Fear Factor 2007 - Jena 6
Updated - see below
If you look at all of the subjects that I’ve commented on over the last two years, none of them have received the attention of the Jena 6 debacle in Louisiana. None of them have been more misconstrued. I’ve never had so many comments that were so way off base. I’ve commented on foreign and domestic policy. I’ve talked almost endlessly about ending the Iraq war. I’ve talked about most of the major presidential candidates — Republican and Democratic. Yet, it’s Jena 6 that has received the most attention. Don’t, for a minute, try to convince me that race isn’t still a touchy issue in this country.
For those who’ve looked at the TV and saw the demonstration yesterday and are confused about what happened in Jena, Louisiana — here’s the update. This is a long and complex case (watch this video). Events unfolded over a three to four month period of time in 2006. The events culminated in the arrest of six black teenagers for the beating of a white teenager.
So, to put Louisiana’s best foot forward a couple of teens in Alexandria, La (closest large town to Jena) tied nooses to the back of their truck. The teens have been arrested and charged with being too stupid to be in the general population (just joking).
Mychal Bell, the only one of the Jena 6 to be convicted in the beating incident, had a hearing today on his bail. Mychal has been in jail since December. Bail has been reportedly denied.
Update: From CNN - Also on Friday, the FBI said it was looking into an online posting by a neo-Nazi white supremacist group that published the home addresses of all six of the African-American teenagers, as well as the phone numbers of some. The group said on its Web site it is calling on followers to “let them know justice is coming.”
Some people are ignoring the fact that three months went by before the beating at the party occured, think of all the time that elapsed between the noose incident, and the other countless taunting acts and actions that went unpunished before it amounted to the violence that occured, I am not justifying the beating, I am just merely stating that justice is and has been unequal for as long as blacks, were brought into this country, I am just sorry that I have to teach my children that life and the law is indeed unfair.
I am a reident of Lasalle parish and I just want to say that I am appalled at what took place in Jena yesterday. Protesters came and trashed our beautiful little town with litter and treated these boys that nearly killed someone like celebrities by having them sign autographs. I think that was ridiculous, and this is portraying to our children that ganging up and beating someone is ok and you might even get rewarded by having people treat you like a movie star.
I don’t personally know any of the kids involved but I think the protest did more harm than good. It is senseless to think that a whole town has an issue with race from of the actions of 3 teens. It seems that if anyone is racist it is the black organizations and leaders that crave publicity. Clear and simple 6 against 1 is not right, any race should have enough common sense to see that. The boys should be punished. The extent is up to the judicial system. If the sentence seems too harsh, then make a stir or appeal but until then don’t try to make things worse and cause racial tension. I believe there should also be an apology given from someone for all of the trash that was left in the streets. After all there is a law against littering also. I heard someone comment that after the march and protest the town looked like Bourbon Street after Mardi Gras. Lets not forget this is about six boys nearly killing one. No matter what race or color we cant let our children think this is ok.
Also I keep hearing a lot about these white teenagers with the nooses hanging from their tailgate. What about the black person wearing the kkk suit and dragging the black dummy around with a noose around its neck? Is there any punishment for him. I noticed on the news that was right in front of the jena courthouse.
Unanimous -
thanks for your comments. I don’t think that the purpose of the March was to condone the actions of the Jena 6. I think that the purpose was to get them treated like the group of White boys who beat up a Black boy 2 - 3 days earlier. Those White kids got nothing.
The whole is about double standards. You point out something very interesting with the guy who had the KKK suit. I think that was meant as satire for the situation. I think that nooses placed by White people is meant as intimidation.
thanks for your comments.
I’m not sure if Al Sharpton has ever had a logical thought run through his head. He says he is an advocate of civil rights, but his ridiculous actions in Jena, Louisiana (and countless other towns) would downright shame the real civil rights activists like, Martin Luther King, Linda Brown, Rosa Parks, etc. He does not deserve to call himself a ‘civil rights leader’ in the tradition of all the great people that came before him.
He is absolutely doing more harm than good. Marching through the streets having people shout “Black Power”? Is that for real?
Martin Luther King worked so hard in the pursuit of eliminating separation between races and Sharpton is busy being counterproductive in fighting his self-interested fight to keep them separate.
nice job al.
This is a ridiculous case. If you look at all of the events leading up to the beating it is easy to see why this happened. Why does a white boy who grabs a shotgun from his car because he sees several blacks get probation while the three black boys who wrestled the gun away from him get charges such as theft of a weapon. If someone pulls a shotgun on you for no reason, what are you going to do. That was completely ridiculous. No charges were brought against the student with the gun. But the three black students were charged with aggravated second-degree battery, assault, disturbing the peace and theft of the weapon. Those cases have yet to go to trial.
As authorities investigated what led to the incident involving Barker, most of the witness statements police collected agreed that black students had warned him against making certain remarks — but what he said remains unclear.
it sickens me that people belive that a town that creats these kids, teens and adults does not see a need for change, it is as if we stepped in a time warp and are now experencing the same crimes and discontent that my mother and her mother had to face in this country. I hope that my daughters generation will see theses crimes against humanity for what it is and stop it before it spirals out of control like it has in this case.
Think if the principle of the school hadn’t been over ruled for the hate crime that was done in Sept. ( the hanging of nooses to strike fear in the black teens who went against the grain and sat under a tree, remind anyone of a famous bus ride that started the whole movement…) And actually expelled those students, Justice would of been served then. Yet thawts not what happened, with in this small community the board voted against his desired action and the were merly given a slap on the hand… Sorry but if my daughter went to that school and had to suffer thru any of that i would be just as enraged as any of the students forced to co-exist in a hate filled enviornment. I am sure there are a few teens and teachers who were appaled by these actions but the majority had spoken and these crimes had been laid into action by a careless board, and the parents of the original offenders who taught there children HATE was exceptable, and of course that actual childern them selves if it wasn’t for them hanging the noose we peobably would of never heard of this small small town!!!
WAKE UP PEOPLE… stop worrying about your small little town being disturbed by protestors and realize it is 2007 not 1957….get a clue…stop rasing these racist and raise men with dignity!
No one has even mentioned that another incident that led up to the “beating” was the black kid that was attacked by a group of white men and hit over the head with a beer bottle by an adult at an all white party.
I don’t understand why the residents of Jena keep saying there were no racial tensions in their town until the this incident. The town is split right down middle, divided by the main street. The schools are segregated all the way up til High School.
After a FREE bus ride, a very large group of people invaded a poor lil’ ol town with the intention of bullying and intimidating local officials into releasing a convicted, paroled, thug…When that didn’t work, many of them are whining…”unfair”… Maybe a bigger (million man) march might work…Also, what was the RED CROSS doing there handing out FREE refreshments?? Is that where my donations go?? I don’t think so….
Why is it that everyone keeps calling anything about this whole thing “JENA 6″? As hard as it was to do, I have been able to find enough information about it all, to know that it’s a JENA “7″ story. It a shame, that the “VICTIM” has been lost in all the reporting, blog-a-frenzy, Al Sharpton blitz, and/or everywhere else this is “discussed(?)”. Who’s willing to admit that there’s a victim? Is Jena’s police department, Judge’s, or Juries, going to be the only ones? (even at the cost of being run over by a steam roller, called- (bussed in) Marches/ Protest/ 50’s & 60’s Civil Rights Movement????) Isn’t civil rights granted to everyone?
Better explain first that I am an outsider.
Just a little surprised that there was actually a tree for whites alone. After all, this is America in the 21st century.
The most amazing thing is that the TREE was punished. All accounts suggest that it has been cut down.
YES! Twenty-first century? A TREE FOR WHITES ONLY???!!! Since they can’t be AS STUPIDLY blatant nowadays to declare water fountains, restrooms, and restaurants off limits to African American citizens, they’ve outdone their pathetic fear and ignorance to claim ownership of A TREE!!! How ludicrous and despicably LOW can you stoop!? An “unoffical” rule? That says alot about the stagnant and diseased mentality of a class of people desperately lost and confused. “PERMISSION” was asked; “PERMISSION” was given. WHY? The Principal should be brought up on charges, dismissed, and forbidden to have ANY contact with young people and their development towards becoming capable and SELF RESPECTFUL adults. He, the principal failed his responsibility to ALL of these young people; White and Black!
Three NOOSES???!! What a reaction? Who is raising these kids! That reaction is woefully decayed and rotted. IS it more violent to sit under a tree than threaten other human beings with the notion that they could be HANGED for doing so? Think about that! SENSE? LOGIC? DIGNITY? What are you thinking??? SO, you remove the tree!! RIGHT!!! Typical! Barbaric, frightened fools. The world needs to move on!!! Get a grip, folks. You’re contaminating the natural nobleness of HUMANKIND! AND NATURE!
Pax - That’s what I’m talking about. Great comment!
Ashutosh -
Welcome. We aren’t like this. Really. The greatest thing about the US is that our constitution always gives us the promise of equality.
Steve -
Who’s the victim? Justin Barker? The boy who racially taunted the Black students before getting beaten up? The same boy who took part in a racial fight 2 - 3 days earlier in which a Black student was beaten up. Is that the victim that you speak about? If so, I think we should look for another word for Justin, not victim, catalist.
Thanks for your comments.
It shouldn’t, but it still amazes me how so many people that have never been to Jena, do not know any of the prople involved in the entire Jena 6 situation (and will never know any of them) can be so self-righteous and damning. According to many of the posts I have read, the entire community is condemned for the actions of a few whites and a few blacks. The truth is, most of the people that live in Jena and the surrounding area are good people. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the people of Jena and the surrounding area took in hundred of evacuees (white and black), and out of their pockets and the goodness of their hearts looked after those people, and did it for a long time. They did that because it was the right, good thing to do. But one thing is clear when you talk to people in the area after the likes of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the “media” have spent months smearing the town, that will not be the case the next time an event like Katrina occurrs. As seen from the appeals courts actions, the legal system would have corrected the over reaction of the District Attorney, and the 6 young men that took part in the beating of the one young man would have (and still will) received the proper punishment for their crime, the black and white people of Jena will live for many years with the results of the sensationalizing of this case.
Beat up a white kid, get 1/4 million dollars.
Beat up a black kid, get ?.
America,World,Universe. Take a clear lesson from this. If anyone makes you give up slavery, never ever release the slaves alive in your own country.