Thousands rally to support "Jena 6"

[tivodan1116]

Thousands rally to support 'Jena 6' - CNN.com

JENA, Louisiana (CNN) -- Thousands of protesters gathered in Jena, Louisiana, Thursday to show support for the "Jena 6," six black teens charged in the beating of a white classmate. Tour buses were pulled over to the side of Louisiana Route 49 more than 20 miles from Jena as authorities in the town of 3,000 people controlled access to avoid gridlock. In Jena, some parking lots were full by 8 a.m. ET. Thursday was the day Mychal Bell expected to find out his punishment for his alleged role in the school beating. "This is a march for justice. This is not a march against whites or against Jena," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist and one of the protest organizers. Sharpton called Jena the beginning of the 21st century civil rights movement. "[The Rev. Martin Luther] King went to Selma. That wasn't the only place you couldn't vote. That was the point of action," Sharpton said. "They went to Birmingham. That wasn't the only place we didn't have public accommodations. It was the point of action. "Jena is a point of action for the Jenas everywhere," Sharpton said. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, and hip-hop artist Mos Def also are expected to attend. A Louisiana state patrol officer said five tour buses were being allowed into the town every 12 minutes. That resulted in buses lined up as far as the eye could see in both directions on Route 49, reported CNN.com's Eliott McLaughlin, who was riding on a bus that had traveled from Los Angeles for the event. Demonstrators are protesting what they say are excessive criminal charges and bond amounts for the teens. Bell, 17, has been in prison since his arrest in December. "It breaks our heart to see him handcuffed and in leg shackles," Sharpton said. "But his spirit is high. He has said that he is very encouraged to know that thousands are coming to this town to stand up for him and his five friends." Video Watch how town prepares for flood of protesters » The teens were initially charged with attempted murder after they allegedly knocked out Justin Barker -- a white classmate -- while stomping and kicking him during a school fight on December 4, 2006. Barker was taken to a hospital with injuries to both eyes and ears, as well as cuts. His right eye had blood clots, said his mother, Kelli Barker. LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters urged the world not to forget the victim in the case. "The injury done to him and threats to his survival have become less than a footnote," Walters said Wednesday. "This case has not, never has been about race. It's about finding justice for an innocent victim, holding people accountable for their actions. That is what it's about," he said. Five of the black teens were charged as adults. Bell was the first to face felony charges. Advocates of the Jena 6 said the story actually began three months earlier, when three white students hung nooses from a tree on campus. The white students were suspended from school but didn't face criminal charges. The protesters argue they should have been charged with a hate crime. Thursday morning, demonstrators walked to the high school, asking to see the tree where nooses were hung. They couldn't; the tree has been chopped down. Charges against Bell were reduced, as were charges against Carwin Jones and Theodore Shaw, who have not yet come to trial. Robert Bailey, Bryant Purvis and an unidentified juvenile remain charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Bell, who was 16 at the time of the fight, was to have been sentenced on battery and conspiracy convictions Thursday. But a district judge earlier this month tossed out his conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, saying the matter should have been handled in the juvenile court. Last week, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Lake Charles, Louisiana, did the same with Bell's battery conviction. But a Louisiana appeals court ruled Tuesday it was too early to consider a motion to free Bell from prison. Meanwhile, the U.S. attorney who reviewed investigations into the nooses and the beating said he believes the incidents -- though likely symptoms of racial tension -- were not related. advertisement "A lot of things happened between the noose hanging and the fight occurring, and we have arrived at the conclusion that the fight itself had no connection," said Donald Washington, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. "There were three months of high school football in which they all played football together and got along fine, in which there was a homecoming court, in which there was the drill team, in which there were parades," Washington added.

Let's be clear here - no one is denying that the so-called "Jena 6" assaulted another student. What is being claimed is the fact that they are being charged with a crime means there is racism in the county.

What is wrong with these race-baiters that they don't see that when there is a crime committed, the people responsible are going to be charged with a crime???

The protesters say the people who, three months earlier, hung nooses from a tree because black students had taken to sitting under it, should be charged with a hate crime. WHAT hate crime?

It is not illegal to be a racist jerk, and you do not have a Constitutional right not to be offended...

[tivodan1116]

I should also mention that this was discussed amongst our class this morning, and predictably the liberal bias of my classmates came out in full support of the idiot Reverend Al.

[Thanatos]

As near as I can reconstruct from what I've read, they were definitely bullied and threatened for quite some time before the incident by white supremacists in their school who did things like leave nooses hanging about...The school did absolutely nothing and they finally decided to take matters into their own hands.

Their actions were illegal but understandable. I feel sorry for the judge who will have to convict them.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Thanatos As near as I can reconstruct from what I've read, they were definitely bullied and threatened for quite some time before the incident by white supremacists in their school who did things like leave nooses hanging about...The school did absolutely nothing and they finally decided to take matters into their own hands. Their actions were illegal but understandable. I feel sorry for the judge who will have to convict them.

No, there was nothing understandable about it! There is never any justification for six people to brutally assault one person! The only appropriate action, since the school was unwilling to do anything about the white supremacists' actions (assuming they had the legal authority to do so), was for these six (and/or their parents) to sue the white supremacists for their threatening actions and/or sue the school for not alleviating the threat.

[shawmutt]

It is not justice that folks like Martin Luther King, Jr. gets assassinated while idiots like Sharpton get to hawk their agenda.

It makes me want to puke.

Six people assault one person they need to be punished. Six white cops assaulted a strung out black druggie and an entire city went up in flames.

Racism is racism is racism.

[Thanatos]

Quote by: Chancellor No, there was nothing understandable about it! There is never any justification for six people to brutally assault one person! The only appropriate action, since the school was unwilling to do anything about the white supremacists' actions (assuming they had the legal authority to do so), was for these six (and/or their parents) to sue the white supremacists for their threatening actions and/or sue the school for not alleviating the threat.

Hypothetical: you're poor and black and your school really doesn't care that some kid threatened to hang you. A civil suit costs money that you don't have. Do you strike back, or do you sit it out? Just how long can you sit there afraid they'll do something to you or one of your friends first?

I have been threatened and bullied and beaten myself in a school that didn't care. I never really hit back; I was always the one outnumbered and while if I tried to hit them it was grounds for detention, the reverse was just fun and games. My family had the option of moving to a different town; a lawsuit would have been futile due to the fact that the principal responsible for ignoring my situation had tenure and I was afraid to wear a recording device to school so that legally substantial evidence could be gathered...

Do you see why I stand by what I said?

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Thanatos Hypothetical: you're poor and black and your school really doesn't care that some kid threatened to hang you. A civil suit costs money that you don't have. Do you strike back, or do you sit it out? Just how long can you sit there afraid they'll do something to you or one of your friends first?

Groups like the ACLU have been known to bear the costs of such suits. There are plenty of legal service agencies that provide free legal services to the poor. There are attorneys who occasionally do pro bono work.

I have been threatened and bullied and beaten myself in a school that didn't care. I never really hit back; I was always the one outnumbered and while if I tried to hit them it was grounds for detention, the reverse was just fun and games. My family had the option of moving to a different town; a lawsuit would have been futile due to the fact that the principal responsible for ignoring my situation had tenure and I was afraid to wear a recording device to school so that legally substantial evidence could be gathered... Do you see why I stand by what I said?

I think it's a stupid policy to punish the person who was defending himself. As I said earlier, there is never any justification for six people to brutally assault one person. This is America: we believe in the rule of law and we expect our citizens to obey the law or, when the law is unjust, get the law changed (whether by contacting their elected representatives or, if necessary, by revolution).

[tivodan1116]

Quote by: Thanatos Hypothetical: you're poor and black and your school really doesn't care that some kid threatened to hang you. A civil suit costs money that you don't have. Do you strike back, or do you sit it out? Just how long can you sit there afraid they'll do something to you or one of your friends first?

Ever hear the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me"? What ever happened to that?

If there was a legitimate "threat" to hang these students, that is a criminal offense - they could go to the police, no money needed. Fortunately for us, it is not illegal merely to be a racist jerk.

You cannot "strike back". It is not acceptable to take the law into your own hands and certainly not to escalate a verbal battle into a physical beating.

Get a thicker skin.

[gratefuldawg77]

I used to like Al Sharpton. The turning point, I think, was ofter Barrack Obama began running for president, and ole Al began questioning his blackness. I am not an Obama supporter, but race has nothing to do with it, and it shouldn't. I think Al is trying to retain what little political relevance he's had with stunts like the Don Imus fiasco and now this. This isn't about blacks not being served in certain restaurants or being told where to sit on the bus. Its about white people using their freedom of speech (albeit tasteless and racist, but freedom of speech all the same) and blacks retaliating with violence. I have absolutely no tolerance for violence no matter what your color or reasons. The people marching in Jena should be spending their time camping in front of the White House trying to end an immoral war in which soldiers of all colors are currently dying in vain.

[Praxius]

My comment on this can be located here:

Protesters pack Louisiana town to rally for accused black teens:

[Thanatos]

Quote by: tivodan1116 Get a thicker skin.

...

And how am I supposed to respond to that? Don't you get it? Leaving a noose hanging about may not be a direct threat but it has a really obvious implication. Mainly, death.

And you just assume the police will help and that they can afford to pay for the lawyers? Do you know anything about the legal system, or did you learn it all off Law and Order where the pro bono guys are worth having and success doesn't correlate strongly with cash? I find your mix of idealism and heartlessness...disturbing.

[ZNFYRH]

The official ruling varies from state to state, but here's how I understand it for my home state:

Hanging a noose from a tree has clear implications of a threat to the life of black students. It is symbolic and therefore the symbol carries with it the threat.

Hanging a noose from a tree is also not illegal. The school did the right thing by punishing those students who committed the action. Anything beyond suspension would have earned opposition on the grounds that no actual crime was committed.

But 6 kids severely beat another kid.

Race doesn't matter.

Those 6 kids were old enough to "know better." Beating the kid when he was already done demonstrates intent beyond assault and battery.. .which is probably why the charges are crossing into attempted murder.

By making this a racial issue, you call for racial tension and sensitivity. That makes things worse.

While I don't disagree with the nature of the charges or bond for the "Jena 6," I disagree with Sharpton making an issue out of it.

[tivodan1116]

Quote by: Thanatos ...And how am I supposed to respond to that? Don't you get it? Leaving a noose hanging about may not be a direct threat but it has a really obvious implication. Mainly, death.

Maybe to you.

First of all, an indirect threat is not something that someone can be arrested for. If a person says "damn, I could kill someone", that is an indirect threat. There has to be specificity in the nature of the threat. Hanging a noose from a tree is not a crime because it is not specific.

And again, you are supposed to respond by ignoring it. Not ganging up with your friends and assaulting the person you think did it more than three months later after the "threat" was clearly gone.

And you just assume the police will help and that they can afford to pay for the lawyers?

1) It is reasonable to expect that the police will act upon receiving knowledge of a crime committed. Since no crime was committed, they had nothing to act on.

2) Pay for what lawyers??? If a person reports a crime to the police, there is no cost to them. Victims of a crime are not charged for the cost of prosecution. Furthermore, if the prosecution was successful and/or the offenders take a plea bargain, any attorney in the world would take that case on a contingency basis since the principles of res judicata and collateral estoppal would allow the victim (now plaintiff) to use all of the evidence from the criminal trial plus their convictions to establish a case.

Do you know anything about the legal system, or did you learn it all off Law and Order where the pro bono guys are worth having and success doesn't correlate strongly with cash? I find your mix of idealism and heartlessness...disturbing.

LOL... I learned about the legal system from working in it. Also, from this little place that teaches a bit about the legal system called law school. Judging ("judging" - get it? :) ) by your total lack of understanding regarding how cases are tried and attorneys are paid, I'm guessing you have never been there.

As I said above, the prosecutors are paid by the state in a criminal case. Many times, they are quite good.
Success in a plaintiff's civil rights or injury case (suing someone over hanging up a noose would be one of these) does not correlate strongly with cash because there is no upfront cash - the lawyers are paid on contingency.

And if you want to talk about idealism, I find your idealist view that everyone should be nice and people who aren't nice should be forced to pay merely for being not nice ridiculous.

Once again - You do not have a Constitutional right to not be offended.

[Thanatos]

It pains me to say it, but I was confused and thinking of civil court. Tivodan1116 is in fact correct.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Thanatos ... And how am I supposed to respond to that? Don't you get it? Leaving a noose hanging about may not be a direct threat but it has a really obvious implication. Mainly, death. And you just assume the police will help and that they can afford to pay for the lawyers? Do you know anything about the legal system, or did you learn it all off Law and Order where the pro bono guys are worth having and success doesn't correlate strongly with cash? I find your mix of idealism and heartlessness...disturbing.

You might not want to challenge the legal knowledge of someone who has been to law school as Tivodan has - unless of course you happen to be an attorney.

Do the police always help? No. Is hiring a lawyer expensive? Yes - unless you utilize the numerous legal organizations available to the poor or you go to organizations like the ACLU (which would be warranted in this case).

[Mia]

Quote by: tivodan1116 Thousands rally to support 'Jena 6' - CNN.com Let's be clear here - no one is denying that the so-called "Jena 6" assaulted another student. What is being claimed is the fact that they are being charged with a crime means there is racism in the county. What is wrong with these race-baiters that they don't see that when there is a crime committed, the people responsible are going to be charged with a crime??? The protesters say the people who, three months earlier, hung nooses from a tree because black students had taken to sitting under it, should be charged with a hate crime. WHAT hate crime? It is not illegal to be a racist jerk, and you do not have a Constitutional right not to be offended...

I don't believe in hate crimes, but I believe in terroristic threats, and hanging nooses from a tree fits that description, imo.

Maybe you don't know it, but down here whites used to string black people up by those things on a regular basis, and the KKK cop, DA, and judges wouldn't do a damn thing about it.

The issue here is not that the boys were charged with a crime. It's that in the same town, with the same DA, a white kid breaking a bottle over a black kid's head was charged with simple battery, and given probation, and in a similar fight, the black assailants were charged with attempted murder, and tried as adults.

If you don't see a racist disparity there, well, I don't know what to tell you.

:rolleyes:

[Mia]

Quote by: tivodan1116 Ever hear the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me"? What ever happened to that? If there was a legitimate "threat" to hang these students, that is a criminal offense - they could go to the police, no money needed. Fortunately for us, it is not illegal merely to be a racist jerk. You cannot "strike back". It is not acceptable to take the law into your own hands and certainly not to escalate a verbal battle into a physical beating. Get a thicker skin.

They did. The response was the school suspended the noose-hangers for three days, and the DA told the blacks to settle down or he'd 'end their lives' with a stroke of his pen.

This is some backward ass shit going on in this town. The feds need to come in and prosecute whites if the locals won't do it, like they had to decades ago when the whole South was like this.

[ruksak]

Terrorism has many applications. The underlying fear of reprisal will be the determining factor in the exoneration of these black punks.

We saw this form of terrorism play out during the LA riots.
The "LA four" attempted to murder a man on live television, specifically because he was white. They were released with a slap on the wrist.

It is no coincidence that the term "Jena6" was coined into operation here. It is meant as a threat, not a snappy title for a social issue.

[Mia]

I don't know about that, but I know who started off with the terroristic threats. Whites. With the nooses. And the 'law' backing them up by not doing anything about it.

PS the rally was entirely peaceful. Nothing remotely violent or terroristic from all of the thousands of people that came to protest and show solidarity.

[Chaossaber314]

Hold up a minute. Is there ANY evidence that the victim was related to the noose being hanged? ANY at all?

OR is this just being brought up solely to make this a racial issue?

Also, what ever happened to simply beating someone up? Why'd they have to cross the line and fucking hospitalize him?