Support the Jena 6 Today
Posted by closeyoureyestosee on Sep 20, 2007 · Member since Jan 2007 · 1218 posts
People across the country are going to wear black today to show support for the Jena 6. If you don't know who they are (who can blame you since it hasn't made national news in any significant way...) check out this article. You can also see videos on Democracynow.org and youtube.
There's lots to the story that's not mentioned in this article...
I don't support violence and I don't support racism, basically I beg everyone to not judge Louisiana. This isn't ....typical
Perhaps it's not typical, but it's still appalling and needs to be stopped.
I agree with Fee. I don't support violence or racism either. This was all over the news last night and I only know as much as was in that article.
Actually, what I felt sorriest about when I saw the news report was the tree had to be cut down to help start to repair some of this........weirdness. :'(
"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
This isn't the particular racist situation I would really want to protest. If it hadn't gone beyond the civil protests, it would be a different story. I am against any kind of discrimination, but not to the point that I will be FOR violence
"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
This isn't the particular racist situation I would really want to protest. If it hadn't gone beyond the civil protests, it would be a different story. I am against any kind of discrimination, but not to the point that I will be FOR violence
This isn't about violence. It's about 6 black high school students facing life in prison for getting in a school yard fight. Please look further into the case. There is MAJOR racial discrimination and injustice going on and we can't tolerate it.
I think the sentencing for the Jena 6 is completely unjust/racist. I signed the petition today, wore black, went to a rally
I didn't say that they deserve life in prison for it, and they won't get that. One conviction has already been overturned. That kid was fine, he walked away and went to a party that night. I just don't see why people are backing them up as if what they did was okay.
I didn't say that they deserve life in prison for it, and they won't get that. One conviction has already been overturned. That kid was fine, he walked away and went to a party that night. I just don't see why people are backing them up as if what they did was okay.
There was a schoolyard fight. They are facing life in prison. The one who was overturned was because he was tried as an adult, but still spent months in jail. Why didn't the white kids get in trouble for the same fight or for hanging the nooses?
It was six kids jumping one kid outside of school.....I mean, like I said, I don't think the conviction is RIGHT, it wasn't attempted murder. But I also don't believe they should go free. It's assault. White, black, whatever I would say the same thing.
I believe I was mistaken- I don't think anyone had a sentence overturned. Michael Bell is the only one who has been convicted (by an all-white jury from an all-white juror pool) and has been in jail since December. He is still there.
As far as the fight, I believe the typical protocol would be suspension or expulsion- not life in prison. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon- the weapon being his shoe.
Just so I'm clear, I'm with you on the whole racist conviction thing, if I had it my way the kids that hung the nooses would've been expelled when they did it and none of this would have happened the way it did. It's hard to connect that incident to the "fight" because it happened months later.
A few of the people I go to school with now are from Jena, and from what they have said and a few things I've read in the local paper, Bell has a history of violent crimes. He was on probation for battery from 2005.
Over a hundred summons were sent out for jurors, only 50 responded and none were black....It might be foul play and it might just be the way it happened to fall.
So while I'm not saying Free The Jena 6...I'm more of saying Chill Back on the Jena 6, But Don't Let It Happen Again
I would be really upset if what people took away from this is that it's okay to resolve such a thing as racial tension with fighting. Someone COULD have been seriously hurt and everyone invovled was lucky that no one was.
His history of violent crimes was from an incident where a white man pulled a gun on him and his friends. They wrestled the gun away from the guy to protect themselves and were charged with battery and with stealing the gun. Again, the white man walked away free.
FYI, his sentence did get overturned (I believe on the 18th). Haven't heard news on the other four or the one being tried as a juvenile.
"All but one of the six students accused over the beating have since had their charges reduced to assault. On the day of the march a court ordered a hearing into the sixth man's detention."
That's from the BBC- here's the article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7004975.stm