I have been hearing a lot about this lately, actually, I've mostly been hearing about how we haven't been hearing about it. Oh, the irony.
Anyway, basically there is a school in Jena, LA in a small town that is apparently somewhat racially divided. Some racial tension was taking place and 6 black students beat a white student unconscious, stomped on his head, and left him on the ground bleeding. Those 6 were arrested and at first charged with battery. Upon receiving the medical report (the kid was released from the hospital the same night) the charges were upgraded to attempted murder. They tried to charge the kids as adults, the conviction on that note was over turned (beating up another kid is not an inherently adult crime). The subsequent conviction was by an all white jury.
Jesse Jackson, Sharpton and others are now glorifying these kids along with Rosa Parks, victims of church bombings, and other civil rights martyrs. They complained that the media did not cover this event enough... well now they are getting their wish:
1) The alleged "white-tree" was used by all students according to teachers, students and administrators actually at the school. There would be no good reason to "ask permission" to sit under the tree at a assembly other than to instigate an incident.
2) The students who hung 2 (not three) nooses from the tree were sent to an alternative school for a month and had a 2 week in-school suspension (not suspended for "just three days" Mr. Sharpton). Some argue that expulsion for such a stupid act was more appropriate but...
3) There was no connection between the tree incident and the beatings according to the Justice Department, who was looking into this as a hate crime (in which case the "Jena 6" would face federal charges as well as battery).
4) Bell, the convicted youth, was not "an honor student with no criminal record" as Sharpton claimed. He is in fact on probation for 2 prior battery convictions and additional property crimes.
5) The jury was indeed all white. NONE of the black citizens summoned showed up for jury duty.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070922/ap_on_re_us/a_place_called_jena_3;_ylt=ApvcexcbjCKgxnvxcvoZglwkeedF- - -
Whether or not the police handles this well ( often charges are increased to force a plea to a lesser charge, a practice that is removed from the current debate) or if they were flawed in past actions I can not attest to. However, the basic facts are 6 kids beat another kid unconscious and then repeatedly kicked him in the head.
Is the civil rights movement in such a position as this is the most noble of cause that can be summoned? Surely there are more sympathetic "victims" or perhaps victims that are not part of the problem nor criminals. What's more, if you are begging national media to pick up a story, shouldn't you get your own facts down (like maybe the fact that the primary "victim" who was arrested for battery has 2 prior convictions for battery)? Every action the civil rights spokesmen have taken in the last decade has left me with less and less respect.
Things are apparently not racial roses in many parts of the country, but how does this help? Either the nooses, the beats, or the protests have no positive effect that I can see. I was just curious if others shared my sentiment or if I'm just a jerk.