I’d like to make an offer to Jena defenders. There have been some very rational comments from several Jena defenders, notably the person posting as “From Jena” and from James Black. I can understand the desire to defend your town, the same way I defend New Orleans when outsiders go on and on about Nagin being re-elected. Things aren’t always what they seem. And as a general rule, I have a healthy distrust of the media; I’m perfectly willing to accept the concept that they have twisted the reporting on this situation and left out pertinent info. They do it ALL THE TIME on other matters, why not this one? I have strong feelings about this case, based on the facts I know so far. Most people do. It seems pretty obvious that Reed Walters enthusiastically prosecuted black kids while basically giving whites a free pass. I’ve formed that opinion based on the facts that are in evidence already, widely reported and undisputed so far, and given what I have personally seen and the accounts of people I know and trust about what life is like for black folks in Louisiana. But I’m more than willing to hear from the other side on this, especially those who claim this is twisted beyond all recognition.
I’m not willing to just take the word of a total stranger on a blog, however. As bad as the media is, there is at least some level of accountability for what they write, particularly with the blogosphere riding herd on them and fact checking them daily. So, Jena defenders, now is your chance to fact check the media on this issue. As you can see from this chart of my August visitor stats, PH typically gets 20-30,000 visitors a month. However, a recent spike in traffic due to the interest in the Jena 6 gives you access to a wider audience, specifically those seeking info about this story. So I’m making two offers:
1) You can guest post your version of the story. You can do so anonymously, but you will have to prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that you really are in Jena. Email me at laura@pursuingholiness.com for details on how that can be done. I will not change a single word of what you write, although I will almost certainly respond to it in a different post. And I won’t necessarily fisk it – if you present a good case, you just might find me and many others in agreement. I will not post any kind of racist screed, i.e. “those n****** had it coming for being so uppity,” type of thing, but a reasonable defense with some facts I can verify will be published verbatim, and anonymously if requested.
2) You can allow me to interview you for an article I will cross post to BNN. That article will be included in the Google news feed and hundreds of thousands of people will have access to it.
You want to defend Jena? It’s unlikely you’ll have a better chance, if what you say about the media twisting the story is true. Think about it, and if you’re ready to step up, shoot me an email.
unfair to the black community, nothing has happen to the hites ,but the blacks are on trial for attempted murder for 22 years, hw fair is that to the blacks. double stands do notyou think.
Laura:
I plan to go through documents involved in this case (anything a Lasalle Parish resident would have access to) to verify for myself and to this message board what I’ve heard. I always want to know I’m on the side of being just and fair to everyone. If I do happen to pull eye witness accounts, I will most likely not release their full name in this message board. I’ll simply put their initials. Jena is a small town and everybody knows everyone. I’d like to keep people’s names off the internet without their consent.
As for me, I don’t feel I’m involved enough in the case to be interviewed. I’m only gathering details about the story. I know some friends of some of the people involved with these incidents, but I doubt I’d convince them to conduct an online interview.
The best I’ll be able to do is gather information from the courthouse and present it here. I hope this is sufficient.
Again, I appreciate your unbiased way to seek the truth. People should seek the truth and THEN act based upon what they find. Few people are doing this regarding the Jena 6.
i would like to say that this is not fair to the black community……..
he was only in high school and was charged as an adult and also he was defending himself so why doe he half to be charged and the others are not being charged like him……..
Bryanna:
Why do you say he was defending himself? He waited until someone passed him up, PUNCHED HIM FROM BEHIND, while the guy’s head slammed into concrete rendering him unconscious. Once unconscious he was kicked and punched by Mychal Bell and FIVE of his friends, while OTHERS (who were not charged) were holding doors closed and preventing anyone from breaking up the fight. YOU CALL THIS DEFENDING YOURSELF??? WOW!!!!!
This guy has had FOUR prior violent criminal acts cited in his past. He has repeatedly violated parole. He has been in juvenile court in a neighboring parish for shoplifting. I think it’s VERY fair that he spend some time in jail to reform himself. Maybe he’ll get out a changed man. Maybe he’ll realize he should focus more on his football career and not committing violent crimes.
I’m sorry if I’m being a little harsh, be JEEZ, this is not self defense. It’s about as far from it as you can possibly be.
I am from Jena and have already viewed all of these filed that are on record. I plan on going back to the courthouse possibly towards the end of the week if my work load isn’t too bad.
Laura, I respectfully decline that invite. I am not opening up myself to any death threats. If I made any racial remarks that offened anyone, it was in response to a racial comment and the one it was aimed at should have known. I talk to eye witnesses in this case all the time, I see them daily. I dont know how to prove to you I am from Jena. I guess you could ask me something only someone from Jena would know. I forgot you dont know anything about Jena because you have never been here. ” Hale to thee are alma mater strong and brave and true” thats the fist line of the Jena High Alma Mater. I guess you think I looked that up online. It could be there I dont know. I know there are 8 traffic lights. I know McCartney Slay Chevrolet is across the street from the court house. I know the judge lives on the nebo highway by what we call the falls. I know Gotta Go is beside the airport. I know the fair barn is on the west side if the new super walmart and that we havent had a fair there in about 3 years> there has been a fair in Trout across from the town and country general store. I also know the bridge on HWY 127 at the intersection of Hwy 8 has been open for a couple of weeks now after it was rebuilt. I also know the starting QB just got a broken leg. I am sure from Jena can verify these things.
James, I understand your concerns. However – and I’m assuming that James Black is not your name in the real world – it would be simple enough to prove you are in Jena or at least have access to public services in Jena without giving me your name, address or personal info. Email me and I’ll tell you how.
You know what a fight is a fight, yes he may have been knocked unconscience however that is within a fight. Were they just in what they did. No but as I see the rage in these young men were provoked and in my world Jena 1 bit off more than he could chew and though he is hurt he is not dead and I serious doubt if attempted murder should even have been on the table. If they charge them there they need to arrest the white children that hung the nooses…. let’s remember the punishment do not fit the crime… point blank……
I believe that most caucasians are so accustom to racism and entitlement, that it has become their way of life. (like breathing, one doesn’t think about it until it’s hampered)… Which makes for a difficult task in combating/honestly addressing this issue….
If nothing more, just take a minute and think, use your senses if you will, and consider this fact, this could be your child/children…. Would you want an issue of this magnitude treated with such blantant disrespect and injustice??? Or played down as if your child purposed his/her cereal bowl to the floor in hopes to skip this and future meals, if it works?
These are CHILDREN (our FUTURE), young adults who look in our direction for directives… What does this continue to say…. JUSTICE is NEVA fair. Must we continue to ask the question, Momma/Daddy why can’t I play where I choose??? Without being put in what seems to be a PLACE set aside for people that look like me????
I don’t expect racism to end, but we can do a hell-of-a-lot better acknowedging these tendencies and work towards FAIR JUSTICE….
Come On PEOPLE !!!…. Everyone should have the option of fair entitlement and equal justice…. It’s only FAIR…
FedUP with InJustice…..
Bryanna,You are dumb.Being in high school has nothing to do with being an adult.17 is considered an adult in Louisiana.It doesnt matter if they are white or balck. So it is completely fair. Think next time
[Oh really? When's the last time a 17 year old signed a legally binding contract, got married without permission, voted, or bought alcohol? 17 is NOT an adult in Louisiana or anywhere else. - Laura]
James Black:
Yes, I can.
The buildings next to the courthouse are a law firm (Henry S., an accounting firm (J.V.), the DA’s office, an old building that used to be owned by Speedy O. Long, who drives a ridiculous 15 MPH to go to the post office everyday in his minivan, then there’s Wilson’s law firm, then McCartney Slay, then the library, where the lady whose last name is “similar” to the mayor’s first name.
And yes, the quarterback broke his leg, so now they have another guy in whose older brother was quarterback and played for two colleges.
And also, the younger Jena 6 recently made an important play in the football game last weekend.
I don’t know why y’all can’t understand that that kind of info doesn’t prove you’re in Jena. It’s not like I have something to check it against. There’s no reasonable way I can find out where the judge lives for example – and if I did try to find out it would be uncomfortably like stalking. None of that information is verifiable to an outsider. I could give you similar details about East Baldwin, Maine where I spent much of my childhood. But it proves nothing today, and in fact I haven’t been to East Baldwin for at least five years. See what I mean? But it’s gone beyond that now anyway – comments are just that, comments, and when actual proof is available, comments look pretty darn weak.
I really do want to know what’s going on with this case. Every hour I spend on it costs me money – time that I’m spending away from clients – and I wouldn’t care to tally up how much that’s been so far. I can’t take two days from work – one to drive to Jena, then spend the morning in the courthouse making copies and then the rest of the day to drive home. But I would gladly give fair consideration to what you could send me, and I already agreed not to publish information that could harm any Jena residents. I’ve been completely open and aboveboard. I gave you my home address, for pity’s sake! I can’t imagine what more you could want to prove my good faith. Except you seem to believe that in order for you to send me the d#$% documents, I ALREADY need to be in agreement with you. Which is completely unreasonable. I can be persuaded that I am wrong. It happens on a regular basis, and I have no qualms making public apologies. REAL apologies, not the “I’m-sorry-you-were-offended” sort. Read this for an example. If I am wrong I will fight just as hard to spread the truth about Jena as I have what YOU are calling bad information. The fact that you are withholding the information leads me to conclude that it doesn’t prove what you say it proves. And THAT is one of the main reasons I’m considering closing comments. If we’re not going to get any further than he-said-she-said, then this is pointless. You insist you want to defend Jena, but when the rubber meets the road, you refuse to – even anonymously! – in any meaningful way. The ladies at the Courthouse were as nice as they could be, but they made it clear that the only way I’m going to get the papers is if someone comes in person. And I just can’t do that, not time-wise, and not financial-wise.
I’ve said it before – and you’ve got three years worth of posts to verify that I’m NOT a leftist, race-baiting, Sharpton advocate – I’m a southern, Christian, conservative, probably a lot like you and if we met at a crab boil we’d probably get along just fine. If you really do have the facts on your side, then you’ve got nothing to fear by sending me these papers. The fact that you refuse to do it makes me wonder what it is you’re really trying to do here. Think about it.
I thought the above link was interesting.