Please read the latest Jena Six post here.
Justin Barker is the white teenager whose beating resulted in the arrest of the “Jena 6″ – according to previous reports, he is friends with the three students who hung the nooses in the trees, and his beating occurred moments after he taunted the black student who had his “ass whipped” by a group of whites at the Fair Barn over the weekend. I guess sometimes being beaten by a group of people is okay, and sometimes it’s not, hmm?
Do any of those facts mean that he “deserved” a beating? No. They don’t. But I’m trying to put it in context. He wasn’t just leaped on out of the blue. The fight didn’t occur in a vacuum. This report of his testimony at the Mychal Bell trial is incomplete. Here’s Barker’s recollection, which excludes what reportedly happened moments before:
Justin Barker, 17, testified that he had just come out of his high school gym with his girlfriend walking ahead of him on Dec. 4 when they turned to avoid a group of black students.
“I turned my back and somebody hit me, that’s all I remember,” Barker said.
Well, Barker’s not required – unless a lawyer can ask him and get the judge to allow the question – to provide context. But it’s important. Here’s what led up to it -
Written statements from students closest to the scene (in space and time) suggest that the incident was sparked by an angry exchange in the gymnasium moments before in which the black student assaulted at the Fair Barn was taunted for having his “ass whipped”.
Emotions had been running high for months. Things kept escalating, and this was far from the first violence. So did Barker deserve a beating? No one deserves a beating. But high school students who let their emotions get out of hand don’t deserve to spend the rest of their lives in jail, either.
I don’t think the Jena 6 should go entirely without punishment. I just think these criminal charges are beyond ridiculous. Kids in school fight on a regular basis. I can’t even tell you how many fights I saw in my high school twenty years ago, and plenty of them were racially motivated. Expelling them from school is fair and appropriate. A misdemeanor might be appropriate. But if the D.A. honestly believes criminal charges of any kind are appropriate, he’d better look like pressing charges against the group of whites who beat the black student at the Fair Barn, and the white guy in the convenience store parking lot who threatened black students with a shotgun. What D.A. Walters did instead was charge the black students who took the shotgun from the white guy with theft and battery. I find that very telling.
I’d be even more interested to know just how many people before December, 2006 were criminally prosecuted with felony charges for a high school fight. I’m betting that number is zero. I’m also betting that any charges against Barker for having a rifle and bullets on school property are going to either go away, or he’ll get a fine and a suspended sentence. Was there a good reason for that rifle? According to comments on this story (since removed on the live version, this is a Google cache), he forgot it in his truck after cleaning out his father’s hunting camp. He was expelled for having a gun on campus; and if it is reasonable to believe he didn’t bring it to school to threaten or attack anyone, I think that’s fair.
That cached story also has more information about the beating -
Investigators from the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office have gathered statements from more than 40 people — a number of them students — who told investigators they saw everything that happened. Many of these statements were included in court documents.
“When I heard a black boy say something to Justin, I turned my head and I saw somebody hit Justin,” one student wrote in a statement. “He fell in between the gym door and the concrete barricade. I saw Robert Bailey kneel down and punch Justin in the head. … Then Carwin Jones kicked him in the head. … Theo Shaw tried to kick him so I pushed Theo Shaw down. I also saw Mychal Bell standing over him.”
Phrases like “stomped him badly,” “stepped on his face,” “knocked out cold on the ground,” and “slammed his head on the concrete beam” were used by the students in their statements.
Robert Bailey said this past week that he and the other boys weren’t around when the fight happened and that the teachers and principal were making students say what they wrote in statements.
Repeated calls to Jena High School Principal Glen Joiner went unreturned.
“It was a rowdy day at school because of what had happened over the weekend,” Bailey said of earlier fights at the Fair Barn and Gotta Go convenience store. “The fight (with Justin) happened so quick. But those of us arrested weren’t even around. Once the fight broke out, we all ran to see what happened, but I wasn’t around when the fight happened.”
On Dec. 1, Bailey said he was jumped by six to seven white men at the Fair Barn and that only one was arrested and charged with simple battery.
Two days later, he and friends ran into one of the men involved in the fight at the Gotta Go and the man pulled out a shotgun, Bailey said. Bailey said he wrestled the gun away, but was charged with aggravated battery and theft.
That is injustice and racism, Bailey said.
Last week Jones said that when he went to school on Dec. 4, he could tell something was going to happen, it just felt that way, he said.
He was sitting in the boys gym after lunch, he said, and when everyone left to go back to class, he was in front of Justin and didn’t know what had happened until he “heard the first lick.”
“I wasn’t involved,” he said. “He got hit once, fell to the ground, and that was the end. Everyone just ran up when someone yelled fight, and it seemed like he was getting kicked.”
Both Jones and Bailey said they did not see who hit Justin Barker.
As to his injuries -
Justin Barker was taken by ambulance to LaSalle General Hospital’s emergency room, arriving at 12:25 p.m., according to court documents. A report from the ambulance company stated Barker “denies any pain other than his eye.”
Once in the emergency room, Barker told medical personnel that he had been “jumped by 15 guys” and was unsure of what he had been hit with, according to the emergency physician’s record in the court file. The record noted an injury to Barker’s right eye requiring follow-up medical attention and injuries to his face, ears and hand.
A Computed Tomography scan of Barker’s brain showed no abnormalities, but there were reports of him losing consciousness during the attack, according to hospital records.
Barker was discharged about 2½ hours after being admitted to the ER. Later that night, he attended a ring ceremony at the school, where he was presented his class ring by his parents, something Kelli Barker said her son really wanted to be a part of, even though he was still in pain.
“All that keeps being said is that he was just in the hospital for a little bit and not really hurt,” Kelli Barker said of Justin. “I thank God he wasn’t hurt more than he was. But we have medical bills to show that he really was hurt.”
According to court documents, the initial trip to the emergency room cost $5,467.
That’s about right for an ambulance ride and two and a half hours in the ER, a CT scan and other tests that were surely conducted. But as for “stomped on badly,” “stepped on face,” etc. I’m just not buying it, and it’s also not consistent with the injuries Barker described on the stand. The same students who used those phrases are the ones who said he was beaten unconscious during the fight and frankly I find that overall picture exaggerated. I know what it is to be beaten unconscious. I’ve experienced it. You don’t come out of that with this:
Barker said he had a badly swollen face and temporary blindness in one eye that lasted three weeks. He also said he still suffers recurring headaches since the beating but, under cross examination, acknowledged that medical tests have found no cause.
Those kind of injuries sound like a job for Morris Bart. Stomped on badly? Where are the broken ribs, bodywide contusions and abrasions, renal injuries? Stepped on face? Where’s the broken nose, loose and missing teeth?
Again, I’m not saying the beating was nothing, or that it was deserved. But I am saying that these criminal charges are outrageous, and that they are not at all consistent with the treatment white people received for the exact same offense and worse. The whites who conducted the Fair Barn beating basically got of scot free – one guy was charged with battery, and the rest got nothing at all. One of them pulled a shotgun on black kids the next day, and wasn’t charged at all for it. That’s racism.
Justin Barker’s parents want justice, but if they think justice means spending most of your adult life in prison for a high school fight, then maybe it also means having the full force of the law descend on you for bringing a rifle and bullets onto a school campus. If you ignore context in one, maybe you should in the other as well. It’s something to think about.
The reason the government forced integration is so THAT black students would brutalize white students.
It’s amazing how the media is against the white kid. They really wanted the white kid to die. They will rot in hell!
ChristynD:
The victim who was beaten by the Jena 6 had nothing to do with the noose hangings. He hung out in the same group they did, that’s about it. He was also involved in a verbal altercation with Robert Bailey beforehand. Some claim he called one the “n” word, but I’ve heard there are no eye witness statements to support that claim. I haven’t received all of the eye witness statements yet but plan to.
Either way, nothing gives ANYONE a right to do what they did. Do you know the details? Here’s a rundown.
White kid walks past several black kids with his girlfriend. When he passes one up, he punches white kid from behind. White kid hits concrete and is knocked unconscious before he even hits the ground. While he is unconscious on the ground, these 6 guys kicked him repeatedly. One eye witness says one of the Jena 6 leaned down and started punching him, too. MULTIPLE witnesses say they were kicking him in the head.
Keep in mind that, medically speaking, brain injuries are alot likelier to occur when someone has been knocked unconscious.
So you tell me, does he deserve this?
And do we have laws that are supposed to shelter people who conduct this kind of behavior in our school system?
Two of the other 6 charges were dropped to the same as Bells as expected. they havent said anything about Bells appeal to not be tried as an adult yet. Also there are no protest outside from all the people who said they would be there. Everything sure seems to be as normal as long as the people from elsewhere stay out of it.
Opal-
I hope both of those last two comments were jokes (albeit unfunny jokes)
We will have to accept that there are things in America, that will not really change. We will
only have improvements and gains between the different cultures when the cultures and races go through similar experiences that affect both equally. As a person who occasionally visits America, I have been fortunate enough to observe different aspects of the culture and I am always amazed at how some communities are able to work out their differences and how others find it very difficult. If there is a problem that will not be reconciled it is usually fostered by persons who live for causing discord and damage, it makes no difference if they are Black, White, Asian or Hispanic. These persons are so weak that they are easily manipulated by demons within and without, and they often refuse to keep the rules that they have set for others. We can call it racism, violence, gangbeating, whatever.
He said, Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, this encompasses the first four commandments, and then He said, Love your neighbour as yourself, the latter, encompass the commandments five to six. It may not be apparent, but if we cannot keep the first four we will not be able to keep the other six, and since the same guys who you look to for justice are the same guys that removed the commandments from public view, it looks we are between a rock and a hard place, I would have to include myself because the rules apply to me also whenver I travel to America.
If changes are not forthcoming the only retribution we will see is a pound of flesh
Bell’s problem is that he had three prior convictions on battery – this is probably why he is also being tried as an adult. Sorry but at some point you ahve to learn a lesson and that obviously was not working in his case. He should taken a plea.
I agree that the charges and sentencing are way over the top for this type of crime in this particular case. However, I would like to see fighting taken far more seriously in schools. Kids should not have to go to school in fear of being assaulted. I do believe it should be investigated and treated as a crime – and if the person committing the assault is found guilty and is 16 or older they should spend some time during the summer in a detention center for the first offense. Second offense would be jail time and expulsion. Too many kids keep coming through the system thinking violence is the answer and we need to put an end to it. Fight videos on the web are everywhere – it’s a sick contest to see who can be the least civilized.
The problem with this whole charade is – it should have been handled at the school level. The DA should be prosecuted for abuse of power.
In response to Christyn D:
I cease to be amazed at the lack of equality in the world. For some reason, people think it is OK to hate another Race of people. Not just one person, but an entire race. Christyn D thinks the white kid who was beaten should be prosecuted for a hate crime. The kid who was beaten? He didn’t hang a noose. He didn’t do anything except taunt another kid for getting his “a$$ whipped” in a previous fight. Where does that fall into the category of a Hate Crime. AND, if you are prosecuting kids for hate crimes, then shouldn’t it be the black kids who beat the white kid? Afterall, their defense is that they beat the white kid in retaliation, because he happened to be friends with the 3 kids who did hang the nooses. In other words, they beat him BECAUSE HE WAS WHITE. Black kids beat another kid because he’s white and that’s OK because they have a “tough road ahead of them”. Christyn went on to say, “if these kids were white, who would be in court?”. Fact is, if these kids were white and had jumped a black student, you would not only see all 6 kids expelled from school, you would probably see some pretty stiff criminal charges regarding hate crimes. You see Christyn, in this world it is OK for a group of black kids to jump one white kid and beat him senseless because of the color of his skin. IT IS NOT ok for a group of white kids to jump one black kid and beat him senseless. That is called racism in America, where it is OK for blacks to say anything deragatory they want about whites because they feel they have earned the right to be racist. I, for one, am not going to raise my boys to believe that because slavery existed, they have the right to be prejudice against all white people. Fact is, life is hard for whites and blacks. As a College professor, I can attest that it is much more difficult for a poor white student to make it in this world, than a poor black student. It is up to all African American PARENTS to instill pride and a sense of logic and morality in our children in order to abolish ALL racism, not just racism against blacks. I truly feel sorry for you if you have a grudge or hatred for any group of people based on their skin. If you haven’t opened your heart and your eyes to INDIVIDUAL freedom in this country, then I suggest you take the time to get to know someone who is different from you.
Let me start this by saying I was born and raised in Jena, and pround of the town and people, black and white.
I graudated JHS in 72, we intergrated our schools when I was a sophmore, very little problems with the change,
just some white and blacks being thuggs, the same white boys causing trouble in our all white school, and the same black boys causing trouble in their all black school, trouble comes in all colors.
When we intergrated our school we played sports together, very few problems, but as for the school “hang out places’, the nerds had one place, the cowboys had thier place, the jocks had their place, the popular kids, had thier place the thuggs had their place, black or white, and if you was in the wrong “place’ your were probaly not accepted there, white or black, the “tree” probaly was one of those hangouts, maybe not sure. As for the shotgun incident, my mother used to work at the store and are good friends with the owner who saw the incident, a simple case of thuggs being thuggs, The people from Jena, black or white, will defend themselves,
whatever way they can. From my understanding by people present, the fair barn incident was a private party that some kids tried to crash, and were removed by force, after mouthing from both parties a fight insued.
and I believe the person who told me. the fight at the school I know no first hand details, but in texas where I live now, any school fight the city police are called and charge are filed. Do theese kids deserve 22 years in jail. of course not, do they need to be held accoutable for their actions, of course they do, all, black or white do.
The reason that the DA has not mentioned their past crimminal history is because he cannot, because of pending cases.
Before I am crucified in this blog let me tell you about me, I am 54 yo white guy, born and raised in Jena, moved to TX in 78, was not born in a racist home, my family stills lives there, and I visit often, I still remember the “black only” windows at the restuarants, and I did not understand, my Dad said it was just ignorant people being ignorant, where I live now is a small town about the same size as Jena, and we are about racially even, blacks, hispanics, white, and we have thuggs of all colors, just like Jena. I teach sunday school at the Baptist Church, 1/3 of my class if black, great kids black and white, my son played football at our high school, only white boy on the team, started for 3 years, freinds with the whole team, most are at our house all the time, great kids, black and white, but we also have our thuggs back and white.
I guess what really bothers me about all of this, the DA messed up, the school board messed up, the boys that put the noose in the tree should have been expelled, but the thing that really bothers me is people black or
white, is painting a picture of innocence of all involved, thuggs , black or white will be thuggs, also great kids,black or white, are great kids. The thing has really got out of hand by people that does not know the town, the out of town and even country press to sell their coverage, the other people, white or black, that wants to further their own agenda.
Off my soap box, side note, this is a good blog, open minded, the people are respectable even though opinions differ at times
Gary……………still proud to be from Jena
Gary S:
It makes me really happy to hear Jena voices in here, people that KNOW that the situation (in most cases) isn’t as it is being portrayed.
I think the town does have its racial issues, the media has made sure and pulled out a microscope to find anything they can possibly find. They’ve been roaming through all parts of the town trying to find white-on-black racism to make their story juicier. The sad thing is, I have many friends who people would definitely call “rednecks” who would actually surprise people. They would seem to be the “textbook racist” but they have very close black friends who they work with. It just saddens me that people don’t understand how Jena really is. And you are so right about the thugs being in all races. This story is mainly about a group of individuals (white & black) who just don’t get along with each other. The justice system is in question, and I feel an investigation should prove if what the justice system as a whole did here was fair and legal.
Maybe the truth will finally come out once the media frenzy subsides?
What the Hell! The DA and courts along with the media made it the real Racial issue it is. Yes the nooses where racists and that was stupid judgement. The fights and beatings were fights and beatings. I don’t know when the gang mentality startd in fights, but when I was in High School there was some honor to a fight, even if it was a serious issue like race. If a white kid called a black kid the N word, the black buddies picked one of their guys to kick the white guys ass and when the white dude got the point he cried uncle and it was honered and the fight stopped, and vice versa with white on black. The point to a fight ‘Watch ultimate fighting’ isn’t to kill your opponent it’s to defeat him. I know we still have race issues in this country, especially in the deep south, but this damn gang mentality, no matter what the color or problem, does not do anyone any good to solving things. The purpose is to get the point across, and the point here is stop racism, stop hating because of color, that can be done by good old communication and an a one on one ass kicking once in awhile, no need for the gang mentality. Besides there are so many perfectly good reasons to hate some people without using something like race!
They are not allowed to bring up any prior juvenile convictions in an adult court, so anything the young men did prior is off limits.
A middle-aged woman is going to sustain injuries in a fight that a 16 yo would not. In the ER, I’ve seen young people that have only minor injuries who would have probably been dead if they were 40 yrs older.
My dad was involoved in a major accident (his wife died) and he was not kept in the hospital. Docs just don’t do that anymore.
If Mr. Bailey can not handle “taunting” from another student, life outside of high school in the real world is going to be very tough.
james black,
what a breath of fresh air! you took the words right out of my mouth. black folks are still scared today to become friends with the white race. why? i’ll quote a high school black girl, “they ask us why we talked to whites, we wanna be white or something?
I have to say I found the contrasting comments in here quite interesting. A few were really dumb and offensive, while a few quite intelligent and informed/informative. One point I’d like to make is to Dantrell Jackson. That is exactly what this world needs.
Laura, thank you so much for bringing up a lot of statements that, many who are from Jena seem to keep conveniently leaving out. No one wants to face the facts that the injuries just do not mesh with the kind of beating we were originally lead to believe. From all of the things I read, I really had thought this boy was beaten to a pulp. 6 large football players stomping and kicking this guy in the head, surly he would have major injuries. As more statements, reports, and definitely the pictures came out I was like, thats it. I am sure when it first happened at the scene it look severe. I stepped on a piece of glass and had blood running down my foot all over the place, I thought for sure I would need stitches, but when I cleaned up I discovered the cut was not bad at all. I think that of course if you show the initial pictures to a jury they would be like “how awful” but I saw the picture of him the same day after the blood was cleaned up and I was shocked that any sane person would call these injuries near death.
The so call witness statements are extremely conflicting and the only adult to witness the attack said that the first punch was not from Bell but one of the other boys, also not one of the witnesses except for one female teacher could point out more than 3 of the attackers. The female teacher got a list of names that the coach had written down for rowdy behavior in the gym and said these were the boys, she was later forced to admit that she never saw anyone hit Barker.
This case has holes all in it. First there were 50 black jurors summoned and suddenly the truth that only 10 were summoned and of that 10 some had moved, or had left the state altogether or were deceased. So many never got the summons. 10 compared to the number of whites summoned far less than even the racial make up would suggest. Links between witnesses and jurors as well as the victim and DA. This was not a fair trial. I think the DA over stepped boundaries, these boys did deserve punishment but the charges are crazy.
I am also glad you pointed out that the randomly attacked white kid, was a load of crap, there was provocation, that does not make it right but it sure causes one to wonder why would the DA knowingly mislead the jury. He knew why this boy was attacked. Thank you for telling what no one else is willing to tell.
hello all,
I have been reading these post daily and appreciate the history on jena and the incidents that took place in jena. In my opinion I feel that this issue should have been resolved in the school system. I firmly believe that all students involved black or white should suffer the consequences of all incidents not just the blacks.
here is some food for thought: i was watching the news about 2 weeks ago give or take, and came by a story where 6 white adults in west va kidnapped, tortured and sexually assulted a black woman. Held this woman captive for over a week, making her do things i really dont want to repeat.
What bothers me, is these 6 whites are not hardly getting the treatment as the jena 6 kids are.
I do not know what happened in Jena that day. Nor, do I pretend to know. However, I have read several post that states the Jena six deserve exactly what they get.As far as stating that justice needs to be served, okay I agree. As you go to bed tonight, I want you to think about Emmett Till, remember how he was brutally killed by two white men. Face cut up by a saw, tongue and genital area cut off. Then his body was wrapped in barbed wire, and thrown in a river. Men openly admitted that they killed him, but no justice. Remember Martin Lee Anderson, The young florida boy that was killed by guards at his detention center. This was caught on tape. Or taking it way back, the people in Rosewood, Fl that were killed beacaue a white woman claimed she was raped by a black man. She later told the truth that it was a white man that did it. The two tallahassee boys that were sent to prison about 30 yrs ago. Witnesses said they saw them kill a white man. A white man on his death bed, admitted to the killings. I stated the following stories because white people always demand justice to be served when something happens with someone in their race. I tell you if the justice system really worked for me and my people, white america would be in trouble. GOD is the only judge. Just something for the people demanding that justice be served in the jena 6.
Sorry, Jimmie Hicks, but you’re wrong here. You’d be okay with the school handling the kids that beat your child while he was defenseless? I’m sure there is a policy that if an ambulance is called to a school, a call is automatically made to the Police Station. Sorry but you know what, these kids need to just own it and the parents of these children need to accept some of the responsibility. You decide to join in the game of 6-on-1, beating a kid while he’s down – you face the consequences. What’s wrong with you people? Do you not see how insane it is that this kid was jumped by NOT 1, NOT 2, BUT 6 kids? I don’t care what was said, racial or otherwise. NO WORDS……….. will ever justify physical harm. EVER! And for anyone to give even one breath of sympathy to these kids, well, you are part of the problem. What are we teaching our kids? That if you make a conscious choice, even though you know right from wrong, and you go and beat a kid with 5 of your friends, not to worry – we’ll march for your freedom?
No wonder America is so F’d up!
To Dantrell Jackson — AMEN! This is exactly what I’m talking about. Physcial harm is never justifiable unless it is self-defense and obviously this wasn’t the case.
I’m tired of all this thinking after the action. How about these kids thinking BEFORE they act. The wrong message is being sent to these 6 kids and it makes me physically ill. I don’t care what color anyone is, the point is not color, it’s paying for a crime. Attempted murder? Why not? 6 kids on 1, what are you trying to accomplish? If Justin Baker had gone into a coma and died, what would they want? Accidental Death? Manslaughter? Pathetic!
Justice, do you also support Justin Barker going to jail for having a rifle and bullets on campus, and that the noose-hangers should go to federal prison for a hate crime? If you believe in the maximum charges for crime and in charging minors as adults, you can’t be selective about it.On a personal note, I congratulate your parents on you. Obviously they raised you to be the ideal teenager, never acting foolishly or impulsively, never making a mistake or suffering from poor judgment. I’m sure you have had a wonderful life and I’m very happy for you and for them.
Laura – I think you have some deep-rooted issue here that have nothing to do with this situation. You are trying to justify what these 6 kids did by calling out Justin Barker having a rifle or nooses hanging. YOU CAN’T JUSTIFY BEATING A KID. Sorry. Your points are moot. Does a lady who gets a slap on the writst for drinking & driving deserve to be raped? You are trying to justify physical harm here and it’s wrong? You realize that, right? I don’t support guns and I don’t support hate crimes and I also don’t support kids that team up and beat down 1 kid. Yes, I have acted foolishly but NO I NEVER BEAT UP ANYONE. NO, I never joined 5 of my friends and beat up 1 person. NO, I didn’t. That is not being foolish or impulsive, Laura. That is not just making a mistake. That is called violence and there are too many people making excuses for it when the truth is there is no excuse for it. ANd if you haven’t seen the news, more times than not, violence ends in death. This isn’t about color, it’s about society making excuses for viscious acts.
justice, evidently you’re new here. The choices are not “put him under the jail” or “set him free.” I have not said the Jena 6 should go unpunished – go read the archives. I think they should be punished – appropriately and fairly.
Added – remember, YOU said, ” I don’t care what color anyone is, the point is not color, it’s paying for a crime.” The DOJ said that the nooses met the criteria for a hate crime – never mind that hate crimes are BS anyway, the point is it legally met the criteria – and yet the perps went totally unpunished for it. My point is you’re being inconsistent. You want a slap on the wrist for some, and the book thrown at others. Why is that? What’s YOUR deep-rooted issue? Or will you admit that it’s possible to have an opinion based on the facts at hand?
Where did I say I wanted a slap on the wrist for some and the book thrown at others? Please don’t put words in my mouth. Each crime is it’s own entity. You are trying to compare crimes and you can’t. I said I don’t support guns or hate crimes. They should be punished. You can’t compare crimes because no matter what crime it is, all circumstances are different. So, apparently, since these dumb kids that hung the nooses didn’t get punished then the kids that beat up Justin Barker shouldn’t be punished. You are putting way too much emphasis on the wrong thing. One crime not being punished has nothing to with another crime being punished. So let me ask you this, if one of those kids that hung the nooses was beaten to death, would that be justifice for you? OR if those kids that hung the nooses were prosecuted and put in jail – would you still be trying to discredit the Justin Barker case and defend these 6 kids?
[Let me be clear, justice - I have always said that there's no excuse for beating Barker, and I've repeatedly said they should be punished for it. So we agree on that, if not the extent of the punishment. But your original comment stated that you want kids to think before they act and implied that you want them to be held accountable for what they do. Fair enough - now apply it to EVERYBODY. - Laura]
i have to say i think any mother that teaches their kids that it is okay to stomp or beat another kid just because they don’t like what someone else says well then they should not prosecute mychal bell they should prosecute his parents for teaching him so much hate. after all we act the way we are taught to act.
i would like to know when did our justice system start asking the people in the world how to prosecute criminals. after all there is one justice system for all people no matter what race. this was a gang fight any way you look at it and probably was planned. a school yard fight would be one on one not six on one. i think everyone needs to stop feeling sorry for the ones who did the beating and stomping and start feeling sorry for the one person who was beaten. i mean who the hell is standing up for him or protesting for him. i don’t see thousands of people gathering around for him hell i haven’t even heard one person say they are sorry for what happened to him. and people wander why the country will never change, well what do you expect its kinda one sided if you watch the news. jen1groomer
Laura ,
Do six black males beating 1 white male not constitute a hate crime? I am not racist but if I hang a noose in a tree that is freedom of speech. If I tell you I am going to put you in it that is assault with a deadly weapon but if you happened to be black it is a hate crime? All CRIME stems from hatred. Usually of ones self!!
I do not condone violence but I do believe in justice. Justice is suppose to be served on a continuum for both sides, that’s the entire purpose of the judical process. No one deserves to be beaten or hurt in such a way it results to a trip to the emergency room. But can you really send young men to jail for all of their adult life for fighting in a high school fight. No, that is unwarranted. Yes, they should be punished for their crime, but they should not be abused by a system that advertises Justice for all.
No I don’t think that 6 black males on 1 white man is a hate crime to the the truth for it to have been all them they didn’t do to much damage for real. You can see by the pictures of that man he didn’t get a true beat down……..I’ve seen worse. THAT PROSECUTER MUST BE UP FOR ELECTIONS OR SOMETHING CAUSE HE TOOK THIS WAY TO PERSONAL OR HE IS HEAD OF SOME TYPE OF kkk ORGANAZATION. THAT MAN JUST GOT BEAT UP AND THOSE BOYS DID NO MORE THEN OTHER KIDS DO IN SCHOOL FIGHTS. YA’LL KNOW ITS KLAN OUT THERE
OK ABOUT THE JENA 6 IVE BEEN TO HUNDREDS OF WEBSITES TO READ ABOUT THESE YOUNG MEN…EVERY WEBSITE SAYS SOMETHING DIFFERENT…THE ONLY THING I WANT TO COMMENT IS IF IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND THAT THE WHITE TEENS WOULD HAVE BEATEN ONE BLACK TEEN WOULD THE CHARGES BE THE SAME…I THINK THATS THE MAIN QUESTION THE JUDGES SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT…
6 black students? Barker told the police he was jumped by 15 boys….or maybe it was just one, after being taunted for being beat up the weekend before, and being called the “N” word.
I find it amazing that the root cause of the the incident has been totally lost on the the sympathizers for Barker, wasn’t his friend who insigated this attack on Mr. Bell. why are we not punishing him or his parents for the cowardly attack him and his friends engaged in. As for black people being racist (posted by someone else on the site), we cannot be racist because racism has to do with he unequal balance of power. Black people do not control the wealth, the government or any other resources that can be utilized to keep another race down. so PLEASE STOP sayin that blacks are racist.
burrkester,
A hate crime is defined as “A hate crime (bias crime), loosely defined, is a crime committed because of the perpetrator’s prejudices. This is a controversial political issue within the US. The US Congress (HR 4797 – 1992) defined a hate crime as: “[a crime in which] the defendant’s conduct was motivated by hatred, bias, or prejudice, based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity of another individual or group of individuals. …” which means that the crime must be motivated solely by race. An example would be if a white kid smacked a random black kid on the street or vice versa, simply because of race.
Just because one party is black and the other is white does not make something an automatic hate crime. It is difficult to explain the Jena 6 as being or not being a hate crime because of all the other incidents that happened leading up to the Justin Barker beating. It has also been reported that Barker was taunting the black students before this. That would mean that this crime was motivated by the taunting, however racial it may have been. If Justin Barker was black and taunted the Jena 6, he may still have been beaten; the situation probably wouldn’t be such a big issue.
Hanging nooses from a tree is a hate crime. It is solely motivated by race.
And justcause, anyone could be racist. While racism has caused some people in power to oppress others (like the Apartheid), anyone has the capacity to discriminate based on race.
Perhaps this case gives all of us a chance to see how the justice system really works. I don’t like the fact that you can be under 18 and still be charged as an adult; it’s just dumb. Either you are an adult (18) or you’re not. When it’s convenient for prosecutors, or “heinous” enough (ie, this “beating”), then you’re a grown-up. When it’s not such an easy case to prosecute(ie, bringing a gun to school), it’s a juvenile case. I’m tired of prosecutors being given “discretion” with this type of stuff, and judges going along with it. What is the point of having a juvenile system if we’re going to abandon it when our emotions are running too high?
You’re old enough to go to war and kill a complete stranger for whatever cause at 18, yet you’re not allowed to drink alcohol because you’re not old enough to understand the responsibility of consuming alcohol (or, can’t handle your liquor as most folks would say), unless you’re at home with mommy and daddy. I don’t get it.
And no, jen1groomer, I won’t be protesting on Justin Barker’s behalf. Not that I condone what happened to him, but in this particular case, he doesn’t need thousands, or even hundreds to support him; he has the Jena justice system, plus the incompetent DOJ (particularly Donald Washington) in his corner. Most folks aren’t protesting because because the Jena 6 are “innocent”, but because these are agregious charges. I’d feel a lot better when everyone comes to their senses and recognize this.
I guess I could go about leaving my comment as a black person, but I’d really like to do it as a person, an American.
I think it is ridicules the white students weren’t charged for the things they did. With that said, this is evidence that violence begets violence. As much as the white students were wrong, other black students were as well. As I have read various articles over the Jena 6, I have noticed with both groups, it seems to be the same names over and over again, continously reacting to the last the other did.
I do think petitions and other actions should be taken to make sure others are charged as they should be. I think the charges for the Jena 6 needed to be reduced. With that said, these six young men did attack another. This debate over the extent of the victim’s injuries is irrelevant. I assure none of the young men who were doing the beating were doing so with the thoughts in their minds they would only hurt him a little bit. Even if the victim was calling them racially charged names a minute before the beating, it is illegal to attack another person. And, trust me, six people beatinga another person could kill them.
I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma with about the same racial percentages as Jena. Not only did I like most of the white students, I love them. I mean, I started kindergarten with them. When we were in the 8th grade, two boys, one black kid named Wes and one white named Eddie, got into a fist fight in basketball over a cookie. I know this sounds ridicules, but it happened. They also happened to be talking to the same girl. None the less, the white student wont the fight and both students were suspended. A week later when the suspension was over, 8 black other students who weren’t even friends with Wes jumped Eddie. I remember it being one of the scariest things I have ever seen. I was totally pissed! He fell onto a concrete bench, his head was busted open and several of us, including Wes, pulled them off. Wes and Eddie had talked the week of their suspension and patched up their friendship. But, these other 8 guys took it upon themselves to take up this fight and make it bigger than it was. However, charges were never filed against them, but should have been. I think the principal and the police thought if they had been charged, the problem just would have passed on to more people who had no idea what had originally happened between Wes and Eddie. The 8 were expelled for the year.
My point is it seems to me that this thing in Jena is comprised mostly have the same people, black and white. As a black person who grew up in a very similar community to Jena, I have to say I did come across some racists, but I also came to know far more great people. This makes me sad for the people of Jena who have been friends for so many years, but are now being torn apart by an incident of angry people of both races and now nationwide attention.
The kids who started this at the least should be suspended from school. Hangings and lynchings have obviously been a form of TERRORISM towards black people through the history of this country, particularily in the South. Since 9/11, there have been many new laws that address terrorism and terroristic threats, although they are mostly only applied to Americans with a Middle Eastern background. This was a means to envoke terror. I would be willing to beat there are many white people in Jena who agree with this, if for no other reason than these punks have turned their town into a national laughing stock. With that said, the Jena 6 should also be charged and punished. Even if you hate the person in question, in America, you and five of your friends just can’t attack them. I know most of you would feel the same if it were 6 white kids and one black boy. And, I know this has happened many times and gone unpunished, but justifying the current attack based on past injustices only continues this racial divide. In fact, I have a suggestion. Lets bundle up all these Jena kids, black and white, and dump them off in Iraq. I promise, they’ll come back in love with each other.
I live in Jena, La. It seems like there have been nooses hung on trees before footballs games for as long as I can remember, it has never been a racial thing. The Jena 6 boys at least 2 of them have told my son he was going to be next to get beat down. My son is not a racist at all. The nooses was just an excuse for them to get out of trouble for what they did. Two of these boys in school would hit some of the white boys or push them down and tell them to say the N word and if they did they would knock the heck out of them. That’s not right. I have heard that Mychal Bells neighborhood say that the crime has been down since he has been in jail. It must be nice all the money coming into the household to go buy new cars, and new rims for their cars they have bought. The money being sent is for the children….. I just hope when he gets out he doesn’t commit a bad crime. When you are a repeat offender you usually don’t get bail.. it doesn’t matter what color you are a crime is a crime. You need to come to our town and judge for yourself don’t believe everything you hear about us. I bet when you leave you will have a different outlook on us I promise for the best…
Living in La. and not to far from Jena, La I have been following this since the hanging of the noose. It was hard for me to even comprehend what is really going on in Jena and now that I have been to many sites, and visited Jena, racism is still alive and strong. The issue should not be 6 black boys beat up one white boy. Why is race even mentioned? If hanging a noose is freedom of speak, then I guess call a person of african amerian decent the “N” word is freedom as speech as well.
Susan, I have been to Jena. And just the thought of Jena makes me say thank God I don’t live there. If race is not an issue there, are there any minorities working in any of the banks in Jena? What about the barber shop there that “blacks” are not allowed to enter? You said, “I heard taht Mychal Bell’s neighborhood say that the crime has been down since he has been in jail.” has to be a lie, you mean to tell me that an entire community is afraid of a 16yr old, be for real! What did your DA mean when he started his speech in the auditorium with “I can change your life with the stroke of a pen”? Now with you being a mother and your son came home and told you that two boys regardless of race said they were going to beat him down next and you sit in your home and do nothing then you are less than a mother, we protect our own!
Now back to the beating you are not going to make me understand if 6 high school football players attacked one person, the one person who was attack did not have serious injuries, but I guess God was on his side, but if he was such a holy than thou person he would not have mistakenly brought a gun and ammunition to school either.
susan,
nooses being hung before footballs?!?!?!?!?! are you kidding me? that in itself is not and should not be a normally occurring event… and in this particular case, it was a racial thing… also, have you ever heard of a high school fight being taken to court? i’m pretty sure that answer is NO! this is absolutely ridiculous… if this was in reverse— barker black and the “jena 6″ white… there would be no courts involved at all…. this is definitely racism— furthermore, i’m sure you know this by now… but let me refresh your memory: “The same day as the impromptu protest, an assembly was called. White students sat on one side of the auditorium, black students on the other. LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters dropped what he was doing and, accompanied by the police, came out to threaten the black students. He faced their side of the auditorium and told them, “See this pen in my hand? I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen.” It was not an idle threat.” If this is what the majority of the people in Jena believe is “normal”… you guys definitely need to get out more and see the world outside of your racist Jena— the world has moved on. yes, our justice system does not always work with the utmost fairness, but something that reaches such a magnitude where the white students who beat the black kid weren’t given anything in comparison to the “jena 6″
lastly, i liked to say that i’m not condoning any of the “jena 6″ acts, but only trying to figure out why the charges were so different for students involved in the same type of event (beating up another). if this isn’t racism then i really don’t know what is.
time always repeats it self, the wilmington 10 come to mind .. black men standing up for the rights the white man wants to take away..every white person in jena saw it the white way and not the right way if the roles were different would they still feel the same would they say 15 whites jump micheal bell and that just us white folk barker was wrong be real rigth is rigth no matter the color i seee thier mad because the black family are getting something thier not jena is the racist place in the world every some one wrote the noose was a excuse for them to get out of trouble see thaat was before the figth white folks……….
Does not matter if noose was hung as long as no one was hung by then , when the actual act of violence takes place then justices needs to be put in place , does not matter how long Justin Barker was only at the hospital 2 1/2 hours he should not have been to any hospital due to being beaten especially by 6 guys . If anyone does not like the degree of the punishment then they should consider the crime of assault that was taken place , supose Justin Barker had been alone when this beating had taken place go dknows where he could have been today. For a parent of the Jena6 to say justice is not being served what will it take for Justin Barker to be placed in a grave then you open your eyes , this is not just a school fight when 6 guys attack 1 guy it is wrong there is no self defense on and especially when 1 of the guys already been involved in crimes and put on probation and then act in towards violence again what that tells me is thet he never learned form his previous crimes and he needs stiffer sentencing to pay for his crime or the next thing there will be someone being put to a grave .So mother of Jena your sons comitted a crime and they have to pay the price , or next thing you may be crying over their graves for a crime gone wrong . It is time to move forward to the future and forget all this racist thing , you are given your freedom so bring your children up in the proper way as to violence is not the answer and if any white person presses on it walk away be the better man, not show justice with your feet and hands but with your hearts . Some of those guys should be thanking that nothing more serious did not come out of this Justin Barker could have been died today and they all would spend a life in prison or would you parents say it was a misunderstanding ..or he deserved it
syncere1 it is people like you that keep the violence act alive , it does not matter the amount of damage it is the fact that it was a out numbered fight that could have result in death , if this is a normal school fight then i am afraid someone is no tdoing their job in keeping peace and making it a safe environment It does not matter where the crime was comitted that fact that a person was seriously hurt and could have been worse what are you waiting for for someone to be killed then jena6 would say it could have been prevented if we known , no you would not say that because when it comes to the final blow you hold your kids high for their actions and this is white they become repeated offenders . The same for white kids does not matter colour if u commit a crime you pay the time , When you commit the crime you know the results is serious so the punishment should be serious
Susan:
You can’t tell many these people or convince them that this MAY have been a prank in preparations for the football game. I don’t know what was going through the guys’ heads, but we can say with 100% certainty that there WAS a football game and I can vouch with 100% certainty that that tree has OFTEN been used in the past to show Giant pride. And yes, I have spoken to people from other parts of Central Louisiana and a few of them have told me THEY had nooses hung in trees on more than one occasion in preparations for football games in high school. If these guys hung these nooses EVEN “as a prank” directed towards the black students, I think EXPULSION isn’t enough. I think harsher punishment should have been given. But we can’t say with 100% certainty that’s what these guys were up to. Yes, they are rednecks. That makes it very questionable, but it does not PROVE their intent. Additionally, I’ve heard that THREE black students sat under the tree, yet only TWO nooses were hung. If this symbol was aimed at the black students, wouldn’t they have made one for each? So I think you have to factor that in as well. I’m on the fenceline regarding their motives. I don’t know what they meant to do, but they definitely should have addressed the issue afterwards and stated publicly what their intentions were. A public apology would have helped, too. It’s still not too late to do this. Their voice would help the situation alot. If only there was a media outlet that cared to present an unbiased, non-agenda driven story.
Davinedesigns:
I think most of us are probably glad you don’t live here either. It’s actually a great place to live. The black and white community here have some issues (a few bad seeds), but for the most part get along great. Yes, sports is usually the common bond, but definitely NOT always. It bothers me to no end when some of the racial activists say that Bell and co. were just being used for their abilities. It bothers me when they say that, since our white & black communities unite much more during sporting events, that the “white” system is using the black students to win sports games. The problem is, the black community NORMALLY has a much stronger emphasis on sports. It seems that education and club-oriented activities take backstage to sports. This is likely the reason why the white & black communities here come together more during sporting events. This is NOT the “white” system’s fault. If you want to complain about how the black athletes are being “used” by the white system, work on emphasizing other activities! I apologize if I come off as a racist for pointing out one of the perceived problems in the black community, but it angers me when racial activists are ever-so willing to dump all of the problems in their community in the white person’s lap. Racism has to change, but so does the “victim mentality”. Both are valid issues that we need to move forward with.
About the barber shop. I have one question to you: What would a black barber have said if asked the same question? This barber NEVER said a black person could not enter his establishment. You are twisting the words around to make it sound worse.
And YES, she is telling you that the neighborhood has changed because this 16 year old was in prison. I fully back what she says, and I’ve heard the SAME THING from two or three of my black friends in the community.
And regarding the pen speech. It is SO easy to throw in there that he was looking at the black students when he said this. NO way to verify it, NO way to prove it wrong. I have heard that when he actually said those words, he WAS looking at a few of the black students in the front of the auditorium because they were acting up and not listening to him. I believe this is what Reed Walters said.
Justin Barker is not a holier than thou person. I’ve yet to see anyone who has portrayed him that way. I don’t know him so I can’t vouch for his personality, but I don’t care if he is a devil-worshipper, what happened to him was extremely wrong. Arguing with someone and flipping them the middle finger doesn’t give that person a right to get 5-8 of their friends and kick you in the head while you lay on the ground unconscious. This violence in our school system should not be tolerated. If Barker WAS indeed the starter of the altercation (which I believe ample evidence in the eye witness statements suggest otherwise), what happened to letting bygones be bygones? It’s very apparent that these guys use violence to solve all of their problems. Not just violence, violence with a gang-like mentality. They ganged up on several male white students before they attacked Barker.
khushbu:
You ask if we have ever heard of a “high school fight” being taken to court? No, but I have several comments I’d like to respond about this one question:
1.) Someone gets punched in the head from behind, gets knocked unconscious, and is savagely beaten by 6-9 students. You call that a fight? Again, anytime someone uses the word “fight” to describe what happens to Justin Barker, their intentions to me are obvious. This was not a fight, it was a beating. Even Alan Bean agrees with me on that.
2.) Most of us don’t keep up with minor court cases to even accurately GAUGE if high school “fights” are taken to court. So few of us are in the position to accurately reflect on that. Ask a lawyer!
3.) The severity of this crime, which TRANSCENDS a school fight in every sense of the word, requires strict punishment. I think the punishment should be STIFFER than usual since it was in a high school where learning should be taking place. I also feel it should be stiffer if the others records resemble Bell’s.
“barker black and the “jena 6″ white… there would be no courts involved at all…. ”
This statement makes me laugh every time. Wow!! So you are honestly telling me if the races were reversed, these charges wouldn’t have been brought. So Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton wouldn’t want those 6 guys hung up on crosses and crucified? You honestly feel that way? WOW! I can’t help but to VEHEMENTLY disagree with you on that one.
“something that reaches such a magnitude where the white students who beat the black kid weren’t given anything in comparison to the “jena 6″”
The white students who beat the black kid…that situation was VASTLY different than the Justin Barker beating. Go http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/003979.html there and click on the “Convenience Store Incident”. Thumb down to Robert Bailey’s eye witness statement. He is the only one who filled one out. Even according to HIS statement, as you can clearly see, it was not a beating. He says one guy attacked him, another stepped in, then the fight was broken up. Then later one attacked him and “several” attacked his FRIENDS. So EVEN ONE OF THE GUYS YOU SUPPORT contradict what you are trying to say. Get your facts straight, please.
I’ll respond to more of this later.
I don’t buy it – it just doesn’t pass the logic test. If that were true, Reed Walters would not (as he described in his NYT op-ed) have tried so hard to find a way to charge the noose-hangers, nor would the principal have recommended expulsion instead of just saying, “Look, it’s common knowledge that we hang nooses before football games around here, and it’s happened before plenty of times so why are you getting worked up about it now?” Nor did the school board use that argument back when it would have mattered.
MY TAKE:
All I can say is GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK. I have never been to Jena, never even heard of the place but I can honestly say that I am appalled to levels unknown to man. I can’t believe some of these comments I have read on this web page. I hear people speaking of “justice” in supportive regard to Barker’s beating. Honestly, since when is 20+ years in prison for a teenager appropriate justice for a high school “ass wooping”? I am from Chicago, born and raised and maybe it’s just me but I don’t see crap like this. I have seen soooooo many high school fights. I have seen people get their heads, lips, eyes and everything else busted up but NO ONE GOES TO JAIL and certainly not for years at a time. YOU PEOPLE [Jena residents] CANNOT POSSIBLY BE SERIOUS.
That is not
justice people.
When those idiots hung those nooses on that tree, they knew exactly what they were doing. I don’t even see how other schools in the area are allowed to do it for football games, if that’s even true. But again, I am from Chicago and I bet my life you would never see any bullcrap like that anywhere. Do you have any idea what a noose represents? OMG, that is a d*mn murderous weapon which perpetuates hate and disrespect, to name a few, and I just can’t believe that it is taken so lightly in this town. Using a noose to indicate school spirit?
GIVE ME A FREAKING
BREAK! That could NEVER fly where I’m from. I suggest that from here on out the school establish some sort of Racial Sensitivity program because trust me, this crap sounds unreal. Of course there is racial tension, hell, I can think of 400 years worth of reasons for it; especially involving a noose. I am not justifying anything, but I understand. Some of these comments on this website just further support the idea that without a doubt Jena has some racial problems. The sooner people start to realize this, the better. I pray for those little boys (including Justin) and I hope some real justice comes of this bullcrap.
I want everyone to
stop jumping on racial bandwagons and pay attention what is actually at stake here. There are 6 teenage boys who are about to loose their adulthoods to the prison system and the only thing we can think about is how somebody got beat up. He is a BOY for crying out loud! That probably won’t be his last butt-whooping if you want to know the truth of the matter. FYI, I am sure that the reason people are looking at Barker’s injuries as “minor” is obviously because the people who are responsible are being sentenced to PRISON for it. Come on now, the crime doesn’t warrant the time, it just doesn’t. There have been murderers and rapists who have gotten lesser sentences. So he got his butt whooped for talking sh*t, it happens all the time. It’s a part of growing up, kids fight. He is not dead or even anywhere close. He also found it quite easy to get up out of the ER hospital bed and march straight to a ring ceremony that same day. He must have been really fighting for his life! What a miracle! Sorry guys but the injuries that he sustained DO NOT WARRANT PRISON TIME. PERIOD. This whole case has bullsh*t written all over it. I JUST WISH I COULD DO MORE.
ms_vaughn01@yahoo.com
Ms. Vaughn:
My take on your take:
“Honestly, since when is 20+ years in prison for a teenager appropriate justice for a high school “*** wooping”?”
I don’t know, who got twenty years? Did you not read all of these articles?
“I have seen soooooo many high school fights. I have seen people get their heads, lips, eyes and everything else busted up but NO ONE GOES TO JAIL and certainly not for years at a time. YOU PEOPLE [Jena residents] CANNOT POSSIBLY BE SERIOUS.”
You live in Chicago, where crimes are committed repeatedly every day. For “fights” to happen in YOUR school is common, the shock factor isn’t there. IT IS HERE!! Just because YOU live in a large city where crimes are punished less, and I live in a small town where crimes are punished more harshly don’t make YOUR judicial system more right than ours. Maybe Chicago should crack down on it’s high schoolers who exhibit gang-like behavior and violently kick and stomp someone while they lay unconscious on the ground. Maybe if you DID what we did, you’d have relatively little violence problems in your schools like we have.
And yes, I’m serious.
“When those idiots hung those nooses on that tree, they knew exactly what they were doing. I don’t even see how other schools in the area are allowed to do it for football games, if that’s even true. But again, I am from Chicago and I bet my life you would never see any bullcrap like that anywhere. Do you have any idea what a noose represents? OMG, that is a d*mn murderous weapon which perpetuates hate and disrespect, to name a few, and I just can’t believe that it is taken so lightly in this town. Using a noose to indicate school spirit? GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK! “
I don’t know what those guys knew, but I DO know that two nooses were hung and three black students sat under the tree. I also know that, this IS NOT the “white tree”, as the media has pegged it. Me and a few of my friends have found photos of BLACK STUDENTS sitting under this tree and we plan to send them to media organizations when we collude our efforts. I also know that there was a football game that night against the Mustangs. I know that this tree is OFTEN used to put things up in preparations for football games. I also know that nooses have been hung in trees before at Jena High School, and many of my friends who went to schools around Alexandria said the same thing! So there is ample reason to DOUBT that these guys were not making a racist statement. There is also evidence to suggest maybe they were; but I’m not convinced.
“I want everyone to stop jumping on racial bandwagons and pay attention what is actually at stake here. There are 6 teenage boys who are about to loose their adulthoods to the prison system and the only thing we can think about is how somebody got beat up.”
I try to see this case as objectively as possible, and being from Jena has allowed me to understand this case much better than most. I try to remove my emotions from how I feel but it’s hard when people jump to assumptions about my home town and everyone who lives here. These teenage boys are not about to lose their adulthoods. No one has been sentenced, 4 have not even went to TRIAL yet. Two are being tried in the juvenile justice system, including one who plays on the football team as we speak. And your last comment saying that “the only thing we can think about is how somebody got beat up.” I can’t help but take offense to this. You see, when this case first evolved (ask Laura, I’ve just about been here from the get-go), it was Jena 6 this, and Jena 6 that…FREE THE JENA 6!! Everyone focused on the horrible treatment of 6 guys who beat and stomped someone while unconscious. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VICTIM? There is no 100% cut-&-dry antagonist and protagonist in this situation, but the VICTIM of the crime was all but forgotten because he was white. That angers some people, I’m sorry. No one said “These guys should be tried fairly, but Justin Barker’s family deserves justice”. NO. Everyone was just saying “FREE THE JENA 6!”. So pardon me if I feel like maybe it’s time the victim is finally treated as such, not someone who had everything coming to him because he MAY have said a racial slur (if you’ll read the eye witness statements, there’s ample room for doubt in that theory).
Wow! You worked really hard at putting this reply together “FROM JENA.” You have responded passionately and contrary to your opinion of yourself, you are extremely emotionally driven in your objectivity. “MY TAKE ON YOUR TAKE”??? CUTE! YOU EVEN INCLUDED GIMMICKS, LOL. But seriously, when I speak of a 20+ year sentence, I am talking about what Mychal Bell is FACING. He is FACING up to 22 years for the charges and at the looks of it, he may get it and that’s inconceivable. Yes, people from Chicago do read; quite well as a matter of fact. You people [Jena dwellers] are still unreal to me in your views. How on earth are the Blacks there even allowing nooses to hang anywhere but in a freaking museum? I should come to Jena for like a week, you guys need to get a load of me. Don’t get it twisted, Chicago’s judicial system, has MANY flaws honey which has made me something like a pro at being able to spot others which are just as flawed. There are glitches in this case. PERIOD. Maybe it is because race is a key factor; maybe it’s because racial tension exists in Jena. Who the heII knows! But you can’t possibly honestly sit here and expect for this type of case not to draw public attention, ridicule and criticism. You can’t expect Black people to be okay with nooses hanging from trees. Unless of course you are an idiot. I totally agree with you about Justin Barker being pushed to the side. When I first heard of “The Jena 6″ I didn’t know what the heck was going on. It’s like everyone was pissed for no reason and wearing Black and saying “Free Jena 6.” No one acknowleged “the White kid in the hospital.” That’s true. No one can see him as a “victim” that’s why. It’s hard. He appears to most as a loud mouth who’s “mouth wrote a check that his azz couldn’t cash” (a little South-Side, Chicago slang for you). We’re not buying the idea that he was victimized, we’re just not. We see him as the aggressor who, unfortunately, got whooped. I think those Black boys should definitely get punished, just not that harshly. All races of people from Chicago are outraged.
Anyone who visits Chi-Town knows that we have one of the most racially segregated cities in North America. Most of the races that we have- Indian, Asian, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, all live in separate communities with little to no mixing in our neighborhoods. Social Psychology suggests that similarities attract. I believe this. However, when we do mix, i.e. at school, work, cultural events, etc. we have learned to enjoy one anothers company and we “get along.” We have a hard time swallowing a pill like this [Jena 6 situation]. I guess you can say that the people in CHICAGO “know better” for lack of a better term. About 75% of the world who hates the “N” word are people from Chicago and they are White (this is a bogus statistic that I made up but it feels so dam true). We are extremely culture-conscious and racially sensitive. We are just so past this whole “prejudice” thing, it’s so ancient! Diversity is taught in our schools, most households, at work and we practice it day to day. You know some companies have DIVERSITY PROGRAMS and SENSITIVITY PROGRAMS. You guys have lost that, or never had it. If you did, the noose crap wouldn’t be going on, regardless of school spirit (I AM STILL TRYING REALLY HARD TO PICTURE A NOOSE AT A FOOTBALL GAME. WOW!). So you may think that you have set me straight with your reply up there but you will never change my opinions of this whole ordeal. You may have reached 1 but you have 1.3 million to go sweetie. GOOD LUCK!
WE HAVE GOT TO DO BETTER.
ms_vaughn01@yahoo.com
Tmoore:
I hate to be rude here, but I read the first 4 sentences of your post and I won’t read anymore. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW that MYCHAL BELL’S CASE HAS BEEN THROWN IT, then we have nothing to talk about.
We actually might, what does “THROWN IT” mean?