Here is the story (in case you have not heard about it) –
Six black students at Jena High School in Central Louisiana were arrested last December after a school fight in which a white student was beaten and suffered a concussion and multiple bruises. The six black students were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy. They face up to 100 years in prison without parole. The fight took place amid mounting racial tension after a black student sat under a tree in the schoolyard where only white students sat. The next day three nooses were hanging from the tree. [includes rush transcript] Jena is a small town nestled deep in the heart of Central Louisiana. Until recently, you may well have never heard of it. But this rural town of less than 4,000 people has become a focal point in the debate around issues of race and justice in this country.
Last December, six black students at Jena High School were arrested after a school fight in which a white student was beaten and suffered a concussion and multiple bruises. 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.
Just over a week ago, 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.
Black residents say that race has always been an issue in Jena, which is 85 percent white, and that the charges against the Jena Six are no exception.
The origins of the story can be traced back to early September when a black high school student requested permission to sit under a tree in the schoolyard where usually only white students sat. The next day three nooses were found hanging from the tree. (source)
Here is another account of what happened (gee, I wonder how many times one can use “white” in a paragraph?)
In a small still mostly segregated section of rural Louisiana, an all white jury heard a series of white witnesses called by a white prosecutor testify in a courtroom overseen by a white judge in a trial of a fight at the local high school where a white student who had been making racial taunts was hit by black students. The fight was the culmination of a series of racial incidents starting when whites responded to black students sitting under the “white tree” at their school by hanging three nooses from the tree. The white jury and white prosecutor and all white supporters of the white victim were all on one side of the courtroom. The black defendant, 17 year old Mychal Bell, and his supporters were on the other. The jury quickly convicted Mychal Bell of two felonies - aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Bell, who was a 16 year old sophomore football star at the time he was arrested, faces up to 22 years in prison. Five other black youths await similar trials on attempted second degree murder and conspiracy charges. (source)
A reader recently sent me an e-mail asking me about my thoughts on this particular case. Here is my short response:
If a tree falls in the forest, who will hear it?
If ONE white man commits a crime against a Black individual in a sea of Black on Black crime, who will notice it?
Answer: Mainstream media followed by an angry crowd of ONLINE Black folks.
Here is my long response –
Yes, my Nubian brothas and sistahs, the Black blogosphere has found yet another victim of “racial” injustice to rally behind. Of course, it all takes place in the usual setting: Small southern town with historical ties to slavery (What southern town does not have historical ties to slavery?). Usual characters include a white judge accompanied by an all-white jury. Before I continue, let me say up front that I am in complete agreement with the swarm on this case. Like the Shaquana Cotton case, from the available information out there on this case it does sound like the judge was being excessive with his sentencing of these young boys. Whether or not this is a case of Jim Crow trying to rear its ugly head, I will leave that to those who are really in the know of this case—not those who are not privy to all the evidence.
In any event, this case serves as yet another example of the great lengths folks are willing to go to address White-against-Black injustice versus INJUSTICE period. Do a comparison with the 117 (that’s ONE-HUNDRED SEVENTEEN) murders –mostly Black victims and perpetrators that have taken place in ONE city just south of Jena and you will see the gross oversight of this type of injustice by the blog swarm.
The following are just a few other instances of INJUSTICE that did not meet the apparent criteria of the members of the blog swarm for justice:
Ever heard of “Beat Up a White Kid” day? Well if you lived in the Cleveland, OH area during or before 2003 you may have heard of it.
When the attack was publicized a month later in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, more than 100 readers contacted the newspaper to confirm that the May Day ritual had been alive and well for years and “celebrated” in desegregated communities throughout the United States. Many in their 20s recalled staying home sick from school on May Day in the 1990s or hurrying home to avoid getting hurt. Some teachers did not give homework that day because they knew attendance would be down. Although annual pummelings of white kids by minorities is rooted in certain public schools on Cleveland’s West Side, the event may have multiple origins. For example, one man recalled that when he served in the military, many of his friends reported participated in or becoming victims of this annual ritual in desegregated communities throughout the United States.
In June 2003, the juvenile justice unit of the Cuyahoga county prosecutor’s office filed felonious assault and aggravated riot juvenile charges against the eighteen attackers. Noting that the attack was some sort of May Day ritual with the “focus to beat up a white kid,” the juvenile justice unit also charged the attackers with ethnic intimidation - a hate-crimes law. In July, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Joseph F. Russo entered not guilty pleas and appointed lawyers for the youth, and issued arrest warrants for the four who failed to attend the court hearing. Judge Russo ended the trial on October 2003 with six convictions, but concluded that “based on the evidence I’ve heard, May Day is reality and the evidence was overwhelming that this was an attack based on May Day and that the victim was chosen because she was white.” In drawing such a conclusion, Judge Russo made it clear that white students in Cleveland s integrated public schools have reason to fear assaults by minorities in so-called May Day attacks every May 1. In acknowledging the existence of Beat Up a White Kid Day, Judge Russo reasoned that “This terrible tradition must be stopped by sending a message.”
Ever heard about this case? This took place in Long Beach, CA last year.
Hate crime charges were filed Wednesday against eight black teenagers accused in the brutal beating of three young white women on Halloween.
[…]
The 10 charged in the crime - ages 12 to 17 - were captured within minutes of the attack, which left the victims - two 19-year-olds and a 21-year-old - with broken bones, concussions, cuts and bruises.
Two 17-year-old boys from Long Beach were arrested by police in connection with the beating about a week later, but they have yet to be charged. (source)
You know what sentence they received?
Here is another case–
Wauwatosa - The victim in what police are calling a racially motivated assault on a county bus offered a bleak assessment of race relations in Milwaukee County on Tuesday and said the incident left him feeling more pity than anger.
“I just felt sorry for them,” the 20-year-old Wauwatosa man said Tuesday of the African-American teens who police say assaulted him on an eastbound bus en route from Mayfair Mall on Jan. 27.
“There are a lot of ignorant people in the world,” said the man, whose name is being withheld because he is the victim of a crime. “There’s something wrong in this (community) when people don’t understand how to interact with each other.”
While ‘Black leaders’ did denounce this crime, they apparently was more concerned about the rights of the accused rather than the victim.
Meanwhile, leaders in the African-American community on Tuesday denounced the assault but raised concerns about the Wauwatosa Police Department’s plans to seek the hate-crime enhancer against a 16- year-old suspect.
What about the witnesses in this case?
In the bus incident, none of the other passengers - all of whom were African-American, according to the police report - intervened or came forward when officers asked for witnesses, police said. (source)
This reminds me of something that happened during my recent jury duty–
The case was a gang-related case, so this was by no means a sleeper.
One of the witnesses for whatever reason (you fill in the blank) had to get immunity in order to testify. She was already on record for lying to police when the incident happened and was apparently very afraid on the stand to once again tell the complete truth. A family member later took the stand and gave an account that not only pitifully hard to believe, but it completely conflicted with the defendant’s claim.
The sad truth is that in many gang infested communities you have two types of people: Those who are willing to take to the streets in some form or fashion to flush out this activity from their community (usually one of the first that will find themselves shot), and those that will do just about anything to maintain the status quo because “That’s my baby” or “That’s my boi”. It is this later element that has been holding good folks in the hood hostage for years (not the Klan or lack of job opportunities) without the interest of the blog swarm. A blogger who goes by the name of ‘Constructive Feedback’ had this to say regarding his city: Atlanta–
In Atlanta Georgia less than 50% of people who commit murder are ever brought to justice…Why is it that the same people who can get so impassioned about tracking down “cold case” murders that occurred more than 50 years ago are so irrelevant in dealing with this current matter? I recall a local state senator took several busloads of Black people down to a bridge in Georgia in which 4 Black people were killed a long time ago. They wanted a placard permanently placed at the location to commemorate where a crowd of White racists had taken the lives of 2 Black couples.
I struggle to understand why the deaths today don’t trigger the same response WITHIN the Black community. Why doesn’t this same state sentor bother to recognize the lives lost just this year alone in the streets within his own district? He doesn’t even have to travel to middle-Georgia to have this commemoration. (source)
Now is a 50% unsolved murder rate an injustice or just plain incompetence?
I call it both!
However to the blog swarm, it is an excusable display of incompetence. Why? Because the mayor (Shirley Franklin) is Black along with most the leadership in that city. Make the mayor ‘White’ and expectations are set much higher.
Visit the coroner building of any major inner city with a significant Black population and I assure you that you will not find noose marks around the necks of the many Black bodies that are there. Instead you will find bullet holes in most cases–wounds that were inflicted by other Black men.
Here is a map that outlines the 515 murders that have taken place in the Los Angeles area this year alone (165 of them are Black victims who in most cases was shot by another Black individual).
Here is a map that details the murders that have taken place in Baltimore during this year.
While there are folks out there who are fully vested in finding and exploiting kinks in the America justice system–kinks with racial overtones, I am still convinced the our justice system is one of the best in the world. Think I’m off my rocker? For you ‘back to Africa’ folks, take a trip back there to some of the countries and see what injustice is all about. You can also pay a visit to places to some countries within the middle east or South America where ‘due process’ is virtually non-existent.
Now is there room for improvement in our current justice system? Are there cases where the scales of justice are imbalanced? You bet. Should the public (both on and offline) use their right to voice their opinion about such injustices? They better!
With all of that being said, unless we who make up the Black online community begin to show some consistency on what we deem as justice or injustice, we will forever spend our precious time blaming mainstream media or the public at large for not taking us seriously on important issues—just like the struggling Civil Rights groups about which we love to complain.
Other potential uses for the blog swarm:
Identifying single mothers who are in real dire straits and helping them to find employment
Promoting the movie of an independent filmmaker
Letting Black television networks such as BET/TV One know what shows we LIKE.
etc..
To H - E - L - L with these baby daddy Negroes. I say baby daddy because the only father whose name I heard mentioned, had a different last name than his son.
Did thier school or the white students at thier school try to keep these Negroes out of the advanced placement biology class? What about advanced placement calculus? Advanced placement chemistry, physics, French, or English?
Surely, that is what the fight was about? For if not, then that is what the fight should have been about. Not a seat under a tree.
Did any of these six Negroes have a seat in any of the advanced placement classes? Did any Negroe in the school have a seat in the advanced placement classes? Does the school have advanced placement classes?
Regardless, baby daddy Negroes and Negroes not taking full advantage of any and all of the educational opportunities presented to us are our biggest problem, not seats under a fornicating tree.
Were the biological fathers of any of these 6 Negroe males married to their biological mothers?
For there is a difference betwixt saying:
that my baby daddy, and
that is my husband, the father of my children.
Did the biological fathers of these six Negroe males have anything to do with their rearing: reading to them, nurturing them, raising them, teaching them, fathering them.
Were these Jena six Negroe males good students?
How about some family history of these Jena six Negroes; some scholastic history of these Jena six Negroes; some behaviorial history of these Jena six Negroes; before we start marching.
[sidebar]
In my opinion, ShaQuanda ‘nem were amongst the lowest of the low; three or four different last names for ShaQuanda, ShaQuanda’s mother, and ShaQuanda’s brother.
Is/was ShaQuanda a superlative student? Is/was she on her way to college and medical school? Was she an anal orifice who got what she deserved? Will she become another baby momma with multiple baby daddy?
No way in Hades should Negroe people have stood up for ShaQuanda ‘nem.
[return]
No way in Hades should Negroe people be standing up for the Jena 6.
To H - E - L - L with these Jena 6 baby daddy Negroes. I say baby daddy because the only father whose name I heard mentioned, had a different last name than his son.
Did their school or the white students at their school try to keep these Negroes out of the advanced placement biology class? What about advanced placement calculus? Advanced placement chemistry, physics, French, or English?
Surely, that is what the fight was about? For if not, then that is what the fight should have been about. Not a seat under a tree.
Did any of these Jena 6 Negroes have a seat in any of the advanced placement classes? Did any Negroe in the school have a seat in the advanced placement classes? Does the school have advanced placement classes?
Regardless, baby daddy Negroes and Negroes not taking full advantage of any and all of the educational opportunities presented to us are our biggest problem, not seats under a fornicating tree.
Were the biological fathers of any of these Jena 6 Negroe males married to their biological mothers?
For there is a difference betwixt saying:
that my baby daddy, and
that is my husband, the father of my children.
Did the biological fathers of these Jena 6 Negroe males have anything to do with their rearing: reading to them, nurturing them, raising them, teaching them, and fathering them?
Were these Jena 6 Negroe males good students?
How about some family history of these Jena 6 Negroes; some scholastic history of these Jena 6 Negroes; some behavioral history of these Jena 6 Negroes; before we start marching.
[sidebar]
In my opinion, ShaQuanda ‘nem were amongst the lowest of the low; three or four different last names for ShaQuanda, ShaQuanda’s mother, and ShaQuanda’s brother.
Is/was ShaQuanda a superlative student? Is/was she on her way to collge and medical school? Was she an anal orifice who got what she deserved? Will she become another baby momma with multiple baby daddy?
No way in Hades should Negroe people have stood up for ShaQuanda ‘nem.
[return]
No way in Hades should Negroe people be standing up for the Jena 6.
To H - E - L - L with these Jena 6 baby daddy Negroes. I say baby daddy because the only father whose name I heard mentioned, had a different last name than his son.
Did their school or the white students at their school try to keep these Negroes out of the advanced placement biology class? What about advanced placement calculus? Advanced placement chemistry, physics, French, or English?
Surely, that is what the fight was about? For if not, then that is what the fight should have been about. Not a seat under a tree.
Did any of these Jena 6 Negroes have a seat in any of the advanced placement classes? Did any Negroe in the school have a seat in the advanced placement classes? Does the school have advanced placement classes?
Regardless, baby daddy Negroes and Negroes not taking full advantage of any and all of the educational opportunities presented to us are our biggest problem, not seats under a fornicating tree.
Were the biological fathers of any of these Jena 6 Negroe males married to their biological mothers?
For there is a difference betwixt saying:
that my baby daddy, and
that is my husband, the father of my children.
Did the biological fathers of these Jena 6 Negroe males have anything to do with their rearing: reading to them, nurturing them, raising them, teaching them, and fathering them?
Were these Jena 6 Negroe males good students?
How about some family history of these Jena 6 Negroes; some scholastic history of these Jena 6 Negroes; some behavioral history of these Jena 6 Negroes; before we start marching.
[sidebar]
In my opinion, ShaQuanda ‘nem were amongst the lowest of the low; three or four different last names for ShaQuanda, ShaQuanda’s mother, and ShaQuanda’s brother.
Is/was ShaQuanda a superlative student? Is/was she on her way to collge and medical school? Was she an anal orifice who got what she deserved? Will she become another baby momma with multiple baby daddy?
No way in Hades should Negroe people have stood up for ShaQuanda ‘nem.
[return]
No way in Hades should Negroe people be standing up for the Jena 6.
`
[from siteowner: Joseph, I decided to delete your comment due to the fact that you went WAAAAY off topic. Abraham Lincoln and Civil war have no part of the Jena six case or how the Blogosphere is reacting to it. You are more than welcomed to comment here, but you must stay on topic, otherwise it appears that you are trying to divert from the issue presented in THIS post.]
To H - E - L - L with these baby daddy Jena 6 Negroes.
I say baby daddy because for the only father whose name I heard mentioned, father and son had different last names.
Did their school or the white students in their school try to keep these Jena 6 Negroes out of the advanced placement biology class? What about advanced placement calculus? Advanced placement chemistry, physics, French, or English?

Surely, that is what the fight was about? For if not, then that is what the fight should have been about. Not a seat under a tree. 

Did any of these Jena 6 Negroes have a seat in any of the advanced placement classes? Did any Negroe in the school have a seat in the advanced placement classes? Does the school have advanced placement classes?

Regardless, baby daddy Negroes and not taking full advantage of any and all of the educational opportunities presented to us are our biggest problem, not seats under a fornicating tree.

Were the biological fathers of any of these Jena 6 Negroe males married to their biological mothers? 

For there is a difference betwixt saying: 

that my baby daddy, and 

that is my husband, the father of my children.

Did the biological fathers of these Jena 6 Negroe males have anything to do with their rearing: reading to them, nurturing them, raising them, teaching them, fathering them.

Were these Jena 6 Negroe males good students?

How about some family history of these Jena 6 Negroes; some scholastic history of these six Negroes; some behaviorial history of these Jena 6 Negroes; before we start marching.

[sidebar]

In my opinion, ShaQuanda ‘nem were amongst the lowest of the low; three or four different last names for ShaQuanda, ShaQuanda’s mother, and ShaQuanda’s brother. 

Is/was ShaQuanda a superlative student?
Is/was she on her way to collge and medical school?
Was she an anal orifice who got what she deserved?
Will she become another baby momma with multiple baby daddy? 

No way in Hades should Negroe people have stood up for ShaQuanda ‘nem.

[end sidebar]

No way in Hades should Negroe people be standing up for the Jena 6.
I am sooooo DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!!!!! I did NOT send that email to you so that you could preach a sermon about the inequalities of black thoughts on violence! I sent that to you, because had you cared to investigate a little further, you would have found that the newspaper articles are a little off on the facts of the case. From what I understand, the victim wasn’t a STUDENT, but a former adult student who attacked the STUDENTS at an off-campus area with a gun, while the defendants didn’t have one and took that gun from their attacker. In doing so, they were charged with theft for taking away the very item that would’ve been used to take their lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I view this website as a way to see the view of others, which I THOUGHT was OPEN-MINDED THOUGHT!!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, I have found that I was mistaken. Had you been a little bit more open to investigate this situation, you would’ve found that there is MORE to this case than simple BLACK versus WHITE!!!! To me, I view this as an attack on children. Not just because they are black, but this is an attack on the lives of these children who could’ve done soooo much with their lives, but because of what I view to be unfair and many who like yourself, have turned a blind eye to those that may need help. You who write against prejudice, have yourself, prejudged this situation without doing your homework! And for the record, I am a little disgusted at seeing you and so many others dehumanize the life obstacles that we as a people endure on a daily basis………….. ie, those living in poverty, single-mothers, victims of crime, former criminals, etc. How ’bout you ask some of the people that you talk about so often how they feel about welfare, poverty, unwed parenting, etcettera. Your musings are great just as long as you keep them in touch with reality, and reality is knowing how to walk in another’s shoes before you tell them what size they should be wearing.
One question that no one will answer. Did these six kids beat up this one kid?
Excellent post. This is my new favorite blog!
Welcome to the show!
Thanks.
Hey Mike! Glad you love the post as well as the blog, but you do have a good question. According to a recent report made by CNN, atleast one of these 6 were not involved in the attack. Read the article, it appears that there was more than one attacker, but its not clear that anyone knows who. Based on what I’ve read and heard on the radio, these 6 were accused because of a previous incident where the victim had tried to shoot them with a sawed-off shotgun. The “Jena 6″ were able to take the gun away from the victim and then were charged with theft of that gun.
My issue with this entire ordeal is not for anyone to expound upon race relations in Jena, LA, but for each of us to question how our children are protected in this society. And when I say “our children” I mean every child who is born to a woman. No color needed! I don’t feel that these children are being protected or treated fairly by their government or those of us who wish for violence to end completely. The thing is is that in our culture, violence transcends color, race, and class. It’s one of the only things that we can truly say is non-discriminatory. (That and AIDS)
Who are we as a people if the only time that we open our mouths to protect/challenge/change our Black youth is after they’re dead? These children, regardless of color are alive and I think that they should be supported. And let’s not forget, they are still children.
As far as Cosby goes. I consider him hypocritical. Not too long ago he was accused of fathering several children outside of his marriage. And his money, what money has he used to assist the members of the “lower economics” that are attempting to improve their lives. Or does he make them change their names to something more acceptable before he considers them. Just a question.
As far as Cosby goes. I consider him hypocritical. Not too long ago he was accused of fathering several children outside of his marriage. And his money, what money has he used to assist the members of the “lower economics†that are attempting to improve their lives. Or does he make them change their names to something more acceptable before he considers them. Just a question.
Here is the 411 on Coz (just so that we are on the same page):
As far as his philanthropy goes, check out this link and then visit his website here (I know there is more, but at the time of me typing this, it is late).
well the charges Are a little extreme .. however if the situation was reversed i.e 6 white kids beat up a black kid, then the black community would have made it such a big issue that the charges would have been about the same for the whites .. i think that blacks have gotten used to the idea that everyone owes them something … majority of the crime s in America are committed by blacks and they can say what they want about whites without consequence but let some white person say “nigger” its the end of the world … black people are just a race that crave violence and attention and as i said earlier … ” they think everyone owes them something “
Here’s a fine example of blaming the victim.