Color of Change
Okay, now that my life has slowed down again, I have more time to put into this blog.
And the first thing I want to bring up is the case concerning the Jena 6 in Louisiana. For those who don't know:
In Jena, Louisiana, the local high school had one shade tree. At the explicit exclusion of black students, white students stood under that tree daily. As a means of peaceful protest, a black student received permission to sit under that tree. The next day, three nooses hung from the tree. The principal discovered that some white students were responsible for the nooses and moved to expel them. The superintendent found out about the principal's intentions and stepped in to say that expulsion wasn't necessary for the "silly prank"--instead, the students should only have 3-day suspensions.
After that, a series of events happened: several black kids protested the light-weight suspensions by sitting under the tree; the DA visited the school and told the protesting kids that he could "take away your life with a stroke of the pen;" part of the Jena school building was burnt; a black kid visited a white kids' party and was beaten--the white kids were charged with assault; a white guy tried to rob a store at gunpoint and several black guys tackled him down and wrested the gun from his control--the white guy got off scot-free, but the black guys were arrested; a white student who supported the noose-hangers taunted black students with racial slurs and was beaten by six black students, who were then charged with attempted second degree murder and aggravated assault (a charge which requires a weapon; the weapon was deemed to be one of the black students' shoes)--the white student went to the hospital, was released and attended a school event that very evening. (For more on these charges, including the bail prices and amount of time the black students spent in jail, please visit Truthout.org.)
Obviously, justice is not truly being served in Jena. The oldest black student, Mychal Bell, was initially sent before an all-white jury--how is that a jury of his peers? His original sentence has since been overturned, because the court said that his case should've been held in juvenile court. So, he will now be tried there, although the DA involved says that he is appealing the court's decision.
What makes me angriest about all of this (aside from the racial injustice) is the mainstream media's coverage. Only yesterday morning did I hear Good Morning America discuss the Jena 6--and their 'headline' speech said that the case was one of people thinking that six black students who beat a white student were sentenced unfairly. !! Well, yes, it is about that, but it's about so much more than that, too. And yet that's what I hear from most of the main news networks. What is with this sloppy reporting?
On the other hand, this has been a rallying cry for people to support real civil rights reform and legislation. We are in the midst of great turmoil and great change, and ColorOfChange.org has taken up the banner for this fight. Please visit their site to sign their petition and learn how you can take action to help.
And for more good coverage on the Jena 6, please visit AlterNet.org and search for "Jena 6" (without the quotes) on their search engine. There, you'll find stories such as this one by Melissa McEwan about John Conyers calling for hearings on the Jena 6 case.
Peace.
And the first thing I want to bring up is the case concerning the Jena 6 in Louisiana. For those who don't know:
In Jena, Louisiana, the local high school had one shade tree. At the explicit exclusion of black students, white students stood under that tree daily. As a means of peaceful protest, a black student received permission to sit under that tree. The next day, three nooses hung from the tree. The principal discovered that some white students were responsible for the nooses and moved to expel them. The superintendent found out about the principal's intentions and stepped in to say that expulsion wasn't necessary for the "silly prank"--instead, the students should only have 3-day suspensions.
After that, a series of events happened: several black kids protested the light-weight suspensions by sitting under the tree; the DA visited the school and told the protesting kids that he could "take away your life with a stroke of the pen;" part of the Jena school building was burnt; a black kid visited a white kids' party and was beaten--the white kids were charged with assault; a white guy tried to rob a store at gunpoint and several black guys tackled him down and wrested the gun from his control--the white guy got off scot-free, but the black guys were arrested; a white student who supported the noose-hangers taunted black students with racial slurs and was beaten by six black students, who were then charged with attempted second degree murder and aggravated assault (a charge which requires a weapon; the weapon was deemed to be one of the black students' shoes)--the white student went to the hospital, was released and attended a school event that very evening. (For more on these charges, including the bail prices and amount of time the black students spent in jail, please visit Truthout.org.)
Obviously, justice is not truly being served in Jena. The oldest black student, Mychal Bell, was initially sent before an all-white jury--how is that a jury of his peers? His original sentence has since been overturned, because the court said that his case should've been held in juvenile court. So, he will now be tried there, although the DA involved says that he is appealing the court's decision.
What makes me angriest about all of this (aside from the racial injustice) is the mainstream media's coverage. Only yesterday morning did I hear Good Morning America discuss the Jena 6--and their 'headline' speech said that the case was one of people thinking that six black students who beat a white student were sentenced unfairly. !! Well, yes, it is about that, but it's about so much more than that, too. And yet that's what I hear from most of the main news networks. What is with this sloppy reporting?
On the other hand, this has been a rallying cry for people to support real civil rights reform and legislation. We are in the midst of great turmoil and great change, and ColorOfChange.org has taken up the banner for this fight. Please visit their site to sign their petition and learn how you can take action to help.
And for more good coverage on the Jena 6, please visit AlterNet.org and search for "Jena 6" (without the quotes) on their search engine. There, you'll find stories such as this one by Melissa McEwan about John Conyers calling for hearings on the Jena 6 case.
Peace.
posted by A-muse-ing at 8:35 AM
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