folks when they could get away with it...One beautiful moment was seeing when the New Black Panther Party went to speak in front of the courthouse and how the state troopers tried to surround them as if to make them stop. The brothers turned around faced the cops and held their ground while they went ahead and did an impromptu rally that lasted for a good 40 minutes.
Lastly a question that got raised was where were the white progressives who show up in mass at Anti-War Rallies and other causes? The large numbers of Black folks that showed up to Jena was due in part to people like Michael Baisden wisely using his syndicated radio show to talk about key issues and not nonsense like Kanye vs 50 or OJ. This in turn led to other Black talk shows to follow suit. Heck even Hot 97 in NY got on board and had on air discussions. We should be giving praise and asking for more of this type of on air activism. Again props to Michael Baisden and others who decided to use those airwaves in a good way.
One glaring omission at Jena was the Progressive white community. With so many Black people coming to Jena, think of how powerful it would've been had those white progressive that routinely listen to shows like Democracy Now , NPR and other alternative outlets where the Jena issue and the upcoming rally was discussed daily had also saw fit to show and take a strong stand against racism. It was a missed opportunity to see people from all races come together and take strong stance against the insidious racism in Jena. People need to keep in mind even though we came down in large numbers you still had white boys driving around with confederate flags and nooses in the back of their trucks.
Prior to the march you had rumors of the Klan showing up. A group of brothers from St. Louis showed up calling themselves the KKK Killers. They got wind of the Klan stories and were ready to go at it with them had they shown. They raised the issue as well about the progressive left being absent from this event. They held a noose around a Black man to show what historically went on in the south and still goes on. They also held a noose around some stuffed dogs and noted that there are many in this country who care more about the mis- treatment of dogs versus the mis-treatment of people. As one young brother rhetorically put it as he raised this issue 'I want answers from A.N.S.W.E.R. why weren't you here today in Jena?'.
On a related note, where the hell was Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama Apparently none of those cowardly presidential candidates saw fit to come to Jena? Perhaps they find some gumption and use their Senatorial powers to call for an investigation and bring about some Justice.
In conclusion the key to Jena will be the follow up. It will be up to us to write letters we write and make phone calls to Congress demanding an investigation. It will mean us sending money to the families. It will mean us making phone calls to 'Democratic' Governor Blanco demanding Mychael Bell be set free and charges dropped against the Jena 6.
Davey D
Observations About Jena
by DJ Paradise of X-Clan
On the night of September 18th, 2007, a mini-van carrying 6 diverse people left Pittsburgh, PA. Forgetting about their own individual struggles, banding together to travel to Jena, Louisiana to fight a common fight against oppression for The Jena 6 and for the freedom of 17 year old Mychal Bell.
Traveling 1,100 miles across many places with the same names as the one's traveled by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the "Freedom Riders". Without the fear of being stopped by racist sheriffs accompanied by KKK members in pickup trucks brandishing shot-guns, there was still an uneasy feeling and keen awareness of what was faced by many brave souls who traveled these dark unlit roads in search of "Freedom, Justice and Equality" decades before us as we passed through Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Listening the the radio and reading every newspaper from Pittsburgh to Jena. It seems to us that the masses of white people across America are in denial. They seem to believe that America is over racism, it just flat out does not exist according to many of them. In spite of the statistics for incarceration, housing, economics, education and unemployment. The excuses that many white people believe are responsible for so called African-Americans not doing well are lame
and racist in themselves. The sad truth is that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of towns like Jena, Louisiana out there, in denial, bubbling, waiting to blow!
We arrived in Jena on the night of September 19th to check out the area so that we would have a feel of what we were riding into the next day. Things were very quite except for a few driveways full of pickup trucks at the homes of some white residents who I imagine had gathered to discuss the next days events.
Jena, Louisianan is a isolated community between 127 (West) and 8 (East), either way it's a long lonely ride into Jena from the highway, except of course on September 20th when over 60,000 people converged on the town with a total population of 3,000. Thousands of cars and hundreds of buses from all over America jammed the roads to a stand still. We stopped at the "GOTTA GO" convenience store, the spot that a white teen pulled a shot-gun on Brian Bailey (who grabbed the weapon and ran home with it). The police charged Brian and his friends with stealing a firearm, but did not charge the teen who had pulled it
out of his pickup truck with anything.
The Nooses have been cut down, the oak tree AKA "white tree" has been cut down, (Royal Shariyf's email reminded me that: "They cut it down, but the tree didn't do anything. The tree was innocent!"), The School has been half burned down, the one thing that has been left standing tall and deeply rooted is the white supremacy that many of the black children of Jena refuse to be dominated by any more. That is the point that is being lost in all of this. I would love to have had more time to listen to the young black residents of Jena, Louisiana. I did not go to Jena to lead them, they are the leaders that I went to Jena to follow, the one's who have had enough! The one's who have heard enough talk and pretty speeches.
The one's who exhibited the strength and courage of the ancestors, when they stood up in the face of incredible odds and said "NO MORE"!
They were brave in spite of the fact that they were greatly outnumbered and threatened by LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walter who said in a special assembly at Jena High School with white students at one side of the room and black students seated at the other. "I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen". (A threat that he surely
aims to enforce on Mychal Bell in spite of marches, court rulings and the law).
The black children of Jena, Louisiana were threatened with nooses, a shot gun, hit with bottles and the threat of the rifle and ammo found in Justin Barker's truck on school grounds must constantly be on their minds. Somehow the only person in Jena in trouble for a weapon is Mychal Bell, his tennis shoe! Still, somehow they remained brave, and somehow DA Reed Walter and too many white residents of Jena, Louisiana continue to act as though Justin Barker is the only victim in this case.
If this is not an obvious case of systematic racism, I don't know what is, consider this:
In Jena, Louisiana: hanging nooses from trees is not a hate crime "it is a prank".
In Jena, Louisiana: pulling a shot-gun on black teenagers is not a crime, "disarming the person who pulls it on you is".
In Jena, Louisiana: a group of 6 or 7 white youths jumping a black youth is "simple battery", 6 black youths jump a white youth it is "attempted murder".
In Jena, Louisiana: a shot-gun, a rifle, a bottle, brass knuckles are not dangerous weapons, "a gym shoe is".
In Jena, Louisiana: Confederate flags are not symbols of hate or racism, "it is free speech".
In Jena, Louisiana: racism and white supremacy is not considered a crime, "fighting back is".
Overall the March in Jena was a success depending on who you ask. Personally I'm disappointed by the results. I thought that the point of the march was to "Free The Jena 6" which is more than a hot t-shirt slogan. I know that I can speak for brother Jasiri X when I say: more than "the hook to a song". 7 Organizations had separate events and no one had itinerary's or schedules. Security was unorganized which was scary as hell considering that Jena has only 2 roads in and out. And the town had cut off all cell phone communications during the march.
My Elder Sonny Carson told me long ago "Never ask for anything that you cannot take!" I can't help feeling like, "Why did we travel so far to leave Mychal Bell's mother in tears"?
Right after the march on Jena I heard from people in the crowd that Al Sharpton and Michael Baisdon were having a "Rally" in the neighboring town of Alexandria.
We had heard rumors on the way there that there was to be a town hall meeting organized by them in collaboration with th NAACP. Whatever happened, it wound up being 2 separate events and we had no idea as to where the NAACP meeting was. The decision was made easy for me as my friend Jasiri X was a guest of Michael Baisdon who had been "Banging" his song "Free The Jena 6" on his nationally syndicated show all month, plus I wanted to speak to my good Brother Al Sharpton about ways to build better bridges across the the Hip-hop generation and our Elders in the civil rights generation . I think that there was a little too much celebrating and not enough done to empower new young leadership. Leadership that sets goals, organizes, communicates and implements strategic plans nationally.
No one is above criticism, (especially myself) but to allow this energy of young black people "taking personal responsibility" in a way that I have only seen at the Million Man March (once In my life) to dissipate would truly be "Jena-cide". No one can be blamed for feeling so good about our youth after watching so many of them come out
to see that their brothers get justice. And for that I thank the racists who just so happen to live amongst some fine people in Jena, Louisiana, who are so arrogant, so sure of themselves and so supreme, that they may well have just messed around and awakened a sleeping giant! And I am not even talking about the small group that went to
Jena! It has been so hard for us to convince the average person on the street in America that this country is as racist as ever! Now thanks to you, everyone in the world saw those nooses (after the rally), and we heard about the ones that were hanging in the "white tree", we saw all the confederate flags too (we know exactly what all that means),
y'all might have just make my job easier.
Media Literacy 101:
White residents, politicians and the media continue to paint a picture of Justin Barker as the victim in this case. However Justin Barker was not randomly picked out of a crowd and attacked for being white. He is close friends with the 3 white youths who hung the nooses in the "white tree", and he was involved in the process of continuing the oppression and intimidation of Brian Bailey who had already been jumped and hit with bottles by a gang of 6 or 7 white youths one of them a 21 year old
white male and had a shot-gun pulled on him at the convenience store.
While much is being made of Mychal Bells "prior criminal history", 2 incidents of Battery and 2 charges of criminal damage to property, nothing is being said in the press about the fact that Justin Barker was arrested for possession of a firearm in a firearm-free zone after a .22 caliber rifle and bullets were found in his truck at
Jena High School on May 10, 2007 after his friend
It is not surprising to see that Mychal Bell had a prior criminal record, his friend Brian Bailey was charged with "aggravated battery, 2nd degree robbery and disturbing the peace" after wrestling a shotgun from the hands of one of 6 or seven attackers who jumped him and beat him with bottles (2 days earlier at the Fair Grounds. Only 1 person was charged with simple assault and given probation).
Contrary to reports in the press, Justin Barker was not "Brutally" beaten, his injuries are consistent with a one on one fight rather than being jumped and stomped by 6 members of a football team. In fact he was treated and released from the hospital in 2 1/2 hours and attended a social function that same night. The use of the words "Brutally beaten" is media propaganda, a mind trick that subliminally plants the image in peoples heads that the Jena 6 are "Brutes". A concept at the very foundation of White Supremacy. Dehumanization. " The Brute Caricature " http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/brute/
Brian Bailey, Mychal Bell, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jessie Ray Beard are the Jena 6.
The reason that was given over here in the news was that - in the case of Barack - he is so post blackmovement that he is also willing to criticise blacks for their actions. Thus - as it is believed - the six were beating the white guy when he was already on the ground and hitting him when he couldn't move anymore. This might be a fact that Barack is not taken proactive measures. Although clearly 2 separate measures of justice are at play in the case of the jena 6. That is also the quintessence of the news coverage (whites are punished too weakly, black guys waaay too hard). Noone is denying the role of racism in this, but newsagents over here argue that this case will probably not help to revive a black rights movement and they try to downplay it as a schoolyardrambling. Also - not surprisingly - the black guys were said to worship all the bad things that the hiphop culture brought up a la everyone wants to be 50 Cent and pose with their money and stuff. Riduculonkus...I dunno what to say about all this...I think this graemlin says it all totally perfect....
Too late...
can you explain explicitly what your problem with this case is? In all the coverage I've seen of the protests and whatnot, there are no real concrete complaints being mentioned...I don't know if this is just the media's crappy coverage or what. I understand the racist justice system argument (more fact than argument), but are people upset that these kids are in jail, or do they feel like they shouldn't be charged at all?
Personally I think it's ludicrous that they are getting any jail time for this, but at the same time you can't go around beating people without there being consequences. I guess it seems like more attention should be focused on the white kids that hung the nooses and GOT AWAY WITH IT.
"Punish The Jena 6 Fairly"
NOT
"Free The Jena 6"
Big difference.
Nope, many don't see it that way...FREE the Jena 6!!!
And pay them reparations while we're at it.
I believe they should be freed, but "Free the Jena 6" and "Drop All Charges" are also two very different things.
you don't do that shit and get away with it in the white man's America or world for that matter.
what the fuck were they thinking?
the nooses were the icing on the cake.
don't act surprised.
more to follow...
Hmmm...maybe that the kids are being prosecuted for second-degree murder charges for what amounts to stomping a kid who fucking deserved it? That he was convicted by an all white jury in an area where the racial background of a jury is bound to have a huge impact on the case?
If you don't see how clearly racist this case is then I don't know what to say.
And even though I'm pulling for Obama in the primary, I think it is cowardly of him not to speak out on this issue. Same holds true for all political candidates, but he is a particularly strong position to bring attention to this and hasn't done jack about it.
no doubt attempted murder charges are ridiculous...what do you think is appropriate? Assault, absolutely nothing, something else? Just because someone is a piece of shit doesn't give you the (legal) right to jump them.
And regarding the jury, from the Associated Press:
The six-member jury that convicted Bell was, indeed, all white. However, only one in 10 people in LaSalle Parish is African American, and though black residents were selected randomly by computer and summoned for jury selection, none showed up[/b]
so that's a non issue.
Free them and pay them.
Wow.
No. "Free the Jena 6" does not translate to "Let them go completely" in my book, it means "Give them freedom". That is, give them the freedom to be treated and charged to the same degree that white students are/would be. They were not given this freedom.
wait, you didn't just call me rockadelic did you? cause you replied to me.
I think his point is that they deserve some sort of punishment, although attempted manslaughter is clearly over the top.
I don't see why it is so pertinent for some to look beyond the "over the top" actual reality to some nonexistent "fair" one where a proper punishment can be taken into consideration.
That is placing the cart ridiculously far ahead of the horse.......
true. the people who tried to make the original ridiculous charges in the first place should face consequences i think.
so what would happen if 6 white students beat up a black student? they probably would have gotten suspended from school and slapped on the wrist. so the same should happen to these kids. all i was saying is that this was the original issue: because of blatant racism, these kids were not treated fairly, and were stripped of basic freedoms of facing the same consequences for their actions as 6 white kids would. that's what "free the jena 6" means. those kids aren't free.
Do you think the people calling for the six to be freed would then add that they should be retried under lesser charges?
Obviously the DA needs to either drop the current charges completely or retry the offenders under lesser charges. Nobody should disagree that him appealing the judge's acquittal of attempted manslaughter is fucked up.
That's some tortured logic. Would you consider six white kids beating up one black kid and getting a slap on the wrist justice? Do you want justice for nobody to become the norm simply because one side benefits from it?
I think we all have different conceptions of what the appropriate punishment in general is for a few kids beating up another kid. Are you really going to argue that an appropriate punishment for that involves jailtime? For minors? 5 day suspension and some community service hours seems more appropriate, and is what I've seen pretty much across the board.
All of that is irrelevent though as these kids have already had their lives threatened. You really think they haven't gone through enough already that they need to be punished?
Well, a five day suspension for beating a kid's face into a bloody pulp hardly seems fair, but neither does attempted manslaughter.
The only people who seem to have a really different conception for punishing those six boys were the superintendent and the DA.
That's a good point. And they are the ones who need to face the most severe consequences, in my opinion. How kids should be punished for fights that occur at school is debatable.
Why does it matter that it occurred at school? Especially at a PUBLIC school? You don't magically rise above the law when you step on school grounds. WTF.
you're looking at it backwards...this is my problem with all of this. Instead of calling for equal punishment for white kids, you just want everyone to get off scott free? That doesn't make sense to me.