Friends of Justice

322 Comments

1. Talitha Pitre said,

   July 26, 2007 at 3:26 pm

   Protest info:

   Thanks for your interest in coming to Jena, LA to support the Jena 6!

   It’s short notice, but on Tuesday, July 31st–the date Mychal Bell was originally scheduled to be sentenced–there will be a program and rally at the courthouse in Jena, organized by the families and their supporters. Having a sizable number of outsiders there will help focus media attention on the situation and communicate to the officials in Jena that the rest of us are watching. It will also be meaningful for the families of the Jena 6 to know that others support them, from near and far. It would be great if you could come.

   As we help locals plan for this event, we want to get a sense of how many people are coming. Below, are some details on getting to Jena, so you can figure out if you’ll be able to get there on the 31st.

   Details

   If you’re flying to Louisiana, the closest airport to Jena is in Alexandria, a 45 minute drive away. There are also airports in Shreveport (about a 3 hour drive from Jena), New Orleans (about a 4 hr drive from Jena) and Baton Rouge (about 3 hrs from Jena). The closest hotels are in Alexandria (there is only one motel in Jena, which will fill up quickly).

   Organizers will meet you when you arrive at a central location in Jena and get you situated for the day. We will be providing maps, organizers’ cell phone numbers, and other information closer to the day-of; you will be able to reach someone in case you have any problems, need directions, or have questions along the way. In addition to the rally, we hope to have a few other activities planned so you can get to know the town a bit before you leave.

   RSVP

   Once you’re confident you can come (or if you have unanswered questions), please send an email to jena@colorofchange.org , and provide us with the following information:

   1. Your name
   2. How many people you think will come with you, if any (we encourage you to organize a group, if you can)
   3. A cell phone number where we can reach you (and whether or not it’s ok to send you text messages)
   4. The area from which you’re traveling
   5. How you are planning on getting to Jena (and if by air, into which airport)
   6. And any other questions you might have

   If you’ve decided you can’t come, there’s no need to email us. Either way, thanks for taking action in support of the Jena 6, and for considering coming to Jena. We hope to see you soon.

   Thanks and Peace,

   – James Rucker
   Executive Director, ColorOfChange.org
   July 26th, 2007

2. Khury said,

   July 28, 2007 at 6:11 am

   Thanks Friends of Justice–this site is fantastic and has great resources. I am in Boston in the International Socialist Organization, and we decided we’d like to do something to raise awareness and offer solidarity with the Jena 6. If anyone in Boston is interested in working together, please email us at isoboston@yahoo.com. I was wondering if Friends of Justice (or anyone else) has photos of the six young men that could be uploaded to this website, which we can download and use in flyers. I think it would be very powerful for people to actually see the faces of these young men who are facing this racist injustice.

   Thanks and solidarity
   Khury

3. brenda turner-bey said,

   July 28, 2007 at 7:06 pm

   i work with Juvinile offenders every day ,its like the machinery never gets full of young black flesh.The Criminal Justice System is a thorn in America’s side , it really needs to be revamped showing justice as opposed to injustice, I have earned my placeof commentary, I have spent many years tryng to free myself from the stigma of being a felon .It goes beyond what people see or hear ,it goes down into your soul when folks shut you out of society because you’ve been bad, maybe only for a moment or even a valid reason but all the same your’e not qualified for an apartment you can’t clear for a particular job,you really want to be an asset to society but are shut out for a dumb decision you may have made decades ago. That is why it is essential for these young men to be set free ,there white counterparts will never feel taste smell or see the tragedy that goes with labeling and convicting these youth. It’s a whole new world where we’r trying to come out from.,institutionalized bigotry and predjudice still abides in this Great Country…called America, why we can’t comprehend it confounds me..!

4. bonnie biddison said,

   July 31, 2007 at 3:34 am

   Isn’t this case one in which the US Justice Department Civil Rights Division should intervene?! How is this travesty taking place in this country in 2007?! I ‘m going to contact the Justice Depatment ane try to get an answer.

5. Mrs. Braynt said,

   July 31, 2007 at 7:21 pm

   Up till last night I had not heard this horrific story. My god-daughter brought this to my attention and before getting all the details it broke my heart. I am a southern girl by way of Mississippi and to hear of such tradegy happening in this day time is ridicolously disturbing. I grew up reading and hearing story such as these and thought at one time this can not be real. However, I was wrong Emmitt Till’s story and other young men accounts of their day to day lives changed all that for me.
   Since I may be the last to know of the Jena 6, whose’s all involved with assisting the release of these children? NAACP - State Government - All the Civil Rights Organization - How is it that this D.A. and his office has not been held accountable for his actions?How is it that this prinicipal, teachers and other staff members have not been held to a MORAL standard of decency in this town? OMG!!! is all that I can say , I will forward this information to one of the editors here in my city, Eugene Kane, to see if he can help shed some light on this situation and to bring attention to other young African-American children that RACISM is very much still alive and just because its not being displayed in your town with noose hanging from a tree does not mean that its not happening.

6. Janice Edgerson Hudley said,

   July 31, 2007 at 11:20 pm

   That something like what’s going on in Jena can happen in 2007 is a testament to how the Republican leadership’s disdain for truth, justice and the American way has given those who have never wanted to accept black or brown or red folks as equal to white folks the impression that they have total license to mistreat us.

   The prosecutor in Jena hopes, of course, that we will–as we so often do–simply forget the wrong he’s done or move on to another object of interest: Paris or Nicole or Kanye or Beyonce or . . .

   It’s important that we prove him wrong, and that we continue to hold his feet to the fire to drop all of the charges against the Jena 6 OR to prosecute the offending white students with the same eager fervor he is prosecuting these young men.

   As to the argument that ‘racism isn’t a factor,’ give me a break!! It exists everywhere in this country, and not just in the South. It’s rampant from coast to coast and in every government agency at every level. Anyone who believes otherwise is foolish. Don’t listen to him or her.

   As to the US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division getting involved–well, it’s guided by the Bush White House. Do you really believe that Dubya and his minions even care about what’s going on in Jena? If anything, he’ll send the Division in to help the Jena DA make his case.

   I hope I’m wrong. Time will certainly tell. In the meantime, let’s keep the heat on Jena.

7. sonia Katchian said,

   August 2, 2007 at 5:28 pm

   Outrageous! Simply outrageous I don’t even have the heart to put exclamation marks after this because I am so sad, shocked, and heartbroken that white people of LA have not had a change of heart or mind since the ’60’s

   I guess the ravages of Katrina weren’t enough to reveal America’s racist attitudes during recovery, God had to provoke us with this outrage.

8. Pam Fountain said,

   August 2, 2007 at 8:55 pm

   I recently visited Jena, Louisiana for the first time. My mother’s family on her father’s side is from Jena. I had never heard of the Jena 6 until my visit. The story absolutely upsets me because we have to continue to deal with prejudices and injustice. So many of our black young men are rail-roaded and spend their lives behind bars. It’s ridiculous. What’s even more riduculous is that our legal/justice system keeps allowing this to happen time and time again. When I visited, most of my family lodged at a locally hotel. Several white employees sat outside just watching. It was almost like if they didn’t have to accept our business (because of the threat of lawsuits), they would have told us to go somewhere else. My prayers and support go out to my family,other black residents, and especially the teens unjusticely accused. I will definitely spead the news to help put spotlight on this case.

9. robert hylton said,

   August 6, 2007 at 1:56 am

   I am a poet from East Orange NJ,( High School English teacher in Newark NJ) and I have been hearing brief coverage of the situation. I do I believe that the media has done a great job of ignoring it. The case hits home because I work closely with the Jena 6 (as my kids face look just like theirs. I am outraged and shocked that America would allow the bothced act of justice that took place. I believe that the case needs more press and Americas support (not just Blacks), that’s the key to helping those young boys.

10. Johnson said,

    August 8, 2007 at 11:18 pm

    Has anyone tried contacting Tom Joyner and/or Tavis Smiley to help get the word out for support?

11. john raj said,

    August 10, 2007 at 8:15 am

    hi john from pakistan nice .
    work.

12. joseph young said,

    August 10, 2007 at 12:23 pm

    An Open Letter to the Jena Six
    By Joseph Young
    Dear Mychal,
    I keep thinking about you. I also think about the other young men who have fallen prey to racial hatred. Its existence, more than a century after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, makes me fearful for your life, your safety. The freedom that it promised was tenuous.
    It was not entirely without strength. In the proclamation, issued three years into the Civil War, Lincoln declared, at the urging of Frederick Douglass, that the former slaves would be accepted into the Union Army and navy, making the liberated the liberator. By the war’s end, almost 200,000 black servicemen had fought for freedom and saved the Union.
    Your generation, like mine, is being denied this freedom our ancestors risked life and limb, so that we may live as free men and women. You can call them heroes, but they were not thinking of themselves when they displayed courage and self-sacrifice on the battlefields of America.
    Today, then, to guard against the impending doom of American civilization, is not only opposition to racism, but also the determination to secure the civil rights for which many Americans have paid a heavy toll. Of all the civil rights, the right to learn is the surest prevention from ignorance. If at any time, children are instructed with anti-black bias; and they are made to learn what is not true and what the dominate forces in their lives want them to think is true; there’re guilty of impeding the march toward American civilization.
    Astonishing as it is that those students would hang three nooses from the tree at Jena High School as a racial taunt, including calling the black students ‘niggers’; you would think that America would never again want to see a black person hang from a tree, or behind bars. The nooses show that we, Americans, have not come that far from the cruelties and barbarity of slavery as we think. (Between 1882 and 1968, an estimated 5,000 people, mostly blacks, met their deaths at the hands of lynch mobs.) And this also is an unfortunate comment upon the belief that our schools are the great path to progress, the great equalizer. If our schools are the great path to progress, they must be the freest of our institutions, opposed bitterly to the attempt to indoctrinate our children with racial hatred.
    Well, Mychal, as you and the others wait behind bars because of a racially biased and an over zealous prosecutor, it is for us on the outside to continue the unfinished work of our fathers, to set you free. All of you were willing to fight racial hatred, and you know people of goodwill are beside you. If the Confederacy couldn’t stop us, the opposition we now face will fail. When history is written your detractors will get little note, but you will be remembered for standing up for what’s best of the American creed. You are part of a legacy in which our slave forebears fought to birth a new nation. You, Mychal, are a child of America’s destiny.
    It was Martin Luther King who said if a man doesn’t have something worth dying for he is not fit to live. Freedom is worth dying for. Justice is worth dying for. Equality is worth dying for. A child is worth dying for, because our job as parents is to protect children.
    Mychal, when you feel complete frustration and your narrow jail cell is closing in on your spirit and mind; remember the message of the old slave preacher to his flock whose resistance to oppression might have been completely in vain:
    “You are created in God’s image. You are not slaves, you are not ‘niggers’; you are God’s children.”
    Godspeed Mychal,
    Your brother in the struggle, Joseph

13. alyce said,

    August 14, 2007 at 2:44 pm

    This case has so gotten under my skin, that I dreamt about it last night. When mainstream media reports on incidents involving persons of color, their bias, biogtry and racism is apparent in the words they use to describe it. Media helps shape public opinion. Watching a news report video posted on “Color of Change”, I noticed the reporter never mentioned the “gang of white teens” that jumped Bailey at a party, attacking him with beer bottles.

    From what I read, an eyewitness report from a coach, shows a single punch from someone, not Mychall, knocked Justin out, but it is reported as a “gang of black students attacked Justin”. There were no conspiracy charges placed on the white kids (they actually did conspire to threaten lynching with the hanging of the nooses) but the Jena 6 “conspired” to get in a fight on school property. The beer bottles were not considered “lethal weapons”, but the tennis shoe was.

    The newscast did not mention that the servity of the charges is what got the Jena 6 charged as adults and the severity of the sentence, versus the charges of simple assualt levied upon the white teens.

    I did not expect that the Editor of my local paper (Press Telegram, Long Beach, CA) would choose my letter about this for publication. They tend to show their bias in favor of the white and illegal immigrant population. Sad.

14. tyrone luvamelon said,

    August 16, 2007 at 9:26 pm

    These nigger’s deserve eveything that is come to them. If the soes would have been turned they would make a field day out of the white people. We owe the niggers nothing. The slave day’s have been gone for a long time now. If they get off scott free i bet there will be a lot of problems in jena. Al sharpton and mlk jr. are nothing but shit stirers. God be with all of them

15. Kale said,

    August 17, 2007 at 5:42 pm

    Only Love and Conquer hate:

    I believe if the African American community had more love for itself we could ignore these types of issues to a certain extent. Not the injustice, but the noose hanging. How can we get so angry about a hanging noose but not be so upset about all of the murders and hate in our community. Yes is it wrong to hang a noose, but it also wrong for folks to kill each other for no apparent reason (over 250 murders in Philly,PA so far this year, over 400 last year. That’s more than 1 per day). Where is the outrage about that? More love and solidarity in our community would go a long way. Hate and prejudice are a given where is the love ? We know that there is double standard in this country when it comes to the justice system(Genardo Wison, 10 years in the slammer for having consensual sex ) , that’s why we have to choose carefully how we handle certain situations. I pray that justice is served in the Jena 6 case. While a hanging noose is offensive we have bigger issues to tackle in our community. This is a great website thanks for the outlet.

16. JasminHubbard said,

    August 18, 2007 at 1:43 am

    This whole situation is really upsetting to me. I live in a predominately white area as well and I can’t imagine what these boys encountered. As tough as they may have been I know at least one of them became terrified when everything thing kept escalating into a bigger situation. I just feel so sorry for them. I keep getting teary-eyed too. For some reason I feel so connected to this whole situation. Like it’s up to me to make a notion to help get this resolved. I started a new group on Facebook called: Racisim in 2007. U thought it was over, but here’s a wake up call”. If anyone who just so happens to come across this & u have a Facebook, get on there and JOIN THIS GROUP! If u don’t have a facebook, go to the website: http://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM and create an account, even if its just to join the group. This OUR NOW, & it’s time that we as a people stop being selfish, and take a stand & help someone besides ourselves!

17. Jack Black said,

    August 19, 2007 at 2:13 am

    Give me a break. You guys are overreacting and the media is just buying into it.

    Had all the kids been been one color, none of you would be whining. Better yet, if this was a black on white crime, all of you would just look the other way.

18. Archie Torain said,

    August 21, 2007 at 5:53 pm

    Today is August 21, 2007 and I just heard about this push backwards for all blacks successful or not. As I listen to the story on the Michael Basin Show I had to pull over as I thought to myself this is why I never wanted to bring a child into this world, but I did. I have a 7 year old son that I love more than myself, but I fear that as much as we think the world has changed we often get slapped in the face with race issues like those from our ancestors times. As a black man all my life I’ve heard there were opportunities out there for me, things will be different, do not get discouraged, stay positive, but all I have seen was negativity, doors closing in my face, nothing changing and racism going nowhere. I now live in a small southern town and I watch young white kids assemble anywhere they please, but if there are more than 5 young black youths in an area at the same time it is called an unlawful assembly and they are told to break it up or get tossed in the back seat. The rules we are forced to follow do not apply to them. What happened in Jena reminds me of stories my mother or grandmother would tell me of how it was when they were growing up in the land of the thief and home of the slave. I have my own stories of racism I could tell my son. The shame of this all is he will one day have racism stories to tell his children. I pray that the strength those young men had when they made a stand for their race and what they belived in they will continue to have to endure the road ahead. Our fight has never been an easy one and it will never be over. We as a people need to understand the situation we are in and not think because we may have financial stability or luxuries beyond our our dreams that we are exempt from racism. Moreover, what would be the most beneficial to us as a race is to unify. At any time you can find latinos, jews, italians, and what is left of the native indians (and that is not all) staying close, bonding, keeping their cultures strong. Being stripped of our culture does not mean we need to alienate each other. What has happened in Jena is some Emmit Till type racism and injustice. How many more of us must suffer before we stand together all across the country and say HOLD UP! I’m saying it now. To the families of those young black brothers of mine I say my prayers are with you and them. Like I stated earlier I have a 7 year old son and if there is anything I can do to help you that one day it may help my son and the sons and daughters of my other sister and brothers, mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents, do not waist one minute before contacting me for assistance. My pain is your pain until we have no pain.

19. Archie Torain said,

    August 21, 2007 at 6:06 pm

    Sorry, I left no way to contact so here it is. alamotion67@yahoo.com

20. L V-Jones said,

    August 21, 2007 at 9:59 pm

    This is a wake up call for us all! That no matter where you are, how far you’ve come and how much money you have, we are still considered nothing. Thank GOD that HE alone is the true judge over all and that it will be HIM and not me to look upon those who’ve done wrong to our six young brothers. The balck commmunity needs to wake up, we need to be accoutable to one another and stop kiiling ourselves for land and material items that mean nothing. We need to start standing up to those who oppose us based only on the color of our skin. I pray that this story gets out to everyone and that everyone who reads it will be alarmed into action. Only by standing together, can a real change come along. My prayers are with these families who have already suffered injustice and I hope that I can help the fight by spreading the word of these crimes.

21. Brian Nesbit said,

    August 22, 2007 at 6:46 pm

    This message is to Jack Black…

    Quote: Give me a break. You guys are overreacting and the media is just buying into it.
    Had all the kids been been one color, none of you would be whining. Better yet, if this was a black on white crime, all of you would just look the other way. End Quote

    I’m sorry…are you saying that hanging a noose around a tree is overreacting? Are you saying that charging Black teenagers with attempted murder over a fight initiated by a hate crime is overreacting? Are you REALLY saying that it is right and appropriate to have a symbol (Tree, table, etc) that is exclusive to a race of people?

    You are the kind of person that condones and even perhaps perpetuate this racist nonsense. “Oh sure…they MUST have been trying to kill those poor defenseless White boys. I mean all they did was hang a noose over a tree…”

    You are right about one thing. If the boys had been all one race, this wouldn’t be an issue. But it wasn’t. It was White boys trying to degrade, insult and threaten Black boys. It was a slap in the face to the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. It is slap in the face to the progress of Blacks in America. Moreover, it is a definitive sign that racism is alive and still thriving in this sad country. And people like YOU will continously try to downplay the seriousness of what’s happened.

    While the Black community has its faults to be sure of, this is NOT an overreaction.
    You can contact me directly if you wish discuss this at bdn_mail@yahoo.com.

22. Ms. J said,

    August 22, 2007 at 7:17 pm

    This is an outcry! I’m angry and hurt. To think that America (them) spent all this time worrying about dogs (holding candlelight vigils for them—I bet you didn’t know that did you). Michael Vick is plastered all across the media. But I had to listen to a Black station to find out the injustice of my people. These kids are my daughters ages. Where is the candlelit vigils for them news media? Where is the outcry. America the land of the free?! For them, not us!!!!!!!!!!!
    Signed,

    Hurt and crying in Detroit
    Ms. J

23. Brenda A said,

    August 22, 2007 at 7:44 pm

    I have sent this to the Steve Harvey Show.

24. Seth Shelton said,

    August 22, 2007 at 10:31 pm

    Open Letter to “Jack Black”

    Clearly you’re White. That’s my opinion, based upon your now-cliched rhetoric, and no amount of topic dodging you spew will make me think otherwise.

    Here’s the prime example:
    the outrage isn’t over the noose hanging … unfortunately, we’ve have come to expect ignorant acts like that even in 2007 … rather, it’s over the conduct of the court in Bell’s case and the DA’s handling of all the cases in general.

    … but the majority of this country continues to do what our President has done: cloud the issue(s) and redirect attention to a situation where a situation doesn’t exist (read: attacking Iraq based upon 9/11 and having WMDS … then throwing out the occaisional terrorist threat to revitalize what little support he has remaining)

    Yes, it’s a relatively smart tactic, one that has been used to literally defend the racial situation in America for generations, but it’s worn thin and, in fact, has reached levels of “pathetic” that only GWB himself has surpassed.

    Anyway, re-reading your post puts a smile on my face because it’s a perfect example of “White Priviledge” (try reading “White By Law” for a clue).

    By the way, “if this was a black on white crime, all of you would just look the other way” is pretty much one of the most ignorant things you could’ve posted.

    Why?

    Because there can never BE a reversed situation like this one. If a predominantly Black town/county pulled this against White kids, GWB himself would hold a news conference and the media, with FOX leading the charge, would be all over that community like the plague.

    No doubt.

25. Kimberla Harley said,

    August 23, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    This is truly an example of how our country is flawed. I am a criminal justice major and it makes me upset to see our criminal justice system not doing what it is designed to do. School yard fights happen every day and it is a shame that criminal charges were brought against these boys. Especially when this whole incident was initiated by a hate crime involving whites. I guess they figure the blacks are the best to make an example. It makes me wanna cry to think that we, as blacks, have not come that far in the eyes of our country. I reall am interested in doing what I can for this case because it’s easy to stand back and say how wrong this is but only action can help.

26. Anne Todd said,

    August 23, 2007 at 6:02 pm

    Has Tavis Smiley reported on the Jena Six issue???

27. Freshnnews said,

    August 23, 2007 at 8:55 pm

    The district attorney’s information is listed below. J. Reed Walters is the district attorney who went to the high school after the incidents unfolded. While the white students sat on one side of the auditorium and the blacks on their side. Reed Walters said while facing the black kids that he could destroy their lives with a stroke of the pen as he waved It at them. This district attorney sounds like a modern day KKK, dress in a suit rather than white sheets. Please flood his office with demands of action for the Jena 6, this is rediculous. J. Reed Walters, Lasalle District Attorney, 28th Judicial District P.O. Box 1940 Jena,LA 71342-1940 Phone# 318-992-8282. E-Mail address is dareed@22da.com

28. sherri w. said,

    August 24, 2007 at 1:28 pm

    I heard about this story on the michael basdien show and im so upset. As a white mother of mixed( black and white) teenagers i am ashamed of “my kind”. This could happen to anyone of our babies. I have emailed everyone i know and i have emailed news stations to ask them why this is not all over the news. I have told everyone i speak to because word of mouth is a very powerful thing. I will do everything i can to help support these young men. My children would like to write a letter to the young men so if you can give me an address where they can send it i would appreciate that (babygirl_tks@yahoo.com) we need to all come together and get these kids justice that they deserve. My prayers and thoughts go out to all the family members. God bless.

    Sherri w.

29. Leon Modeste said,

    August 27, 2007 at 1:22 am

    I am a life long community activist and it makes me sad that this kind of racial behavior still continue. With all the marches, the boycotts, lives lost, career’s ruined and familes torn apart; racial Injustice still prevails. Lord help us all-when will it end!

    I am forwarding this site to my nephew in Florida, Attorney Christopher Moore Chestnut who is in direct contact with Attorney Willie Gary in South Florida. Attorney Gary, is known as the other Johnnie Cochran

30. Dorcas Luckett said,

    August 27, 2007 at 7:24 pm

    I feel as though this is really sad.It hard to believe that these things are still happening in the united states.I pray that justice is served in this case up to 84 years is not justice..These boys are treated unfairly and unjust. My prays and hearts goes out for the guys and their familes. They must truly be devastated.

31. Lori D. said,

    August 27, 2007 at 8:11 pm

    I had just heard about this horrible travesty last week on the Michael Baisden show. I live in the DC area and have not heard one thing about this case on the news, and I watch the news daily - and honestly not a peep.

    This whole scenario makes my heart hurt, to think how backwards thinking some people can still be in this day and age, and instilling hatred in their children. All this hatred is learned behaviour in the home.

    The penalty that is bearing down on these kids for a school scuffle amongst children, is maddening and the punishment certainly doesn’t fit the crime. There are rapists and drug dealers that don’t receive 22 years in prison.
    What about the white kid that pulled the shot gun? Where is his penalty???

    I will do what I can to spread the word to everyone I know to get some support, either monetary or otherwise, for these kids.

32. Harold Meeks said,

    August 27, 2007 at 10:59 pm

    This is really and truely wrong in ever since of the word. I can believe that someone would let this continue. I wish i was a lawyer, because some one need to stand up for these kid. You best believe if it was my kids i would have all these Black Civil Rights leader that is trying to blame hip hop for the world trouble . I would have them on the case. This country make me sick. I wish ever one just get along and believe in god.

33. darren said,

    August 28, 2007 at 1:25 am

    I am a resident of Jena. I am white. I do agree that everyone no matter what color should be treated equal.
    But I will say that this site like all of the others, is filled with half-truths. The boys who hung the nooses should have gotten punished but there has been no connection made between the noose incident & this one.
    It was not a school yard fight. It was a cowardly attack. There is an old saying. Sticks & stones may break me, But names will nevr hurt me. That being said, Does it warrant 6 youths attacking another and beating & kicking him until he is unconcious & convulsing when the kicks are aimed at his head? I was once involved in a similar incident. I did the crime & served my time. As far as Mychal not having a prior record. That is wrong. He has a past history of violent crime in the community. Before any of you. start thinking that he was only a juvenile. His record started in 2005, and continued until this incident. Which is a total of 5 charges. 3 priors violence against another person, 1 simple criminal damage charge. This, the most recent being by far the worst. he was on probation for violence against others of the community, when this cowardly attack took place.
    Yes we have had visits by Mr. Al Sharpton. Who along with Jesse Jackson in my humble opinion has done nothing but exploit the Black community. The first thing they want people to do in any situation is send them money to their NON-PROFIT organizations. Where very little gets used for the good of the Black community.

34. Sonya Sneed said,

    August 28, 2007 at 2:02 am

    I was completely floored when I heard about this story from a friend of mine. As a white woman this sickens me. First of all, I can’t believe that they had to ask permission to sit under the tree. I can’t believe there are still “Whites Only” ANYTHING in this world. These boys do not deserve the punishment that they are being dealt. I will do everything in my power to make sure this story gets out and more people know about it. We all need to come together to make sure these boys get justice! I can’t believe the white students only got in school suspension for their horrific act. I am just speechless that these kind of things still go on in the world. When will it end?

35. Margaret Griffin said,

    August 28, 2007 at 2:25 pm

    My feeling is that the Judge, the District Attorney and the School Board should all be put under the jail. My only regret is that Katrina didn’t wipe this little town off the map. These people are racist and it’s sad that we really don’t know how long this type of behavior has been going on and for how many years. It is very sad to know that this type of behavior still exist, but it doesn’t surprise me. The entire higher staff there appear to me as the KKK’s in their everyday dress wear. They probably take their sheets off about a mile or two before they arrived to their jobs everyday. And where is Bush and why haven’t he done something about this situation, or is he pretending that he doesn’t know what’s going on. The only thing we can do now is pray that GOD will intervene.

36. Norma said,

    August 28, 2007 at 3:22 pm

    I picked up this story on the Tom Joyner show this morning and I hang my head in shame as a member of the white race today.

    I live in Nashville but am a native Northeasterner and until moving here was completely naive as to how rampant and deep racial prejudice still runs in the South and in this country. To my best friends, my co-workers, and other members of the human race whose skin is black, please know that I will not stand by and idly watch this and do nothing. I have written a letter to the editor of the Tennessean and will along with my 16 year old daughter do what I can to bring attention to this story and to lend one more hand in the fight to right this horrendous injustice in our “free” society.

    I too have been appalled at the level of media attention given Vick when our nation is in shambles.

    I am also hurt and crying
    but in Nashville

37. Beverly Lewis said,

    August 28, 2007 at 4:48 pm

    Beverly Lewis said,
    August 28, 2007 at 4:29 pm

    I just a week ago hear about the Jena Six- It is amazing to me that we have not figured out in this country that the system, powers that be, care nothing about African American people. We ourselves have taken a foolish slogan and strapped it around our own neck and think we are saying something profound. That slogan is “If it an’t broke you don’t need to fix it.” In this country what possibly could make us think that ‘it an’t broke.’ The wheels of injustice roll on and we have hopped on the wagon just waving at the crowd as we move from one inequitable situation to another.

    I am appalled that in 2006-07 we would still be dealing with white supremacy on this level. However, I am not surprised. The boldness with which the system operated in Jena is blatant arrogrance with a voice of entitlement that says because we are white we will do what we want to do and no one can stop us. We know that this is a prevailing thought and act because the powers that be in these Unites States has remained silent in this matter. Our news media has not even thought it note worthy to inform us the events, we have stumbled upon, even occured in Jena, Louisiana.

    We as a people have dropped the ball and now must regain strength and the ability to demand fair and impartial treatment everywhere we find ourselves. If we allow these young black men to be railroaded and not protest the unfair and illegal treatment of a so called system of justice to prevail we should never mouth the words “We Shall Overcome Again.” IF THEY DID IT IN JENA THEY WILL DO IT WHERE WE LIVE AS WELL. IF THEY GET AWAY WITH IT IN JENA WE ARE ALL IN TROUBLE.

    Listen, this may not have happened in your backyard, however we seem to forget that we live on the same ball in the same world. Everything that happens affect all of us to some degree. Let’s rally in Jena, Louisiana and get something positive done to assist our brothers and sisters and the Jena Six. Peace

38. Gretchen said,

    August 28, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    We are having a vigil on September 6th and September 20th from 6:00 to 7:30 in Harvard Square in front of Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square.

    For more information please contact Gretchen Segars at keurdiarra@gmail.com.

39. Karen Blyler said,

    August 28, 2007 at 5:35 pm

    To Jack Black: You’re no doubt white. If you can’t add to the situation to make it better, don’t comment at all, please, give ME a break. That’s usually the attitude that comes from those whites that were raised never having to struggle and fight for everything. Well, Michael Baisden hit in on the head yesterday, the whites had better wake up and pay attention to whats going on because poor has no color, the system will treat a poor white as raggedy as they treat blacks because they can, I know this because I am a poor white. I would hope that EVERYONE of every race in this country will take notice of this and form some kind of united front and stop the madness already. I am involved with several churches in my city and believe I’m going to get the word out to them. HEY Jack, I pray that your brother, son or someone you care about never has to encounter what these boys and their parents are going through now because when you’re outraged, someone might just tell you, “you’re over reacting” iF YOU CAN’T BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, PLEASE, DON’T DON’T ADD TO THE PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!! NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER, PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

40. Mike said,

    August 28, 2007 at 11:25 pm

    Thanks Brenda A.

    That’s how I first heard of the Jena Six issue–
    The Steve Harvey Morning Show.

    –way to go!

41. Charlotte H. said,

    August 29, 2007 at 3:18 am

    I wanted to cry when I heard this story. All the students wanted to do is sit under the Tree, mind their own business and enjoy their moment. Hanging a noose is not a prank. Basically it is a terroristic threat and a form of bullying. The implications of killing another human being is not tolerated anywhere. What school system, township or individual can call this type of behavior “a prank”. Instead of protecting our children this shool is allowing our children to be subjected to a hostile environment. There are laws in place to protect us from such behavior. I remember reading a article about a 14 year old high school student Shaquanda Cotton of Paris, Texas. She was looking at 7 years in prison for shoving hall monitor. The same judge that convicted Shaquanda gave a white female (same age) convicted of arson, burning down her own home, probation. Now, here it is again…racism rearing it’s ugly head. I will pray for the young men, their families and everyone supporting their freedom. I will also, continue to spread the word and do whatever I can.

    Charlotte H.

42. Tenisha Wilkerson said,

    August 29, 2007 at 4:08 am

    MEDIA CONTACT:
    TENISHA WILKERSON
    (847)-380-5758
    MCJena6@GMAIL.COM

    “One young lady along with thousands stands for justice for Jena 6”

    - August 22, 2007 Chicago, Illinois, A young lady by the name of Tenisha Wilkerson, is standing for justice for a group of young men by the name of Jena 6. She learned of the Jena 6 from an online website. She started a group on the social network Facebook, which grew to about 20,000 members over a week.

    The Jena 6 is a group of young men in Jena, Louisiana, that are being charged for a heinous crime in which the charges are way out of control. The controversy began when one of the young men back in September of 2006 asked an administrator if he could sit under the shade of a tree that was “reserved” for the white students. The administrator replied by telling the young man to sit where he liked, so he did. The next day when everyone returned to the school, there where 3 nooses painted in school colors hanging from the tree. The school principal found the 3 white students that did it, and passed it off as a “youthful prank”. They were suspended for 3 days.

    The black students decided to call for a sit in under this “tree”. The police were called and so was the District Attorney Reed Walters. He had an assembly in the school, where he made such a statement to the black student body, “I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen”. No future action was taken after that.

    On December 1st 2006, at a party in the town, a couple black boys were beaten up by a group of young white males. There were no charges brought upon the teens. The next day a white male pulled a gun on 3 black young men. The gun was taken away by the black young men and they went to the police to let them know what happened. The three young men were charged with theft if an armed weapon. No charges were brought upon the male who pulled the gun on them.

    On Monday December 4th,the 1st day back to school, in the halls of the Jena high school, a young white male was taunting and picking at one of the young men that were beaten up at the party. The white male was then “jumped” by some black students. The six black students were charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy. They face up to 100 years in prison without parole. The Jena Six, as they have come to be known, range in age from 15 to 17 years old.

    In July 2007, an all-white jury took less than two days to convict 17 year-old Mychal Bell, the first of the Jena Six to go on trial. He was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy charges and now faces up to 22 years in prison. Some of the men were unable to make bail. So they sit in jail and await court dates. The bail ranges from $70,000 to $138,000.

    After Tenisha Wilkerson read this on the site DemocracyNow.org, she knew it was time to take a stand. She is organizing a committee by the name of Midwest Committee for the Jena 6. They will be having a peaceful rally on Sunday, September 9th 2007 at 9am. They will march from NBC 5 studios to ABC 7 studios in Chicago, Illinois. There is no media coverage on this issue that is going on. Media attention is strongly needed. The rally will end at city hall.

    We are calling for all aldermen, congressmen, media stations, press, & anyone who wants to stand for the rights of these six young men, to come out on September 9th 2007 and stand for justice.

    To learn more about the Midwest Committee for the Jena 6, please email MCJena6@gmail.com. For more information on the Jena 6, please log on to DemocarcyNow.com, or NAACP.com.

    To sign the petition please log on to http://www.petitiononline.com/aZ51CqmR/petition.html

43. Lady of Justice said,

    August 29, 2007 at 10:40 am

    As I sit here with the slightest forbearance of the stench of greed that reeks from the pours of the public defender in this case. It baffles me as to why he doesn’t realize, that when looked upon the Jena 6 are not young talented boys with bright futures, no. When they see them they see “niggers”. When looked upon they don’t see me as an educated woman that strives to be more knowledgeable in every instance possible, no. When they see me they see a “nigger”. Moreover, when looked upon they don’t see a man that spent years in college to become legally sav vy, ready, and dreesed for THEIR world of business, no. When they see you, TOM, they see a “NIGGER”. Rest assure, the day will come when you regret that you ever BETRAY YOUR OWN SELF-WORTH!

44. Marilyn said,

    August 29, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    I am reading and hearing about this case today for the first time. I read the newspaper every day and have read nothing about this case nor have I heard anything about it on the news. This is the saddest thing I’ve read in a long time. Racism is just pitifully sad. It just boggles my mind that anyone could think they are better than anyone else. One of the first things my mom taught me as a small child was that “you are no better than anyone, however, on the other hand, there is NO ONE better than you”. I have NEVER forgotten those words. It just makes your heart full to read about something like this. It may not be soooo bad if the White kids had gotten the same punishment as the Black kids. But, true to our JUSTICE SYSTEM, that did not happen. Just outrageous!!!!

    And… a comment to “Jack Black” from above: You are just ignorant!

45. chanda moorehead-irons said,

    August 29, 2007 at 2:23 pm

    I am a mother, and this situation agonizes me to the point where i am unable to sleep at night. As a people, we cannot allow this to manifest. I am willing to do everything within my power to see that REAL JUSTICE is served. If it is possible, can someone please contact me back via email and let me know if there is a website that i can go to and sign a petition or is it imperative that i mail a letter. Either way, it shall be done. I was just inquiring because whichever method i choose, i would like to correspond in the quickest manner possible. Yours in Christ……
    Chanda Moorehead-Irons

46. alex thompson said,

    August 29, 2007 at 3:02 pm

    The media attention this is getting is well deserved and very necessary. This is 2007 as members of the Human Race we should be beyond this clasification of race on all levels, but we’re not, and everyone Black ,White, Red need to WAKE UP…It is time to WAKE UP. I would like to stand with your organization in this fight against injustice I would also like to be a member of your organization so I can help in other causes with you as well.

    I will also post on myspace for my freinds join with me.

    Alex
    Myspace.com/Cubanaalex
    202-251-6951

47. ROLAND A. KETCHENS SR. said,

    August 30, 2007 at 5:59 am

    FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO THANK GOD FOR USING MY CUSIN JAMAAL TO SEND ME A TEX ASKING ME TO STAND FOR SOMETHING (JEAN 6) OR FALL FOR IT ALL. YES I WILL SEND MONEY TO HELP THE CAUSE AND WHAT EVER ELSE IAM NEED TO DO I WILL. THIS TEX COULD NOT HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME THEN TODAY, ABOUT 30 MIN. BEFORE I GOT THE TEX I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH A PROBLEM WITH MY JOB ,I AM A SALESMAN FOR A CHRYSLER DEALER IN LOUISIANA AND IN FACT IAM A MASTER SALES PERSON THAT AVERAGE 15 VEHICLES IN SALES A MONTH, I HAVE BEEN THE LEADING SALESPERSON AND SALESMAN OF THE YEAR FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS AND LEADIND RIGHT NOW BY OVER 36 VEHICLES AND NO DOUT IN MY MINE IF I MANAGE TO KEEP SURPRESSING MY MOUTH I WILL GET SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR AGAIN OUR YEAR ENDS IN DECEMBER. LAST WEEK I WAS TOLD BY MY MANAGER THAT I WAS TO SHARE MY OFFICE WITH SOMEONE AND THAT WERE EXPANDING THE DEALERSHIP THATS WHY THEY HIRED MORE SALES PEOPLE, NOT ONLY DO I SELL MORE VEHICLES THEN ANY ORTHER SALESMAN I HANDLE THE DEALERSHIPS COURTECY DELIVERIES AND HANDLE LEASE RETURNS, ON TOP OF SELLING VEHICLES. TODAY I WENT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER AND ADVISED HIM THAT I DID NOT WANT TO SHERE MY OFFICE WITH ANYONE AND THAT WITH ALL I DO FOR THE COMPANY AND THE ONLY MASTER SALESPERSON THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAVE I SHOULD HAVE MY OWN OFFICE. ALSO AFTER TAKING UNDER CONCIDERATION THAT FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS I HAD TO PUT UP WITH MY WHITE FELLOW SALES PERSON DRIVING A DEMO (COMPANY) CAR AND I HAVE BEEN OUT SELLING HIM FROM DAY ONE WITH THE COMPANY AND ASKED SEVERAL TIMES FOR ONE AND WAS TOLD THATS THE PROGRAM HE MADE FOR HIM SELF. AFTER WORKING FOR THE COMPANY FOR 5 YEARS AND SEEING THAT I FELT THAT MY OFFICE WAS MY PROGRAM THAT I HAD TO MAKE BECAUSE I EARNED IT. AFTER TELLING THE MANAGER OF THE ABOVE HE STATED THAT I WAS GOING TO SHARE THE OFFICE AND IF I WANTED TO QUIT HE WILL ACCEPT THE FACT THAT I RESING.I LEFT OUT OF MY OFFICE AND COMPLETELY TOOK ALL AWARDS OFF THE WALLS AND EVERYTHING WITH MY NAME ON IT . SHORTLY AFTER DOING SO I THOUGHT OF MY WIFE AND TWO KIDS THAT DEPENDED ON ME AND I WALKED BACK TO THE MANAGER OFFICE AND TOLD HIM THAT I WILL NOT RESIGN AND I WILL USE ANY OFFICE THAT NO ONE IS IN WHEN I HAVE A CUSTOMERS. I THOUGHT ABOUT DECEMBER IS CLOSE AND SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR GETS 3000.00 PLUS EVERY CAR THAT I SELL THOUGHT OUT THE YEAR THEY TAKE 5.00 AND THE COMPANY MATCH THE 5.OO PER UNIT THAT COMES TO ABOUT 6,000.00 ON TOP OF WHAT YOU SELL IN DECEMBER COULD BE A15,000. TWO 20,000 DECEMBER THAT I WILL WALK AWAY FROM. ALONG WITH ALWAYS GIVING IT MY ALL TWO BE #1 AND HAVING TWO BE SO MUCH BETTER THEN YOUR WHITE CO WORKERS, WE AS BLACK PEOPLE GO FROM BEING ASSETS TWO THREATS, I HAVE TRAINED SEVERAL MANAGERS TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO. WHO WOULD THINK THAT. BACK TO THE JENA 6 I FEEL YALL PAIN AND HERE YA LOUD AND CLEAR ONLY HOPE WHAT I CAN DO FOR THE CAUSE IS WORTH IT TO YA. AS MUCH AS I DO NOT LIKE TO REMIND YA OF WHAT WENT DOWN READING THE JENA STORY I ALMOST FELT WHAT I WAS DEALING WITH IS PEANUTS.

48. Harun Al-amin said,

    August 30, 2007 at 6:01 am

    This is a disgrace where is Obama,Clinton and Edwards and where do they stand on this they are all Democrates and they all want our votes. Lets see who will show concern this ignorance needs to stops once and for all.

49. Scott said,

    August 30, 2007 at 5:16 pm

    Before you all are so quick to judge the situation, read this article by Jason Whitlock.

    “The “Jena Six” are becoming a cause célébre for Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the media. At least two or three times a week for the past three months, I have received an e-mail from someone asking me to support the “Jena Six.”

    On the surface, the story sounds like a horrifying tale of Emmett Till-style justice. At a predominantly white high school in a segregated town (Jena), a black student sat under a shade tree that was traditionally used by white students. The next day three white students hung nooses from the tree, sparking racial tension and a sit-in (under the tree) by black students. The principal attempted to expel the three white students, but the school board overruled the principal and the students were given a suspension, which sparked more racial tension.

    Police patrolled the school’s hallways. The town’s district attorney visited the school for an impromptu assembly, allegedly looked at the black students and said he could end their lives with one stroke of his pen. A little more than three months after the noose incident — and just days after two off-campus fights/heated exchanges involving a black student and white former students — the “Jena Six” punched, beat and stomped a white kid who made fun of a black kid for getting whipped in a Friday-night fight.

    The white kid was knocked unconscious. After a three-hour hospital visit, he was released. The town prosecutor initially charged the “Jena Six” with attempted murder. Mychal Bell, the first of the six to stand trial and a Division-I football prospect, was convicted of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy by an all-white, six-person jury, a white judge and a white prosecutor. His public defender did not call a single witness in his defense. Bell could be sentenced to 22 years.

    Whew!

    Before I go any further, let me state this: The prosecutor should’ve never charged these boys with attempted murder. The entire school board should be replaced for stopping the noose-hanging kids from being expelled.

    OK, having said that, much of the mainstream reporting on this story has been misleading, irresponsible and inflammatory.

    No one mentions that Mychal Bell’s clueless public defender was black. No one mentions that there were no black jurors because of the 50 people who responded to the more than 100 summons, none were black. No one mentions that Bell was already on probation for battery relating to a Christmas day incident in 2005. No one mentions that Bell was adjudicated (convicted) of two other violent crimes in 2006 and one charge of criminal damage to property. No one mentions that Bell’s father acknowledged he moved back to Louisiana in February (after seven years in Dallas) to supervise his son because of the “Jena Six” mess. No one mentions that Bell starred on the Jena High football team while constantly jeopardizing/violating his seemingly flimsy probation.

    This was all talked about in open court during a bond hearing for Bell, and a newspaper in Alexandria, La., wrote about it. Just about everybody else has pretty much ignored the “other side” of the story. Including the fact that not one witness — black or white, and there were 40 statements taken — connected the jumping/beatdown of the white student (Dec. 4) to the noose incident (Sept. 1).

    No one mentions that a black U.S. Attorney, Donald Washington, investigated the “Jena Six” case and held a town-hall meeting explaining that there was no evidence connecting the jumping/beatdown to the noose incident.

    Only after the prosecutor overreacted (or tired of letting Bell and others skate once the successful football season was over; Bell wasn’t the only football star charged) did the “Jena Six” blame the attack on the nooses and the white shade tree.

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    Rather than report the truth, flames have been fanned by lazy or cowardly or agenda-driven members of the media. Because the white kid regained consciousness and survived the attack with only a swollen eye, defenders of the “Jena Six” have called it a typical “schoolyard fight.” Would anyone call it that if six white football and basketball players jumped one black kid?

    I’ve mulled this topic for months, and I keep coming back to one question: Where in the hell were the parents — all of the parents, white and black?

    Shame on the parents of the kids who hung the nooses for hiding behind a seemingly racist and insensitive school board when their kids were inexcusably wrong. Shame on the parents of the “Jena Six” for blaming white racism for the cowardice of a six-on-one attack.

    And shame on the prosecutor, the media and Al Sharpton for not rising above the ignorance and distortions, and seeking a truth that will set everyone in Jena free, including the “Jena Six.”

    Cya

50. SVDumas said,

    August 30, 2007 at 6:00 pm

    As you continue to pray, please go to this website http://www.colorofchange.org
    if you have not already done so and sign the petition and watch the video at http://radar.gnn.tv . Very powerful stuff. This is an outrage and we must ban together as a community.

51. Rasheed said,

    August 31, 2007 at 2:08 am

    This is another sad day in Amerikkka where the clear, and brazenly obvious racist actions of others can be down played to a “harmless prank”. According to the history of events, the school board nor the district did anything to voice the least bit concern to the hanging of the nooses. In fact, their actions in my opinion lead to believe they actually warrant this type of behavior and welcome such outright racism. How is it that the individuals responsible seemed to avoid blame, yet the parents of the African American could not? To that matter, why wasn’t the individual clearly caught with a pump action shot gun, not arrested, and charged with attempted murder? That individual intended on mortally wounding someone if not many, and had every intention on killing someone black, otherwise why did he have the shot gun?

    Sherri W has a point, why isn’t this all over the news? I mean, the news covered Parris Hilton for days, covered Anna Nicole Smith for months, yet this real life horror story gets no attention. Why, because white amerikkka does not want the clear injustice and wide open racism to surface on the main stream news networks. Another attempt to cover up the pretty clear reality that racism is and always will be alive and kicking. It isn’t just in backwoods places, small towns, and suburbs, it’s all in our Govt.

    I’m not saying that the individuals involved in the suspected arson, or those clearly involved in the fights should be void of any punishment. I am saying that the punishment should be the same across the board no matter the ethnic background or sex. Those that were involved with the hanging of the nooses, should be expelled, and exposed to the public. In addition, they should be brought up on charges for inciting a riot, and charged with all the ensuing damages from their racist action.

52. Rea said,

    August 31, 2007 at 12:29 pm

    I had not heard of this story until today when a white youngman sitting next to me at work asked if anyone has heard about this story. I can’t believe this kind of thing is still going on in America at this day and time. I do know that racism is very much alive and kicking but this is outragous. I’m going to write to our newspaper editor in Indianapolis and as many radio stations as possible. This needs attention brought to it!!!

53. Tim said,

    August 31, 2007 at 4:08 pm

    I have not heard any mention on the Tavis Smiley or Tom Joyner show. I did send links of the story to Tavis Smiley through his website, so maybe if enough of us begin to tell the story to Tavis and Tom Joyner.

54. Barbara Yates said,

    August 31, 2007 at 5:53 pm

    The radio station 93.9 in Alexandria, Louisiana is off the air. I was not too concern about it off the air on this past Thursday, but when it was still off the air Friday, it caused me to wonder. I wonder if it was taken off the air because of the coverage of the Jena 6 and the upcoming rally on September 20th. I had to changed my cd from oldies but goodies to gospel music, in order to relax my nerves. I do have to work that day, but I am planning to suport the Jean 6 and others by wearing my a black ribbon. In addition, I will try and encourage others too support your and other efforts. I am not from the South and a friend told me that ” he can remember when the television station had a bad signal when talk of civil rights were aired.” Racisim still lives but, lives under other names beside Jim Crow, segragation, colored and white to name a few.

55. Larry D.Jones Sr said,

    August 31, 2007 at 8:46 pm

    This tells me that Racism is Alive and Well 2007 and what do expect from Rednecks and Criminals who are running that government in Louisana this Country was founded by Criminals these the white man is the most Evil thing that ever escaped from Hell and we as Black people are caught living in this land of Death and Destruction our people have Sufferd for 435 years of Death and Destruction they have stole and Murdered everything and everybody they have come into contact with! they stole our names ,Culture,Language and almost our Dignity and by the way some of act our minds! and as long as a whiteman is breathing anywhere on this planet there is going to be Racism,Death and Destruction it makes me think these people are right out of HELL itself like we are surrounded by Satan and his Demons and we as Black people need to stop being afraid of these Creatures and fight for our rights because if we let these 6 children get rail roaded into the Penitentary then we as Black people should go ahead and Drink that Cyanide Koolade that Jim Jones killed all those people in Guyana with and fall into the Grave because we are as good as Dead if we dont stand up for our Rights because thses white people dont mean us any good and we need to stop fooling ourselves into thinking that they are going to change their way of thinking or their hearts because they are basicly Evil and Devil is their Master and only Jesus Christ coming back to Claim his Kingdom will put these white people in their place which is Hell and the Lake of Fire! and then will the Earth be at peace* but in the mean time we must be forever Vigil on who we are Surrounded by and whos government and Society we are living in! and even those we have little gains but less not be fooled that with the prisons full of our young men and the schools are purposely teaching our Children to fail but we will over come no matter what! because we are God Chosen people* because we are like them Roaches[we]and they have survived Dinosaurs,The Ice Age ,Vulcanoes,Genocide,Homocide,the Police,Racism,segregation,FBI,KKK,Wars of the whitemans making and even Intergration! so no matter what the white man tries he will not win! for if we where not Gods Chosen people we would have been Annihilated like the Indians and the Dodo Bird.for Empires Fall the Roman Empire fell and The United States is no Different! and the White is not Invincible he can and will be overthrown by the Grace of God!.

56. TruDat said,

    August 31, 2007 at 9:21 pm

    I live about 10 miles from Jena and I know most of the people involved on both sides of this deal. The press on this has left out a lot of details and slanted a lot of the facts. The prosecution is probably excessive in going for attempted murder, but the fact is a kid was beaten into unconsciousness and then some as a reaction to his verbal insults. I don’t care what he said, he didn’t deserve to be kicked in the head after being beaten senseless by six guys. Sure they were upset about the nooses and other stuff, but that’s no excuse for beating somebody half to death.

57. Alan Bean said,

    August 31, 2007 at 10:20 pm

    I don’t know about Tavis Smiley, but Tom Joyner has featured the Jena 6 on several occasions. In fact, this story is currently being kept alive by radio personalities, many of whom are calling upon their listeners to come to Jena.

58. Starr said,

    September 1, 2007 at 2:06 am

    Scott said,
    August 30, 2007 at 5:16 pm

    Before you all are so quick to judge the situation, read this article by Jason Whitlock………

    Break—-

    Thanks for bringing that article to my attention. I’m pretty sure every black kid has a rap sheet in that town (smiling). Jason Whitlock’s opinions means nothing to me. I grew up in near Jena, Jason didn’t. No one said the public defender was racist, he just didn’t do a good job. Of course no one can make physical connection between the noose hanging & the fight. What does that prove? What is Jason trying to say here? If one of the six had a “record” how is that related to this case? These are kids here, not men!! Were their actions wrong, yeah, no doubt. Should they lose the potential to have a good life, NO!! .

    “Because the white kid regained consciousness and survived the attack with only a swollen eye, defenders of the “Jena Six” have called it a typical “schoolyard fight. Would anyone call it that if six white football and basketball players jumped one black kid”

    Yeah, the town of Jena. Remember the party were the black student was attacked?? No changes pressed. Since when does a FIST fight at school warrent life in prison? Let’s be honest, does it seem a little extreme??? Attempted murder with a tennis shoe???? Come man, get off your high horse for a minute and feel mother earth…..

    “Shame on the parents of the “Jena Six” for blaming white racism for the cowardice of a six-on-one attack.”

    How would you feel if your son got beat up & had a sawed off shotgun pointed at him? After both events nothing happened to the white people involved, but the blacks were charged with crimes or told say in thier place. How does that effect an adult, let alone a kid. I don’t think you would be in a reasoning mood either. So…..the beating at the party wasn’t driven by racism…………..the Jena six just decide “you know what, I want to beat up a white boy today.” No one is trying to justify the attack, just using perceptive. Remember, these are kids here. I don’t know what imaginery world Jason is in, but I wish I was there. It seems pretty good!!!

    Talk about agenda’s Jason Whitlock has an agenda. Read some of his articles and it will be crystal clear what his is. He needs a hug. We love you brother!!!! Welcome to the real world, were people’s biases effect other people.

    P.S. Maybe you should visit Jena before you determine that people “ought to be a shamed”. Yeah, get in you nice, comfortable, Benz and take a road trip to see how REAL people have to make it, raise childs, and maintain a decent life. Get a thought…..

59. Nicole said,

    September 1, 2007 at 9:39 am

    I was reading Jason Whitlock’s column regarding the Jena Six. First of all, I would like to say he is breaking ethics codes by posting a percentage of the truth involving this case and criminalizing Mychal Bell’s name before a verdict has ever been reached in this case. He believes that Bell’s criminal history is the cause behind the beating of Justin Barker. He believes it’s cowardly to blame racism over these six boys being tried. Yet, he fails to acknowledge what happened three days ago before the school fight where Robert Bailey, Jr. was beat up by a group of whites and the next day, the same people who were part of the group, drew a shotgun in Bailey and his friend’s faces at the gas station. In his column, he asks the question what if six white athletes jumped a black? Who the hell is the guy and where does he come from? People’s ignorance astounds me regarding the case. There are those out there who believe none of this would have happened if those black kids weren’t asking to sit under that tree in the first place. Jason is another one who is adding fuel to these racists’ venom and their warped beliefs. And to think he is an employee of the FOX Network who is regularly known for their crying of reverse racism.

60. stacy Lewis said,

    September 1, 2007 at 5:56 pm

    SIZE=”7″]Yes!!! We will be there! [/SIZE]

    As survivors of Hurricane Katrina and the injustices that we faced afterward in New Orleans, we will be there to stand in solidarity for our brothers who are facing a biased dual justice system. Anyone who is interested in riding with us should contact me at 5014-915-7254 or [email]stacymlewis@gmail.com[/email].

    Stacy Lewis

61. stacy Lewis said,

    September 1, 2007 at 5:59 pm

    YES !!!! WE WILL BE THERE FROM NEW ORLEANS!

    As survivors of Hurricane Katrina and the injustices that we faced afterward in New Orleans, we will be there to stand in solidarity for our brothers who are facing a biased dual justice system. Anyone who is interested in riding with us should contact me at 5014-915-7254 or stacymlewis@gmail.com.

    Stacy Lewis

62. janice lee said,

    September 4, 2007 at 6:59 pm

    I am a 43 year old black woman who grew up in a small rural town in the south. My parents decedents of slaves and I subjected to racism while growing up. I watch this story last night for the first time and was very upset and appalled at what I heard and saw.My question is this where are the NAACP, department of civil rights,our so called president during this time of injustice. I believe that the school principal should be held accountable for not doing anything about the three nooses placed in the tree on school property which is federally funded and state also. The prosecutor should be brought up on ethics violation for letting his personal feeling get involved in his job.Last but not least the parents of the three white students who did this astrocious act of racism. This is 2007 and we are still allowing race to play a factor in where we sit. What kind of town is this and is this how they what the world to think of there town. Haven’t these residents of New Orleans had enough!!!!

63. MODI said,

    September 5, 2007 at 7:08 pm

    Nicole, Jason Whitlock has his own agenda, not to mention the fact that he is completely deranged at this point. Here is a responce to his article.

    http://www.cosellout.com/?p=107

64. Samuel Darguin said,

    September 5, 2007 at 10:07 pm

    I am Having a Rally at my University!

    Stony Brook University
    Stony Brook, New York
    From 1:00pm- 2:30pm

65. Sabrina Sawicki said,

    September 6, 2007 at 4:44 am

    I think it’s a sick thing to take away the life of a black man. Justice is justice. If it can be called a prank for someone to threaten someone’s life, then it should be a prank for him to get handed what he’s owed. So many black men are imprisoned for crimes that weren’t even commited, while white people get away with murder, simply because of the color of his skin. We’re in the 2000’s, when is it gonna end. (By the way, I’m white.) The system should be ashamed of themself, and you really are a bunch of sick crackers in the legal system in Jena.

66. Naomi Spencer said,

    September 6, 2007 at 5:20 pm

    Issues of race and class are alive an well in American society. Are we shocked? As a professional counselor who works with the severely and persistently mentally ill, I see this issue every day in predominatly Anglo Saxon, middle to high imcome Salt Lake City. I fear that this issue in Jena with the District Attorney and his office goes beyond injusticeand at it’s core is the issues of race, class, priviledge and prejudice that permeates the fabric of the American culture. It has been argued that those who adhere to prejudicial beliefs and false assumptions about race, culture and ethnicity suffer a form of mental illness that although pervasive, is a set of behavioral patterns that have been learned over time and is treatable. With that said, I have a recommendation for District Attorney Reed Walters in Jena. Perhaps he needs to address the deeply ingrained oppressive context by which he views people of different ethnicities, races, cultures and religions because my experience has taught me that his biases go far beyond those he has for young African American males. He does not have to look far to begin his self assessment. He simply needs to look back over the past one hundred and thirty plus years to the history of race classification in America. Part of his journey of self-awareness is the acknowledgment that “American criminal justice culture” has at its core a set of white cultural values and norms by which he has learned to judge and to understand the underlying assumptions he has about a cultural group, personal stereotypes or race. He can avoid the problems of stereotyping and false judgment by examining his own philosophies, views and beliefs. Although he cannot adopt another’s ethnicity, race or culture, he can became more aware and sensitive to these things and of his own biases. Being aware of all factors, being sensitive to the individual’s race, culture and ethnicity, and sensitivity towards another’s expectations, attitudes, beliefs, vulnerability and themes of coping are essential components towards providing effective, equitable justice for his community. Perhaps then can he can own his own racial bias and faulty assumptions and see what happened at the high school as a school matter.

67. Chris L. said,

    September 7, 2007 at 1:40 am

    Its time for us to come out from behind the pulpits my brother’s and sister’s and beat the pavement. While we’re competing with each other as churches our youth is rotten away in Prison’s whether justified or not. I’m so glad that Micheal Basiden and Steve Harvey and other celebrities is going down on the 20th for the hearing. Unfortunately I don’t feel the same about Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson because for them I feel it’s all about show ( Photo Opt) Why isn’t our black political leaders not marching on Washington about Defur? I think we all should remember one of my favorite Scriptures which is Proverbs 3: 5&6 and Mr.Bell and his son and the other kids will rise up from this mess one day.

    Chris L.
    Shelby,NC

68. ZURI said,

    September 7, 2007 at 5:45 am

    This case is absolutely ridiculous; I find it interesting that in this day and age an incident like this can occur. There are some things that need to be done to correct all the wrongs made in this whole incident beginning with the Jena school system, beginning with the “white tree” to the superintendent and his absurd chastisement for actions that has already planted a painful racial history in this country. Secondly, the African Americans males who were arrested and later jailed should be released, point blank. People, lets not forget when everything is said and done we have to answer to a force that is bigger than any judge or racist community that is living. All of these overt wrong doings, cruel actions against undeserving victims and hate crimes do not go unrecognized, get it together!!! It is no reason those young African Americans males should be receiving the treatment they are receiving, no matter where they live. They’re “public defenders “ did a atrocious job in delivering and defending them affectively, I suggest a more high profiled, intelligent, strategic lawyers from a Big cities take they’re case over so proper results may be generated, God Bless all.

69. ZURI said,

    September 7, 2007 at 5:48 am

    This case is absolutely ridiculous; I find it interesting that in this day and age an incident like this can occur. There are some things that need to be done to correct all the wrongs made in this whole incident beginning with the Jena school system, beginning with the “white tree” to the superintendent and his absurd chastisement for actions that has already planted a painful racial history in this country. Secondly, the African Americans males who were arrested and later jailed should be released, point blank. People, lets not forget when everything is said and done we have to answer to a force that is bigger than any judge or racist community that is living. All of these overt wrong doings, cruel actions against undeserving victims and hate crimes do not go unrecognized, get it together!!! It is no reason those young African Americans males should be receiving the treatment they are receiving, no matter where they live. They’re “public defenders “ did a atrocious job in delivering and defending them affectively, I suggest a more high profiled, intelligent, strategic lawyers from big cities take they’re case over so proper results may be generated, God Bless all.

70. William Dorsey said,

    September 7, 2007 at 5:53 pm

    This case has more important overtones and might just be the wedge that will open the minds of people to the fact that segregation in public schools did not go away, it simply changed its appearance. We now have “equal but separate” under the same roof, much as slavery continued into the 1960s.

71. DENISE STARKS said,

    September 7, 2007 at 9:04 pm

    IT IS VERY SAD THAT WE AS BLACK PEOPLE ARE STILL A THREAT TO WHITE PEOPLE, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT A EFFECT WE HAVE ON THE WHITE RACE, WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS WE HAVE THE SAME COLOR BLOOD WE ALL LIVE AND BREATH OXNGEN AND WE ALL LIVE TO DIE. THE COLOR OF OR SKIN CAN NOT RUB OFF WHEATHER WE ARE WHITE, BLACK,ASIAN WE ALL BLEED THE SAME BLOOD RED. WHY IS IT THAT THE PARENT OF THE WHITE YOUNG MAN THAT STARTED ALL OF THIS JUST COME FORWARD AND SAY ENOUGH, I AM PRETTY SURE THEIR SON IS ON HIS WAY TO COLLEGE AND MAY LIVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE, WHILE THESE 6 YOUNG MEN ARE LEFT TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF ONE INCDENT. THEY CAN SEND A RAPIST, OR MURDER, TO PRISON FOR 25 YEARS, AND THEY WILL GET OUT IN 5 FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR.IT JUST DO NOT MAKE ANY SENSE. AND FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY JUST LIKE HE TOLD THOSE KIDS HE CAN TAKE THERE LIFE WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN. DONT HE KNOW THE SAME CAN HAPPEN TO HIM. HE IS NOT GOD. I PRAY THAT THESE YOUNG MEN GET OUT OF THIS TROUBLE AND GO ON AND LIVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE.

72. Peter said,

    September 7, 2007 at 10:38 pm

    This is not a “biased dual justice system.” These young men attacked and nearly killed a school mate. Whether white or black, race doesn’t matter. A law was broken and a life nearly ended… out of sheer violence. Because it’s in Southern Louisiana, of course it would be turned into a race riot. When six individuals attack one lone boy, some action needs to be taken. So go on and try to take it to another level of absurdity and keep defending those who have broken the law.

73. tony said,

    September 8, 2007 at 9:53 am

    I know that we all feel very strongly about this situation and are looking outside for assistance ( media and government ) in this matter but once we understand that we must help ourselves, then and only then will we see the kind of results we are seeking. Do you really think that the same people pushing for these young men to join their brothers in prison are going to help in their defense? Are we that ignorant to the facts of history, are we lacking that much common sense? How many times does this have to happen? Will you still attempt to sit at the table and negotiate with thieves and murderers dressed in suits and wigs? The same thieves and murderers dressed in the same suits and wigs that aspire to remove you and everyone like you ( hue-mans, people not lacking in melonin, the majority of the people on this earth ) from this earth. The same thieves and murderers that rape your women and carry the title of president of the usa, the same men that would kill your brothers and fathers for looking at a white woman for too long. Or did you forget, did you buy into the propaganda they feed you every day? Do you really believe that they are going to stop now and help bring justice to their own kind? How many wake up calls do we need? They are not going to help a black male reach his full potential. Does that even sound logical to you, brother or sister? Think! Read! Research! Don’t be ignorant and repeat the same history over and over. Dont keep marching and singing, thinking that maybe they will throw you another bone! F- that bone! We must come together and help with the re-education of our entire race, all peoples of color. Dont fall for the same lies, there are but two races on this earth, people with melonin and people without melonin. But it seems as though only one group of people know that and understand that to be true. And it ain’t us. Divide and conquer, very simple. They have us thinking we are a minority. Not true. You are the majority and they know it and they will do everything in their power to stop you from realizing that you are the original, none greater. You have endured attempts of genocide- the killing of almost all native americans while they stole the land, the american slave trade that stripped africa of its most valuable asset (the people), and even the holocaust where white people tried to kill off the semites ( also non-white people wether they know/believe it or not). And there are more, many more than that. But you have survived, and not because you went to the table with these thieves and murderers and signed treaties or because of so called civil rights they decided it was time for you to have. You survived because of love and unity. Dont forget that. Pull together in times of trouble and dont look to same ones persecuting you to lend you a helping hand, not going to happen. Educate yourselves and everyone you know, read and research. Once you see that knowledge is the real power nobody can stop you. You will start to see things for what they really are and you wont believe that garbage that you have been taught since you stepped off the ships with chains on your hands and feet. You may think that it has changed and that is what they want you to think but the Jena 6 should be a clear indicator of that lie. Don’t wonder why there isn’t more media coverage on this situation because the revolution will not be televised in the land of the thieves and the home of the slaves! Need help starting with the cleansing of your mind from the chains they have on it, READ !! I started with a book called The Isis Papers by Dr. Francis Cress Welsing. Look it up and READ IT ! Look her up, she is a psychologist in D.C. She has videos on you tube and she gives lectures for free every second thursday at Howard University. She has a schedule on her website. I love you. Peace.

74. Student of HCC said,

    September 8, 2007 at 9:26 pm

    I just recently had the assignment to do a essay on the Jena 6 topic. as a international student who is going to school in the United States i must say this story have given me a shock. i didnt think that the USA “The Land of Freedom” would have such injustice.
    to the People in Jena you have really have to be more fair and tolerant. As educators, law enforcers you have somewhat dissapoint some people in this country and people all over the world.
    I wish that this Organization will prevail and be a inspriation to everyone

75. pvdugas said,

    September 9, 2007 at 8:50 am

    To true Dat: You said: Sure they were upset about the nooses and other stuff, but that’s no excuse for beating somebody half to death.

    How could they possibly have beat him half to death and he was well enough to attend a party the same night? Perhaps the nooses, and the fact that he was taunting them by calling them “niggers, etc. etc.” were the reason they beat him up. And what about the young black man that was beat up at the conveniency store by several white boys? Black people are sick and tired of all of these double standards in America. In my opinion this was handled poorly by the Louisiana School District. How can nooses hung from a tree be considered a prank? Give me a break. It’s that small South back woods Louisiana mentality that has caused all of this mess.

    A white man pulled a rifle out yet the black youth were arrested and charged with possession of stolen property. That situation could have easily turned deadly. They could have taken the gun away from him and shot him, but they didn’t. Yet they got arrested. When I look at the hurricane Katrina survivors and the efforts to date for them, why should we feel this situation will be any better? There is NO WAY these young black men can get a fair trial in Jena, Louisiana. To say that Justin Barker was beat “HALF TO DEATH” is just not true. I’ve seen the photo. He had a black eye and again, he was well enough to go partying on the evening he was released from the hospital. Beaten half to death would mean that he was incapacitated, bedridden.

    Give me a break!

76. Mrs. B said,

    September 9, 2007 at 2:37 pm

    I grew up not to far down the road from Jena. It doesn’t surprise me what happened. You would think by now these type of events does not exist in America. When I grew up I vowed to leave Louisiana and never look back, and I haven’t so far. I am coming back to stand up for the cause of Jena 6.

77. Island Girl said,

    September 9, 2007 at 3:20 pm

    Has Oprah Winfrey brought this to the public’s attention on her show.?She is a very powerful Black woman with a huge audience. These are the kind of things she needs to focus on. Imagine these things happening in the USA, the land of the free and home of the brave. What happen to Jesse jackson, Al Sharpton and the rest?
    Please this should not be happening in this day and age . It would appear that American has more sympathy for their animals (Michael Vick’s issue) than for Black America.

78. aye Nelon said,

    September 9, 2007 at 5:23 pm

    Per Michael Basien show..Although a lot of organizations are collecting donations, the legaldefense teams and not getting the funds and the lawyers are having
    to spend their own money to help these young men. One organization has stated that they have collected over $130,000 for the Jena Six and the legal team for Mychal Bell has only received $4,000 to date and not even from that organization. We have established a fund to ensure that the funds are going to for the legal defense. We’ll help where it is needed most and right now that is for Mychal Bell. All donations will be greatly appreciated by the family of Mychal Bell.

    THE MICHAEL BAISDEN SHOW
    ATTN: UN-EQUAL JUSTICE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
    P.O. BOX 17266
    SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78217-0266

79. TONY said,

    September 9, 2007 at 9:28 pm

    Hay guts if you all know any in st louis please tell them that we have a bus with 46 seats headed down to Jena A L. problem is not too many folks now about whats going on down there and some dont know that there’s a bus .
    So plaese put the word out if you can and you can e-mail me at mansion4me@sbcglobal.net. The radio stations here wont broadcast our bus ride info execpt one station, iv contacted a lot of publications here but there participation has yet to be seen.

    Thanks Tony in st louis

80. Mary Sowers said,

    September 9, 2007 at 11:14 pm

    This is to Mr Tru dat
    Dear Mr Tru dat
    The white kid that was beaten unconsicous was also taunting the black kid and HURLING Remarks about the how that kid had got his butt whipped by a group of his buddies (white guys) days before… WELL he should have kept his mouth SHUT !!!! He thought he was so tough.. HE GOT HIS BUTT KNOCKED OUT were where his friends he was showing off for in the gym..he was NOT beaten half to death. How are you “beaten half to dealth” and get released out of the ER(Emergency Room ) and be a the same school where you were knocked out at that eveing ????
    WHAT HAPPENED WAS HIS MOUTH SOLD A TICKET THAT HIS BUTT COULD NOT CASH,,,,, He’ll think NEXT time before he SPEAKS… WON’ T HE

81. Carolyn W said,

    September 10, 2007 at 7:44 pm

    Remember, Jason Whitlock writes EDITORIAL columns…and he does like to stir up the other side. That being said, I always appreciate the other side to a story, even though I don’t agree with it. I wrote Jason and told him I didn’t agree with his take on the story, and that I’ve been trying to get ANY NATIONAL MEDIA to cover the story since mid July when I first heard about it. I even started a website that has now expanded to other injustices in America, http://www.americaiswatching.org and the Jena Six case is what made me realize I needed to do something to call attention to these things. Now there is national media attention on the case, one of the convictions against Mychal Bell has been dropped, and I’m sure he will not receive anything NEAR the maximum when he is sentenced on September 20, with all of America watching. Three of the other boys have had their charges reduced. Pressure from us “meddling outsiders” (which school board member Billy Fowler called those of us who are not locals) has helped these boys receive fair treatment. Let’s just hope it continues!

82. Cheryl S. said,

    September 11, 2007 at 12:13 am

    I am a 28 year old African American graduate student and single mother living in Nashville, TN. I was speaking to my mother about the “Jena 6″ and I just can’t comprehend how sooo many people (white and black) can be outraged and still we go ignored. It’s as if we have no voice, as if we are invisible, and it’s pissing me off! Somebody tell me, please, WHERE IN THE HELL IS OPRAH? All she’d have to do is just say she was going to Jena, LA and there’d probably be all kinds of media coverage on this matter. She wouldn’t even have to show up. Hell, we might even have some political figures (Obbama, Clinton) show their faces and give their suppport (maybe that’s pushing it).
    I am a student at an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) and there are students that have never even heard of the “Jena 6.” I am so frustrated! I don’t like being ignored and I refuse to be. There are so many of us who share this outrage; why aren’t we being heard? Can the media really just ignore us all? Can they act like this isn’t happening or never happened? This total disregard just stiffles me, absolutely renders me speechless. It just blows my freakin’ mind! I’ve just received one hell of a reality check.

    Frustrated, disgusted, pissed, and near tears!

83. lea said,

    September 11, 2007 at 2:05 am

    There are two sides to every story. People on this post are naive. Pity the poor ole black boys. These innocent angels. Those mean white boys are just mean, nasty and racist. Why don’t you want to see the whole story? You want this to be a racist thing but why? I will never believe in this day that we have white kids hanging nooses on trees for NO Reason. I will never believe that! I will not believe that a star ball player for any school will suffer from racism. It just don’t happen. I don’t believe these black kids were picked on. I think they picked also. Mychal Bell and others were jealous of the whites tree. It was a tradition from what I understand for the white kids to sit under the tree. What is wrong with tradition? It seems like the black kids thought this tradition to be a racial issue against them. The tradition started with the white kids and Mychal Bell instigated the breakup of this tradition. He cared less about sitting under this tree. He wanted to make a racial issue.
    He has a past criminal record. I understand the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. Get off the white kids case, they have their side too.

84. Christopher R. said,

    September 11, 2007 at 9:16 am

    i am Christopher. I served proudly in the USMC and have been to ‘ The desert’. In times of overwelming situations All i can say is be strong. The fool thinks that he has all the answers to all others problems……He does not have the answer to his own. Jesus was sought out by those whom wanted him dead…….but HE was hidden from there view. I am from Louisiana. born and raised……. I say this to you …the enemy knows that God will send HE…….from the wilderness…..Be strong and faithful Soul-o-man (Solomon). Father is watching. PEACE AND LOVE……

85. J Castp said,

    September 11, 2007 at 12:06 pm

    Thank you for a clear and concise discription of the events. No newspaper even the NY Times has done that… I guess after Katrina it is open season on us. The Duke Lacross case was in the news every day and you have to go to the internet to find out what is happening to the Jena 6. This is Jenacide. What am I suposed to tell my child. Im glad you are here. I told her there are still decent people in America, and your sight proves that.
    Thank you again.

86. Tiffany said,

    September 11, 2007 at 4:43 pm

    This is in response to Lea. Yes, there are two sides to every story. Just b/c one has made a mistake in the past does not mean one does not learn from it and move on!
    But if you feel that way, look at the current President. He’s been to jail a few times in the past and still committing crimes. I guess it’s fair to state that he hasn’t learned from his past, huh!

    The way you are talking (well typing) sounds like you may be a racist yourself and live in the south where such practices are viewed as ok by whites. It doesn’t matter why the white kids hung the nooses, it just shouldn’t have been done at all!!

    And if the black kids have to suffer extreme punishment then the white kids should too!

87. tony said,

    September 12, 2007 at 1:24 am

    Lea said, “He has a past criminal record. I understand the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior.”

    Exactly, Lea you can’t even understand how profound that statement is. I agree with you 100%. He has a long and violent criminal record as I stated before. His criminal record is by far the worst in the history of the earth. And I along with you feel his past and his present actions are signs that he will never change. His future actions will be just as bad if not worse than the ones before. Lea you should be hailed as one of the most progressive and forward thinking white women in the history of your kind. I would have never thought that a cracker ( for those of you dont know this word has nothing to do with anything edible and its similar coloring to that of the oppresser, it actually comes from the sound that was made by one of the white mans favorite tools of violence during the days of officially owning black people. That tool being the whip. Hence the term cracker) would ever speak honestly about the violent record of their own kind. I must say this is a pleasant surprise and a very positive step in the right direction for crackers accross the world. Let your voice be heard Lea! You are a beam of light and truth shinning through a sea of self-hating, recessive gene carrying rapist. I’m guessing I will see you in Jena on the 20th with your black shirt on ready to kill whitey if you have too lol?

88. Jena Resident said,

    September 12, 2007 at 1:49 am

    Whatever! You people must think that the black community can’t walk and talk like ordinary people. What a joke. I tell you this. Come on down or up to Jena. Show your ass and get to meet and greet one of the fine fifty to sixty state troopers that are posted at every stop sign/street corner. Oh yeah…pack a lunch too. And thanks to adding to the bottom line of the town tax base to help rid this area of reverse racism.

89. lea said,

    September 12, 2007 at 1:53 am

    No Tony, I won’t be there. All the chest thumping black people rushing to the aid of a mistreated black boy without even questioning his role. I don’t want any part of your reasoning. You are acting exactly what you preach against. All this is just a smoke screen, running to the aid of this boy is covering up your hatred and revenge you really feel in your heart. There is nothing a white person can do to help those that hold this hatred and revenge. You see, that is the phase that this mess is in now. Revenge!!
    You won’t hold me responsibly for anything. I won’t allow it.
    You let your voice be heard Tony. Your hatred is ringing loud and clear. Keep it going and hand it down to the kids. Keep telling the kids how all their ancestors were beaten, hung and tortured. That should make them feel like succeeding in this country. What do you want to see happen Tony? Do you want the kids to beat, hang and torture? Will that satisfy you? You don’t seem to have any trouble being black enough. You truly are.

90. tony said,

    September 12, 2007 at 10:19 am

    I’m sorry Lea if you couldn’t tell that i was being sarcastic, i really don’t expect you to be there. I don’t want you to be there. I’m not sure exactly what you are speaking of when you say i’m acting exactly what I preach against? You must have me confused with someone else. From your statements you must think that I am someone looking for the help of white people, Not! Don’t want it.Don’t need it at all. You speak of hatred and revenge. I think one thing you should ask yourself is why would such peaceful people feel such strong feelings towards white people? Also I think you are mistaking a strong desire to bring justice and truth to the light for hatred. I don’t hate anyone but I also am not ignorant and won’t continue to be lied to by white people. I don’t believe what you say because your whole history is built on lies, murders, and stealing. Not the type of people I would like to be around. I think that hatred you are sensing is coming from within. White people have deep self- hatred issue, knowing that I know that whites cannot possibly do anything else but hate until they deal with that issue internally.You say keep telling the kids how their ancestors were beaten, hung, and tortured. You left out raped too. And again Lea we agree because I feel like I am obligated to tell my black youth of the great injustices their people have been through in this place you call america. Would you rather I lie to them and act as if everything was ok? Would you rather I do the same as you have done in your so called schools and cover up the truth, NO! The truth is the light!! And the truth will hopefully do something that we as a people have been trying to do since we got here, the truth will set you free. And for the record I don’t want anyone to be hung, beat or tortured. Or Raped for that matter! That would not satisfy me at all. Thats why I know that its my duty to tell all of my youth the true history of america so what happened to our ancestors will never happen again. You said that I don’t seem to have any trouble being Black enough and that I truly am. And by truly are I assume you mean I am truly Black, that I am really Black. Once again Lea, you are right on the money honey! As Black as they come. You were probably trying to put a negative spin on being Black, as in the definition of Black in the dictionary. I think that I should let you know Lea that the definition and stigma with the word Black or anything or anyone associated with the word Black is bad is just a trick used in the system of white supremacy (racism) to make Black people believe that there is something negative associated with anything or anyone black. Not! Black is most certainly beutiful, if you haven’t heard. Your ancestors Lea, whether you know it or not were Black. And most certainly beutiful, so I think you should take pride in your heritage. Don’t believe the hype, it’s all just propaganda by some black people that came down with some permanent albinism. SAY IT LOUD!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA I’m Black and i’m proud, and once you figure out the same you and all of those like you will be able to let go of the deep self hate that has plagued you since your removal from home ( AFRICA ) and you too will be able to SAY IT LOUD!! I’m Black and i’m proud too!!!!!!

91. pvdugas said,

    September 12, 2007 at 1:03 pm

    Lea, MY GOODNESS YOU’RE IN DENIAL! You said:

    Mychal Bell and others were jealous of the whites tree. It was a tradition from what I understand for the white kids to sit under the tree. What is wrong with tradition?

    TRADITION? Don’t you see something wrong with having a segregated tree in the 21st century? And by the way, get the facts straight, Justin Barker also has a rap sheet. Sometimes we need to look at the weeds in our own backyard!

    TONY - ONE COMMENT - “Say that!” You make me proud!

92. Steve Shapiro said,

    September 12, 2007 at 6:43 pm

    Thank you Alan Bean and Friends of Justice for supporting the young men in Jena who have been subjected to an incident of racism of immense magnitude followed by prosecutorial irresponsibility. You will always have my support.

93. Vickie said,

    September 12, 2007 at 8:20 pm

    This racism will never stop unless ALL VOICES are heard!!!

94. Tonya said,

    September 13, 2007 at 1:10 am

    I live very close to Jena and I must say this issue is starting to affect all the surroundng areas. These issues are not just isolated in the Jena area, it’’s in all these small towns around Jena. It’s standing out in Jena because of Jena 6 but really it’s all down here. I know the anguish the people of Jena feel for I have felt it in my own town and seen it in others. Stay strong all involved and know that many people are with you. On Sept. 20 I along with many more will come and show our support. Making a change in Jena will hopefully make it known in my town and others that now is the time for change and that change can be good.