Jena 6, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO BEGIN BY SAYING VIOLENCE IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE WRONG WAY TO ATTEMPT TO SETTLE ANY TYPES OF SITUATIONS:

It's very unfortunate we have to have this type of discussion, however it's good that we can discuss......

As a few stated earlier in the post we must look at what is called the ANTECEDENT which is what happened to cause the undesirable behaviorS to occur.

A white tree....
The need to ask to sit under said tree....
A noose hanging from tree....
A protest in regards to noose....
A suspension takes place....
Two opposite sets of youth engage fighting....
6 youths jump and harsley beat another youth....
Youth gets arrested,charges against youth do not exist in the law books...
Charges dropped, but teen continued to be held on extremely high bail , due to priors incurred as a Juvenile.

The rally and the all of the racial connotations being passed around , unfortunately does not address why the bail was not at least lowered,once the charges were dropped and the fact that racist actions do exist against people of color more frequently than others.

Yes, the youth should be held accountable for his actions , but every last one of them must be held accountable for initiating this event and for their actions as well.

We can not just expect to turn a deaf ear for one group who is equally as involved and punish the next. My feelings are that if the initial situation was handled differently, it could have just possibly derailed the behaviors in question it allowed the youth who felt offended to feel as if they had been violated and disregarded as a non-entity as well as their forefather being disrespected.

It would be nice to believe racism doesn't exist but there are to many unreported stories, to many incidents over the centuries and decades that will continue to prove racism is alive and well in this country and it doesn't seem to be losing speed.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070922/D8RQIJ300.html

The kid was inappropriately charged as an adult, not "charges against youth do not exist in the law books". It looks like everything is on the up and up. This is a vicious random hate crime on the part of the attackers. It was wrong to hang the nooses, but those who did it were suspended and the DA complained that "he could find no state law covering the act." It's not his fault that a law doesn't exist. Even if they draft a law, are they going to make it retroactive...which I don't even know if that's legal. I feel for the plight of minorities, but here we have a crime where no law exists and another where Laws do exist. We can't cancel one out with the other.

Anoasis :

Good point.

Judging someone based on the way they look smacks of racism.

I am just saddened that more was not done to prevent escalation in this case.... for me it is reminiscent of Columbine in that sense, in that no one appears to have taken the issue seriously enough until someone was injured...

It could have been much worse. But it might have been prevented as well.

When I lived in the south I saw a lot of fathers and mothers and teachers who, even when they don't agree with racism, didn't take it seriously enough. There was a lot of talk about "boys will be boys". I don't agree. I think boys will be what you teach them to be and if you don't teach them NOT to be something then you have taught them that what they are doing is acceptable.

A lot of people have told me that I'm too serious or "PC" because I can't and won't tolerate any lumping or gouping of people based on how they look or some single charactoristic (e.g. gay, black, hispanic, scottish, catholic, red-headed, etc., etc, etc.). I won't listen to or tolerate jokes based on these things either.

It's not because I don't have a sense of humor. It's because I think tolerating prejudice is such a "slippery slope". Once you tacitly acknowledge that a persons race might indicate something else about the person you've paved the way for even more generalizations and eventually wrong doing.

In this case i could see it escalating like this: these kids hear their parents make jokes about "blacks are like this... " and "white people do that" and they start to believe it. It sinks in to their subconsious, reitierating society's lessons that people who look differently will behave differently. People who look the same will act the same.

That message, IMO, is ALWAYS WRONG. I don't act like "a white person" or "a woman" or "a blonde". I act like me. A unique individual with a unique blend of experiences, talents, and flaws. I am not predictable based on these superficial charactoristics and neither should anyone else be...

To me this is what we should teach our children, but we can't just say it, we have to act on it as well and we have to be ever vigilent. Tolerating one stupid racist, sexist, religious etc. comment or "joke" only leads that person, and the others listening, to feel secure in their belief that they are doing nothing wrong.

Please speak up and tell them that they are wrong... even if it makes them think your "no fun"... racism is no fun either.
~~~~~~

Thanks Knox.

Thank you anoasis

I think if they had been all white I'd never heard about it, just kids ganging up on each other.
If they had been all black it would have been the same.
If it had been the other way round colourwise, I might have heard about black kids hanging a noose on a tree where white kids usually sit, and the kid beaten up would have just got what it asked for.
It's us, the parents who have to teach the kids, and as long as we are prejudiced in any way, our kids will be too.

I have seen it here with some of the posters as well.
It's not some blacks or some whites, it's all you whites, or all you blacks

It is sad, really.

Thanks invisible, we frequently think alike.

It is very sad to me as well... I always smile when I see little children playing and they are boys and girls of all colors... but sometimes my joy fades when I wonder, "how long will they be able to maintain that innnocence?"

We grow and learn but not all that we learn is worthwhile... when do we learn about "us" and "them"?

Things were done anoasis.
The federal authorities were involved from day one. Their conclusion today is that the incedents, the nooses and the beating are not related.

There is no link between the nooses hung by white students outside a Louisiana high school and the alleged beating of a white student by black teens, according to the U.S. attorney who reviewed investigations into the incidents.

"We could not prove that, because the statements of the students themselves do not make any mention of nooses, of trees, of the 'N' word or any other word of racial hate."

This whole thing is integated by Al Sharpton, Houston Millions More Movement Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and the Muhammad's Mosque No. 45 Fruit of Islam.

When arrested the students themselves did not make any mention of nooses, of trees, of the 'N' word or any other word of racial hate."

The Lousiana DA who headed the investigation of the beating said, ""When this case was brought to me and during our investigation and during the trial, there was no such linkage ever suggested," Walters said in a news conference Wednesday in Jena. "This compact story line has only been suggested after the fact."

The "TAG," The white tree is put on the tree because it fits the medias and Sharptons purpose. The students at the school simply refered to it as the tree. Not the white tree.

The boy in jail is being treated fairer than I would be. He had a record. Does anyone even know what that consist of?

The US Attorney, Washington said Bell had several previous assault charges on his record. This is not an isolated incedent for this boy.

He also said, FBI agents who went to Jena in September to investigate the noose report, and other federal officials who examined what happened, concluded it "had all the markings of a hate crime."

The incident wasn't prosecuted as such because it didn't meet the federal standards required for the teens to be certified as adults, Washington said. A court makes the final decision on whether to drop their juvenile status.

The three white teens were under 18, with no prior records, and no group such as a Ku Klux Klan was found to be behind their actions.

This was in September, before the beating and before Al Sharpton started his rhetoric! In November, someone burned the main academic building. The arson has not been solved, but many believe the incident is linked to racial tension.

It was left up to the school to discipline the students, who were briefly suspended from classes, despite the principal's recommendation that they be expelled, Walter said.

Washington said federal officials examined the way the school handled the infractions, and whether black students were being treated differently than whites. The officials found it was not unusual for the school superintendent to reinstate students after the principal recommends expelling them.


Racial tensions, maybe but on which side? Although it has not been solved, the main suspects are black teenagers!

Another publicity stunt for Mr. Al Sharpton most likely! It is an election year!!

yes anoasis bear indeed did say those things. I CAN ignore his ignorance and hatred. I am NOT a racist but I DO FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR Bear. I shake my head sadly at YOU and your nasty and hateful remarks directed at me. AGAIN...here is a flower...chill dude.

yes I did say it and I meant it, if I,m wrong sue me.
barbiesbigsister I feel sorry for you, its time for a new wig.

scctbrain, if I speak directly to someone then you should mind your own business, when people do that thing tend to get out of control. so unless I call your name please don,t say anything to me.

I asked my mother to read this thread.
She did and ordered me to apologize to barbiesbigsister.
So I,m sorry.

Well bear, you should apologize to a lot more than Bigsister. Your words are absolute racial hatred.

Most of the people I know try to get along in race relations. Most of the people I know are pretty decent overall. That's a good thing. Without that our country would be in a hell of a mess.

Nobody in this incident has been charger with a hate crime, not the guys who hung the noose, not the guys who attacked the white kid. Both might be construed as such. Individual acts need to be addressed in individual court or police actions if they involve breaking the law.

If you wanted to say the police should look at the kids who hung the noose and consider what charges might be warranted, that would be reasonable. It is a separate case though.

I don't want the kids who attacked and beat the one boy to get an unfair shake, but I do not believe you can excuse a bad act by blaming it on another.

Its like this. If someone robs a store they should be prosecuted for that. If the store owner finds out who did it and goes to his house and murders him. Then the store owner should be prosecuted for murder. To say that one was black and the other was white would not change the facts.

philosher, shut up !

Having issues with communication skills are you bear?

bear, you should have your mother read all the STUFF YOU YOU wrote about all of us. what would she say about all that??????????

Well if that wasn't rude. My first thought was to be angry with you for your words to me Bear. But, then I began to feel like you are not a happy person. So, I am letting your words slide over me. I am not a rude or disruptive woman. Now as far as telling me to mind my own business then you are indeed in the wrong place my friend. This is a public, or community forum. We all speak up when the urge hits us and we speak our minds. So please do not be surprised if you hear from me again. I am here, and I am going to be speaking my thoughts and my feelings. I'm funny that way. Seems that is the way the game is played here. I am just one of a crowd.
Kinds makes me wonder what I said that got your attention. I actually thought I was quite nice.
Thank you Bear for being here.
Kat

You are welcome!

"philosopher',

"... philosher, shut up !"

... is secret 'bear2007' code.


It means: 'I quite agree with what you wrote there friend, and wouldn't mind discussing it some over a beer sometime'.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert in 'bear2007', I'm rather new to it. But that's where I'm at so far after decrypting several 'affectionate' coded messages he directed at me earlier.

Spider,

"Charges against youth did not exist in that states law books" simply meant that part of the initial charges the YOUTH was held on was not a legitmate charge,he couldn't be tried as an adult which is why they dropped those charges. (these comments are based on my readings(this is my summation of events.)

Sure the YOUTH has priors and yes he must be held accoutable as they all should, however my point is all involved should be held accountable and my opinion will not change. (this is my summation of events).

Calm down it's just a discussion no one person is right,we weren't there so we don't have the complete facts, you can go to any website and get their version of events, however the only people who really know what actually happened are the YOUTHS involved in the situation. (this is my summation of events).

It is a forum for ALL to discuss their opinions even if some of them may be construed/perceived as racist. (this is my summation of my opinions).


Benzy

..

Thank you dear friends for your support with this members hatred and radically rude remarks slung at me. Bear2207 i feel sorry for you but wish you a nice day anyways.