One of our Lone Star Times members asked that we provide a place to discuss the Jena 6, a group of six black male teenagers from Jena, LA that were arrested and charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white student.
I didn’t know much about the situation and still don’t have reading a dozen or so news articles on it. My brief synopsis is this: about a year ago, three white students hung three nooses in a tree because a group of black students had the audacity to ask the principal if they could sit under a shade tree, a tree traditionally reserved for white students.
The white students were given three day suspensions by the superintendent, who overruled the principal’s recommendation of expulsion. The superintendent said it was just a little prank and not worthy of expulsion. This led to increased racial tension around the town, resulting in several violent attacks and ultimately, the charges against the black teens. One has already been convicted by an all-white jury.
For more information to form your own opinion, read here, here, here, here, here and here.
After reading those links, if you can say unequivocally that no racism was involved here, I’ve got some swamp land to sell you in Arizona. On the other hand, if you can say unequivocally that this was about nothing but racism, I’ve got some desert land to sell you in Louisiana.
The one that that is clear is that the local school board and the superintendent made a grievous error in over-ruling the high school principal’s decision to expel the three white students responsible for the noose hanging. Had they followed his decision, in all likelihood none of the events that followed would have occurred.
Lesson for school boards and superintendents: don’t overrule your administrators’ decisions because of public pressure. They are on the front lines and get paid to make the hard calls. The superintendent and board should be replaced.
The prosecutor in this parish should be terminated. Not only has he overreached with the charges filed, he actually made things worse by threatening the students with his power. Think Nifong on steroids.
Beyond that, I’m not familiar enough to comment. Suffice to say that racism is alive and well in the South. Along with criminal behavior by teens, both black and white.
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I’m not making a judgement on whether or not the call to change the students expulsion to a 3-day suspension was correct or not. I don’t know enough about the case.
I do, however, think that there’s a problem with the premise that “none of the events that followed would have occurred” if the expulsion had remained in place.
For one thing, just like I am trying to teach my kids, the provocation notwithstanding, people are responsible for their own actions. For another, even with the provocation, I’m not sure violence is the answer…
Racism will only end when the parents, both black and white, start raising their kids to not discriminate. We need to have the blacks quit playing the “race card” because everything that happens to them is not because of race.
jimb,
The reason I stated that is because things were relatively quiet between the time the principal expelled them and the superintendent changed it to a three day suspension and called it “just a prank”.
We are always responsible for our actions, no question. But officials are also responsible for their actions as well. And, in this case, all signs point to the superintendent’s action as the one that set things off.
Would they have erupted eventually? Perhaps, it is evident that racism was simmering under the surface of this little town.
you should have seen the guy who was beat up in pictures looked really bad. doesn’t matter if it is black citizen or black cop or black congressman they are treated differently - why is that?
Its almost never good when some “desk” somewhere second guesses the guy on the scene.
Thank you thank you!
I’m so confused by this case. I thought for sure there was a side I was missing but the more I read the more confused I get. For sure the children involved in the school fight need to be punished. But attempted murder? Really? The weapon involved - and I kid you not - is tennis shoes.
I am not advocating they walk away without punishment (as one of those involved is asking), they beat up another kid. And that act has consequences. But the DA in Jena is a sick and twisted man if the quotes circulating about him are correct. And his silence speaks very loudly.
They tore down the tree this past July, after the first of the 6 was convicted. Too little too late. I contend that they should have torn down that tree immediately, and held a school assembly to talk about racism and prejudice and hate crimes. It may not have curbed the violence, but it would make a whole lot more sense than a school board in Louisiana saying hanging nooses from a tree is a “youthful prank.” They know better! We all know better. That “prank” was a message to the black students … stay away from this tree.
And the sick part … that’s learned behavoir. Someone somewhere is teaching those kids KKK like behavior. The mere fact that some student felt the need to ask PERMISSION to sit under a tree makes my stomach crawl. Is it still 1950 in Jena, LA?
The thing that gets me … the overall silence from LA’s leaders. Blanco - nothing. Mayor of Jena - “The media’s painting our town in a bad light.”
It’s ridiculous! Having gone to high school in rural communities I’ve witnessed my share of fights. And never did the DA go marching down to the school and arrest anyone. Some were remanded to Juvenile Hall … but never 2nd degree murder charges. 2nd degree murder charges, and the kid left the hospital with cuts around his eye. He was released after 3 hours and went out later that evening. Sounds like he had a brush with death. And again, the lack of cries on his behalf speak volumes too.
I really feel like this is one of those times where silence is like acceptance. And I’m really grateful to LoneStar for talking about it. I myself heard about it for the first time on Monday, during Anderson Cooper on CNN of all things (hence my thinking I was only getting one side).
Thanks for bringing it up … and if anyone can explain to me why there were murder charges tied to this … I’d be really interested to know. It just doesn’t seem to fit to me.
bigjolly,
The one that that is clear is that the local school board and the superintendent made a grievous error in over-ruling the high school principal’s decision to expel the three white students responsible for the noose hanging. Had they followed his decision, in all likelihood none of the events that followed would have occurred.
I think it’s speculative to say that converting the expulsions to suspensions would have prevented everything that happened afterwards. Everyone’s blood was already up.
Also, there might have been good reason to reduce the punishments to something less than expulsion. If the students were contrite and had no other offenses in their records, suspensions rather than expulsions might have been justified. I’m not familiar enough with the circumstances to say. On the other hand, no matter what the circumstances, three days of in-school suspension were clearly inadequate for making such a threatening display. The superintendent was being inexplicably soft on racism (inviting accusations that he was a racist), which didn’t help matters.
The prosecutor in this parish should be terminated. Not only has he overreached with the charges filed, he actually made things worse by threatening the students with his power. Think Nifong on steroids.
I don’t think this is really true. The prosecutor might have used the attempted murder charge as trial strategy, and it was at least a plausible charge given the similarities between attempted second-degree murder and aggravated second-degree battery. Prosecutors often bring the highest charges possible to get in a better negotiating position for a plea deal. Besides, comparisons to Nifong are invalid because the students actually *did* commit the crime.
Moreover, the offense on which Mychal Bell was actually convicted was sound. He clearly committed a battery. The battery caused severe bodily harm, so it was second-degree battery, and a deadly weapon, namely his shoes, were used, which made the battery aggravated [Finding shoes to be a deadly weapon is not novel; See State v. Taylor, 485 So. 2d 117(La.App. 2 Cir. 1986)].
Finally, Bell’s past record of violent criminal behavior did not weigh in favor of leniency in the indictment. When you come in with a violent juvenile record, prosecutors justifiably throw the book at you.
#4 - I didn’t ever see pictures, only heard that he was released quickly and went on his way. Was it bad? The picture the media are painting is that it wasn’t …
If there are pictures out there, they are well hidden.
Rev. Alan Bean (formerly of Tulia) at the Friends of Justice blog covered the trial from LA and has had lots of additional bloggy goodies on the case.
And also, FWIW, I’ve never seen a case in all my years of watching the justice system where “you can say unequivocally that this was about nothing but racism.” It’s never only about racism. Racism just adds a particularly nasty edge to the mix that usually doesn’t turn out well for its target.
Jolly, I got your email and have forwarded it to the man - sorry not to get back to you sooner. Thanks!
Owen, I explained my rational for my statement in #3 above. I’ll stick to my assessment.
The prosecutors charges were a strategy - to get the kid tried as an adult. It worked. After reading a dozen or so articles, I’ll stick with my thought on this one. Perhaps a more accurate comparison than Nifong would have been McDade on steroids.
Just a good ‘ol noose hangin’, no problem.
A school that allows a white tree is asking for trouble. The first day of school said principle should announce, there is a shade tree in front of the school It is not a white shade tree, just a tree. Anyone who wants can sit under it may do so. If I hear of this tree being called a white tree……. there will be repercussions. etc etc…… It’s ludicrous to let a tree be called a white tree. I blame the school bureucrats who are supposed to be impartial and have some common sense. Those kids are there to learn….. not revisit 1966. Sounds to me like that town has problems.
It seems to be a case of a bunch of teens acting stupid. Looks like just about everyone got what they deserved whether it was a beatdown or jail time.
Unfortunately, the kid who got the beatdown will grow up and have a chance at a life.
The other kids face almost 20 years in prison.
Does that seem fair? Really?
And, btw, nowhere did I day that Bell or any of them were innocent. Matter of fact, I posted the links.
I don’t understand what difference it makes if the pictures were “bad” or not. After all, there are some types of injuries that are not visible either right away or at all. If the kid was assaulted and the perpetrators were trying to severely injure him, then they should be charged with a severe crime. The problem that I see now is that so many crimes are watered down in order to save money on new prisons, etc. That’s why we have the revolving door that we are stuck with. Let’s bring back the chain gangs, make the prisoners grow their own food, and no cable TV.
No, StacyE, it does not. And is not. The charges have been somewhat reduced to a max of 15 years for Bell and have been reduced pre-trial for some of the others.
Gasts my flabber, it does, that people can still defend these types of abuses.
StacyE,
Well, the kid who got the beatdown didn’t attack anybody or otherwise commit a crime, to my knowledge. I’d also be surprised if the Jena 6 actually serve anything resembling 20 years.
bigjolly,
Mychal Bell was a repeat offender who severely beat another student for nothing more than something he said. Do you really think he didn’t deserve a battery conviction?
StaceyE
“They tore down the tree this past July, after the first of the 6 was convicted. Too little too late. I contend that they should have torn down that tree immediately, and held a school assembly to talk about racism and prejudice and hate crimes.”
Removing the tree is a cop out. The tree never did anything to any one. Trees don’t tease people. That’s like taking the T.V. out of your house because you don’t have the cajones to control what your kids watch.
#20 I agree. Why cut down a beautiful tree because of this?
#20 I agree……… racism IMHO climbs a little higher up the tree than kids…… It was stupid to allow this tree to become a segregation landmark!
No but it was symbolic of this problem. And symbols mean things.
Those nooses were a symbol. Like a swasitaka or a burning cross or a white cape are a symbol. And it’s a powerful gesture when you tear it down.
It might have meant nothing, you’re right. But it might have meant everything to some of those kids who felt like they were never allowed to sit there.
Owen, I put the links for Mr. Bell’s “priors” up. By all accounts, the kid that suffered a concussion had been mocking the black students in the assembly hall. He walked outside, someone (sorry, perhaps you can get the transcripts) hit him from behind, he fell and hit his head. The group of students kicked him while he was down until they realized that he was unconscious. He was taken to the hospital and released after 3 hours total.
For this, the prosecutor charged them with attempted murder to get them into the adult system, then reduced the charges. One of Mr. Bell’s convictions has been upheld by the trial judge. Appeals will follow.
Gasts my flabber, yes sir, it does.
bigjolly,
You’re really downplaying the incident. The kid was knocked UNCONSCIOUS after being pushed down into the concrete, kicked by six people in the torso and head, and kicked in the eye so severely that it was swollen shut. There are people serving time in prison for battery for less than this. In fact, they’re very fortunate that the student didn’t suffer greater injuries; if his skull had cracked when it impacted with the pavement, Bell may well be going to prison for murder.
Moreover, Bell is 17 years old, and has multiple violent priors in his juvenile record. He was a prime candidate for getting tried as an adult, and he was clearly guilty of the crime charged. Given his priors, there was no reason to put forth lesser charges.
I’m puzzled — I didn’t know you were so soft on crime!
That’s Bell … I understand everyone’s beef with Bell.
But there are 5 other kids that are being charged with similar offenses. Some of them who say the fight was already broken up when they got there.
I said in # 24 that the kid was knocked unconscious. I’m not downplaying anything.
You are trying to obfuscate the racial aspect of this case. You are overplaying the kids injuries. You are saying nothing of the prosecutor going to the school, looking at the black kids and telling them that he could ruin their lives with a stroke of his pen, which he ultimately has.
StacyE, thanks for the fun. I knew this would happen.
StacyE,
We’ll have to see the trials of the other five go. If there is evidence of their partipation in the beating, then they deserve to be convicted of battery. I would recommend they try to plea to lesser offenses.
While we’re at it, let’s talk about the prosecutor charging one of the kids with theft for taking a shotgun away from another kid that pointed it at him.
Jena - paradise.
The one thing I can say is that without a doubt, Bell should get a re-trial. If the reports are correct and his attorney did not put up any defense, it should be pretty easy. At the very least, the cases should get a change of venue.
What the hey. Let’s go all out and talk about the prosecutor charging a white kid with simple battery, no jail time, for busting a beer bottle over a black kids head! Cool. Heck, it was a Bud Light anyways.
Therein lies the root of the problem of our criminal justice system. Prosecutors charge the max they can, over-reach, in the hope that they can intimidate a person into pleading guilty to a lesser crime.
bigjolly,
I’m looking at the facts and saying that Bell’s conviction was perfectly reasonable. I’m not overplaying the injuries — the student was knocked down into concrete, rendering him unconscious, and then kicked by six students with their shoes. That’s easily second-degree battery, whether you’d prefer it was or not.
The racial aspect is clearly there, but bad race relations aren’t an excuse for violence, nor even a mitigating favor. The student that was beaten may have been crass, but he in no way directly provoked the students who beat him.
The only thing I’ll say about the prosecutor is that he shouldn’t have said that he could ruin the students’ lives; rather, he should have told him they may have already ruined their own. That would have been more accurate.
Well I appreciate you posting it anyway … I was interested in others opinions. I’m sorry for your trouble!
And … I do want to say that A. Cooper (who seems to spend an awful lot of time in Louisiana) and CNN are really trying to paint Bell as an innocent in all this. And he is not. He’s guilty of beating up a kid.
But what I want to know is … if someone did something similar … if someone said no Christians could sit under this tree, and when you tried to they hung offensive messages in an attempt to scare you off … and the community responded by giving those kids 3 days vacation (which is what a suspension is anyway) … doesn’t that warrant a reaction on a larger level?
If this had happened anywhere other than Louisiana, would the story and the outcome be the same? Are all 5 of those kids really guilty of attempted murder or battery? Or are they being singled out to send a message?
And what about the kid that pulled a gun on 3 black students? Or the black student who got hit over the head with a glass bottle? No attempted murder charges for either …
There is too much story here for it to brushed away. And I am not soft on crime. The kids involved should be punished. Equally. With Justice for all.
And I don’t feel like there has been justice for all.
#34
Why didn’t the kid who pulled the gun get his life ruined? Because he’s white?
Why didn’t the kid who hit the kid over the head with the bottle get his life ruined? Because he’s white?
Why didn’t the kids who participated in a hate crime get punished with a crime? Because they are white?
Owen,
Actually that would be considered a federal hate crime.
bigjolly,
Prosecutors charge the max they can, over-reach, in the hope that they can intimidate a person into pleading guilty to a lesser crime.
Those poor criminal defendants are out there committing heinous crimes, and those nasty prosecutors charge them with the maximum available offense to encourage them to plead guilty to a lesser offense and avoid a trial.
You’ll excuse me if I don’t turn on the waterworks. If a defendant conceivably meets the elements of the higher offense, it isn’t “over-reaching” to charge them with that offense. The prosecutor still has to prove those elements beyond a reasonable doubt at trial to secure a conviction.
If the state has no evidence to prove those elements, then the hightened charge is meaningless and usually won’t play a significant role in plea negotiations. If, however, there’s a decent chance of proving the offense as charged, the defendant should certainly plea to the lesser offense. I hardly see the injustice in all of this. After all, the defendant was potentially guilty of worse.
Given the fact that he said this BEFORE any assault took place, while the students were protesting the noose hanging and the three day suspensions, I can only infer that you mean they ruined their lives by daring to ask to sit under a shade tree. Wow.
Owen,
No waterworks needed. Notice in my post that I never said anyone was innocent. Nor did I try to hide their behavior.
If you don’t think prosecutors over-reach daily, hourly, you’ve spent too much time in class. Come on out here. They do it to any race, btw.
It’s just that in this case, there is a racist element to the whole sordid affair.
bigjolly,
Given the fact that he said this BEFORE any assault took place, while the students were protesting the noose hanging and the three day suspensions, I can only infer that you mean they ruined their lives by daring to ask to sit under a shade tree. Wow.
Don’t go there bigjolly.
I was basing my statement on your characterization, which didn’t mention that it was said to protestors prior to the incident. You mentioned it in the context of the Jena 6 incident; I could only assume that you meant it was said to the particular students who participated in the beating.
All you needed to do was correct me; instead you opted to accuse me of racism. That’s going too far.
38 - you do realize the criminal defendants in this case are 6 children.
My fear is that racism is really leading the DA.
That is my fear. Just like a big election was leading Nifong. My fear is that Reed Walters, the DA, is a racist, and his seeking very harsh sentences is racially motivated.
And since he all but threatened the students BEFORE the crime in question was committed … can we be sure that he isn’t racially motivated?
I have to get back to work … but I really appreciate the posting and the dialogue.
Maybe others will see it and more discussion will start.
Sorry, I thought you had bothered to read the links I put up before deciding I was soft on crime. Like I said, I read over a dozen articles in about an hour after StacyE requested a post. Like I said, I don’t know the whole story. What I do know is that, as I said, the school board, superintendent and prosecutor made grievous mistakes.
StacyE,
Why didn’t the kid who pulled the gun get his life ruined? Because he’s white?
Maybe. I also find it pretty bizarre that he wasn’t charged with anything, although the facts I’ve heard of that incident are pretty sketchy.
Why didn’t the kid who hit the kid over the head with the bottle get his life ruined? Because he’s white?
Did they ever identify who did that? I know one of the other white students involved in that fight pled guilty to battery.
Why didn’t the kids who participated in a hate crime get punished with a crime? Because they are white?
I think you’re referring to the nooses. I’m not sure what crime they could have been charged with, except perhaps criminal mischief or maybe vandalism. I certainly would have favored charging them with criminal mischief, although I can understand why the authorities left it to the district to punish (being that it was probably just a misdemeanor). I don’t know if the police were ever even called.
This certainly isn’t to downplay what they did. They got a slap on the wrist for a horrible display of racism, which nobody in their right mind (the superintendent excepted, apparently) would defend. I probably would have suspended them for the remainder of the year, making them repeat the grade. Explusion certainly wasn’t out of bounds, either.
StacyE,
They’re not children (children are under age 12). They’re teenagers. If this is their first violent offense, I agree that they shouldn’t serve any significant time in prison. If they plea guilty to simply battery, they should probably just be given probation. If the prosecutor insists on more than that, I would find that highly suspect.
The prosecutor might be racist — I don’t know much about him, but it is suspect that he was threatening students before the crime was actually committed. It was also definitely improper. If he hasn’t already, he needs to address his actions.
However, I’ve just been focusing on his handling of the cases before him. I think Bell’s conviction was perfectly valid and not excessive based on these facts, but we’ll definitely have to wait and see on the others.
#27
BJ
If this had been your kid would you think that him being knocked unconscious with a resulting concussion, which could have been fatal, would you be so blase? This is assault loud and clear. And to kick and punch someone that cannot defend themselves makes it aggravating (in more ways than one). To appease the crybabies about the “symbolism” of the tree is playing up the race card. Everyone should have to accept their responsibility, from the kids that hung the nooses to the kids that assaulted that young man. No excuses for anyone; but should we also dig up the ground because the kids’ self-esteem was hurt because they couldn’t sit on the ground under the tree? People need to get over themselves.
bigjolly,
As for over-reaching, I’ll just say this: We have an adversarial judicial system. Prosecutors are expected to serve the state the same way the defense attorney defends their client. As long as both comply with the canons of legal ethics, neither side is really overreaching. Rather, they are simply doing their jobs as the system demands.
Now, when a prosecutor is unethical, that’s a problem that should be caught. Except for the threat (which apparently was directed at all students in an assembly, and not just the protestors) I don’t see any way the DA has acted in a way that is manifestly unethical.
C’mon Stacy - these are not 6 year olds. These are young adults. And Bell has a history of assault and criminal behavior, but yeah, let’s just make him write “I will not try to murder someone” on the chalkboard 100 times and that will make it okay. In WWII there were “children” of this age fighting Hitler.
It was bad from the get go, but not that bad. It was made worse when it got past the principal. He should have been the one to hand down the punishment and kept it in house. Suspend the boys and no criminal charges necessary. However, it got political and messy when the board overrode the guy on the ground. Someone got hurt and now there’s Jesse and Al involved. ‘Nuff said… School boards can screw up just about anything!
I for one, do not believe that anyone should ever be charged because they “hate”. They should be charged with whatever crime they commit, no matter why they committed it. Is someone any less dead because they were murdered because someone wanted their money than because someone didn’t like their race, etc.? No. So why is one considered so much worse than the other?
dcgirl says:
Sorry, that doesn’t fly in this case. There is no “race card playing”. This case is about racism.
Sorry guys I cannot get past the fact that this is 2007 and this town has a white tree!. This problem goes deeper than this episode. I would bet, there are some town folks with sheets for outfits.
BJ - they are still being crybabies if they expect the tree to be cut down. How many of us were not part of the “clique” in school and were not allowed to sit at a certain section of the lunchroom because we were not cool. I wouldn’t expect that part of the lunchroom to be torn away because kids got their feelings hurt. And before you say “but this is different”, I disagree. They were excluded because they were different. Yes, the difference was they were black and not white. But so what. Other people are treated differently by kids in school because they don’t were trendy clothes, or are fat, or have pimples, or wear glasses, ….. Like it or not, as nasty as it is, that is the way school is - kids are mean. Expulsion would have been a bit extreme. Make the kids do community service or something instead of having them roam the streets when they aren’t allowed to go to school - that is counterproductive.
wear not were.
american woman,
I agree — the parents of Jena are either *really* asleep at the wheel, or they’re teaching their kids to be racists.
DC Girl - the tree was cut down. And no one cried when it was done. There’s no should be.
And when you didn’t get to sit on the right side of the lunch room … no one threatened to hang you.
In legal speak … anyone under the age of 18 is a child. There’s no “C’mon Stacy” there. It’s the law.
Stick to the facts. Children asked permission to sit under a tree reserved for white students. The school said okay. Black students sat under the tree. The next day three nooses were hung from the tree. The offending white students were found. Expulsion was recommended. It was overturned by the school board who said it was a harmless prank. They were suspended. Tensions flared. A fire was set in the admin building. A black student was hit over the head with a glass bottle. A white student pulled a shotgun on three black students who wrestled it away from him. They were charged with theft. Black students tried to stage a sit in under the tree. The DA showed up on campus with cops. An assembly was called. The room divided between whites and blacks. The DA turned to the black side of the room and said, “I can end your life with a flick of my pen” (paraphrasing). Leaving the assembly, a white student allegedly says a racial remark. He’s thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly. He’s treated at the hospital and released after three hours. He attended some function that evening. 6 black students are charged with 2nd degree murder and conspiracy. In July, the first student, Bell, was convicted. At his trial, his appointed attorney asked no questions. Called no witnesses. The jury was all white (not of his peers). Just this week, two months later, the conviction was lessened. His sentencing is September 20th.
These kids should be punished. But if we’re saying the racism and segragation that’s going on in this school / city is okay … well I just don’t agree.
Again - the offending students need to be punished. But someone needs to bring Jena, LA into the 21st century.
The problem was that it was allowed to get past the principal. It became politicized instead of being snuffed out where the fire started. Then rumor and innuendo fanned the flames. The flames were fueled by racism and fanned by stupid kids running around with their chests puffed out (both sides). It was allowed to smolder by those that should have took charge early and stop it. Someone got hurt. Now those poor people in that town have to put up with Jesse and Al and their entourage. I bet neither Rev Al or Rev Jackson preach a sermon in that town! They won’t mention God. Too bad, this is 2007 and some people need to ‘effin’ grow up on both sides of this one!
“offending” is the operative word. And I guess if anyone under 18 is a child, why does the military accept “children” into service? Yes, their parent has to sign because of contractural law, but a 17 year old is not a child and this particular one stopped being a child when he committed his first battery. I still like the quote (can’t remember where I heard it) that was said when someone was asked why a “child” (who had been threatening someone with a gun) had been shot. The answer - “the gun made him older”.
Stacy - whose fault is it that the jury was all white? Did his defense attorney not show up. And now you are being racist by intimating that a white jury cannot be unbiased.
Also didn’t say that racism is okay, just that people need to get over themselves. This was blown way out of proportion. Faster is right when he says that the boys were all puffed up. The testosterone level was up too high.
StacyE,
For the record, the DA vigorously denies that he directed his comment towards black students alone. A school board member backs him up on that.
Further, without the benefit of the police report, it’s difficult to say why Bailey was charged with theft but the white student was not (it’s not even clear why he pulled out the shotgun).
The facts here are anything but clear.
Am I being racist to refer to the phrase “jury of one’s peers” as the courts have defined it:
This has been interpreted by courts to mean that the available jurors include a broad spectrum of the population, particularly of race, national origin and gender. Jury selection may include no process which excludes those of a particular race or intentionally narrows the spectrum of possible jurors.
Now, in Jena where something like 88% of the population is white … maybe it’s just simple numbers.
But when you have such blatant racism … how can you be sure that this wasn’t a miscarriage of justice?
I’m not a bleeding heart, never have been. But from the moment I heard about this it’s overall wrongness has just caught me. Maybe it was the whole idea behind a school that was still segregated … but this is just wrong.
The attempted murder charge is very heavy handed.
It is an assault, period. If the kid suffered serious bodily injury like broken bones or worse, they should have had aggravated it. If their intent to kill him was proved, sure go for the attempted murder. But it was a butt kickin’ not a killin’. I’ve been whooped before and I’ve whooped someone else before. I could have been sentenced to 22 1/2 years for a beating I put on a guy once as a teen. But, he never messed with me again! One of the teens Mychal Bell, had been in trouble before and should have been treated a little harsher than the others, sure. But charging them as adults and using the heaviest charge possible (attempted 2nd dergee MURDER) was waaaaay overboard!! Everyone needes to be punished for something, well everyone except the principal as far as I can tell.
The language used in some these stories doesn’t help to tell the truth either. The Wiki story seems to be the most even handed tale and easiest to read without the breathless accusations.
“Six black adolescents railroaded by an all-white justice system in a small Louisiana town where terrorizing blacks is still in a day’s entertainment.”
“Zealous prosecutions of black youngsters are multiplying across the nation, they say.”
What do I know anyway? I just make T shirts!
The London UK is pretty good … though looking down it’s noses at a Southern “backwards” state in parts.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2388360.ece
But with the quote from the barber at the end … I mean really?
#63 … I agree. I just find it so odd that this all happened over a year ago. And CNN’s coverage was no better … painting Bell to be a martyr and a football great. Maybe he was … but he also appeared to have been a criminal.
Can anybody that doesn’t believe this is about racism give an answer to the following questions?
1. Why wasn’t the “party” student charged with breaking a glass bottle over the head of another student? DC Girl, if this was your son would you care only for the kid beat at school and consider your own Childs beating and wounds as blasé?
2. How can you charge someone with theft of a weapon if you wrestle away the shogun they intend to, at the very least use to intimidate you with? Of course this was just a prank too. I read they were charge when they returned the gun to the police. I really hope that’s not true.
dcgirl, kids are mean. But threatening to hang someone if the sit under your tree because their skin is different from yours is NOT THE SAME THING!
I had a hard time in high school, but nobody every threatened my life with a noose because my cloth were out of style. It’s not the tree that should have been destroyed. It’s the attitude that allowed it to grow. They should re-plant a new one and call it the student tree.
StaceyE, I’m afraid I’m not surprised at all to hear of a “white tree” in 2007. If you didn’t grow up in deep East Texas or the rural Deep South (Tyler’s my hometown), it’s perhaps hard to explain. Not only are these regions not “over” racism, in a lot of place the conversation to end it has really barely begun - the civil rights movement never really happened in a lot of these place (like Tyler, and apparently Jena). The civil war for folks in such places was a heartbeat ago - a mere flash.
I was taught from my great-grandfather’s knee that “Yankees” and “carpetbaggers” were the enemy and the main lesson of the civil war was that “our side lost.” (In fact, the rebel battle flag that hung over my bed from childhood through my graduation is still hanging in my father’s garage!) Unsurprisingly, at the schools I attended, self-segregation like a “white tree” or “the black table” in the cafeteria were quite commonplace and universally accepted. I graduated high school 22 years ago and obviously in many places those attitudes do and IMO will continue to persist. Societal wounds as deep as those caused by slavery and Yankee occupation during Reconstruction take potentially centuries to heal.
As mentioned previously, I’ve never seen a criminal case where racism was the sole issue, and as commenters have articulated here, that’s the case in Jena. But after witnessing events in Tulia, Hearne, now Jena, and others, like Jolly I can’t in good conscience contend that racism doesn’t sometimes play a significant and negative role in the justice system.
Glad you’re discussing this here, BJ, you’ve got an interesting conversation going on the topic. best,
I believe it was said that the student charged with breaking the bottle over another student’s head pled guilty - don’t know of anyone that does that if they are not charged with anything.
What the kids that hung the nooses should have been charged with was making a terroristic threat.
Still doesn’t make the beating okay and still doesn’t make the kids that beat an unconscious fellow student “children” that should be coddled and martyred.
ATQ,
#1: There’s nothing to suggest that the the student who broke the bottle over Bailey’s was ever identified. In fact, I don’t know that there’s any evidence that event occurred save Bailey’s statements to the press. I know that no medical treatment was given.
#2: Same deal here. Apparently the story told by the white student conflicted with Bailey’s, so it isn’t indisputed that the white student simply ran to get a gun to intimidate Bailey (I assume he claims that he ran to get it to defend himself). The details are very sketchy and you aren’t getting both sides.
It’s not to say that the authorities weren’t horribly racist and based their decisions accordingly; I’m just not convinced that the evidence doesn’t speak for itself. There’s obviously a fair amount of racism in Jena, but does that extend to the police and the courts? Again, it’s just not clear, and it’s not an accusation I throw around lightly.
My question what is a repeat offender still doing in a public school?
Why is someone who has perpetrated serious crimes already allowed to be around kids who have not?
Racism is alive and well, but goes both ways, unfortunately.
As David Wilder, former Gov of Virginia, who happens to be black, and I could not agree with him more: ‘race should not be used as a sword, nor a shield’.
#62: StaceyE:
Looks like there is no shortage of wrongness to go around in this case, on both sides……..
If one is beaten until unconscious, the fact that one then gets up and goes to a ring ceremony is NOT a reflection of the severity of the beating, but rather a reflection of an extraordinarily resilient youth who probably used very poor judgement in going out (most likely against doctor’s orders). Further, it is probably a function of sheer luck that it wasn’t more serious.
The Hispanic man who was beaten on Juneteenth in Austin and kicked in the head till unconscious was not so lucky.
Most racism is alive and well in the minds of minorities - blacks and hispanics - not whites. The numbers of whites who are racists are in the few minorities. In other words, from what I have seen, most blacks and to some degree, hispanics, are racists, while most whites go above and beyond to appear non-racists. The very few whites who are racists are just that - very few.
And besides, I am sick and tired of all this white guilt. Race this and Race that! Get over it. I don’t see race - you are the one who constantly brings it up. You are the one who wants reparations. If you really wanted to be equal you have had your chance, but you choose not to be equal and have chosen to be victims instead. So stop making us feel guilty. You’ve chosen your path. You should be proud of what you have done to your people - keeping them on the plantation, with the masta giving them their food (food stamps), their shelter (government housing), and everything they need (welfare) to make them totally dependent on the masta (democrats) for everything they need. Shame on them and shame on you.
Neo: #72
Well stated, and absolutely agree!
That has been consistently what I have my experienced as well.
But most white people have been cowed into submission not to dare say or actually articulate that. I, for one, don’t buy the PC lies anymore.
Example(s):
1) It’s OK to have black colleges (TSU, Prarie View, Southern) but of course, having a white college is taboo! They need diversity, dontcha know!
2) It’s OK to have a federally approved ‘Black Entertainment TV channel, , but of course, White Entertainment TV would be decried as racist!
3) Blacks scream for equal treatment, yet at every turn, want set asides and a special programs for them(Black Miss America, United Negro College Fund, Society of Black Engineers, ect., ect.)
4) 95% of blacks vote for LeeP Brown, that’s racial unity! 95% of whites vote for something, that’s racism!
I can go on and on, but the point is, as far as most blacks are concerned, the world can’t bend over far enough to accomodate them, yet few take any responsibility for their own words and actions.
In short, white people are the only people who are villified for celebrating the heritage and culture, according to the socialist/facists in the media, academia, entertainment industry and government.
And that sick mindset of theirs is the worst kind of racism, as they revel in their own ignorance.
PBFloyd
Blacks don’t want equal treatment. They may have thought they wanted it in the past and then they got it, but their leaders like Jesse Jackson, et al, were not satisfied with that for where would they be in the scheme of things. I truly believe that if blacks one day see how the Democrats have treated them and taken them for granted all these years, how Democrats (and their leaders like Jackson, Sharpton, et al) have tried to keep them on the “plantation” that they will revolt and change the demographics of this country. They will be followed by the Hispanics. It will come. Their (Democraps) dream world cannot last. This is why they are pushing for the illegals as a further voter base. The Democraps know it. More and more blacks are getting educated, getting great jobs, being taxed and turning into Republicans. It is only a matter of time before the blacks turn against them.
Well…. I don’t argue the points Neo makes, but in this case I tend to believe that racism unfortunately did play a part. The initial hanging the nooses from the tree part were juvenile pranks that were based on the racism of the kids that did it. I don’t think they were sending a message that they were going to really kill anyone by hanging them. They were being stupid, teens of all races are stupid-stupid-stupid and more than willing to prove it! The principal recognized it as the stupidity it was and that needed to be dealt with. They took his power to punish from him and gave a less than deserving punishment to the kids that needed it. Then everyone bowed up their chests and kids took over and the adults didn’t step in until someone got hurt. Then the DA came down way too hard on the kids that committed the assault. They were charged as adults. Just cause you can don’t mean you should! Attempted murder for a concussion? Aggravated assault may have even been too rough, but I doubt they were intending to kill the guy. The adults all drew lines in the sand and the next thing you know there are satellite trucks rolling into town following the Reverend Clepophas Junebug and the traveling racist roadshow!
Methinks there’s racism a-plenty on both sides of this fence and they’ve turned the heat up too much to back down. Nobody wants to lose face. And… throw in an election for a white DA, two racist Reverends that worship at the altar of discrimination, and you’ve got a real live Mexican standoff! I hope the boys sentence gets reduced on appeal or they get retried in another venue. It’ll take years for them folks to get over this one!
IMHO
Neo: Agreed.
As I spelled out, it’s not equal treatment that most seem to want, but special treatment want: equal as long as things go their way, but special treatment when it does not.
As soon as they get equality, the go about seperating themselves as different. Black Miss America, Black this, black that!
Katrina, for example? People in AL, MS, and TX we’re hit just as hard and devastated too, but their skin color didn’t warrant concern from the putrid racist cockroaches in the LameSteamMedia.
And they didn’t start looting, and acting like criminals, either! Even now, 2 years later, mainly blacks from NOLA still can’t be accomodated enough, it seems!
To quote a great man, who was black: “I live for the day that people are judged on the content of their character, not the color of their skin”.
Doesn’t seem that many have taken that to heart yet, unfortunately.
PB,
It is the victim mentality. Inherant in the NO democrat slums. Understand that these folk (white or black) have been under Democrat rule for the past 30-40 years, they know no different. They will always expect government (i.e. democrats) to come in and save them. I really feel sorry for them because they are just slaves, they just don’t realize it. And all the time, they think they are “owed” something. Sad. Whole generations after generations lost to democrat rule - democrat plantation owners. I would love to see one democrat come here and defend this indefensible fact.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/jena6.asp
Racism will NEVER be eradicated as long as man walks the earth…this issue to will be forgotten until the next one…
#41 -
That’s not exactly an accurate assessment. They were teenage high school students, and teenage high school students are perfectly capable of committing horrible and violent crimes.
Mychal Bell - the one who was convicted - has a long history of previous criminal convictions. He is 17 years old. That’s the same age as David Tuck - the filthy vermin who committed the pipe attack in Spring last year. Bell is a thuggish teenage punk with a previous criminal rap sheet, but he’s definately not a “child.”
Owen
Thanks for the balance and background in your comments
I agree - racism is alive and well and will never be eradicated in our lifetime as long as we are not able to look past skin color and it is a fact that being black is a detriment in our society when it comes to criminal actions because more blacks are in our prisons than any other race.
All the young people involved are to blame…the white students who put up the nooses, etc. out of ignorance and stupidity and immaturity and the black students who participated in the beating.
Blacks, atleast in TDCJ, are also the majority of those employed (and the elitist group) within the penal system. The racial tensions among both the incarcerated and their keepers is extremely apparent. The pendulum has swung to the far other side since a generation ago.
For the record, Mychal Bell was 16 at the time of the school yard fight.
I don’t think blacks want more than their fair share of the pie. The message over the past 40 years has changed creating a whole generation of poor both black and white that look to the feds for handouts. BET is owned by viacom, last I checked this is a majority white owned company that airs shows with black content. These are the same guys that run MTV and VH1. Black Colleges, let’s not forget why they were needed in the first place. And white students are free to apply and would be accepted. Let’s not pretend that these school are full of blacks that hate whites. In my state we have a couple of these schools, one of them just graduated more marine biologist than any other school in the region and a few of them were white. Let’s stay on the issue, and the facts surrounding the case. That is the purpose of this forum, right?
Okay I just have some things to add and correct. First of all I am a high school student in the city of chicago and I’m researching the happenings of the Jena 6 for my Research Core class. My research partner and I have been outraged with this case and have been following it for quite a while. I would like to make a few points. First of all the Jena 6 are high schooler’s like me and there were alot of things not just the noose situation that led up to this point. Another very infuriating situation was when 2 of these boys were at a gas station and attacked by another white student with a gun. The students wrestled the gun away from the student and reported the incident to the police turning in the gun. They were charged with assult and robbery of the gun. Now how in God’s name they were placed with the blame when they were the ones to report the incident escapes me. Secondly most white residents in Jena claim that the only reason that the jury for the past sentence was all white is because the town is 85% white. But racism is very evident in that town. Just the fact that the libriarian claimed that the nooses were a joke and she had no idea what the meaning of them were is very evident to that fact. And to all of those who believe that these boys were just playing the race card think again. Yes some blacks may use that as an excuse but there is much evidence to the fact that this was in fact a racist situation. Firstly the white boys were only suspened for three days not expelled. Secondly the instance with the gun is another case. Thirdly the fact that a black student was assulted by white students for walking into an all-white party. Fourthly, the fact that the Jena 6 were primarily charged with attempted murder and assult with a deadly weapon(there tennis shoes) for beating up a white student when no white students were charged at all for equally hanious acts. Now I am not saying that the students should not be punished. I have always been taught if you fight fire with fire all you get is a bigger fire. But how many of you can say that you would not have been equally or more so enraged if this had happened to you or your child or someone you loved? You can’t judge these kids without ever having been in a situation where you were treated unfairly, denyed your rights all becauses of your skin, when your ancestors were supposedly free from such restraints and injustice years before you. You can’t judge becuase you do not know, you do not understand. Yes the kids should have been punished but suspension is usually the sentence not life in prision.
Now I am African American and proud of it. I am not just outraged by this case because of the “injustices done to my people” but because it is such a sad situcation. The facts remain that the nooses are reminders of a time that all african american children are taught was the most degrading, inhumane, and racially injustice times in african american history. In some ways even worse than slavery, because at least slavery was blatant, while as those times were hatrad built and saved up. You can not expect any self respecting human being to take this as a joke. Or to consider the events that happened afterwards the result of the overreaction of the 15% of black people of what they call their “home”town
Srry I forgot to mention that the day after the nooses were hung an impromptu demonstration was held by the black students and some white students who supported them. So you know what the reaction was? The school called the police and the D.A. The D.A. arrived with an armed police force. There was an assembly where the kids were completely silent and the D.A. told the black kids that he could end there life with the stroke of a pen. Now what does that mean to you?
I am looking over the internet in an effort to find the transcripts from the first trial. If anyone knows where they can be found please post it. I am new to this blog and just wanted to make a few observatons and see if there is any feedback.
The “white tree” was a symbol and a tool. The township used it to teach their children that there is a separation of race and it should be observed. The tree was sanctuary from the “intergrated” world around them.
The charges are trumped up. Tennis shoes are not a weapon. The only reason the shoes are alleged as weapons is that the 2nd degree battery charges REQUIRE a weapon be used. If shoes are a weapon, should Larry Craig be charged with attempted murder of the officer whom he sat next to?
No white students were charged with a federal hate crime. To me the nooses constitute a hate crime. A noose is not a prank in the south. Lynchings were common the first half of the last century. More importantly, why did the white students choose the noose as a response to the black students actions. Someone taught them that.
No white students were charged with attempted murder in the assult on the black teenager who went to the all white social. No white student was charged with 2nd degree battery in the said assult. The black student was beaten with bottles.
There is a punishment for the assult. Suspention or expultion. In school detention. Or even charges simular to the one leveled against the white student in the bottle attack.
I see the same kind of stealthy racism in some of the comments on this blog that lead to the inconsistant, excessive charges made against the Jena 6.
It is about equality among those of us whom live in the shade of our great constitution. Weather it is the front of the bus, the shade of the tree or the courtrooms of out justice system, we should all be able to have faith in our rights to fair treatment.
This happens everyday in America however it is surprisingly shocking how half of America view the situation and the other half view the situation.
First of all, let’s talk about the expulsion converted to suspension. This was not a “go home and think about your actions for 3 days suspension,” this was an IN SCHOOL SUSPENSION(ISS). I have not been out of school that long to know that an ISS allows you to still go to school, but you have to report to a class during your lunch period.
Now I ask, IS THAT PUNISHMENT.
How can anyone white, black, red, blue, christian, atheist, muslim, jew, say without any doubt in their mind that hanging a noose from a tree named “THE WHITE TREE” could be considered a simple prank.
I feel it is only a simple prank to those who are simple minded and who may have done this type of “prank” in the past.
I am not saying that expulsion was the answer but I’m definitely not saying that 3 days ISS was the answer. Are those the only two forms of disciplinary actions that this school board has.
Grade school gives lessons on Cause and Effect. Does this not come into effect. If the nooses were never hung would any of this be happening. However, some simple people may say ” Well if dat boy had never asked to sit under our tree then…” An argument well stated for inbreeds.
The superintendent stated that the punishment for hanging the nooses did not fit the crime, so I ask is he/she for or against the punishment handed to these 6 kids.
Every state has the same atrocities occurring however, the news hardly ever mentions it or fully covers it.