I had no idea what the hell it was until 2 days ago, which was the first time I heard about it. I was sitting inside the US Embassy waiting for my turn to be interviewed for my Visa and CNN was on. I watched the news but I was a little confused and clueless since I didn’t know the background of the story.
Why was there so much anger? Why were thousands of African Americans protesting? “Wonderful” Jesse Jackson is involved? Damn! Six Jena? Genie and Aladdin? What? I had no idea. And I wasn’t paying full attention to the TV anyway.
Today I came across a Facebook group called “Free The Jena Six” with over 100,000 members. I read the story posted there and then I read other versions of the story elsewhere.
Keeping or removing the brackets in the aforementioned title is apparently a big part of the debate. That’s what I’ve observed. I say the brackets should stay.
The racism without a doubt was extremely appalling and it’s quite shocking to learn it still exists in America to this sad extent. However the word “Free” in “Free The Jena Six” implies the six of them didn’t do anything wrong at all. They did. They responded to appalling racism with violence, and that was a very unfortunate response. As for the sentences, they’re crazy.
What do you think?
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
After reading the article that Sandmonkey linked to, I mostly share ella’s view (in the comment section). http://www.sandmonkey.org/2007/09/23/the-jena-6-thing/
Jena is not as nice a place as it may first appear, and has its (un)fair share of racism, but this case was grossly overblown. The ‘leader’ of the Jena Six looks to be a common thug to me, and while he didn’t deserve an Attempted Murder charge, he damn well got close to deserving it.
And don’t get me started on Jesse Jackson. He’s not the worst of those who exploit and fan racial hatred, but he’s a total bastard regardless.
The beating of a white student by a group of black students at Jena High School stems from a confrontation at a private party rather than the noose-handing incident, which occurred months prior to the assault. A group of uninvited black students attempted to crash a private off-campuse party, which was attended by both black and white students. Rather than call police to eject the univited guests, a white teenager, who was not a Jena High School student, beat up one of the uninvited black students. The white teenager has been charged with battery.
The following week, a white student, who was not involved in the noose-hanging incident, taunted one of the black students about loosing the fight at the party. Six black students followed the white student from the locker room. One of them hit the white student from behind, knocking him unconscious. As he lay unconscious on the ground, one of the black students stood on his head while the other black students kicked him in the body and head.
The outrage over the incidence arose when the local prosecutor announced that he intended to bring charges of attempted murder against the black students. However, the charges were subsequently reduced to aggravated battery. One of the black students was tried as an adult even though he was only 16 at the time of the beating. This conviction was overurned by a judge who ruled the 16-year-old should not had been tried as an adult, but the student remains in jail because he was on parole from previous convictions on assault and battery charges that predate both the noose-handing incident and the beating at Jena High. The other black students are adults under Lousiana law and will likely be tried for aggravated battery.
Drima, I think my reply has been eaten again.
Drima:
Once again I find myself impressed by the sensibility of your comments. Its true that issues of racism still exist in the United States. We are after all no utopia but who is? I find myself wondering why I should have sympathy for these young men. Vigilantiism should not be tolerated. I also wonder what would happen if 6 white men beat up a black man. Would the esteemed Reverand Jerkson rush to their aid? OR would he demand a life sentance for a hate crime? Personally, justice should be equal for anyone regardless of race. For an attack like the one at Jena, 2 or more years in prison for assault is NOT unreasonable
“justice should be equal for anyone regardless of race”
Precisely.
Now for a different take on the matter:
It was the racists who did nothing wrong. They used a symbol to voice their opinion. That is free speech. That the racists were black has nothing to do with the fact that they did not do anything legally wrong.
But it was the six who beat up the guy that did something wrong. Violence, except in self defence, is wrong, and that the six were white and beating up a black guy does not change the morality of the situation.
Nice Site!
I don’t know where Blair her information from, but i have been keeping up with jena six for several months.I haven’t read not ONE article about any white kids being arrested. I believe you got a serious dose of bad information.
argh…at the responses. Just, argh.
I think this article is very important for this post: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/284511.html
And thanks for recovering my reply yet again, Drima.
Reed Walters needs to be looked into though, in my opinion. Case history and the like.
Dang…
I thought the heading said Free Sex
ah…this topic ain’t no fun
Haha, whatevs Howie.
I have no idea why I laughed at your commentary long enough to actually comment on it.
I feel so lame.
I used to have a teacher who would yell out random sexual phrases/words in order to get our attention. It sure did.
There is so much misinformation being floated around the MSM that it is best to be cautious about what you hear. For example, the notorious “white tree” turns out not to have been so white after all according to school officials. The shotgun incident at the convenience store did not involve a sawed-off shotgun in spite of what some media accounts and blogs supporting the Jena Six claim and details on what exactly happen are in debate. One local pastor (who has been discussing the topic of racism in the town well before this incident) corrects some of the misinformation floating around the MSM.
Of course, the race hustlers and poverty pimps like Jackson and Sharpton are all over this but then they were also all over those evil Duke lacrosse players…
Dear All,
The racism issue in the USA is complex. Personally, I believe that all the youths involved in this horrible incident were victims of some sort (both black and white). I have lended my support to the Jena 6 and invite others to do the same.
You may support the Jena6 by participating in one of the following activities:
1) Sign a Petition
http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/
2) Donate Funds to the NAACP or the Jena 6 Defense Fund:
NAACP National Headquarters
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore MD 21215
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
NAACP info about this:
http://www.naacp.org/home/index.htm
Donate online to the: Jena 6 Defense Fund OR Mail donations to:
Jena 6 Defense Committee, P. O. Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342
3) Submit your own letter of support to District Attorney Reed Walters or Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco:
La Salle District Attorney
1050 Courthouse Sq
Jena, LA 71342
(318) 992-8282
Louisiana Governor’s office
http://www.gov.state.la.us/
4) Make a phone call to the Governor or the Board of Pardons in LA, between 8am-4:30pm EST:
#1-225-342-7015
5) Protest March
As you are aware the protest march occurred on September 20th in Jena, LA. Please contact your local NAACP or coordinator Michael Eric Dyson if you are interested in future activities.
(Also, If you would like more info, please read
http://www.care2.com/news/member/597720583/465243 ).
Thank you for listening.
THIS BLOG HAS NO FACTS BUT I WILL COME BACK TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT.
“I have lended my support to the Jena 6 and invite others to do the same.”
I am sorry, but I cannot support a bunch of violent kids who beat up other kids.
I invite others to lend their support to the victim rather than the perpetrators.
“THIS BLOG HAS NO FACTS BUT I WILL COME BACK TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT.”
GREAT! We are sure tired of reading articles and comments by well-informed people from all over the world.
Hope you will continue shouting when straightening it out. Makes it easier to spot the moron.
There is racism everywhere, not only in America or Europe. Should you make the least effort in recalling recent events, you would remember that one million black people were massacred because of a minimal physical difference: the length of their ears. Yes, Hutus and Tutsis fought a war that left a million plus dead and every single of them, murderers and victims was black. There was not even a single white person involved in the killings, but all of them were black.
And what about the never ending wars that have got decades being fought in Africa? All involved are black and no one cares about it. It seems to be so natural that blacks have a ‘God given right to kill’ that not even America is escaping that fully politically correct idea.
Indeed, “Jena Six” is a matter about racism from blacks against whites. Beating and killing white people, though, again, politically correct, does not provide any level of justice for past atrocities or suffering on blacks. On the contrary, it only creates even more hatred and justifies a never ending racial war.
Recent US history tells us a myriad of stories in which blacks who committed hate crimes against white people were freed and there never was much media hype. Had “Jena Six” been the opposite, white kids beating a black guy, every single of the white boys involved would have been immediately arrested and set in prison without bail.
Black leaders do not fight for justice; they fight for revenge and to ensure hatred keeps them in their comfortable political positions.
Finally, what Robin Edwards is doing is absolutely indecent. Asking for pardon of a racist criminal is blatant racism in itself.
Say NO to racism! Say NO to people like Robin Edwards! Say NO to “Jena Six”!
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