The notorious Jena case Update: Bail denied
posted at 11:18 am on September 21, 2007 by Bryan
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The Reverends Al and Jesse have once again parachuted into a small town to throw their weight around and relive the glory days of the Civil Rights Movement. Perhaps we’ll one day get to the point where the two reverends have become so radioactive that no one will look to them for any answers on any issue, but we’re not yet at that day. The MSM still treats them as credible, though one has blood on his hands and the other is a reverend in name only who has never led a church or even held down a real job. In a just world, the two reverends from the North would be mentioned alongside Louisiana’s own David Duke among the nation’s most notorious racists. Though northern white liberals would have us all think that racism is exclusively white and exclusively Southern, it’s neither.
But back to our story. This time, it’s Jena, Louisiana, which is currently embroiled in a case that is being compared to the Duke rape case, but in reverse: Six young black men stand accused of attempted murder for beating a young white man over an incident at the “white tree.”
The New York Times reports the sequence of events as follows.
They called it the White Tree. Not because of the color of its leaves or tint of its bark, but because of the kind of people who typically sat beneath its shade here at Jena High School.
And when a black student tried to defy that tradition by sitting under the tree last September, it set off a series of events that have turned this town of 3,000 in central Louisiana’s timber country into a flashpoint over the issue of racial bias in the criminal justice system.
Three nooses quickly appeared on the tree a day after the black student sat under it, and not long afterward, the authorities said a white student had been beaten by six black schoolmates. The white student was treated at a local hospital and released; the black students were charged, not with assault, but with attempted murder.
Wikipedia (with appropriate accuracy warning) has a useful timeline.
Racial tensions resurfaced in Jena on September 1, 2006, when hangman’s nooses were discovered in an oak tree on the campus of Jena High School after a black student had asked the vice principal if he and some friends could sit under the tree, where white students had typically congregated. The school administration recommended that the noose-hangers be expelled. The elected La Salle Parish School Board overruled the school, he and the three white student perpetrators received in-school suspension.[4][5][6] On November 30, 2006, an arson fire destroyed the main academic building at the school. On December 4, a fight broke out on campus, after which six African-American students, later dubbed the Jena 6,[7] were arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder.
The black kid who sat under the tree showed courage; the noose hangers showed that racism is unfortunately alive and well.
But there were three months between the nooses and the attacks. There are claims that the intervening months were tense between black and white factions. That’s probably true. What’s less clear is the connection between the nooses and the attack. More on that below.
Attempted murder does look like an extreme charge to level at the six, since the victim was treated and released for his injuries on the day of the attack. If the six had wanted to murder the victim, numbers were definitely on their side. What the Times doesn’t report, though, is how the attack occurred or ended. Did the six fight the one after an argument, and did they get run off by some third parties in the middle of the attack, or did they plot the attack and slip up on the victim? Well, evidently it was the latter, according to Jason Whitlock.
There was no “schoolyard fight” as a result of nooses being hung on a whites-only tree.
Justin Barker, the white victim, was cold-cocked from behind, knocked unconscious and stomped by six black athletes. Barker, luckily, sustained no life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital three hours after the attack.
I’m no lawyer, but if Whitlock’s account is accurate, that’s at least aggravated assault. If the attack was broken up by third parties in a way that prevented further injury to Barker, then yes, attempted murder would be among the reasonable charges the assailants could expect to face.
This gives us one important distinction between Jena and the Duke case: In Jena, the accused actually did something illegal. The only question is whether they’re facing reasonable or extreme charges, and if the charges are extreme, why that would be the case. The prosecutors seem to have answered that themselves when they scaled the charges back to aggravated battery and conspiracy. The conspiracy part goes to the overall charges’ seriousness, though, indicating premeditation as opposed to a schoolyard fight.
Whitlock goes on to describe how the case arrived at the point where the Jena Six faced such serious charges.
A black U.S. attorney, Don Washington, investigated the “Jena Six” case and concluded that the attack on Barker had absolutely nothing to do with the noose-hanging incident three months before. The nooses and two off-campus incidents were tied to Barker’s assault by people wanting to gain sympathy for the “Jena Six” in reaction to Walters’ extreme charges of attempted murder.
Much has been written about Bell’s trial, the six-person all-white jury that convicted him of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and the clueless public defender who called no witnesses and offered no defense. It is rarely mentioned that no black people responded to the jury summonses and that Bell’s public defender was black.
It’s almost never mentioned that Bell’s absentee father returned from Dallas and re-entered his son’s life only after Bell faced attempted-murder charges. At a bond hearing in August, Bell’s father and a parade of local ministers promised a judge that they would supervise Bell if he was released from prison.
So it’s not as cut and dried as the reverends would have the world think. Go figure. Jena is a chance for them to get back in the spotlight and be relevant again. Jesse and Al need cases like Jena.
Now, am I saying that there isn’t racial injustice in America today? No. Of course there is. But again, let’s look at the Duke comparison to understand how things are today. Yes, a black man faces more scrutiny on average than a white man. But it’s also a fact that black men commit a disproportionate share of crime. And it’s also true that an ambitious white DA can and did charge white men with a crime that they didn’t commit in order to curry favor with the same two reverends who have descended on Jena, among others, and those reverends convicted the Duke players in the court of public opinion before the case could even get to trial (which, thanks to the flimsiness of the evidence, it never got to). Those same reverends haven’t apologized for rushing to judgment against the Duke lacrosse players. They won’t apologize for making a crusade out of Jena either, even while they ignore inconvenient facts to make their case.
As things stand now, the one of the six who was convicted on the most serious charges, star athlete Mychal Bell, has had his conviction thrown out because he was tried as an adult though he was a juvenile at the time of the attack. He may be re-tried in juvenile court. That’s where he should have been tried to begin with.
By the way, Jason Whitlock, upon whose reporting I have based much of this post, is black.
(h/t on Jason Whitlock’s column to the boss.)
Update: Reader Michael sent me a link to another great Jason Whitlock column on Jena. It’s too good to excerpt, so read the whole thing.
Update: Mychal Bell’s bail has been denied. And some idiot white teenagers from Alexandria, LA have been arrested for drunk driving and inciting a riot after driving past a crowd of people from yesterday’s march in Jena with a pair of nooses hanging from the back of their pick-up. The younger of those two claims to be involved with the KKK. A local cop summed up their arrest nicely.
“I wish we had a charge in Louisiana for aggravated ignorance, because this is a classic case,” [Police Sgt. Clifford] Gatlin said.
At the very least.
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Shall we start a discussion about the color of crime? Cry me a river.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Except for the fact that, as far as the nooses are concerned??? We don’t know who did it. We also have the investigating (black) U.S. attorney, who concluded the two incidents were not related.
This was a pre-meditated attack, that could have resulted in the boy’s death. You’re making excuses for these boys.
Equal punishments for equal crimss, is something I agree with. That’s not the issue here, much as you may scream that it is. The issue is that the boys who engaged in the beating were justified in what they did, because of the noose incident. The, “equal justice,” routine is just a mask for it.
JannyMae on September 21, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Chudi - ‘cmon, you got stopped in Brookline (San Fran east)? That’s a sanctuary city, I’m guessing they were looking to find the criminal so they could see if he needed a latte.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 2:24 PM
Imagine attempted murder for a school yard fight…give me a break.
Jason Whitlock: “Justin Barker, the white victim, was cold-cocked from behind, knocked unconscious and stomped by six black athletes.”
Attempted murder charge was dropped and never tried. This was more than just a fight. Engaging in a mutual fight is not the same as being attacked and beaten. Aggravated battery charge requires no “break to be given”.
boris on September 21, 2007 at 2:28 PM
Here you go, Chudi, race and crime.
Here’s a black man who’s happy he gets stopped by the cops. It means they’re trying to prevent crime.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 2:32 PM
Boston has always had a bad rap as being racist. The Red Sox were always accused of being a racist organization under the Yawkeys, even the Celtics. I’m not a huge fan of the city, I live 90 miles to the west, but I think a lot of that bad rap is unwarranted.
so does he
reaganaut on September 21, 2007 at 2:35 PM
Sorry you don’t get much support on this board. I dismayed that every post is not that fact that all racism sucks, but the usual their more racist than we are…sanctuary city, MSM, Jesse Jackson bad man, liberal bad,blah blah blah
scooter on September 21, 2007 at 2:36 PM
heh, the mean streets of Brookline, MA….watch out! You might get run over by a professor on one of those nerdy lean back bikes or a herd of tiny Coach toting asian girls.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 2:41 PM
Admittedly I am not black but I am a veteran of two wars and it still makes me very mad when I see someone burning or disgracing the US Flag. I am told that I have to stand there and let it happen. Also, as a member of the military, I have to protect the disgracers rights to do it. So tell me how I don’t get it???
Claimsratt on September 21, 2007 at 2:42 PM
To quote Chudi “Unless you are black, you are not going to understand” That right there is the crux of the entire American Black racists experience. Whitey cant understand…Whitey never been oppressed…Whitey don’t know what its like… Anyone who honesty believes that claptrap, well there just isn’t any hope for them.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 2:59 PM
Anyone thought to blame the tree?
Kini on September 21, 2007 at 3:02 PM
White Oak of course.
scooter on September 21, 2007 at 3:07 PM
Karl Rove is behind this to pull our focus away from our blood for oil war in the Iraq.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 3:12 PM
They let you have web access in prison? ;p
JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 3:12 PM
If I got a resume that was either in ebonics or text message shorthand, I would not hire either.
SWM looking for work. will pwn your competition. If you don’t hire me, WTF? LOL
JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 3:15 PM
With this statement you self-identify yourself as a Racist. Everything else you said is irrelevent in that context.
The Supreme Court has stated that burning a flag is freedom of speech. Therefore, hanging a rope is speech.
But even more important, the innocent boy that was beaten AFTER HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS by six other boys did not hang the nooses.
You can’t use someone elses excercise of their freedom of speech as your excuse for using violence. Especially 6 on 1 cowardly beatings of innocent bystanders.
By choosing to stand by these thugs based on their race and with statements like the one I quoted you have shown that you are biased in favor of people that are the same race as you. In other words, you are a racist.
With this in mind, Why should your statements be considered credible?
JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 3:20 PM
did it ever occur to you that blacks have higher solidarity because they’ve been oppressed in the past therefore they had to develop pride etc in order to move up? Only about 40 years ago blacks were oppressed de jure in this country and they had to organize and create institutions to combat that…a lot of those institutions are still in place today which is why they still have high social solidarity. The jenna six shows they still need those institutions. You’re logic would work in a historical vacuum but we don’t live in one. The playing field definitely wasn’t equal to start and still isn’t. Thats why blacks identify with each other more than whites.
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 3:23 PM
One thing whitey does know is the disproportionate amount of violent crime commited by blacks in this country and it’s getting OLD!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=of9uYItn78M
repvoter on September 21, 2007 at 3:24 PM
So, you think all white people are handed the key to a SUV and a six figure job on their 18th birthday?
Perhaps less time spent looking for the pale boogeyman and more time spent on personal responsibility and personal development would do wonders.
JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 3:29 PM
Yes, they need that solidarity to keep their violent criminal
youthspopulation from receiving the justice their actions deserve.doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 3:31 PM
I guess I have to wonder, who cares? Of course I know Black racists get to go out a widen the race divide.
Racism runs both ways, but we never get to hear about whites that go where they are not supposed to be. I had to travel to Boston for a business seminar. I got lost from the convention center to the hotel (really lost). A Black guy in a Coke truck rolled down his window and asked me what I was doing in this part of town. He asked me if I wanted to get killed. He had me follow him to the hotel which was a good twenty minutes out of his way.
I will never forget this great person, and the kindness that both White and Black Americans should have towards each other.
Hening on September 21, 2007 at 3:33 PM
what are you even talking about? I agree there should be more personal responsibility in the black community, but be aware that the personal responsibility argument is often used by those who have to excercise it the least. Just like the ones who argue for a color blind society are those who would benefit the most from one. Anyway all i was saying is that I take exception with simple-minded comparisons…theres a reason blacks and whites indentify differently, a good reason. They have vastly different histories in this country.
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 3:35 PM
Thay can have all the solidarity they want, so long as it is coupled with NON CRIMINAL behavior, other wise it’s just another crutch or excuse to cry “I’m the victim here”
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 3:35 PM
Once again, Chudi, whether one “understands the visceral reaction” or not has nothing to do with this case. Visceral reactions don’t last 3 months, and cause someone to jump another person from behind, knock them unconscious, and stomp on their head. Unless you’re saying that it only does if you’re black, and then I think you need a do-over.
I personally don’t attribute these kinds of actions to persons on the basis of skin pigmentation.
Bradky, one other thought on your quoting of Amy Goodman the Nutball Leftist:
Consider the possibility that they were “treated differently” because … the two actions in question were different, unless your argument is that the hanging of nooses in this tree and the violent assault on another student are essentially the same crime.
For both of you, my question is this: the people taking buses to Jena and the people who tell us that they have the right idea…why does this crowd always find themselves defending criminals? Aren’t these the same people who were jumping up and down and cheering when OJ got away with cutting his wife’s head nearly off and butchering another innocent individual? And demanding leniency in Decatur, Illinois, when a bunch of thugs started a violent brawl in the stands of a football game?
Jaibones on September 21, 2007 at 3:36 PM
The histories of the people in question go back about 17 years, just long enough for them to benefit from racist affirmative action programs, a posh welfare system to catch them should they stumble, and a ridiculously liberal judicial system that will coddle them in the off chance that they get caught in their criminal behavior.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Bail denied for jailed beating suspect.
Bell had been on probation at the time of the beating and remains in jail. The protesters can go home now, justice IS being served.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 3:44 PM
Read the Whitlock article mentioned in the update. It starts slow but finishes as a real clear & clean time line of events in this racial mess.
Hey. Race riot al! Did you ever apologize to those Duke boys?
locomotivebreath1901 on September 21, 2007 at 3:45 PM
are you serious? It’s well documented courts consistently give blacks harsher sentences for committing the same crimes as whites. And when did they benefit from affirmative action in the first 17 years of their lives? lol. Or even welfare? They’re kids. If you think blacks have it so easy in this country why is it they have 3 times the poverty rate as whites? Gee they just must be collectively lazy right? Nothing else could possibly be going on.
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 3:45 PM
Because they were treated so bad in the past that now it is there turn to get even.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 3:46 PM
Personally, I think it has more to do with culture than skin color or even history. I think I’d be getting too far off topic if I went on and on about the hip-hop culture, the if you’re smart or successful you’re too white, how black comedians and performers who don’t cuss are considered sell-outs and ostracized… Cops are bad, pimps are cool, blah, blah, blah.
I don’t care if you’re black, white, or latino, if you come up to me with your pants hanging down, boxers showing, gold chains, and hat on sideways, and your fake bad-ass attitude; I’m not going to take you seriously.
reaganaut on September 21, 2007 at 3:48 PM
And if those kids had been white they would have been charged with federal hate crimes and convicted of first degree attempted murder and sentenced to 30 years to life and not one single African-American would have said one single word in their defense.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 3:48 PM
Conspiracy Nut Alert in full effect. Yes, of course aaall those liberal judges and lawyers have a secret pact to stick it to the black man. koo koo, coo coo.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 3:49 PM
Heh.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 3:52 PM
Documented where?
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 3:53 PM
uh huh.
but its not crazy to say society is out to screw over the white man. You must be so oppressed. Anyway go read a book, its not a fringe belief like I said its well documented.
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 3:55 PM
Man you jus be another whitey puttin his jackboot to the neck of all dem good brothers…
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 3:55 PM
You’re right.
However, in most studies you’ll find that the reason for this is prior record and prior jail time.
Nice try though.
reaganaut on September 21, 2007 at 4:04 PM
I should clarify; by most studies, I mean impartial studies…
reaganaut on September 21, 2007 at 4:05 PM
here’s one report, there’s more. Google is your friend.
I’m white. Thanks for a classic example of conservative bigotry though!
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 4:06 PM
Wow. You seem to have re-defined the term “a stretch” for the sake of defending violent criminals, or is that somehow not your point? Maybe you went off topic because you desperately needed to make an anti-white race statement — Good For You, Scotty!
My daughters sometimes send IM messages and text messages to their friends. They both scored in the top 1% nationally on SAT and ACT language and writing tests. Where do I go to hold a protest?
Any other idiotic questions, douchebag?
Jaibones on September 21, 2007 at 4:09 PM
Now you know how I feel; except that, after I opined that Simpson was guilty way back when, the middle class black woman who got mad at me was a member of my family.
baldilocks on September 21, 2007 at 4:16 PM
Dude, you are soooo clueless…It’s called sarcasm, but you go right ahead and believe its bigotry which just goes to prove the point I was making.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 4:23 PM
Y’all want to go easy on the “stomped” “lethal force” and all that. I’ve been watching this case - and blogging on it - for months. I finally got hold of the court documents including Justin Barker’s ER paperwork. (I’ll be posting it next week when I finish hiding his address, SSN, and other personal info.) There is NO WAY that he was “stomped,” etc. The injuries simply do not support that claim. Reed Walters needs to justify what he’s done, and playing up Barker’s beating is just about the only thing he can do. I also have the witness statements - they’re wildly conflicting, which is about what you’d expect - and other court documents.
DOJ attorney Donald Washington outright lied at a forum in Jena about how selective prosecution is proved, and has consistently downplayed the case.
The Jena 6 should be charged (appropriately), tried (fairly, with attorneys who actually defend them, unlike Blane Williams), and if necessary sentenced - in line with how white people are sentenced for similar crimes.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 4:31 PM
much of this thread is an embarassment unworthy of malkin, preston and apundit.
this is specificly on account of doriangrey and prcaldouche, the latter of who i’ve previously called out as a white nationalist troll.
jummy on September 21, 2007 at 4:33 PM
Yes, and all scientists agree that Global Warming is a FACT!!! Don’t question!!!
One article from 1995, about one place, does not proove your allegation… it prooves it happened once, and needs to be looked at some more.
Or, hmmm from your OWN “proof”..
Oooopppppsssss!!!!
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 4:35 PM
Very well said.
Bryan on September 21, 2007 at 4:37 PM
No point in me even adding my comments as doriangrey nailed it.
Oh well, another time another thread.
MB4 on September 21, 2007 at 4:39 PM
it’s clear you were joking. it’s also clear it wasn’t funny. Just like how those dudes who drove past the protesters with nooses were just jokin around dude! Sarcasm!
Question all you want. Find a study that proves that american courts are completely even handed. Or do your own study. I’d love to hear the results.
As for the prior convictions…the fact that they openly admit that shows that the study is still valid despite it. If that completely accounted for the bias why did they come to the conclusions they did? Anyway as I said there’s plenty more studies if you’re interested enough research it.
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 4:44 PM
Find a study that proves that american courts are completely even handed.
crr6 on September 21, 2007 at 4:44 PM
LOL.
No valid study could possibly show that.
- O.J.
MB4 on September 21, 2007 at 4:50 PM
Was the white boy on probation for similar crimes? Everything is not always black and white, no pun intended.
Sue on September 21, 2007 at 4:51 PM
Did you read that report? Here’s an excerpt:
“However, the finding does clearly suggest that this is an issue which needs to receive attention.”
So blacks are probably receiving harsher sentences for the same crime because of prior criminal history.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 4:53 PM
Laura,
Thanks for the comments. I’m waiting for your report. I have been reading about this case for months, infact i bet you that most black people in this country have been aware and following the issues in this case for a while. I know the national media just got into this case, and many of the people casting aspersions on me here are just not sure about the case.
This is why I talked about the default conservative position that racism is a bunch of hoey. I really wish conservatives will take this more seriously. This is part of the reason we never make inroads into the black and other minority communities. We have the best ideas on everything…about personal responsibility, being employed, staying out of trouble. Trust me..I know, but this is why they never vote for conservatives. There are issues that trump all these…and what i am seeing on this board today is the reason.
I live in brookline, because it’s predominantly white. That means it’s very safe. If you go to the predominantly black places in Boston like Dorshester and roxbury, there are shootings all the time, people being killed. The black community has a lot of problems, and I know our conservative principles, of being responsible and not waiting for the govt to give you everything, not depending of welfare, going to school, and keeping a job is the answer. But they will never take us seriously if we don’t take their problems seriously.
You can choose to believe what i say or not, but this issue of Jena can be more explosive than Katrina. I thought katrina was overblown, and I didn’t think it was as big a deal as it was made out to be, but with this case, I’m definitely pissed. I hope conservatives don’t get into the position of being seen as defending what is going on down there. That will probably drive down that black vote from 10% to less than 1%. This is serious stuff…and the nooses are the cause of it. I know you guys probably don’t get it, I don’t blame you, but don’t be seen as defending it.
Chudi on September 21, 2007 at 4:58 PM
It wasn’t suppose to be funny. The idiots flying the nooses and claiming to be KKK deserve to be prosecuted for imbecilic stupidity if not hate crimes. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior, whether by whites or blacks. As I said before if those six had been white they would have been convicted of hate crimes and attempted murder, the exact same standard should apply to African-Americans, but it DOES NOT.
Lets quit pretending that African-Americans are not getting a get out of jail free card every time they can scream racism, its a sickness that is destroying any possibility of equality between the races in America.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:00 PM
Ummm.. how do you proove a negative? You made the allegation, not I.
You made a blanket statement… with little to no proof.
And even your “proof” stated that there were mitigating circumstances in the study…
This is a typical tactic used by those who have no proof… kinda like the “truthers” out there who say we don’t have to have proof… just our questions are enough.
And then without proof, expect ME to go out and research this negative??? To disproove your lack of proof???
OK… my head is officialy spinning…
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 5:02 PM
I do not understand this entire case…I live in Alabama and we do not see this crap here and everyone here seems to be fed up with the race baiting regardless of what the color of their skin may be.
EnochCain on September 21, 2007 at 5:05 PM
No one, period no one, has defended it. All of us find it reprehensible. But I spent half of my life living in South East San Diego, where I was the minority. Dont you even dare to suggest to me that I cant understand.
I know what it is like to be threatened because of the color of my skin. I know what it like to have every person threaten me on a daily basis for being WHITE and no other reason. I know what its like to have dozens of people every day tell me I owe them something for something I NEVER did to them.
No get it right, I want JUSTICE and I want it BLIND. I want justice to treat every single person exactly the same regardless of their color of family connections.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:09 PM
Strictly speaking economic policies, what conservative or republican policy has benefitted the block of blacks that sit below a particular tax bracket that would vote democratic?
ackrite55 on September 21, 2007 at 5:10 PM
and the nooses are the cause of it.
Chudi on September 21, 2007 at 4:58 PM
The nooses were wrong and a factor, yes, but to say “are the cause of it” is clearly to ignore a awful lot and by implication to excuse an awful lot.
MB4 on September 21, 2007 at 5:11 PM
Oh and yes I want a chicken in every pot and a pint of beer for everyone at least once a day. I also pray for world peace and for poverty to end last year…Ptttttttttttttt
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:12 PM
Oh and the “I don’t get it because I am white” crap is getting old…I grew up in the South and have had it beaten into my head my entire life that I am a racist because of the color of my skin and that I should somehow feel bad about what happened in the past so I think I have a pretty good handle on race issues.
EnochCain on September 21, 2007 at 5:12 PM
This is not about racism. his is about a group of people demanding special treatment and playing the race card and invoking white guilt to get it.
I do not feel any guilt for anything that someone of a similar skin color to mine did to someone else of a different skin color sometime in the past. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.
This is nothing more than a naked grab for power with threats for riots and other actions unless six violent criminals are given a free pass for beating another boy while he was unconscious. The nooses and the other race card playing BS is all red herrings.
I will not support or endorse any group, regardless of claims of past persecution, that wants to use threats of riots in order to get six criminals a lighter sentance because they feel solidarity to a person of similar skintone. No thanks.
I do not even believe in races. We are all the same species. We all evolved together. All a “race” is is a collection of traits that happen to be grouped together in populations that were geographically seperate from others. Modern transportation will eventualy lead to all races being the same.
The problem here is a culture, not a race. A culture that wants special treatment, exemption from laws and wants to milk their past oppression for present benefits.
JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 5:12 PM
Oh thanks so much. Yes whites just don’t understand how certain symbolic expressions can drive others to dangerous violent attacks months and months later. Scary scary stuff indeed. It is certainly understandable how some whites don’t even want to take those risks and need a safe place under a shady tree away from danger. Never know when some foolish white kid is going to set off incomprehensible consequences that are beyond control.
boris on September 21, 2007 at 5:13 PM
Wow. That one little detail casts this whole sordid episode in a different perspective. Any link, I wonder with not much hope?
RushBaby on September 21, 2007 at 5:18 PM
Joseph C. Phillips had an excellent post on this, (emphasis added).
We should have been on top of this early on - back when the charges were 2nd degree attempted murder. I shopped the story around various conservative bloggers and only heard back from one, with a “no thanks.”
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 5:20 PM
There is not you and I agree on, but this is one we do. Sorry if my endorsement of your position causes you grief…
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:20 PM
The murder charges seem excessive but I think some people are losing sight of the fact that a crime was committed.
EnochCain on September 21, 2007 at 5:21 PM
It’s not credible. Even Reed Walters and Donald Washington didn’t try to play that card. I’ve been in touch with a lot of people living in Jena (which is how I got the court papers) and nobody claimed that until very recently, and people in Jena dispute it.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 5:23 PM
And just how should we have been on it??
Sorry I must agree with JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 5:12 PM.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:23 PM
whoever put that noose up deserved to get stomped on
The Sinner on September 21, 2007 at 5:24 PM
No they did not, what they did deserve was to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the applicable laws.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:25 PM
Yes and next time someone says or does something I don’t like I will beat them too../sarc
EnochCain on September 21, 2007 at 5:25 PM
No, they didn’t. And Barker didn’t hang a noose, his friends did. It was completely wrong for them to jump Barker.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 5:26 PM
whoever put that noose up deserved to get stomped on
The Sinner on September 21, 2007 at 5:24 PM
Before or after a trial?
MB4 on September 21, 2007 at 5:26 PM
After reading the posts for this story, there seem to be a lot of people who claim the very presence of Jessie and Al can bring about racist attitudes in a community. Just their mere presence causes people to become angry. What exactly do you think is the result of showing up to school and seeing nooses hanging from a tree? Compounded with the perpetrators receiving just a hand slap.
Then the idea that the tree incident was three months removed from the attack made it irrelevant to the case. You so called intellectuals have linked events on this sight that have a difference of 7 years to justify your attitudes; some a much as 800 years. But the intense emotional responses one has to attend a high school where every day you are reminded of the lack of concern for your well being, does not just go away. Any semi intelligent caring person would have done something to remedy the situation immediately. But, nothing was done. If the individuals who hung the nooses were treated to the often touted “Hate Crime laws”, this situation would not have come to its present state. This is the point everyone seemed to have missed from the onset.
My children attend school in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas that has similar demographics. The attitudes that are expressed to my children on a daily basis is nothing I wanted when we moved here a year ago. My son has expressed great empathy for the Jena 6 because he’s living the same experience on a daily basis. The attitudes have dampened some, not because they realize how good my children are, but I have conveyed to them my ability to hold personally accountable anyone who felt the need to treat them badly.
We basically traded the racism of the San Francisco Bay area for the racism of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. It’s the same disease with different symptoms. The idea that someone can cause you to become a racist by their mere presence only means you are a racist looking for an excuse to act on it.
Life has all sorts of challenges for teenagers as they prepare for adulthood; it’s the job of us adults to assist them in meeting those challenges, not to intensify them. If the system fails them, then we must confront the system head on.
Then again, I think I just wasted 15 minutes of my life here. Because it’s always the ones who retaliate that gets into trouble.
Zaire67 on September 21, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Yes and next time someone says or does something I don’t like I will beat them too../sarc
EnochCain on September 21, 2007 at 5:25 PM
Oh my, I’m in big trouble now. Well if not on this thread on many others. Feet don’t fail me!
MB4 on September 21, 2007 at 5:29 PM
I’m sure there is no shortage of unknown symbolic expressions causing this. There needs to be serious effort made to root out all those root causes. Since white people don’t even understand them there’s nothing they can do about it. That’s why Jesse and Al are so valuable and necessary.
boris on September 21, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Each circumstance should be examined and judged independantly. Racist remarks by one individual months prior do not justify freeing the criminals in this case.
Apparently there are rational grownups overseeing this process because the repeat offender and probation-terms-breaking criminal is being held without bail.
Alden Pyle on September 21, 2007 at 5:31 PM
Because it’s always the ones who retaliate that gets into trouble.
Zaire67 on September 21, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Retaliate? What was done was far beyond retaliation. And they seemed to have “retaliated” against the wrong guy. Oh well, he was white so he probably deserved it I suppose. Do you even understand the implications of what you have said?
MB4 on September 21, 2007 at 5:35 PM
Laura,
Steve Sailer might be able to assist you in your efforts.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 5:35 PM
Compounded with the perpetrators receiving just a hand slap.
boris on September 21, 2007 at 5:39 PM
PRCal, I really don’t see how. I’ve been reading Eddie Thompson’s writings for some time. I’ve also spoken by phone and emailed with other Jena residents. I feel pretty well versed in this case, actually; the court records were just the icing on the cake.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 5:39 PM
Chudi, wtf? Katrina?
I don’t know what you think is “going on down there”, except for a bunch of misguided race-mongers driving into town to defend some thugs who beat up a kid. All of your claims to be all about personal responsibility and law and order go right into the toilet the instant you tell me you want to defend Mychal Bell.
He was serving a suspension for assaulting another student at the time that he assaulted this kid. Quit your victimhood, Chudi; this guy’s a gangster and you want to waste your credibility on him. Why? Because you think some other kids insulted him with nooses in a tree?
Every white person I claim to know would suspend the kids from school who pulled that idiotic noose stunt, if that’s what really happened. My local high school would expel them. Done, over.
But assaulting other people is unacceptable behavior in society, and you’re making excuses for it. Is that a racial feature of black people? It seems like that’s what you’re saying, and that’s amazing to me.
Jaibones on September 21, 2007 at 5:40 PM
Thanks for pointing that out. It’s amazing how a missing piece of information, or one little bit of misinformation, can change everything. Don’t want to get this one wrong.
RushBaby on September 21, 2007 at 5:40 PM
Yup, and troofers are absolutely certain that the US government was responsible for 9/11 too.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:43 PM
Was posted by someone who lives nearby in MMs blog on the same subject…
From: On September 21st, 2007 at 12:36 pm, davidcaskey said:
From: http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/21/the-jena-six-and-racial-narratives/
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 5:44 PM
Ooopppsss hit post too fast…
But this explanation does explain why everyone who looked at this said it was NOT a racialy motivated event… Principal, Schoolboard, DA, State and Feds….
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 5:45 PM
Sounds to me like the Jena 6 are getting exactly what they deserved. They were a stench in the nostrils of the residents of their own black neighborhoods and then they attempted to murder someone. Granted, the kid wasn’t that hurt, but if no one had intervened he would’ve been.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 5:45 PM
Usually I ignore you, dorian, but I’ll make this one exception.
I’ve got the witness statements. And the court records. And Justin Barkers medical records, as entered into the court records.
I don’t need to rely on Steve Sailer’s rephrasing of what Eddie Thompson said.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 5:46 PM
I’m not registering for your site out of compassion for your limited space. But what’s your beef with this case, Laura? Nothing that I’ve read explains your hand-wringing over the “plight of the families” of some punks who beat up a kid. Why the whine?
You don’t like juveniles being judged in adult court. OK, lot’s of people don’t. And lot’s of prosecutors do. Legitimate discussion. What else?
Jaibones on September 21, 2007 at 5:49 PM
Ummm… since you have the witness statements, perhaps you can explain how this kid went down so fast?
From what I understand he was hit from behind, knocked out, then stomped on…
Knowing a bit about Hand to Hand combat, it is NOT that easy to knock someone out from behind UNLESS you use a weapon. Using a weapon with intent and malice of forethought usualy takes an assault up to Attempted Murder…
Was there a weapon used? and if not, how did this kid go down so fast?
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 5:52 PM
If this is the value of your cognizance I’ll take that as a compliment.
doriangrey on September 21, 2007 at 5:54 PM
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 5:45 PM
Thanks. The sporting event thing rings true, who hasn’t seen homemade banners around schools encouraging their teams to Crush Them! Lynch Them! Pulverize Them! Annihilate Them! Complete with graphic illustrations of some poor opposing team’s mascot receiving the recommended punishment. On the other hand…what do you make of Laura at 5:23 PM:
Should be pretty easy to check.
RushBaby on September 21, 2007 at 5:57 PM
I’ll say it again: blacks hate Whites. You can try to rationalize it, excuse it, explain it, it doesn’t matter. Anyone still doubting this, well, whatever…
JWS on September 21, 2007 at 6:01 PM
Go check her site… you’ll see EXACTLY where she’s coming from.
There is a very large distinction between crashing a party… and getting in a fight…
And walking in front of a gym and getting knocked out, and kicked, in what was a premeditated action (thus the conspiricy charges).
But that the rational she keeps using on her website… over, and over, again.
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 6:10 PM
Romeo13 on September 21, 2007 at 5:52 PM
He was hit from behind, and was either knocked unconscious from that or from hitting his head on the concrete. The entire beating took place very quickly, and the witness statements are very conflicting. It was broken up within a matter of maybe 2 minutes (guesstimating here). Barker was up and walking around by the time the ambulance got there, and spent just about 3 hours in the ER. His CT scan was fine. Plenty of lacerations, bleeding like head wounds always do, swelling, etc. His mother said he had blood clots in his eye, but that would be in his follow up visits so I don’t know. He doubtless felt like crap for a couple of weeks, but he was well enough to attend his ring ceremony that night.
I’m sympathetic, I really am. He didn’t deserve this, no matter what he said or didn’t say, or what his friends did. But I still think it’s unconscionable to bring 2nd degree attempted murder charges for this. If Walters had brought the 2nd degree battery charges the first time, I’d have had no problem with it.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 6:16 PM
Did you read that report? Here’s an excerpt:
And don’t miss this part - it’s at the very top:
John from WuzzaDem on September 21, 2007 at 6:16 PM
Can you clarify?
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 6:18 PM
No, it is standard DA tactics to charge as heavy as possible, so that you can get a plea bargain.
However it is unconscionable to inflame racial passions to try to get 6 thugs a free pass for their criminal activity.
JayHaw Phrenzie on September 21, 2007 at 6:18 PM
I wish you’d keep in mind that when I started blogging on this there was very little media coverage. Over time I did make retractions and walk some things back, like when Bell’s criminal record was released. But none of that excuses Reed Walter’s charges. I don’t have to be a wholehearted fan of the Jena 6 to see that what he did was wrong.
Laura on September 21, 2007 at 6:19 PM
I quoted that very part to her.
PRCalDude on September 21, 2007 at 6:20 PM
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