Friends of Justice

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

Thanks Brenda A.

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

–way to go!

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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…..

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

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!!!!

I am Having a Rally at my University!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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!

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……

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!

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.

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!!!!!!

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.

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.

It’s about time we got together and took a stand to look out for one another. This type of treatment of our young black children will not be tolerated. It’s dangerous when one or two people in authority think they can be judge and jury too. I came up in the 60’s and the 70’s, and some of the same things that were happening then still take place in these so called United States of America. Let’s unite on every front to put an end to this type of treatment. On the other hand, let’s send a message to these young rappers to stop disrespecting themselves as well as our young black women in these videos and distasteful lyrics. Is that the full extent of their vocabulary? Only when WE respect ourselves and lift one another up, then can we command respect from others.

Am I upset? I don’t know, since I live in Philadelphia the justice system has raped and robbered many young black youth. This situation is out of control most of all some children are out of control. I do not support the handling of the situation and am outraged that white americans continue to ignore the injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Parents teach your children how to effectively deal with mainstream society. My son along with his friends (two cambieons, two white and another black) were arrested for fighting a group of white children who sit the fight up using myspace. My son and his friends were arrested and given time while nothing happenend to the white boys who looked at three different locations for my son and his friends.

My prayer are with the family and surrounding communities of Jena 6. BLACK people down south stop should stand up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My best friend told me all about this injustice and for one I am ashamed of my race for all that whites do to single out other races just because of the way the act look and pratice their religion. After 44 years of looking through the eyes of one who was born white I have just a taste of living in someone elses shoes and we are no different from each other in our heart and soul!!!!!! These young men should not be punished in such a harsh manner.

THANK GOD, THANK GOD MYCHAL BELL IS FREE, BUT WE AS BLACK PEOPLE STILL NEED TO PULL TOGETHER AND STAY TOGETHER. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS THE YOUNG MEN AND THERE FAMILIES. KEEP THE FAITH.

I just want to say, that as a white person…who happens to have a half black son…that what is happening there is quite unfair and it’s obvious to anyone with common sense that it is racism. However take heart in knowing that there are MANY people of different colors who are speaking out against the injustice. It is rather disgusting that racism still exist in this day and age, but also having seen racism in many different forms I just want to say let us not forget that racism does not only exist in the white people against black people form…it also exist black against white and hispanic against black and white against hispanic and so on for pretty much any race. So keep speaking out when you see racism or injustice in any form because speaking out does make a difference if enough people stand up for what is right. Also we have to keep in mind that a good way to try to prevent racism to be the best representative of your race that you can be, so that people have more good experiences with different races than bad experiences, and quite buying, listening, to and watching the things that perpetuate the bad stereotypes of any race.

We all need to pray. this can not continue to go on. Jesus…… help us all, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. we each need to say that and mean it. May justice and rightousness prevail. My heart hurts that people are treated so poorly based on a skin color and not the content of character. Lord have mercy on us all.

amen

racism is still alive. we all need to come together black and white to put an end to this. we need to start by supporting the jena 6. if we let this go without a fight this will not be the end. put a end to racism and show your support.

I cannot believe that in 2007 we are still fighting these types of battles. These high school kids had to be taught these things and I’m sure they knew that hanging the nooses were wrong and would start some type of trouble. How can this kind of hate still be going on? We should be concentrating on so many other things.

Being a black man in Louisiana, I am outrage that something like this can happen in my own backyard. How was it that those white kids wern’t prosecuted? All of this would’ve been prevented had this happened. That racist District Attorney should either resign or be fired over this. He’s like a klansman without his hood. hanging three nooses over that tree is “a childish prank”? What child you know would do that??? The real question is this: Is racism still alive in 2007? Think about it!!!!!!!!

i think that is very racist and i hope it stops!

Mychal Bell is not yet free, he remains behind bars awaiting a bond hearing to send his case back to juvenlie court. He has been in jail since December 2006.

RESPONSE TO JACK BLACK,
Ok clearly you are white because you would know first hand what these kids in LA are going through due to the fact that if you were black either yourself or a relative experienced some type of racism. Also, your ignorance cracks me up because if it were a “black on white” crime we would just look the other way because Dubya would have flown to the destination the very same day, news coverage, press, media and every other person would have been bringing justice to the white kids so you are right we would have looked the other way because justice would have been brought to them instead of them fighting for it. However, in the jena 6 case we as black people yes BLACK not “AFRICAN AMERICANS” refuse to look the other way because the boys are being railroaded. So, like you’re looking the other way regarding injustice and racism we are being a force and mighty movement working together to protect one another as we were taught a long time ago by our parents. Something that you white people know absolutely nothing about…..which further proves my case of you being a ‘white counterpart’

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.

One more comment:
Oprah, Tyra Banks, and all the other rich people who love helping out are not doing nothing about this!

To pvdugas: Try to at least get the slanted media-provided facts straight. Nobody got beat up at the convenience store. The reason the blacks got charged for that is because there was an uninvolved witness (store clerk) that saw them attack the guy before he got his shotgun (not rifle) from his vehicle. The story about the white guy pulling a gun on them for no reason magically appeared after the press decided this was a good story. Also, the “beating” of the black kid at the “white” party was one guy punching him one time, and that guy was charged and plead guilty, so quit saying “nobody did anything to the white kids”. The beer bottles and group “beating” story also magically appeared after this became a big story, even the black kid’s own statement never said any such thing.

to Mary Sowers: I’m glad you have informed me of how free speech works in America. So the next time Al Sharpton makes a racist speech that annoys me I can just kick his ass and I’ll be a hero to you? Thanks for the info, I must have missed that part in civics class where it’s good to teach kids that somebody who annoys you should get “HIS BUTT KNOCKED OUT”. But you’re right, after all, how else but by violence can we teach “those people” that “He’ll think NEXT time before he SPEAKS… WON’ T HE”? Right on sista! Threats of violence have a long and illustrious history of keeping people from speaking their minds, just ask Hitler or Saddam (I assume from your post they are heroes of yours). Oh I forgot, it’s only speech that YOU disapprove of that makes violence OK, right? Funny I don’t remember seeing your name as an exception in the 1st Amendment. What’s really sad about “justifications” like yours is that it acts mainly to reinforce the stereotypes of blacks. Sure, whitey will learn to watch his mouth around blacks because “He’ll think NEXT time before he SPEAKS… WON’ T HE”, but do you think they will ever want to be friends with or even consider treating someone as an equal that has proven by his actions that he can’t resolve his emotions except by violence? That’s exactly the kind of fear-based thinking that led to the excessive charges in the first place, and you are encouraging and praising it. Good job!

dis jank is crazy

Can someone please lay out for me the rules about this? I would like to know:

1. When it is acceptable for me and 5 of my friends to beat the crap out of someone. Do we do it right after we were insulted or can we wait a few months like the “Jena 6″.

2. Do I have to be black to get away with this (or at least get thousands of ppl protesting for me) or is it acceptable for me and 5 of my white friends to put a kid in the hospital for calling me a cracker last week.

3. At what point do I stop paying attention to what the US District attorney says? “”A lot of things happened between the noose hanging and the fight occurring, and we have arrived at the conclusion that the fight itself had no connection,” said Donald Washington, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. ” is that only when he disagrees wwith me?

4. Can someone please forward me the criminal code where it lays out that black on white crime is a response to racism, white on black crime is racism, and black on black crime is something no one wants to talk about.

In the end I would like those of you who are sooooooo eager to defend these young men tp ask yourselves the following question. Really sit down and think about it. Remember all he stood for, the power he used and how he used it and what he taught our country, white, black, brown, yellow and red….

What would Dr. King have to say about 6 people who responded to racism with such violence?

Sept 20th, 2007

How will this day go down in history?

This could be a crucial turning point, where the people take a stand, where things begin to change and uncorks the pent up anger that MUST be expresses through mass political resistance.

This day was slated to go down as the trial for Mychal Bell, 1 of the 6 Black youth in Jena, Louisiana who is facing decades in prison for standing up against white supremecy – NOOSES hung from a ” whites only” tree in their public schoolyard. We’re not going to let it go down like that.

Rally and Protest !

9:30 A.M. Activists will rally in support of the “Jena 6,” a group of Black teenagers who have been charged with allegedly assaulting a white teenager in Louisiana last year, on the Brooklyn Borough Hall steps, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn.

12:00 P.M
At noon they will rally on the City Hall steps.

Hi. I know that this is not going to be well recieved, but the two events which “Jena 6″ supporters are trying to tie together had little to nothing to do with each other. They were spaced well apart, time-wise, and enough went on in between the noose incident and the beating that the arguement of the first providing fuel for the second is baseless. Weren’t they all on the same football team? Didn’t they see eachother many times between the noose-hanging and the beating? Was the victim in this situation (victim: see boy who got head stomped) involved in the noose hanging?

The facts are, six kids were involved in a fight in which they knocked another kid out, then proceeded to stomp on his head. Head stomping has been shown to cause death in laboratory animals, as well as humans. And I seriously doubt that while these six kids were stomping on the victim’s head, any statements of “take that noose-hanger”, or “this’ll teach you to hang another noose” were heard.

I do agree that the noose hanging was uncalled for, tasteless, and should be punished accordingly. To the best of my knowledge, there is no crime associated with it, so I disagree with the calls for pressing charges under hate crime legislation. I don’t think that anybody went to the hospital with severe injuries to the head as a result of these nooses being hung.

An arguement of excessive charges is a valid arguement to make. With the victim not in a coma or dead, one could argue that the six aggressors did not try and kill him – rather, they just over-did the 6 on 1 fighting style (made popular by the Scottish Bar Fighting method of headbutting somebody and then kicking them when they are down).

In short – I think the support is impressive, and the ability to mobalize amazing. I cringe when race is brought up, because this has nothing to do with race. Facts have been construed as such in order to garnish the support and spread the word, but the facts are what they are.

To demand that all six aggressors released without charges because they are black is sad. Don’t argue that racism exists and point fingers when you are the only one “finding” racism everywhere you look. Don’t scream for racial equality if you are not willing to accept that your actions bring consequences – and the color of your skin should not be a reason to excuse your actions.

I do hope that justice is served – what ever that is. I know that it will not site well with some, but think of the kid who got stomped – think of his family and friends – think of the kids who did it – think of the entire situation without assigning color to anybody involved. Change anything?

when i first heard this story it didnt surprise me. Unjustice exsist! By being bi-racial it is alive and breathing im speaking from experience. Society wants to put a band-aid on reality yet it takes a situation like jena for it to bring it to the light…….God has a way of working it out………….My prayers go to the families ….But this is a blessing, this situation is my blessing because it is now going to show America that they cant hide that they have to face the truth and that we will not tolerate this type of injustice anymore….we stand together

The whole situation to me is crazy!! As a nation instead of taking steps forward, we are operating in reverse. It is sad but the reality is that the justice system is not for us, they don’t operate for, and in fact they don’t care about us. This is true not only for the criminal system but for the children court system as well. It appears that they are not concerned about the future of our youth (African Americans) and how their injustice impacts their lives and their future. As a mother, aunt, wife, sister, and teacher of African American men I am afraid fro their lives, safety, freedom, future, and livelihood. I will that the whole situation that is occurring is purposely, planned as a strategy to keep us down as a people. It is ment to contine us disinfranchised, and broken as a people. It is time to stop looking and complaining and take action to help ourselves because clearly if we don’t, no one else will. If their is any one out their that can tell me how I can be part of the improvemnet of the system, please let me now. The injustice and our fear has to stop.

Continue to pray, believe, and have faith. May God have mercy on all our soles.

I support Jena 6. I am thrilled at the amount of support that the young men are receiving. I encourage everyone to stand up and support Jena 6. However, this type of injustice happens in every city in America, and until we voice our concerns and demand a change, injustice will continue to happen. Our children need us as parents, friends, and neighbors to stand up and fight for justice on their behalf. However, we also need to chastise our children when they are wrong so that our children will not have to deal with the justice system and be treated unfairly. This is a wake up call for all African Americans. Let us not stop with Jena 6. Other children and adults are dealing with the same injustice that the six young men are facing today.

I support justice. I do not support violence of any kind regardless of race.

And another point.They are not african-americans.They where born here,That makes them american.And i am sure their parents and their parents wher born here.
The only way you can be africam-american,is to move here from africa and become a citizen.

So what, let them all off? Have you not forgotten that 6 people commited a crime?

My family and I all got our black on this morning in hopes that we have somehow participated in the fight as well as sent a message to the people around us that we do not agree with how our children are being treated. I asked as many people as I could prior to this day to sign the petition and wear black to show support. I feel as though we have to watch out for each other’s children. We all have to make sure they are educated and strive to power through knowledge and sucess though seizing every oportunity they can. The system is designed to rob us of our children and minority families of stability or a chance to grow in wealth and position. The latter systematically inforces laws and regulations very objectively to support their goal of keeping minorities from succeeding and obtaining a state of equality and true freedom. Until this case is set as a precedent for all attempts to jail young men and destroy their future ( so others may prosper) we will continuesly be victims of the so-called justice and the “I can take away your lives with one word” district attorneys. Wake up, open your eyes and stand for something you WILL fall for any trick and be at the mercy of it all.
I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reading all these posts is sad, it reveals that racism is in all. There is no race who is more racist than another, God made humans the same. Sad Larry and Tony are so full of hatred but mentally disturbed, Jesus is all about forgiveness and love, not the devil and hate. There is less division out west it seems, where most view others as people like us, not see colors. To get beyond racism people must not judge by color (bizarre), but simply right versus wrong in behaviors. Darren above was more correct, one must study the facts without jumping to conclusion. While people are supporting the Jena6 for being overcharged, I wonder what would be appropriate charge? The one boy has four battery charges, it’s good hopefully that his father will be helping him, kids have it tough these days and a good father/mother are everything. Also, it’s sad we don’t see equal concern for the victim who was beaten up in these posts or in LA.. I think God would want concern from His people for the victim’s welfare, how is he doing now (after being kicked, his head standed on after he was unconscious). The ropes on the tree was done both for intimidation and a joke by painting them school colors, and both of these reasons was very wrong. The school should handle this with expulsion or suspension which they did. What is important with the rope incident is that the lesson be learned not to repeat. Then there is the physical crimes. There was a white boy who hit a black boy with a bottle previously, but don’t know the injury or punishment. The punishment should fit the crimes.

PARENTS have NOT been doing a good job in teaching their kids that their wrongs will BE punished, NOT defended or tolerated! Parents come to kids defense and this is very wrong (IF charges are warraned of course), coming to kids defense teaches them that it’s ok, they can do it again, they should try to get away with things, etc. Dr. Laura in L.A. radio teaches not to come to kids defense to help them avoid consequences! This explains a lot of people in jails! On the other hand, there is still injustice towards Blacks it’s true, though less now. Also, the racist card is still being played still too often as a defense for wrongs and needs to stop. Al, Jesse, Maxine have done so much to keep people divided in America…they keep racism alive so many say, I wish they could see it….Again, to help stop racism people must forget race and think on right versus wrong, period, we must help not just our OWN race but help all races, care for all the same….because we are all the same.

as a white male either way all this stuff happening in jena is very sad on both slide i hope these young 6 men do get a fair court hearing so they can move on with there life. and for the white folks come on now the 50’s and 60’s are over with get a life ok . free mychal bell from jail put the white kids in jail for what they did thats how i feel if you don’t like it feel free to leave a comment to my email address.

ericleetham@hotmail.com

If they didn’t act like niggers they wouldn’t be treated like niggers.

6 on 1 and it is not attempted murder? If it would have been 6 on 6 the it would have been battery.Its alright for the blacks and hispanics to have their gangs and things but if a white group gets a gang going the blacks feel oppressed. In the town that I live in its over 50% black maybe another 15% hispanic but they are the minority how is this?The Jena 6 is another example of raceisim but reversed.

“WE DID IT FAMILY!! HE IS FREE!! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO PROUD OF OUR RACE THEN I AM NOW!! FOR ONCE WE HAVE CAME TOGETHER FOR SOMETHING GREAT!”

Do you not know that being proud of your race is RACISM??? Be proud for people standing up, DO NOT be proud of something that you have no control over. (color of skin)

I’ve been following this story so closely. Let me say first, I am a white woman living in a small Texas town similar to Jena. We’ve been trying to move away from here for years. The towns around me have the same problems Jena is experiencing now but they’d never admit it. I can count the number of African Americans in this town on one hand. I applaud you for what you are doing. What happened in Jena was ludicrous, unnacceptable and civil rights have been irretrievably broken. Who is being punished for it? The “colored” kids as these small towns call them..not the perfect little hometown white boys who started a disgusting and revolting fight by hanging three lynching ropes in a tree; the most revolting and terrifying symbol of the loss of life and rights in this century.
Luckily for me, my parents moved away from one of the most racist states in the country and raised me in Richardson in a melting pot of races…they had friends (and still do) of all races and colors..black, white, asian, hispanic who were at our home constantly. Their children were raised alongside me and I learned early on from my parents, teens in the 60’s, that being a racist was unacceptable, and frankly, simply not necessary based on the color of someone’s skin. Since then I’ve made lifelong friends with people of all races, primarily African American and I’m proud to be a white woman who does not discriminate, does not judge, does not hate, and takes interest in differrent cultures and what they stand for….suffering over hundreds of years that should have been eradicated by the start of this millenium or MUCH, MUCH sooner. Martin Luther King gave his life to try to pull us all together and still, the ignorant hang nooses, the most devastating reminder of where our country was and apparently still remains. I am disgusted with the town of Jena and the school to allow that to take place. I read that the school took action? What did the white kids get..detention?

I am disgusted with those boys whose parents raised them to be segregated and full of hate, and I stand in support of your protest. School fights happen all the time but why is it that only the black kids get prosecuted like they’d killed someone? While maybe that fight shouldn’t have happened (several on 1) it happens all the time. I don’t understand my race alot of the time…I may be an exception to the rule in this town. One of my close high school friends married a white woman in 1989 and people in the town I went to high school in and surrounding small towns around here are still talking about it….”Wasn’t she that girl who married that colored boy?” was overheard at a baby shower I attended not even a year ago. My response to the person who asked it was “That colored boy happens to be a great friend of mine and one of the kindest people I know. I think she married up.” I am sickened by this and I hope that these boys are given the justice they deserve..to be treated fairly. Why on earth aren’t the kids that strung up three nooses in a tree on trial here as well? No, let me restate that…why is ANYONE on trial over a high school fight? These boys adult lives are on the verge of being destroyed because they chose to fight back against the people who started it. Someone sitting under a tree?? For God’s sake, why does that garner the hatred they displayed?

I applaud you all and support your cause. I hope justice prevails and these boys are acquitted. I saw a comment in the paper that someone in Jena said that the young black man who sat under a (white person’s) tree was asking for it. Well you know what? Those white boys who put those ropes in a tree were also asking for it and should have gotten ALL of their asses (pardon my curse word here, but it’s appropriate) kicked. We have to educate these people that NONE of us will stand for this type of treatment of any race. While I’m not a fan of Jesse Jackson (personal preference…he tends to think all white people are the same and are all racist, which is not the case) I am not focusing on what he brings to this protest. What I am focusing on is that people cared enough, black and white, to go to that town and that courthouse to let them know that people will not stand for this type of racism and discrimination in the year 2007. While maybe it wasn’t a good idea to gang up on one kid, it also wasn’t a good idea to hang lynching symbols from a tree. These boys do not deserve to be treated like murderers. School fights happen all the time, but in Jena apparently several African American kids whipping the butt of a white kid runs along the lines of a felony? What if there were 6 white kids who had fought the one boy who sat under that tree? I guarantee it would have been brushed under the rug and the blame would again be placed on the young black man. God Bless You All…the people who are standing together to say Enough! God Bless the boys who are being unjustly tried, but most of all I hope the Good Lord comes into the hearts of the boys who hung those nooses because they (and their parents) are in desperate need of some education and psychological help. They need it most of all.

Free the Jena 6!

I am biracial, and am horrified to learn there are so many ignorant people today in America(land of oppurtunity and education) especially our LEADERS? If all the young men involved , black and white, were in Iraq side by side in a foreign desert land, would they feel the same? To hang a noose from a tree is a provocation equal to a threat of murder, and not a childish antic, and I believe had that young man have been dealt with legally at that time, as he should have been then all of this could have been prevented! I can only pray that these ypung men will be pardoned and can learn to forgive and understand that there are good and bad in all races, and the person that was allegedly beaten can be educated and learn to love himself, so he can be able to love others, and it just could be that one day someone of a different race saves his life or the life of a loved one. FOOD 4 THOUGHT!!!!

Don’t free the Jena 6. They are criminals, not political prisoners. Smarten up. Hanging a noose, while in poor taste maybe, isn’t assault. I don’t like it when I see someone buring the American flag, but I can’t beat them up for it. Get some perspective. America is the land of opportunity, for everyone, but more and more I see a few wanting handouts. No one deserves respect unless they earn it. I live in a city of 400,000 and in this calender year there have been over 50 homicides. Over 85% are black on black and involve repeat offenders. I guess that’s whitey’s fault. Lock them up so they can’t kill on the outside.

“Robert Bailey was implicated by ELEVEN witnesses. These are all individuals who saw each one of the Jena 6 kick or punch Justin Barker while he was unconscious.”
When six young men of one color beat a young man of another color till he is unconscious and continue to beat him when he is unconscious, THAT is a hate crime.
When I was about 16 a kid who happened to be black started a fight with me. When I met him to fight, there were 25 or so black men, from 16 to 30 something years old, waiting for me.
This whole thing is about racism on both sides. But the MOST racist thing is ANYONE defending six people of any color beating one kid while he is unconscious. Anyone who DEFENDS that is a racist scumbag. ANYONE of ANY COLOR who gangs up on anyone else is a coward scumbag and should be given the harshest penalty possible. I don’t know what you could be trying to do BUT kill someone if you are six young men, beating someone after they are unconscious.
FREE THE JENA SIX!? You are cowardly racist troglodytes and you all should be charged with a hate crime.
If I believed in reincarnation I would swear everyone standing up for six cowardly scumbags who beat one kid till he was unconscious and then continued to beat his unconscious body are reincarnated Ku Klux Klan members, who were reincarnated again as Nazis,
You make me sick.

OK, couple of things. First, finding out what happened is nearly impossible from these websites because the majority of these postings are manipulated to the extreme to make the situation seem remarkably RACIST. Although some of the actions are, the hanging of nooses for instance, kids will be kids. School fights are not uncommon. However, this race card is played way too many times and is started to lose my attention. EVERYONE IS RACIST/BIAST/SEXIST OR SOME SORT OF PREJUDICE. BLACKS JUST AS MUCH AS WHITES, ASIANS, HISPANICS. IT BOTHERS ME THAT ONLY WHEN IT IS A AFRICAN AMERICAN DOES THIS CARD EVER GET PLAYED. THATS JUST BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE HAS THE ABILITY TO REALIZE THAT PREJUDICE IS OUT THERE, SO DEAL WITH IT OR GET OVER IT!!!!!

Six blacks gang up and beat up one white. When I was a kid we had a saying for this, and I know plenty of you older people heard and said it too: “three on one is nigger’s fun”.
What if six whites beat up one black? Ohhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Racism!!!!! These six commit a felony and we’re supposed to let them go? What’s wrong with this country????

I moved to LA for college and was shocked at the extent of racism that exists there. When thoughtless jokes or hateful comments were made in front of me, I would make it clear that I didn’t agree with that way of thinking…. this didn’t always make me popular because I am white. When I had my first child, we moved out of state quickly because I didn’t want him raised around such ignorance. My oldest son is in third grade and knows that people come from different countries, have different religions, languages, and physical traits… but he wouldn’t understand how these differences could make one better than another. I pray that this tragedy is a wake-up call to America that towns like Jena, LA, do exist and should not be tolerated. I have faith that God uses setbacks to move us forward.

God bless the families of Jena!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

If the students who hung the noose were expelled we would never have this problem. I am White and do not condone any behavior that is intimidating or threatening to ANYONE OF ANY COLOR. If someone would have done something like the noose or anything displayng or depicting historical violence to me I would be kicking someone’s behind as well. Sounds like schoolyard fight to me. I guess growing up in New York made me appreciate diversity. Some of my best friends were black, white Puerto Rican ETC. It seems to be the same, and I hate to say it , redneck southern mentality, just like the confererate flag, or as I call it the second place flag still flying. We do have a lot of work to do in this country on both sides of the color line, but also remember don’t hate a color, hate the person if you must, there are more good people out there than bad, and let’s not put everyone in the terrible category just because of appearance. I do not believe these young men will be convicted and really hope they do not serve any time if they did’nt permanently injure the other young man. End the hatred, and we will all be better off. The secret to staying alive or out of jail is to not put yourself in bad situations, white, black or other.

They should all go to jail. If it would have been six white kids this would have been totally the opposite. No matter would a white person does they will always be racist in your eyes, they are damned if the do and damned if they dont. Okay so lets take race out of it and say how would you feel if your kid got beat up by six people wanting to start trouble. Nooses are not racial, you make them that way. You can say what you want to, but nooses were around before the United States, nooses were a form of punishment in Europe, that was before black people right? O wait no they were in a disease infested country getting killed by one anothers tribes, but the white man took you from a diseased war zone, over 200 years ago, but that wasnt you and you dont know anyone that was, nor do you know anyone that was a slave. You dont deserve anything because of your color, your religon, your age. The only thing you deserve is to be judged by your actions and treated appropriatley. Those kids should go to jail and so should their parents, those kids are not legal adults so the parents are responsible. Raise your kids better violence answers nothing, and if you think it does. As I have grown up through the years, i have noticed that most “black” people call “white” people racist, but obviousley the “black” people are more racist, because if a “black” person does not get there way the automatically call racism, scaring most people best example is a work place. It is more brought up by black than white, white people hat STUPID people and obviousley there are a lot of them white and black, they white kids did not absolute wrong, yes it is “shady” but not wrong. Beating a kid is wrong, you want kids like this to grow up get stronger, and let them lead the country…NO with violence like that i know where they are gonna end up JAIL. White or black thats just what happens. Im tired of having to worry everyday, if i am going to screw up and someone is going to say racist, like if i get a raise or if i get a promotion, or if i dont let someone over while driving. It has happened. Stop acting like everything is white or black we are all people. act accordingly.

“Me and Jessica Oliver was walking out of the gym when all of a sudden a tall black boy came running from the side and jumped Justin Barker and slammed his head on the concrete beam that people sometimes sit on. Theo Shaw and a group of other blacks were all standing there waiting (?) on Justin and after he was knocked out cold on the ground Carwin Jones and Robert Bailey started kicking his head for no reason at all. Me + Jessica looked over and there was blood pouring out of his ears and his hands were shaking because he was knocked out cold, then Mrs. Sharp made us go to class.”
This is a student account of what happened. There was no link found between the incident where nooses were hung from a tree and this incident.
Everyone who “supports the Jena Six” is a violently racist scumbag. Anyone who is marching or shouting about freeing the Jena Six is a sick, twisted racist who supports beating unconscious school children till blood pours out of their ears and their hands shake from invulantary spasms associated with massive head trauma. It’s a wonder the boy wasn’t killed. It’s even more a wonder that at least thousands of black people today have more in common with a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan than they have with Martin Luther King. How far civil rights have progressed, that the worst of black society are the spokespeople for all black society. Where the rallying cry of “black civil rights” is easily a parallel with the worst racist slogans of the Ku Klux Klan from the fifties. It’s like all of the worst criminal white racists from the fifties have been reincarnated as black people and are trying to recreate every injustice in some kind of photo negative. Or maybe it’s just the same evil people, reincarnated over and over, commiting the same crimes over and over. Always with the diabolical guise of some kind of perverted justice. Always as some other race or religion, to try and inspire hatred and violence among all people against all people. All of you supporting the Jena 6 really need to think objectively and decide if you aren’t mindlessly taking some polarized point of view that only forwards ignorance and hate.

When does the infliction of injustice end? When do we stop using ethnicity as a conviction? How many times does this have to happen for the white citizens of Jena to realize that they do have a RACISM problem? I watch the news last night and the white citizen were saying they do not have a racism problem, and that the nooses hanging from the tree was a prank. I don’t think there was anything funny about that. If you’re not racist, why would you think to hang a noose in a tree? I am also wondering why it was ok for white students to beat up one of the black students at a party, but it was not ok for the black students to be up one of the white student? I’m not saying violence is ok, but the same laws should apply to everyone. I know GOD has a plan for these young men, and he won’t put more on them then they can bear. Psalms 27:1-3 (THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. I will be praying for these young men and their families.

How can the prosecutor bring a charge of attempted murder or any felony charge, when it’s quite clear from all parties involved that at best, only a misdemeanor of simple assault occurred? The prosecutor should be brought up on charges and disbarred like Mike Nifonge, the prosecutor in the Duke Lacrosse case. In addition the Justice Department should take action against the judges in the case for allowing prosecutors to proceed in the obvious miss carriage of justice in these cases. What happened to respect for the rule of law and public confidence in the judicial system?

iTS AMAZING THAT ANYONE THAT POSTED SOMETHING OTHER THAN HATE THE WHITE PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR COMMENTS REMOVED- WHO’S RACIST NOW?

If 6 white kids had beaten a black kid unconscious the NAACP would have yelled “racism”, “hate crime”, and all those other completely overused terms to categorize an assault against a minority. They wouldn’t have been happy until those white kids where found guilty of attempted murder and sentence to 20 years in jail. What if white people had their own “NAACP” type group…oh yeah, they did. It was called the Klu Klux Klan. Take my advice NAACP, stop crying foul everytime a black person is arrested, it makes you look desperate in your attempt to find injustice in the system.

First off, let’s get to the point. I am a white female. Period.

Secondly, it IS a shame that some “white” punk kids would hang nooses in order to threaten or terrify some “black” kids. It is shameless, ignorant, and obviously there parents have not taught them any better.

But I must say, everyone is focusing on this being a black and white crime. All the “black” people have to say is that this is white-America, the blacks will never be free, they’ll never get ahead. *BLAH BLAH BLAH* I’m so tired of “black” people making excuses that WE as whites hold them down. I work for a major citrus company and I will have you know, the PRESIDENT of our grove association is black. He is old enough to have gone through the prejudices of the 1960’s, as well as understand the hardships his parents and grandparents endured. Not once have I ever heard him complain about “white-America”. Not once has he ever said “it’s because I’m black.” He worked every day of his life to become PRESIDENT of this company and he does not regret the struggle it took, and still takes everyday. People judge against other people, it’s not just black and white. It’s about style, speech, rank in class, everything. They even have websites for people to judge your pictures! America is judgemental, that’s all there is to it. As soon as something goes wrong, we are quick to blame and judge other people, except ourselves.

What I’m trying to say is that your color does not matter. It is no excuse for anything. If the “black” people that complain about they can’t get ahead, then maybe you just need to try harder and stop blaming white people. I know for damn sure that there are NUMEROUS black people who judge me every day of my life. In order to get to work, I must travel down a bad section of the city, which happens to be mostly black. You would not believe the stares I get. On one occasion, a black man even yelled at me to “go home”. Gee, that doesn’t sound pretty racial, does it!!!??

The “black” kids who were involved in these fights SHOULD BE charged with aggravated assault, or whatever the punishment is for fighting in school. And yes, the “white” kids who hung the nooses should be charged on a higher degree for taking it too far and for a racial crime. But don’t protect the “black’ kids just because they are black. They fought too! They had a choice to ignore such ignorance, or maybe even speak up. But they did not have to resort to physical viloence. Everyone in this party is guilty and all, black and white, should be charged with crimes.

Period.

ITS WRONG
NEEDS 2 STOP
HE NEED 2 GET OUT OF JAIL NOW
AND HELP THEM

What about the rap sheet on the one in jail — nobody is looking at that — he is no damn alter boy

Did these 6 boys beat this kid up or not? If they did beat him up, am i to understand that this grassroots organization is trying to say “they committed a crime but because some other boys hung nooses in a tree, these boys should be excused?”

Lets get the facts correct. The reason the one “boy” is still locked up is because he has been arrested 4 times for assault, and CHARGED twice. And you ask why is he still in jail?
Second, The white person that the Jena six attacked wasn’t even one of the kids who hung a noose in the tree.
But just make sure you all can justify your attack just because Jesse Jackson said so.

Reverend Al Sharpton got his holy power from the church in his head.

i thin kthat is so messed up that is so wrong that them boys got all that because of some white people when they aint do nothin wrong

GET OVER IT! The students who hung the nooses got punished as they were suppose to be. Was it wrong for them to hang them? Yes….but does it warrant being beaten almost to death by multiple attackers? NO!

The parents of these “Jena 6″ should have taught their children that violence is not the answer to their problems. These children need to learn that on their own now, not have everyone tell them it’s okay if you make up a justification for it.

Would I be allowed to beat my husband to a bloody pulp because he makes fun of my haircut or beat my neighbor because her dog pooped in my yard?

Honestly…GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!! There are consequences for every action!

HOLY HELL! I just read this letter above:
“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.” by joseph young
SOOOOOOOOOO, the kid who, with six of his friends, stomps repeatedly on the unconscious head of a sixteen year old kid who is convulsing and bleeding from the ears is now a national hero and standing up for the best of American creed?! Oh my GOD!
Joseph Young, you are the Grand Dragon of the black Ku Klux Klan, you are officially the biggest producer of bullshit since Saddam Hussein’s propaganda minister lost his job. MAN, you need to read the paper more, you will be all kinds of encouraged and find all kinds of American heroes there. Maybe you can get the Pope to make the two black men who raped, tortured, poured Klorox down the throat of then set on fire and burned to death a white women made into Saints.
Joseph Young, YOU are an American hero. To me you are “feces man,” because you have disgusted me more than anything I have ever read! CONGRATULATIONS! Buy a cape and go kill white people -HURRAH!

The reason the boy is still locked up is NOT because he was previously “arrested” 4 times for misdemeanor assault charges and/OR then charged “twice”–that is flatly absurd! Previous misdemeanor charges are handled at that time, as his were. And simple misdemeanor charges–without convictions, don’t carry “long” jail sentences; even adults are “released”.

Quite frankly, those “white boys” ought to be sitting in jail with “terrorist” threat charges hanging over their heads, not to mention the fact that this occurred on school grounds making the hanging of the nooses a “felony”, instead of a practical joke!

His current incarceration is for his alleged involvement in this obviously over-charged “felony attack”. He should not be in jail regardless of the “white person(s)” who hung the nooses on the school’s apparently condoned “White Only” shade tree. And he should not be in jail despite which “white teen” was attacked (so brutally that the DA is flagrantly calling it “attempted murder” despite the fact that the alleged victim was able to attend school functions later that evening).

This boy, like his peers, has been over-charged and with blatent disregard: he has been disperately treated. Our justice system is arbitrary and subjective, and it is obviously in the hands of the “WRONG” District Attorney!!

With much media attention, this District Attorney should enjoy the Same FATE that North Carolina DA Mike Nifong has savored from his incompetent and overzealnous prosecution of the students accused in the supposed Duke Lucrosse Rape Case. Maybe the LA Attorney General and other politicians will see the same fate, as well, if they, too, “fail to act.” It’s a good thing its a presidential campaign year as civil rights is a hot topic. The country is watching!

My support to the Jena 6 and their families. From a white police officer who believes in a fair and equal justice system.

How many times has brother Jesse or brother Sharpton stood up and all but called for the execution of white suspects in an attack on a black person? They cry racism is the white suspects aren’t immediately jailed, convicted and sent away for life, BEFORE THEY EVEN GO TO TRIAL. Now that the roles are reversed, Jesse and Al are screaming for these boys to be let go…BEFORE THEY EVEN GO TO TRIAL. Funny how they twist their position to suit the “black” suspect or victim. They scream for justice, but when 6 of their own are guilty as hell….all of a sudden their argument miraculously changes. Weren’t both of these guys screaming to high heaven that the rugby players needed to go to jail for life….turns out they were wrong…those boys were innocent…i still haven’t heard an apology from jesse or al for their vicious attacks on those poor innocent boys…..

Response to #196(Smells like pork)
So hanging a noose in a tree is a terrorist act ,and a felony.
Funny there is no law that says that in LA.
It is people like this that make everything a bigger deal than it is.

Shouldn’t Jesse Jacksiiiin and Al Sharpton be dealing with the racist white people who set up OJ SIMPSON again?

So, if a some black people were to make some racial gestures and then 9 months later 6 white people attack a lone black boy in retaliation and are arrested will Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson defend that group of white people and promote marches?

these black kids started the whole problem….sharpton and jackson need to butt out…this is the kind of black crap that makes me want to join the KKK or the neo-nazis or or any other group that wants to stop this crap……a noose is repulsive to the blacks…….well, rap is crap and clown costumes are also a joke….this stuff has got to stop………….

I was a minority at every school that I ever intended. I was called Cracker, Honkey, Peckerwood and numerous other derogatory names. I had to fight to sit on the bus. I was ganged up on several times. I never considered myself a racist during that time. But, I have since learned the importance of being one. If you look up the word racist, it refers to someone who is concerned with the well being of their own people. What are the N.A.A.C.P. and the United Negro College Fund, if not racist organizations?

I grew up hearing about how horribly the Negroes had been treated. What I wasn’t taught was the brutal treatment perpetrated by black youth on the elderly white women who still lived in my neighborhood after all of the other white people had moved away. These women who had lived in the area for decades were raped, robbed, stabbed, sodomized, beaten with hammers, and, as an added flourish, one woman had her genitals spray painted and a broom stick shoved down her throat. These women hadn’t assaulted or insulted anyone. They were singled out because they were WHITE and elderly. The elderly white people were assaulted on the streets and in their own homes, sometimes in broad daylight with witnesses casually watching. Anyone interested in learning more about this overlooked chapter of the “Civil Rights Struggle” should read: Left Behind In Rosedale by Scott Cummings, West View Press. I have all of the old Fort Worth Star Telegram articles at home, I obtained them from the microfilm records at the library.

more of the same race pimping perpetrated by the black culture of this country…MLK would be ashamed of you all…everything wrong with the black community is because of the what the white folks did 40 or 140 years ago…it couldn’t be the fact that the black community is dying from within??? but of course to confront that possibility the black community would have to look hard and long inthe mirror…something they do not have the stomach for, especially when it is much easier to blame some other group…like the white man. SHAMEFUL

This whole case is rediculous. As it stand whites allowed to do whatever they want to you but you do not have the right to defend yourself under any circumstances. I don’t blame any of these young men, defend your self under any means necessary. As far as the DA is concerned he should be fired and what about a jury of your peers, there were none.

If you don’t like american laws return to your country of origin. Whether that be England, Africa, or any other country your ancestors hail from.

I am a 38 yr old white male. I have lived in just about every area of this country from Mobile, Alabama to Talkeetna, Alaska. I am, so sick, of the HATE, GREED, and IGNORANCE that has haunted this country and its inhabitants since the day America was born. Is there a double standard when it comes to America’s Laws and the color of your skin? The sad truth. “YES”, “OFCOURSE”. Will it ever change? “NEVER” (Unless you have alot of money). I have never understood the true purpose of “RACISM”. It feeds nothing but hatred to our tired and warn nation.

The nooses being hung from the tree “Pure Ignorance”. And I will tell you all where this ignorance comes from. It has been past down from generation to generation by our parents and peers. People that were afraid to stand outside the safety of their own and speak out against the hate. “Cowards” afraid to do the right thing, afraid to protect their neighbor regardless of the color of their skin, for fear of persicusion.

It is the same “Cowardly” frame of mind that requires six grown men beating the hell out of one.

We as American’s Black and White have the opportunity to break this chain. The same chain that continues to drag us all down. You won’t see any of your highly paid politicians suggesting anything like this. They need us angry….Somone’s got to be sent in to invade the next country on the list.

(P.S. Very well said, Michael #169)

First let me say that after hearing comments and discussions on various radio shows I decided to read up on this story fully, something that it sounds like the majority of people haven’t done. Which is one of the biggest problems we, as a race of humans, have to deal with. I have also read thru a majority of the above written comments. I am a white male, married to a black woman, with 3 mixed children. I have seen and heard comments written that the poor white kid was ganged up on, the black kids were subject to unfair racial treatment, the first black kid tried in this case had prior felon charges against him, as so on. Then the media and those who ‘represent justice’, such as Al sharpton step in and make matters worse. We have gone away from the real issues that should be addressed. We make it into a white vs black issue around the country and create increased racial tension. The real issue is what is happening to the school administration that allowed the nooses being hung as a prank? It should have been stopped there. I do believe that all parties involved in this are guilty and that everyone should be tried to fit the crime. The actual crime. I know that the attempted murder charge is an overzealous and probably racist prosecutor. There is no way that it should be attempted murder. But they did beat that boy and should be charged accordingly. As well as the white boy and the others that hung the nooses should be charged accordingly. I do not teach my children a difference between white and black, I teach them fairness and equality in all people. The racism in this country will not stop until we all adopt those same beliefs. I have experienced racism from both white and blacks and my wife and I have seen looks and comments from a number of people. I have had black men threaten to fight me because I was with one of thier women. I have had white people look at me in disgust. My own grandfather wouldn’t talk to me because there were “blacks with the family name”. I think we need to step up, not as white people or black people, but as people and educate our youth. The children of today become the adults of tommorrow. I am sure that both parties involved had preconcieved notions about race and that comes from our parents. When my daughter(6 years old) is playing with another black youth in her age group, and the other child tells my daughter that her mommy and daddy shouldn’t be married because we are different colors, it gives a prime example that the parents of that child taught her that racism. We need to grow and stop trying to blame everyone else. How many people right now are telling their children “those white/black kids are bad news”. Stop teaching the color difference. That is the only way to get over it. And for the record, if someone white or black put my son in the hospital, I would beat them myself!!! And if someone was openly rascist towards my children, although wrong, I would probably beat them into the hospital too.

I have heard so much about the “crimes” against a young man now facing his 4th felony charge- the other 3 were reduced. I have not heard the injuries to the young man that he and the other 5 brutally attacked. I am surprised that anyone would not see this attack as a hate crime in response to what cannot be considered a hate crime as our laws currently exist.
Tomorrow, if a black person tells a white child they are a “ghost”- will you consider this a hate crime? If a black child sings a racially violent song while walking through a department store so loud that his mother has to say- while laughing- hush- you don’t want to sing that song in here- how about that as a hate crime? If so, who do you charge the child or the mother? On the other hand, why in another town in a city in Miss. did several white young men not recieve the sentencing they should have for dragging a black man to his death??? This is so backwards-
Also, in looking at the pictures of the young men accused of hanging the noose on the tree, it seems that at least one of them and possibly 2 of them may be the same ones that were driving around with the nooses on the back of a truck. They did get charged with attempting to incite a riot- which was the correct charge- and many others were to be added.
I feel that the situation was not handled firmly enough when the noose was first hung up on the tree.
However, if this young man has had 3 previous chances to turn around- then I believe he should be held accountable for this his fourth.
I do not agree with trying any young person under the age of 18 as an adult. However, this young man and the others with him should not have chosen the path of “violent change.” Further, of all people, Jesse Jackson should not support “violent change.” Regarding the other 5, they should be given the same leeway that this sixth one has had in the past if this is their first offense- as should the 2 arrested with the truck.
And, I again, believe the attack on the white student must be considered a hate crime. It was a violent, physical act where physical harm occurred that was entirely racially motivated.
At end, these young people had to get these views from somewhere- I am disgusted with the adults who allowed this to brew!

hello peoples, i want to put Jim Spence on spot light because my interpretation of what he said was that if you dont agree with the way things are then leave. I dont know if he meant that in any kind of way but to my understanding he thinks its ok that the boys got what they deserve. If thats what he mean then he must be a white guy, im not a racist but every black person disagree with that judgement, inncluding me. I also disagree, and for him to say that is very rude. He dont see that what those boys did is what happens every day at every high school but it happens with the same race, i hate the fact that happened because i was jumped and was beat with a lock and nothing happened to the people who did it. And i personally think the arrested him because he is a black man and he’s a little so called scary white boy. He palyed like he was dying but i dont believe it.

Hi Elisa,

I grew up in a neighborhood that was predominately black, and for the better part of my K-12 education had a front row seat when it came to the majority (black students) terrorizing the minority (white, asian & hispanic students) so please save the the “walk a lifetime in my shoes” rhetoric for a situation where it actually applies.

I heard black students hurl the most degrading racial slurs at fellow non-black students… I saw them beat the crap out of other students simply because they were not black… so I find your comments both self-serving and ignorant.

In regards to the folks that hung the nooses from the tree… they’re just as barbaric as the 6 Jena students that felt it appropriate to beat another human being into unconsciousness. The students that hung the nooses should have their actions punished to the full extend of the law, just as the Jena 6 should be held completely accountable for their actions.

If I follow your logic… the Jena 6 were warranted in their actions because someone called them a name or hung a rope from a tree branch… which means that white, asian or hispanic people would be justified in beating a black person to near death if that black person made racial slurs towards them?!

As I mentioned, most grade school children understand the basic concept of right & wrong… most grade school children understand that you’re not supposed to beat someone to near death just because you’re feeling unhappy or depressed on a given day… so it’s unfortunate that some adults are unable to view life with the same type of clarity.

Vincent

Wat if 6 white boyz jumped a black boy and was put in jail! then yall would b mad jus like us!

This comment is to Heather Hicks. I don’t know what’s going on with this site, but previous comments that I left were also erased. I don’t understand why that is, but I’m not sure if it had anything to do with racism. I am a black female and my previous comments were pro black, and dealing with the Jena six. I never mentioned anything about hate for anybody in my previous posts. I just gave my opionions on things dealing with this case and the world. I must say I was very surprised that my comments were gone, and I’m at a lost. I want to know why they were erased, because I thought this was a site set up for you to give your opinions. Maybe I thought wrong, or gave the wrong opinions according to whoever monitors the site.

We NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS A WHOLE!!!! WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH LIFE!!!! BLACKS AND WHITES!!!!! JUST THINK ABOUT IF SOMEONE CAME OUT OF ANY COUNTRY AND DID SOMETHING UNDER THAT SAME TREE WE WILL BE UNIFIED THEN WHY CANT WE BE UNIFIED NOW!!!

A school fight, I am really tired of people claiming this is just a simple school fight, I will try to explain a simple school fight, it’s something I know about, I was in a couple in my boyhood, it DID NOT involve SIX on ONE it was one on one, that was a simple school fight, the result of the simple school fight granted both parties a spanking by the principle with a wooden paddle and some sore butt cheeks, a couple days of retention after school, the worse punishment came when I got home, let’s put it like this, the principle’s paddling was a walk in the park compared to what I got when I got home. This was handled by Parents taking responsibility for what their children did in public, also the kid that I was fighting with, got the same thing I received when he got home, he and I were friends till we moved on in our adult lives. Oh, just so you know it was in a small town in Southeast GA, and my fighting partner was a black boy my age, and yes I said boy, he was a boy at the time and so was I, there was NO CIVIL up rising no protests, also it was one on one, no one had to go to the hospital, and none of the stupid stuff that’s going on right now happened either, oh and let me give you an approx year in which the fight took place 1973 or 1974. We too were fighting over somewhere to sit, next to a window. In my school there was no white tree or any other single race area at school. If the kid that got beat up, and the Jean 6 had been disciplined for the things they did wrong prior to this then none of this would have happened. Also, just like I said in my earlier comments, which got removed from FOJ’s blog. If the parents of the undisciplined children were held responsible for what their kids did in public and the parents taught the kids right from wrong and held them to act like human beings instead of animals, and taught them to treat everybody as an equal, then we wouldn’t have nearly as much crime and hatred on our streets. This goes for all races. I still say that the principle and the teachers at that school, and the parents of all the kids involved need to be punished………
Also, I have not heard of any mostly black cities where a bunch of white people came into town to protest something that happened to a white kid in a mostly black town, could you tell me when and where this happened?? I am not saying it didn’t happen but I sure don’t remember hearing about it like all the other protests that have gone on in this country… I also think that NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and any other big news channel TV or radio cause a lot of unnecessary racial tension, because if we all got along it would not sell air time……

After reading all of the posts, I must say that I am truly disgusted. When will people stop trying to justify behavior on both sides. I am a Louisiana resident and I have followed this case closely. The facts remain:

1. a NEW student asked if the tree was just for whites and was given permission to
sit there. He had no way of knowing that it was a segregated tree or any type of
tradition
2. Nooses were hanging in the tree the next day. I dont care who you are or where you
are from, any type of noose-hanging is considered a HATE crime; and in this case
it was done by white students in an effort to “show the black kids”.
3. A black student was attacked at a party. It wasnt just one hit (whoever posted that, I
would advise you to get your facts together). He was beaten.
4. The same kid that was beaten at the party had a gun pulled on him at the gas
station. In an act of self-defense he wrestled the gun away, then was charged with
theft. This was not a media made up story. There is a police report on file for this.
So once again people, know the FACTS before you post anything!
5. Justin Barker got beat up for taunting black kids. Where are your facts on that? Why
is it not being told that he spent the entire day bragging about how he supported
the kids that hung the nooses? Or that he ran around calling the black kids “n****”?
Or that he supported the kids that beat up the black student at the party?
6. And everyone is saying Mychal Bell did it, when in actuality they have more witness
accounts saying that he wasnt even present at the time, however, those were the
witnesses that the prosecution did not call. I wonder why.
7. Justin Barker brought a gun to school the next day and has yet to be charged, and if
I recall correctly, being a Louisiana resident, firearms on a school campus is a
felony. Yet this also has not been addressed in anyones post.

This is what it means to be ignorant. You cannot post or comment on anything in a one-sided manner. For the whites who are implying that one is not related to the other, you are obviously choosing to ignore the facts. Well you cant any longer. They are laid out for you above. And it is clearly shown that one incident is related to the other. Why did it take so many months between time? I dont know, lets see. Maybe the Jena 6 were trying to stay out of trouble and let everything die down after being threatened by the DA, (especially since it was not made public that the nooses even existed. Thanks to the school board.) but its hard to ignore that type of problem when you have a white kid in your face taunting you. Do I condone violence? NO, absolutely not. However, being a black female, I understand where these kids were coming from. I went through this at the predominately white private school I attended for 3 years, as well as the high school I attended in good old St Francisville. Racism is everywhere and it will always exist, its just that now we are in an age where the children are not taking it lying down.

And yes, Mr. Bell did have a record, what child doesnt get into things in their childhood? I got into trouble and Im pretty sure all of you did, too. It may not have been with the law, but trouble is trouble. It doesnt meant that his life should be thrown away in this case. If it had been a regular act of violence with no instigation, I might be able to agree with you. But it wasnt. This was clearly an act of instigated violence, therfore I see no relation between his past activity and the incident that happened at the school.

I agree with most that justice needs to be served, however, NOT in the matter that it is being handled at the present moment. Under no circumstances should the DA be able to threaten a race by saying “I can end your life with the stroke of my pen.” That is beyond words. I do feel that the Jena 6 should have gotten supsended for a schoolyard fight. That is what it was, thats how it needs to be treated. At no time should harsher punishments have been introduced unless the whites that committed crimes were also facing the same consequences. Hanging a noose in a tree is indeed a HATE crime. It symbolizes hatred. It is from a past of torture, opression, racism, prejudice, and injustice and should be treated the same. Attacking a black student at a party because he is black is a HATE crime. Pulling a shot gun out on a group of black kids at a convenience store is a HATE crime. The Jena 6 getting into a schoolyard fight with a kid who was demeaning them, is not. In no ways will this fight ever be considered a HATE crime. What you can call it is the actions of a group of black kids who decided they had enough. Freedom of speech does not allow one to demean others or taunt others. So using that excuse for Justin’s behavior is, too, ludacris.

What we need to do now as a nation, is to put the race card down and look at the case for what it is. An injustice. The lives of 6 young men that could be changed forever, but it doesnt have to be that way. If anything, these children have served their time. They spent months in jail, Mychal is still sitting there. Let them have the rest of their lives in order to better themselves and make a positive impact on society.

Elisa NicoleI said: am a black female and my previous comments were pro black,
______________________________________________________________
And this does not make you a Black supremacist? Because all my comments are pro-White, and as you, without the “H” word. Still, people have attacked me as being “racist”. Why? Because I am pro-White? This is the only criteria for being a racist in this country, being pro-White? This is just plain wrong, and the FOJ ought to begin to campaign against that notion.

itz not fair how they are treatinng the 6 students if the whites started it 1st and why are the 6 boys getting punished with charges like that if justin barker was not in any critical condition and was let out the hospital 3 hrs later .but let me say this i don’t care about justin i just want justice be cause if i was down there in jena it would more trouble than ever.

I cannot believe that this still happens. I would have kicked the whites butt too. None of you deserve this. Where were the school authorities??? A tree where just the white kids hang out should not even exisit. The problem started there. That is unbelievable!!
I support you 100% and I am a middle aged WHITE woman. My thoughts are with you all…….continue to stand up for what is right!!

Come and get me!!!!!!!! I am the one and I know you know that. I can smell your fear and sense your nervousness. You know that I am not playing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJaDLhuNxi8&mode=related&search=
You know I have come to destroy you and I will not fail. I will not allow you to control the minds of our youth any longer. They will no longer look to you for any help or guidance. You will no longet lead them into self destruction. Your reign on top was shorter than leprauchans, you can’t fuck wit Black, what type of greed you on? I am your cryptonite. Hear me!!!!!! I am the ONE.

I would also like to say that I myself consider it a school fight. The boy was jumped, and it happens. I’ve been jumped before in my lifetime, and you get over it. It just makes you stronger and better. What do you call bringing a rifle to the school? Not to mention it was loaded. Should the victim of this fight had faced criminal charges for that? You have to see it from both ends. I’m just positive that there was animosity building in the air at that school for a long time.

Too often have certain segments of the population received the maximum punishment for the most minimal PERCEIVED offenses while others do the most heinous acts with impunity. Granted the Jena Six made a mistake in jumping that student and deserved to be SUSPENDED, but NOT charged with aggravated assault or attempted murder.
Likewise, those who tied those nooses deserved to be charged with a HATE CRIME, not merely suspended. If one is to apply justice, be objective about it.
I have experienced being jumped several times; sometimes in full view of a teacher, but never had anyone who ever done so been charged with aggravated assault. And I certainly know what constitutes a hate crime. White boys on bicycles rode down our street and threw jagged tin can lids at my sister and me, but that happened in the late 1970s before the word hate crime was ever coined. Yet my efforts to defend myself would get me put behind bars.
That’s why my wife and I learned several languages and left the country for which we both once fought a minimum of three wars to defend. We both hoped that people would take on the attitude of “Racism? That’s sooo twentieth century!” Unfortunately, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and now this has patently shown us that racism and injustice has followed us into the new century.
Please prove us wrong and show that we fought for a country that stands for Liberty and Justice for All by freeing those six boys and by charging those that hung those nooses under that tree that provoked all this unpleasantness with a hate crime, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and those are just what I could come up with now.

I think the whole thing is simple. A crime is a crime. Period. I am not racist. My Mom calls me United Nations, because I befriend everyone.

But lately I am tired of hearing Al Sharpton who was someone to be taken serious and now a joke jumping on any bandwagon for publicity. When he says the prison system is filled with mainly black males he is right, no dispute. But statistics show they commit more violent crimes. So he is stating a fact and instead of making excuses please for once take a stand. It is time to take “responsibility for actions and crimes committed”.

This is a simple story: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/opinion/26walters.html?ref=opinion

All I am saying is take responsibility. Those marchers didn’t even know the whole story. Sad thing is they don’t want to hear it. There is only one way there way.

Sean

Terrific. Let’s all line up and support six black creeps who beat the crap out of one white man, one innocent white person.

Great, this is what civil rights has devolved to, a bunch of loonies marching around calling for these jerks to get away with kicking a man in the head.

Y’all need to stop getting news from NPR, ABC, NBC, CBS and a host of other places.

NOT ONE black resident answered the summons for jury members. THAT is the reason the trial ended up all-white.

Disgraceful how low the liars at the liberal pretend news outlets in America have manged to take this country by feeding outrageous deception to people over a period of many years.

I just pray that we can bring God back into our school systems. If our children are taught the basics of the Bible, there would be no “hate crimes”. I can remember the days of prayer before class. We NEVER had racial issues when I was growing up. My folks were raised in the South (NC), I was raised by them in the North (NY) and I NEVER knew that there was a difference in one person or the next because of their color. People’s differences came from their personalities and their family life.
On the subject of the JENA 6… those boys were right in protesting. The school board sounds like a bunch of White Supremacists on a revenge trip. Please, please please… do whatever you can to support these youngsters. They are our future. They did nothing that some of us wouldn’t have done for our rights back in the 70’s! This was pure unaldulterated racism! Where is the justice in this story?
By the way… if it matters…. I am white…all my family is white… but I do have some very close and wonderful friends of many different races, colors, skin-tones, whatever you call it now!!!
GOD HELP THIS POOR “FREE” COUNTRY WE LIVE IN!

Oh Great they let him out of jail.
Maybe he will beat another white person up,for them holding him in jail.
Just hang em’.

just hang em.

Gary,Hanging a noose in a tree is not a crime.And should not be.Whats next,we can tell people we think they suck.
Thats great,Lets pacify criminals.And yes they are criminals,They attacked a person that had nothing to do with the noose..

I first heard of this story a few days ago while watching Democracy Now. Having grown up during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s, it should not surprise me that this type of overt racism, prejudice, discrimination and ignorance is so incredibly prevalent in 2007. As an 8th grade Language Arts teacher in Central Florida, I teach a unit about tolerance. We discuss the Holocaust, the Civil Rights movement, human rights issues, prejudice and what we – ALL OF US – can do to continue what Dr. King began. What a shame it is that so many of the people posting on this site have no clue what the word ‘racism’ means. The definition of racism is the belief that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule over all others; a hatred or intolerance of other race(s). Prejudice means to judge a person or situation before knowing the facts. Discrimination is the treatment or consideration of, or an action in favor of-or against-someone or something based upon race rather than individual merit.

What has happened in Jena is unconscionable. The hanging of nooses on a tree as a warning because “only white people sit there’ is NOT a prank. It is indeed a discriminatory act carried out by adolescents who most likely ARE racist. The snowball affect that resulted from the school district’s lack of severe consequences meted out to the students who thought that “This will show ‘em” is an affirmation that neither the state of Louisiana nor this country has done enough to teach appropriate consequences must be taken when ANYONE is threatened in such a manner. Student Codes of Conduct are based upon rules – not law. Their is no excuse for allowing such a show of disrespect to go unpunished. The school board overthrew the principal’s recommendation for expulsion. Shame on them. I hate to throw the ‘racist’ card, but when it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck – it may not be a canary! That board was indeed acting in a racist manner. However, the actions and reactions of the students and justice system (oxymoron?) seem to be born of prejudice and descrimination – rather than racism.

I am a Jewish American and was raised in the south. I lived in the northern Virginia suburbs of D.C. until I was sixteen. I remember being caught in a race riot in Washington D.C. when I was five years old (1965). It was the only time – until desegregation – that I saw a black personother than on TV . I remember to this day how afraid I was. All I wanted to know was what I had done to make that man look at me with such hatred while he tried to break the back window of our car with a brick. In 1974 I was bussed into another county so that I could attend an integrated school. We were locked in on several occasions due to the rioting (either the black or white community protesting forced integration). The irony was that we – the students – were truly confused why everyone had such a problem. It was scary at first. After all, the only person of color I had ever seen up close was in an enraged and deranged state. After a couple of weeks we realized that the only differences we had were where we lived and the color of our skin. Other than that we all worried about the same things, listened to basically the same music, had the same interests, ect. I moved to the New Orleans area at sixteen and stayed there for approximately ten years. I was appalled that I was ostracized and abused not only for the fact that I was Jewish, but that I also dared to speak and be friends with black students. The black community was separated from the white community by a highway! They went to school with us, but went back to ‘Backatown’ after school. Because the white students considered me a ‘damn yankee’ they did not deign to speak to me, however the black students were very friendly. I did not realize that by becoming friends with them would make me a social pariah of the worst sort! My mother taught me to live in fear and to never reveal my heritage as the KKK rallied at the top of our street every Friday night. We had crosses burned on our lawn after I was seen wearing my Star of David necklace (I forgot to take if off one Monday). I was so happy to get out of there and move to a place where ones color did not delineate where I could live or with whom I could speak. When my parents asked me to move from the west coast to Florida I was not enthusiatstic – after all, this is still the South. They assured me that it was nowhere near as “bad” as the Mississippi/Louisiana area. Boy, were they wrong.

I have lived in the Disney area for the last 13 years. I teach in a school whose student population is 87% hispanic, 10% black, 3% white. Every day children of every color come into my room and I do my best to make sure that they ALL know more than when they came in. Our lesson the last two days has been to analyze the Pledge of Allegiance. Their concentration and inquisitive questions regarding the concepts of allegiance, liberty and justice were amazing. We defined these words as basic vocabulary because NONE of them knew what they were really saying every morning! Most of my students read on a 3rd to 5th grade level. It is not because of their race. I have students who read poorly or well of all colors or nationalities. Reading is not a priority with many parents, so it is no wonder that their children’s opinion is identical. I do not discipline or reward my students based upon thier race, but thier accomplishments and actions.

To say that what is happening in Jena is ALL based upon racism is ridiculous. It is, however, apparently a community that has reacted in a discriminatory way. The students, teachers and administration, and legal community have responded – as well as many people posting – in a prejudicial and ignorant manner. I’ve not been to Jena. I have no personal knowledge of the events – however despicable – that took place. Do I think that the consequences for the young men who hung the nooses were extremely lenient? Absolutely! At my school they would have been expelled! The altercations that took place at the party and the school were most definitely dealt with poorly – not connected to the hanging of the noose. Common sense tells us that 2 + 2 does NOT equal 5! The District Attorney should have been brought up on charges himself for telling a group of CHILDREN that he could end their lives with one stroke of his pen (did NO adult think of contacting the NAACP or AFL – CIO?)! Ignorance, fear, discrimination – it appalls me that it still happens. I think what is happening in Louisiana might just be a litmus test for our country’s willingness to realize that we have – in NO WAY – done enough to overcome our differences in color, language, or culture. There will ALWAYS be bias. Human beings are judgemental creatures, but we are also rational creatures. We need to stop lumping people together and base our actions and conclusions on the individual or incident. The genocides that have occurred – and are occurring – in other countries are happening in spirit HERE!!!! I am not perfect. I have my own prejudices, but I do MY BEST to treat each person as I would like to be treated. I do my best to make judgements based on fact and experience instead of ignorance and fear. I may sound like a “Polyanna”, but – hey, what do I know.? I hope those of you who took the time to read this take it in the spirit it is intended. These type of happenings bring out the worst in us. They make us angry and afraid that if happens there it can happen here. The point is – IT CAN!! My hopes and prayers are not just for the Jena 6, but for that entire community and those people that are being directly affected. What a sad state of affairs – and another black eye – that the wealthiest and, supposedly, most advanced country is experiencing.

My ancestor’s were from Europe. But I call myself an American.
Your ancestor’s were from Africa and you call your self’s African American. Funny how you put the Continent of Africa first. Could this be one reason for Racism? If so Blacks are the Racists.
Look at your Black leaders for your problems. Jackson , Sharpton and others. They make a living off of the uneducated Black Man by spewing Hatred and telling them Whites owe them a living.
I know allot of Black persons that have worked hard and have allot to show for it. They didn’t give in,they assimilated. They are Americans of African descent.

Remember one thing. It all starts in what you are taught when young. This is in reference to the Hildabeasts idea of getting the Liberal thought train to your children from age 4 till their early 20’s . Pre Kindergarten till they finish Collage. That’s 18 to 20 years of Liberal indoctrination

My children wore black to their primarily white schools, dressing out of uniform/dress code. My son, and handful of stundents, were required to sit in the adminstrative offices for the entire day. Other students were made to remove their black t-shirts. At last nights PTO meeting I asked for confirmation of the dress code, which is not really defined clearly, and what the reprimand for dressing out of code. The response was that administration deals with dress code violations on a case by case basis and notifies parents. I brought up my son’s in school alternative (since it isn’t call suspension anymore) and that I still (2 weeks later) have not been notified of my son’s ISA. The administration basically said that it wasn’t true. So, my question became my son is telling me a made up story about him and a handful of other students having to sit in the office all day, and others were forced to remove black apparel? The principal turned red, began stuttering, and said he would have to investigate the matter further. After the PTO, they were all huddled up as if they were trying to avoid talking to me.

What bothers me the most with all of this is that when I went home, I discussed the situation further with my son, he said “Mom, it’s not that serious just leave it alone.” I had to explain to him that these little things are the issues that rise into big issues like Jena 6. Even though it’s a way smaller scale, at what point do we stop allowing injustices happen? He responded that he had never thought of it like that…….I’m hoping to make contact with parents of the other students who were penalized for wearing black.

Are there other students were penalized for showing support?

It was a all white jury in jena,Because none of the lazy ass black people showed up.
Now who’s fault is it then,that it was a all white jury.And i went to a almosy all black school in florida,and there where areas that only black people hung out.And some that only white people hung out at.Does this make it a race thing.F+++ No.
Get over it.

Hey roger, did you see what Bill Cosby had to say? =D

Allright folks,

I see that this little discussion is still in progress. So, I will give you a little more of my unique insight. I really like what Tony said about, “knowing your enemy”. I didn’t think much of his other absurd comments. But, yes Tony, you should know your enemy and I am very well acquainted with you and your ilk. For those of genuine caucasian sentiment, I submit the following literary catalogue, as a means for you to defend against the enemies of our people.

Myths and Realities of American Slavery: by John Perry
In this book, you will learn that free blacks owned slaves. In fact, in Louisianna and South Carolina, free blacks were among the most prominent slave owners, some having previously been slaves themselves.
Slaves often lived more luxuriously and were better fed than poor whites. It wasn’t uncommon for the slaves of wealthy plantation owners to look down on the slaves of lesser plantations and poor whites alike.
Slaves were often craftsmen who could hire themselves out on their free time and there was usually a plot of land set aside for them to use for personal cultivation.
Slavery fell from favor in the North, because, it was cheaper and more convenient to use immigrants. They could house them in overcrowded, disease ridden tenements and if they died, there was another boatload arriving everyday. Whereas, a slave was a very expensive commodity and their welfare was of prime concern. This is the same Yankee exploitation of foreign labor we see utilized with the illegal immigrants today. Think of, Connecticut born, George W. Bush saying, “We need people to do the jobs Americans WON’T do”.

There is alot of information in this small book and it is a good starting point for countering many of the outright fabrications regarding the institution of slavery.

Soul on Ice: by Eldridge Cleaver
Mr. Cleaver was a founding member of the Black Panther Party. He went to prison in the 60’s for rape and drug charges. He calls rape an act of insurrection. He claims that he raped white women to get even for the way black women were used/abused by white men. I think it’s pretty revealing when he says that he practiced by raping black women first. Obviously, he wasn’t trying to avenge past wrongs, He was merely trying to rationalize his uncontrollable, insatiable lust for white women.

This guy is a hero to the black community?

Out of America, A Black Man Confronts Africa: by Keith Richburg
“Thank God my nameless ancestor, brought here in chains, made it out alive. Thank God I am an American”. Mr. Richburg was the Chief African Correspondent for the Washington Post. He travelled the width and breadth of the continent and found inhumanity, barbarity, corruption, mutilations and massacres. He went to South Africa last, hoping to find some redemption there. Instead, he was ashamed, embarrassed and dismayed. He had expected a feeling of victory over the racist forces of Aparthied. He ended up feeling sympathetic toward the plight of the Afrikaners (White South Africans)

For those that are still moaning about Negroes having been taken from Africa, maybe this will give you some additional perspective.

Anyway, there are dozens of other books I could recommend. But these, along with the one (Left Behind in Rosedale) mentioned in my previous post, are good to start with.

The boy was jumped, people act like he was shot at. It happens! Go to majority of the public schools in America, and ask the students how many of them have been jumped. I bet you see a whole lot of hands raised in the air. What makes this situation different? The fact that the school had, and i’m sure still has racial issues. That’s the point!!! There is a racial problem in Jena. Being it white against black, or black against white. There is a problem, and it’s not going to go away. I mean look at the comments on this forum. The proof is in the pudding!!! There is a lot of undercover racist out here, and I’m sick of it.

Hell yeah!!Michael Bell is back in Jail.

alanbean

I doubt that very many of the 30,000 people who attended the Jena 6 rally can read at a level sufficient to comprehend at least 3 of those books. Perhaps, a tenth of them could stammer their way through Eldridge Cleavers’ book. But, that may be giving them too much credit. So, their being impressed with my reading list isn’t at issue. I didn’t list those books for the approval of those people anyway. I suggested them for the use of those of US who wish to protect ourselves, and our friends, families and neighbors against the unrelenting onslaught of political correctness and one-sided media presentations. Speaking of which, I haven’t heard anyone else mention or seen any broadcast of the fact that the negroes had their own place to sit at that school. It was two rows of BENCHES along a PAVED WALKWAY, beneath a METAL
AWNING!!! This fact was reported in the Nation of Islam publication: The Final Call. Contrast those seating/gathering arrangements with those of the COVETED TREE!
NO BENCHES beneath THE TREE! DIRT instead of PAVEMENT! MUD if it RAINED! NO SHELTER from the ELEMENTS! Hmmmm, I wonder why our trusted media representatives would overlook this seemingly important item?

LoriG,

I was waiting for someone to challenge my definition of Racism. I would have responded to you sooner. But , admittedly, I overlooked your definition when I scrolled through the more recent comments.

As a Jewish Language Arts Teacher, who is at least 10 years my senior, I would expect you to know that dictionaries often give multiple definitions of words and that sometimes these definitions are not entirely the same. I know you teach 8th graders. But, I don’t believe that you are ignorant of this fact.

Also, the newer dictionaries, 1986 and beyond, often have much narrower definitions that don’t allow for objectivity or broad interpretation. So, yes, according to a contemporary dictionary, your definition is correct.

Allow me to present some definitions of Racism that I encountered in 2 different dictionaries:

Funk and Wagnalls’ Enclopedic College Dictionary -1968
Racism: 1. A belief that people differ significantly and systematically, as in ability, intellect, etc. because of racial differences. 2. A belief in OR advocacy of the superiority or inferiority of a particular group on the basis of supposed racial differences; racial prejudice.

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language-1973
Racism: 1. A belief that races have distinctive characteristics that determine their respective cultures, USUALLY involving the idea that one’s race is superior and has the right to rule others. 2. A policy of enforcing such asserted right. 3. A system of government and society based upon it.

I capitalized USUALLY, because, that means most often, but, not always. The definition I gave, on my previous post, was from a dictionary that my grandmother had. I think it was a part of a set of Encyclopedia Americana volumes from the early 60’s. Note that none of these definitions include the words HATE or INTOLERANCE.

I agree that Racism is learned. I didn’t learn racism from my parents. I was taught all about the “Civil Rights Movement”. We sat and watched the miniseries,” Roots” in my home. I was constantly reminded by my parents about the injustices suffered by black people. So on and so on. So, as a liberal, white kid who sympathized with and thought he understood the problems black people have had to cope with, I couldn’t figure out why they were taking out their frustrations on me. It was later that I learned that Alex Haley was a plagiarist who stole the entire concept for his book from another Work of Fiction called “The African” by another negro named Harold Courlander. I learned Racism from the beating of WHITE Truck Driver Reginald Denny during the Rodney King Riots. I learned Racism from the negroes who keep saying that I owe them something for something I never did and they never encountered. I remember watching “Eyes on the Prize” on PBS and thinking how terrible it all was. I now realize that you have to “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”. Because, if you don’t, some unscrupulous negro will steal it.

Alan,

I think you missed the point, I was touched by the “Civil Rights Movement” I just haven’t seen much of any thing good or progressive that has come of it. Texas State University has a 14% graduation rate. Prairie View A&M’s graduation rate is 33%. Being a college student doesn’t mean much more than you qualified for a scholarship or your parents could afford to send you. Ever since desegregation, the Nations’ test scores in Math and Science have gone from being number 1 in the world to 24th. There are more parents with children out of wedlock than are married. The young people have no morals and their heroes are criminals like Snoop Doggy Dog and Ice T. I could go on and on. But, I agree with Patrick, BOYCOTT!!! Don’t go to or watch professional football and basketball games or to movies starring actors with left wing agendas. Don’t buy Gangsta Rap C.D.’s for your children. You may have to live with, work with and otherwise come into contact with those you consider undesirable. But, you still have the freedom of association within your own sphere of influence. Just like Isiah Washington and some basketball player, whose name I can’t remember, said,” they don’t like homosexuals and don’t want to be around them”. I agree with them about homosexuals, but, I wouldn’t want to spend my time hanging out with them or gay people either one. That is my perogative.

I figure that this incident has brought alot of forfront to racism. this cause alot of problems in the U.S,.

Simple truth of the matter is this. We have double standards. Those 6 thugs should be brought up on Race crimes. Had 6 White boys attacked 1 Black Boy, then your hate mongers Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson would be there asking for their heads. Anyone remember Don Imus? What he said absolutely warranted his termination. His actions were WAY out of bounds. These thugs went looking for a white student to attack and not only knocked him unconcious, but continued to beat on him while he was unconscious. Come on, do we really want people in our community that continually attack a person when they are out cold. Can anyone justify that? Was the victim just a punching bag?

Hello, do we realy want these kind of thugs running loose in America? Are these the kind of thugs that warrant our compassion our mercy. Had it been my child and if I would of witnessed it, there would be 6 thugs in the hospital.

First, they set out to find a person of white color, knock him out then continue to beat on him while he is unconscious. Seems these thugs are cowards who deserve an extra 10 years in jail for hate crimes.

Well said again.We white people as a race have no issues to bitch about!!
That’s according to the blacks,It is all White people fault.

Alanbean,

I think you ned to move beyond that Alan. If 6 White Teens beat a Black teen, I guarentee you Al Sharton would be screaming Hate crime at the top of his throat.

I go back to my original thought. What we have in Jena is 6 thugs, made up and dressed up to be model citizens. First, Mikie Bell has had several run ins with the law on ac