[Laughable update (8PM): Instapundit links to this post, saying “It was hard to get a clear narrative that made sense of what was going on.” He also cites Orin Kerr at The Volokh Conspiracy, who has this excuse for the lack of upper-tier blogging about today’s events:
I’d really like to blog about the case, and I spent about 30 minutes this morning trying to research it, but I couldn’t get a good enough sense of what the facts are or what the precise cause of the protest is to really know what to make of it.Now that’s unbelievable. Are we talking about the same bloggers who were able to follow the intricacies of the Plame case? The Abramoff scandal? The whole WMD/yellowcake fracas? Come on, people. Try again.]
[My god. The depth of ignorance and denial over the lack of progressive blogging on this story is displayed in full flower at Chris’s diary at DKos, where he cross posted — and some of the excuses are mind-boggling.]
Chris Kromm of the Institute for Southern Studies and its blog Facing South, is appalled, rightfully so, at the sparse coverage of the historic march for justice in Jena, Lousiana.
It's not to say that it isn't being covered in the blogosphere at all — black bloggers have largely been responsible for the high profile of this case, picking up the ball where the melanin-challenged blogs of influence have dropped it. You'd think that the events today, which are being covered by the MSM, would mean that the story is now mainstream blogworthy, but you would be wrong. Chris:
* DailyKos features a handful of posts about injustice in Iraq today — but not a single entry on its main page, or even its user-generated "diaries," about this important case.What is the explanation? Oh, I could think of several, but overt racism isn't one of them. I have a couple of theories.* TalkingPointsMemo, a favorite of the DC wonk set, is similarly incensed about foreign policy, but apparently not about racial justice in the South — nothing there either.
* Long-time progressive blogger Atrios doesn't have a lot of posts up,but found time to touch on Paul Krugman, Iraq and the state of the Euro — but not this major issue.
* Surely TalkLeft — which has positioned itself as the leading progressive blog about criminal justice issues — would have something? Think again — not a single mention, not even in the quick news briefs!
* What about another progressive favorite, FireDogLake? A rant about Republicans being "little bitches," but nothing on the Jena 6.
When the Jena 6 does make an appearance on progressive blogs today, it's little more than a passing nod. Huffington Post has a blog post buried below the fold; ThinkProgress gives it a two-sentence news brief.
However, many of these blogs are eagerly pointing to news stories which suggest the Republican candidates don't care about black issues.
* "It's not my area of expertise". This is an old saw used to avoid discussing race — it's uncomfortable for white folks and they want to avoid land mines. the easiest way to do that is to say nothing at all, which still speaks volumes. Just about anything can be viewed through the prism of race; in this case it's not solely about race, the story of the Jena 6 is about our system of justice and how it can be affected by color, class, power structure, and the almighty dollar.
* "It's not my issue": Sorry to say, this gets reinforced by the professional race-bating, blacker-than-thou crowd such as Jesse Jackson, who chastised Barack Obama for "acting white" on the issue. That only makes otherwise supportive whites further paranoid. The "black enough" nonsense is divisive and so reflective of old-school mentality often seen in the establishment civil rights set still clinging to power. Of course then Jackson and his ilk will then criticize the lack of diversity in the group of marchers. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That said, it's not just the Jena 6. Sitting in the comfort of their bedrooms/offices/kitches (wherever), progressive bloggers got more riled up about a student at the University of Florida getting tased at a Kerry speech than an equal, no worse case up in NYC — a young black man, the son of a police officer, who was tased four times at a community barbecue and beaten with a nightstick 15 times and choked. He wasn't even charged with a crime, btw.
As Chris also noted in his post, many of the top blogs have eagerly cited a WaPO story that suggests the GOP doesn't care about black issues as Giuliani, Romney, Fred Thompson and Sen. John McCain are skipping Tavis Smiley's forum at Morgan State University in Baltimore that's coming up on PBS (9/27).
It's disappointing, but not surprising to see this blindness. As you all know I try mightily to make the Blend a safe space to discuss race, and even then, threads on the topic, save the Imus debacle, garner few comments. The progressive community still has a long way to go on race when it comes to the rubber hitting the road.
[UPDATE: Jane Hamsher of FDL isn’t keen that I blogged about this topic, she emailed me that she feels that she (or any of the A-List) cannot post on the matter are placed in a bad position because of this post now without having and will have to defend challenges of racism. She actually had someone slated to post on Jena 6 who bailed on her. That’s clearly not FDL’s fault, and Chris obviously wasn’t aware of that when he did his cursory surfing of the A-list.
Anyway, I specifically said that I don’t think any of the lack of “big boy” bloggers are racists trying ignoring the issue. That’s too black and white (ironically) a read on the subtleties of this — all of us are products of a racist culture, and the evil of that has made it so hard to overcome barriers even to discuss the topic. That’s what I said above.
This post wasn’t about “making” any of the mainstream A-list progressive bloggers cover this event, it was observing that a major event didn’t receive major blog coverage and musing why that is, given the groupthink on political issues of many stripes covered on large progressive blogs.
People can obviously blog about whatever they wish, but is it not unusual to see A-listers off-step on an issue the MSM is covering so widely? Usually it is the other way around. It’s an interesting and complex issue to discuss, but even on this level it’s obviously a third rail topic.
And no, I didn’t continually blogging about Jena 6 over the last while, it deserved all the attention it could (and it has now thankfully received it, from a core group of committed bloggers and the MSM). That I can add any more eyeballs to it now that haven’t been focused on it is what I’m doing now.]
[UPDATE 2: I’ve amended the above to precisely reflect the issue as Jane sees it, which is only fair. Here I am trying to ameliorate and all I get is grief. Oh well, it’s clear I’ve set some house on fire. For what it’s worth, it appears that the use of the ColorofChange “Free the Jena 6″ banner in itself is cause for surprising and enlightening commentary, as if I was endorsing no punishment for the teens.
This whole matter is like a Rorschach test. Everyone sees what they want to see in the post — perhaps it’s because of my poor writing, or maybe it’s because this topic of race is so charged (fear on both sides), that even an earnest observation becomes accusatory from another perspective. ]
***
Joe Solmonese of HRC gave a speech at the DC rally, linking the quest for social justice to us all — it should not be deterred by color, sexual orientation or any other attribute. It’s below the fold.
[NOTE (9/21, 12PM): Colin Sterling of HuffPost has written in to say that Chris’s characterization of its Jena 6 coverage was inaccurate, given the overall number of posts on the site about the subject. Chris was, in his post, referring to coverage of the march on that morning, as the event was getting under way, so his blog post reflected what he saw at the time, not an indication of any coverage at all — “But on this historic day for the most high-profile civil rights issue of the moment, where is the progressive blogosphere? I did a quick tour of the major “progressive” sites to see how they were covering it.”]My name is Joe Solmonese and I represent the largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization in the country. Am I am here — we are all here from the Human Rights Campaign — because this injustice cannot stand.
We are here because we know about bigotry. We know about hate. We know the pain in high school of standing apart. Of being taunted. Of standing up, only too often, to be shut down.
I am here — we are here — because you have stood with us. Because all of us know that one injustice against any of us is an injustice against all of us.
And I am here because I remember. I remember James Byrd. James was a gentle soul, a special soul. Someone who struggled his whole life with challenges, but was filled with love and was deeply loved in Jasper, Texas.
But James Byrd — at 49 — was savagely beaten, then chained to a pickup truck and literally dragged to his death. He was brutally murdered because he was black.
And then something really profound happened. Remember when George Bush was governor of Texas? Well, Governor Bush had a hate crimes bill on his desk. There was a lot of pressure to sign the bill because of what they did to James Byrd. So, George Bush said he’d sign that bill, but they had to take the gays out.
And here’s what happened. Stella Byrd, who has just buried her beaten, broken, gentle James said, If some of us are left out, then all of us are. Valuing one life and not valuing another is not right. And the Byrd family said No. They said No. And they walked away.
So, I stand here today with solidarity. I stand here for social justice. I stand here to free those young men. To say this will not stand. It cannot stand. I stand here for the Jena 6. I stand here today for James Byrd.
We will not forget. We will never walk away.
Thank you very much.
My personal problem with this story is that I don’t find anyone invloved to be a hero. The problem wasn’t that the Jena 6 were prosecuted (though the charge of murder, rather than battery, is clearly unjust and should be protested as such). The problem is that the white kids who hung the nooses up weren’t charged.
All of the activity on behalf of the Jena 6 seems to indicate that they ought to be set free entirely, unpunished for the violent crime that everyone agrees they committed. The progressive blogosphere emphatically should not call for the freeing of the Jena 6. Rather, it should be calling for the trial (on hate crimes charges) of those students who hung nooses from the trees.
I was actually noticing this as well and am disappointed that it is across all the major ones ( I only read a few). I do know though that people on the coasts have a really hard time grasping that blatant racism still exists. I had no real understanding until I actually visited backwoods Georgia with friend who grew up there. It was unbelievable to me and to all my friends who I told about it. Not an excuse, just a consideration.
Butter My Biscuits, you’re GOOD, Pam! If you and Kate ever accidentally work your way this far north, dinner is on me…
From Pam: “The progressive community still has a long way to go on race when it comes to the rubber hitting the road.”
While I waited for almost 2 hours this morning for the non-existant rally in Augusta, I decided to sit in the parking lot at the Capitol and listen to rant radio. Thought that it would be slanted news, but there would be SOMETHING. Instead, I heard about OJ Simpson on one channel and high school security/terrorism (regarding Emerson NJ area schools shut down) on the other. Decided to come home to watch CNN, MSNBC, etc.
Then at noon, flipped to local channel to see if there was anything- instead, first 4 stories were all local. Eventually, Jena was discussed and there is a rally in Portland, instead of Augusta, at 5 pm tonight.
Indeed, progressives aren’t where they should be on race. Or at least not here today. Hopefully, after work in Portland will be CONVENIENT enough for folks here.
I could have sworn I saw Atrios post about it a week or two ago, though I haven’t seen updates. Other than that, yeah, that list looks about right. Like anyone’s shocked that Firedoglake continues to ignore racial issues.
This seemed odd to me at first because all of the blogs I read have been covering it pretty heavily. Then I realized I’ve been reading mostly feminist blogs. Duh to me.
I noticed this, too! I’ve been surfing around trying to find updates on what’s going on today but have only seen mentions on this and the few other feminist blogs who’ve been following the case since the beginning. Mos Def discussed how there are “two Americas” when he appeared on Bill Maher’s show a few weeks ago, and that really shows in coverage of news like this. I was happy when the mainstream press started covering the Jena Six story, but then disheartened to see how so many of them didn’t bother to paint the whole picture, and left out details like the nooses, or what the assistant DA said to the students. It’s also really sad when you compare how much coverage OJ’s recent arrest has gotten in comparison to this case.
The progressive blogosphere emphatically should not call for the freeing of the Jena 6.
Nah, I think you’re wrong on this. We’re talking about criminal charges for a fight that happened because injustices had been heaped upon injustices–it was the final explosion of a group of kids who’d been shat on by the system all their lives. And it’s not going to get any better, no matter what happens in Jena because the white people in charge there are emphatically denying that race has anything to do with the story. It is the story. It’s a white power structure telling black people that they better stay in their place or they’re going to have their lives irrevocably ruined, and then blaming the media for indulging in perfectly accurate stereotypes of a racist southern town.
>>My personal problem with this story is that I don’t find anyone invloved to be a hero
You know that part where we tell the conservatives that in real life there are no mustache-twirling villains and that the people (’enemies’) they’re demonizing aren’t 100% pure evil? It goes both ways.
Last time I checked, social justice and human rights weren’t to be granted only to heroes.
Thanks Pam…the silence was pretty deafening to this white girl.
Also, I’d like to take issue with what Midwest Product said–
In spite of the fact that “Free the Jena 6″ is the slogan, everyone I’ve heard interviewed on NPR (Diane Rehm, Morning Edition, Day to Day) and on network news bits has made sure to say that the issue isn’t about whether the kids who did the beating ought to be prosecuted; it’s about the severity of that prosecution contrasted with the lack of charges or consequences for the white kids who were also involved in creating the trouble. I haven’t heard a single person actually talking about setting them free.
I know it’s a fine point to make, but an important one, I think, especially given the fact that Mychal Bell has been IN PRISON and remains there even though the sentence has been vacated, since last December. I wouldn’t mind “freeing” him while we wait around to see what the DA is going to do.
Last time I checked, social justice and human rights weren’t to be granted only to heroes.
No kidding. No one is saying the kids were angels — certainly bloodying and beating someone with a shoe over a racial spat is not adult behavior and justifies punishment. But 1) do they have the right six individuals, and 2) is attempted murder the appropriate charge and 3) does the justice system have a history of doing wrong by those least able to fight it?
I love the juxtaposition of this case with the continuing saga of another injustice of the system — O.J. Simpson. That SOB deserved hard time and jury nullification got him off the first time around. Will he go two for two?
Exactly, dingbat. The (white) people involved in the beating of a black student were all given probation. So, they are “free” after committing the same act of physical violence. Why were the black students originally charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder? That’s the issue when people say “free the Jena 6.”
Pam, I see your point, but it is also true that no bloggers like to be told what they should post about - I’m sure you feel the same way when somebody makes some demand that you post about their particular pet issue.
It is fair to criticize supposed progressives for ignoring issues of race and social justice, another thing to insist someone blog on one particular incident or another…usually that gets dismissed as concern trolling.
Let’s not forget the kid who was charged with larceny after wresting a sawed-off shotgun away from a white kid during another disturbance. Nothing at all about the fact that the white kid had pulled a fucking gun in the the middle of a fight–just that the black kid had managed to get it away from him, but hadn’t used it.
I’m hardly MIA. I just posted my feelings, brief though they are, at my weblog. Personally, I’m getting tired of the excuses myself, as well as this thread of “well, they deserve whatever happens to them bedcause they did a bad thing” that runs all though otherwise rational people. I expect that kind of bullshit talk from conservatives, not liberals.
The (white) people involved in the beating of a black student were all given probation. So, they are “free” after committing the same act of physical violence. Why were the black students originally charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder? That’s the issue when people say “free the Jena 6.”
Again, the problem I see here is that the white kids who beat a black kid are free, and that the white kids who hung the nooses are free, NOT that the black kids who beat a white kid aren’t. Six kids getting together to beat another kid isn’t a fight, it’s an assault (I do absolutely agree that Mychal Bell, whose sentence was vacated, should not be in prison. But I don’t believe that the people chanting “Free the Jena 6″ are saying that. I think they really want all 6 to be released, with all charges dropped. And I think that’s wrong).
But 1) do they have the right six individuals, and 2) is attempted murder the appropriate charge and 3) does the justice system have a history of doing wrong by those least able to fight it?
Murder is obviously not the appropriate charge. That doesn’t mean no charges should be filed. And the fact that the justice system has previously mistreated innocent individuals hardly means that other (not innocent) individuals from a similar community get a free pass.
Advocating the freeing of the Jena 6 will ultimately affirm the ability of the white kids to commit hate crimes, because that advocation suggests that it was the (non)punishment of the white kids that was correct, i.e., that kids who commit assault based on a racial dispute deserve at most probation.
We’re not saying that no charges should be filed. We’re saying they should be treated equally. Which they aren’t, because Bell faced 15 years in prison for committing a crime that a white man merely got probation for.
Pam, I see your point, but it is also true that no bloggers like to be told what they should post about
No, they don’t and I get demands to post about one topic or another all the time.
However, this isn’t about “making” any of the mainstream “big boy” progressive bloggers cover this event, it’s the fact that by default they didn’t, and discussing the possible reasons why is a legitimate discussion. It’s way more complicated that tossing the race card around.
I have to say I’m shocked Talk Left hasn’t covered this case. I don’t read that blog regularly, but I know Jeralyn Merritt was all over the Duke lacrosse case. Look at this long list of posts about it. And not one single post about the Jena 6.
Well, I guess part of the problem is that the “progressive” blogosphere … isn’t. (uh. but you knew that.)
The case actually made the front page of the Washington Post this morning (and was covered by NPR — I was listening and reading at the same time).
I don’t know how you go about fixing this mess so that there’s a fair outcome for everyone involved, but my mind keeps going back to the beginning of the story, when the black students asked the principal for permission to sit under the shade tree. And I think, why the hell did that not raise huge red flags in the school? Why weren’t the adults in charge looking out for the kids?
I just read the post at Dailykos and I want to kill myself. uh. I thought Chris was very clear in not so much criticizing any sites for ignoring this, but merely pointing out how odd it is that there’s nary a mention of something on progressive sites that black america is full-on up in arms about. That’s the point. No matter how anyone feels about the issues in Jena, that IS strange, you have to admit.
Frankly, I’ve never understood why this story is so hard to grasp. The first time I heard about it, even on the surface, it seemed so obvious that there was a startling racism at play in the way the town, the high school, the prosecutors, were handling it all. Justice was not being served, period. How that doesn’t make every american (and yes, in my fantasy land I wish even more so with progressive leaders and voices) a little bit sick in the pit of their stomach, I don’t know.
The Wilmington News Journal has this story on the front page today and relates it to unfair differences in incarcertation rates in Delaware. delawareonline dot com. Inequality of this type cheapens the entire justice system and our ability to live by the rule of law. If you are Scooter Libby that’s great, but if you are a black teenager, not so much.
Anna, as i understand it, red flags were raised for the principal of the school. When the nooses were hung (hanged?), the principal recommended expulsion for the kids who did it. It was the school district that told them to only suspend the students for a week.
Midwest, where have you seen anyone advocate that all parties involved should get off scot-free? Everyone that i’ve seen write or heard talk about Jena has said that the white kids should have been punished, and that the Jena 6 should be punished somehow for the assault. “Free the Jena 6″ just fits on a sign better than “Give the Jena 6 25 hours of community service, probation until they turn 18, and in-school suspension for a week…oh, and make sure that the white kids get proportional punishments”.
Again, the problem I see here is that the white kids who beat a black kid are free, and that the white kids who hung the nooses are free, NOT that the black kids who beat a white kid aren’t.
So should the white kids also have been charged with second degree murder since they did the same exact thing that the black kids who were charged with second degree murder did?
I’d like to mention that the Jena 6 made the news today on French Canadian channels in Quebec. Which should tell you how weird it is that it’s not making a lot of noise in the country actually affected.
One thing that I think is interesting is that I’ve been getting tons of info from blogs about the Jena 6 - because the ones I read are the feminist blogs. Pandagon, Feministe, Feministing, Shake’s Sis, etc., - they have all been posting about it from the beginning. Interesting that they’re so much more committed to such issues than the non-feminist progressive blogosphere. Wonder why that is (not really).
Pam,
With all due respect, I think the simple reason for the lack of coverage is that some of us are not convinced a great injustice has occurred here. Perhaps rather than lambasting folks for insufficient coverage, you could provide some information that might persuade.
I see references in the comments above to other incidents that predated the alleged attack, but no links and no sources.
I like to know what I’m talking about before I get outraged, and in this case, all of the news reports seem to tell the same story: an attack by 6 people on an unarmed person, resulting in a hospital visit. The alleged attack occurred against a backdrop of racial tension (which is to say, it occurred in America).
But has a grave injustice occurred? I don’t know. Activism led to Mychal Bell’s conviction being overturned, and that is indeed a victory. Activist pressure led to the charges being downgraded from attempted murder to conspiracy and battery, also a victory. To go from that to “Freed the Jena 6″ is a stretch indeed, and few intelligent people will make that leap in the absence of compelling evidence or information.
Thank you.
Jim Booth at Scholars & Rogues has been ahead of this story from beginning. He’s written about it seven times at S&R, beginning on June 28.
http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.com/2007/06/28/the-jena-6-and-the-old-south-or-plus-ca-changeyou-know-the-rest/
Actually, I was wondering myself what happened to this story. There was a large protest in Jena a couple of weeks ago, but still not much news.. Keep up the good work Pam. I’m sure the officials in Jena would like the who mess to go away. Too bad.
To me it gives power to the blogs who ignore an issue when it is pointed out that they have ignored an issue. Blogs are not government ran or government sanctioned therefore a blog’s content should not be dictated. If every person who complains about what another blog did not cover and in fact make another post covering what they feel is not covered then perhaps the topic will get enough coverage. For the record, I don’t normally read or comment at the larger blogs because I think they are group think. However, I must say it sounds so much like “PLEASE VALIDATE ME.” That is a sad existence, not to feel validated unless the people (who are typically in an oppressor role) show validation. If it was my blog, I would not be bullied into discussing a topic that I for whatever reason did not feel like discussing. Where is the power from the inside?
Btw, Jena 6 has been all over CNN all morning, and there is a long segment scheduled for tonight.
nikkos,
This post has a pretty good summary of everything that led up to the assault, complete with links.
People, as a rule, could care less about issues that they don’t perceive as affecting them in some form or other.
The fact that a bunch of mostly while bloggers aren’t really spending much of their time worrying about the Jena 6 isn’t exactly a big shocker.
Thanks randomliberal, I’ll be sure to check it out!
Oops, mostly *white
Blogs are not government ran or government sanctioned therefore a blog’s content should not be dictated.
Geez, how many times and ways to I have to say that I am not dictating content, it was observing a major event that didn’t receive major blog coverage and musing why that is, given the groupthink on political issues of many stripes covered on them. It’s an interesting and complex issue to discuss, but even on this level it’s a third rail topic.
People can blog about whatever they wish, but is it not unusual to see A-listers off-step on an issue the MSM is covering so widely? Usually it is the other way around.
Has anyone been watching CNN? One of the first questions asked was whether there were any white faces in the crowd at Jena. The reporters made a point to say that there are white faces and that most of them tend to be just out of college and had taken race/ethnic or women’s studies classes. This seems to follow the same lines of what kind of blogs are covering the issue.
I wish I could be there today. I’m glad there are some local protests happening here in the Twin Cities though. I’ve been writing to the local papers encouraging them to write about the Jena 6 (as it has been largely ignored). They finally put something in today about the protests.
Jena Justice
Jeez, the Jena 6 have been getting more coverage and support from Notre Dame (and I mean the official institutions, not just Progressive Students Alliance) than the ‘progressive’ blogosphere. Is that a good sign for ND or a bad sign for progressive bloggers?
http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/09/20/News/Brown.Wear.Black.Today.Green.Friday-2981019.shtml
http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/09/11/Viewpoint/Free-The.Jena.Six-2959847.shtml
If anyone is looking for more information about the whole saga, there’s a Wikipedia article based heavily on local newspaper reporting that covers the case pretty well, and succinctly.
OK, having read the post randomliberal directed me to (thanks again!), I feel a bit more qualified to comment.
Were the white kids that instigated a fight appropriately charged? I don’t know. Not enough info to determine. Should they have been charged with attempted murder too? Again, I don’t know.
Should the white guy that pulled the shotgun have been charged with something? Yes.
Was the hanging of nooses and the subsequent slap on the wrist by the super. shameful? Absolutely, yes.
Does this mean we should agitate to “Free The Jena 6?” In my opinion, no.
Perhaps the message is the problem. Rather than “Free the Jena 6,” the message should be “Equal Justice Under the Law,” meaning, prosecute the white kids too. “Free the Jena 6″ implies innocence and wrongful arrest. I hear whispers that “people get charged for things they didn’t do” in Jena “all the time,” but that is insufficient in my opinion, for me to take up the cry, “Free the Jena 6.”
If these kids are innocent, then again, I’m waiting for someone to make the case. If not, then the activism which has led to Bell’s overturned conviction and to the downgraded charges is laudable, but at this point, sufficient. I think the victory has already been won- in the sense that the attempted murder charges have been dropped and Bell’s conviction overturned. Now that more sensible charges have been filed, I saw let the justice system do its job. Let’s see what comes at trial.
I can’t get the stupid Kos page to load. It never works on my computer. I think it dies on the comment load.
Pam, I think the reason that Tlazolteotl (if I’m reading correctly) and myself read this post and thought “concern trolling” is how you seem to be conflating ignorance and willful denial (especially in the tone of the extended block quote).
Your key point, the long distance we need to travel to see actual progressive action on issues of race, is undeniable.
Your expectation that the progressive heavy hitters should be writing about this issue is also fair. And I agree that the absence of blog coverage of the Jena six is appalling, but you seem to be assigning motive and intent to inaction. Maybe you’re cutting just a little too close to the bone. From the inside, white male privilege and ignorance of racial strife feels… normal. And when you tell me I’m missing something important and need to act I’ll listen. But when you seem to be saying that I’m deliberately ignoring something for reasons of race, it’s just much easier to throw up a wall and ignore the remainder of your argument.
As a fellow blogger of Jim’s at S&R, not only has he been one of the first on the Jena 6 issue, but he’s been one of the best–unflinchingly covering the issue and exposing the heavy cloud of racism that still hangs over the South.
I think the problem here is that we expect our “leaders” to be opinion movers on every issue, and like it or not, the blogs Chris cited are considered “leaders” in the progblogsphere. But–and here’s the thing–if they don’t show leadership, we can do it ourselves. I didn’t need DKos or Talkleft OR the MSM to teach me about Jena–I had the privilege of working alongside someone who explored the case in depth.
If the blogs you read aren’t discussing the issues you want to hear about, write your own blog or tell them to pay attention. That’s the only way.
Yes, Paul. Because this case is EXACTLY like the Duke rape case. (Talk about willful ignorance)
I have never said that anyone is ignoring the issue deliberately. Now if you have a beef with Chris Kromm about his view in the blockquote, by all means address that. If you’ve ever read my catalog of posts on race, you’d realize that people who are defensive want to see walls where there are none (or artificially created), and would rather ignore difficult discussions about race rather than engage on them. Both sides have enabled this to occur.
Also, please read the main post as I have updated it. Joe Solmonese of HRC gets it.
Most bloggers don’t deal with cultural issues “well” at all. I’m not saying this as a good thing or a bad thing, it just is what it is. Namely, because people in the blogosphere like things that have solutions. And the solutions to problems like this, frankly, are a little unrealistic.
In my opinion nothing short than dropping civil rights violations against an entire community or two like this will stop this. There’s no amount of public pressure, no protesting, no information, nothing. This is a local issue.
But you go into some of these discriminitory small town “good’ol boy” networks, rip them up and send those guilty of systematic discrmination to prison for a sentence, so that they, and others in those position knows that they mean business.
That’ll result in REAL change.
The problem is that this is an awful long limb to climb out on. And if it turns out that something was done by an Africian-American kid to start that? Bye bye limb. Personally, I’ve seen this happen enough that I know that this is nothing short of horseshit, as these places have been like this, literally as long as they’ve existed. However, again, it is what it is.
Errr..and by dropping, what I mean is charging, for example in this case it’s obvious that the school board supported the racisim of the kids, and they should be held responsible for this.
The story was listed in Fark today, labeled ‘Asinine’ and posted with the headline “If you are beaten and bloodied by six people in Louisiana, expect thousands of people to show up to root for your attackers.”
Classy.
I’d like to second Anna Phor above about how the “progressive blogosphere” isn’t. Honestly, that word has been misappropriated by a predominantly white male chattering class who are scarcely left of the center, which is off to the right in this day and age. (When I started writing for a wonkish “progressive” blog last year, I asked my colleagues to define the term and none of them really could, though they pointed to the blogs and periodicals they read as evidence of progressive politics. When I guest blogged at TPM Cafe, my posts about race and poverty in post-Katrina New Orleans fell totally flat, unlike my one post about electoral politics that got almost 40 comments.)
To me progressive politics is at its core about justice, equity and inclusion, not about electoral politics, political strategy generally speaking (Iraq, anyone?), or incremental change in exclusionary, punitive social policy. It’s about change through activism in formal (e.g., government”) and informal (i.e., “street”) channels. It’s reflected in events like the U.S. Social Forum, and not YouTube Presidential campaign debates.
No doubt white folks are uncomfortable talking about or confronting issues of race (ironically[?], Andrew Sullivan recently linked to an interesting study re: the differential racial effects of subtle/chronic racism vs. overt/acute racism - how the former causes stress for blacks and the latter for whites, because whites don’t see the former, and thus can’t grasp the latter because it is so *shocking* to them). It’s like constant egg on our faces (I am white), in some ways.
I get Ezra, and some of the Atlantic bloggers in my Google reader, but I end up reading only about 25% of what they write, versus reading virtually everything from Pandagon, Professor Zero, and other feminist, persons of color and social activist websites. Ultimately, I’m just not that interested in their quarterbacking, abstracted political commentary. And as a woman, an activist, an academic, and a blogger, it drives me insane that the voices of women and people of color are still considered outside the mainstream.
Rock on Pam!!
FYI to everyone: the BBC this morning did a feature on the Jena 6, incl. interviewing people at the rally.
Perhaps the message is the problem. Rather than “Free the Jena 6,” the message should be “Equal Justice Under the Law,” meaning, prosecute the white kids too.
Yes, let’s agitate for something that won’t happen and let an injustice stand while we do it. Good strategy! You should run for Congress! You’ll fit right in. After all, if something actually gets done — like having the conviction overturned — that’s just proof that we shouldn’t have complained in the first place.
nikkos, as far as i’ve seen, the charges of the other five kids have not been downgraded from attempted murder. It was just Bell’s charges. Even then, Bell was charged with aggravated battery. As i understand the law (but INAL, so grain of salt included), for battery to be “aggravated” it requires a deadly weapon. The deadly weapon involved? A sneaker. Also, the kid they beat up was released from the hospital and went to a school social that night.
And no, no white kids were charged in the party fight, the white guy who pulled the shotgun wasn’t charged, and the kids who hung the nooses to start this whole business were suspended for three whole days.
Also, again
fwiw Radly Balko, (Libertarian) has been blogging about this for a while. It’s where I first read about it.
Nikkos - you should check out Friends of Justice, they are a multi-racial activist organization in TX/LA advocating on behalf of the Jena 6, as part of their mission of equal due process under the law.
http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/
They are Southern, religious progressives, FYI.
randomliberal:
Thanks for the reply. I’m not qualified to determine if “aggravated” is the correct charge. Certainly, it’s better than attempted murder. News reports do in fact indicate that “Five of the black teens were initially charged with attempted murder. That charge was reduced to battery for all but one, who has yet to be arraigned; the sixth was charged as a juvenile.” (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEDGACsk9ZRgdFmzTA-FtR5-3LdQ)
I understand the point about what does and does not make for a good sign. But if the sign is outright misleading, what good is it? Not much, I would propose.
Again, I propose that “Equal Justice” should be the message. It’s even shorter than “Free the Jena 6,” AND it has the added benefit of being an accurate description of what the goal of these protests should be. Also, I bet a lot of folks- the MIA progressives Pam laments- would be willing to jump on that bandwagon.
Does anybody REALLY think they should be simply freed? I don’t think so. If so, I haven’t heard it, nor has a case been made for that position. Has a case been made for equal justice? YES. Then why isn’t THAT the point?
Let’s see… Pam’s post is about the dearth of coverage of this issue in progressive blogs. And the very first commenter attempts to turn the discussion toward whether a slogan/soundbite like “Free the Jena 6″ is a appropriate course of action.
Great job of deflection, guys. Textbook, even.
Did I just see racism referred to as a “pet issue”?
nikkos, as far as i’ve seen, the charges of the other five kids have not been downgraded from attempted murder. It was just Bell’s charges. Even then, Bell was charged with aggravated battery.
Here’s another possible reason to throw into the mix: I followed this story until the charges against Bell were downgraded and the conviction overturned. I saw several “celebratory” posts and “victory in Jena” banners…and I don’t recall anything pointing out that the other five kids were still in trouble.
It’s possible that some progressive bloggers thought the issue was over–or, at the very least, in the hands of a judge who was doing the right thing and it was therefore “covered”.
(Oops–I blasphemed too soon.)
Pam’s reasons probably explain why the blogs weren’t following the story too closely, and “not following closely” is probably partially responsible for the dearth of coverage today. (”Jena? Is that still going on? Huh.”)
Surely TalkLeft — which has positioned itself as the leading progressive blog about criminal justice issues — would have something?
TalkLeft blogged at length about how the black woman who was accusing the white men of raping and assaulting her, was lying. That was the sum and substance of the TalkLeft Duke lacrosse team posts, and I got banned from TalkLeft for challenging this view.
I am entirely unsurprised that TalkLeft is not blogging about the Jena 6. If one or all of the white students involved is charged, then, and only then, would I expect TalkLeft to start blogging about it.
I like Jane Hamsher and most of her team but they themselves have placed themselves in the hole of being perceived as racist through recidivist childish bullshit on their own site. There is no reason why Jane should not be addressing this issue front-on; if someone perceives her as racist let her refute the charges or wear them. She is a blogger, not a goddam china doll.
First, thanks to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh for your comments.
A question:
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
If yes, please explain why.
If no, then why adopt that as slogan?
Isn’t “Equal Justice” what we’re REALLY after?
It’s SHORTER than “Free The Jena 6;” it’s a cause progressive bloggers (hell, all Americans) can get behind; AND it has the added benefit of actually specking to the issue at hand.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment.
The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/20/jena.six/?iref=mpstoryview
Karmakin,
Though no more unrealistic than, say, the proposed solutions to the Iraq War or fighting “terrorism”. Really, few political problems have clear-cut answers that everyone can get behind.
The incident itself may have been local, but it was symptomatic of a nation-wide problem, that is, the structural racism of the judicial system. Jena serves perfectly as a sort of microcosm of what’s wrong with the United States as a whole.
First, thanks to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh for your comments.
A question:
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
If yes, please explain why.
If no, then why adopt that as slogan? Isn’t “Equal Justice” what we’re REALLY after? It’s SHORTER than “Free The Jena 6;” it’s a cause progressive bloggers (hell, all Americans) can get behind; AND it has the added benefit of actually specking to the issue at hand.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
testing..testing…are my comments being held in moderation or what?
First, thanks to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh for your comments.
A question:
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
If yes, please explain why.
If no, then why adopt that as slogan? Isn’t “Equal Justice” what we’re REALLY after? It’s SHORTER than “Free The Jena 6;” it’s a cause progressive bloggers (hell, all Americans) can get behind; AND it has the added benefit of actually specking to the issue at hand.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
First, thanks to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh for your comments.
A question:
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
If yes, please explain why.
If no, then why adopt that as slogan? Isn’t “Equal Justice” what we’re REALLY after? It’s SHORTER than “Free The Jena 6;” it’s a cause progressive bloggers (hell, all Americans) can get behind; AND it has the added benefit of actually specking to the issue at hand.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
My “testing” comment went through fine but my response to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh keeps getting eaten…jut wanted y’all to know Im trying to reply, but for some reason my comments are not appearing on the site. Thanks.
First, thanks to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh for your comments.
A question:
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
If yes, please explain why.
If no, then why adopt that as slogan? Isn’t “Equal Justice” what we’re REALLY after? It’s SHORTER than “Free The Jena 6;” it’s a cause progressive bloggers (hell, all Americans) can get behind; AND it has the added benefit of actually specking to the issue at hand.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
Look, the Progressive movement in America were never left-wing, they were a technocratic group that championned eugenics, amongst other such nice things. If anything, the progressive blogosphere is living up to its name. It’s just a shame that the left-wing blogosphere wants to tie itself up to the ‘progressives’ instead of creating its own space whose purpose is not just to elect Democrats but effect real social change.
First, thanks to Mnemosyne, randomliberal and Leigh for your comments.
A question:
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
If yes, please explain why.
If no, then why adopt that as slogan? Isn’t “Equal Justice” what we’re REALLY after? It’s SHORTER than “Free The Jena 6;” it’s a cause progressive bloggers (hell, all Americans) can get behind; AND it has the added benefit of actually specking to the issue at hand.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
Hell, I quit blogging rather than write about it.
randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
Pam, you’ll be happy to know the AFL-CIO is paying attention.
randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
I think they should get the same punishment that the white kids got, which means freeing them since the white kids who did much more serious things got zero punishment. Unless you think that a sneaker is a much deadlier weapon than a shotgun?
If the way you want to work it is to dismiss the charges, charge the white kids, and then reinstate the charges, that’s fine with me, but there’s no reason for one group of kids to walk around with criminal charges on their record when the kids that actually started the problem get off scott-free. That would be — oh, what’s the word? — pretty blatantly racist.
P.S. to randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
Sounds like Nifong to me.
Hey, if the same thing happens to this DA that happened to Nifong — disbarment and criminal charges — I’ll be pretty damn happy. Once the whole story came out, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the liberal or feminist blogosphere who defended Nifong’s actions.
Nikkos, are you our guest professor today?
“Please explain why”. Like it’s a term paper we all have to submit to YOU.
How about instead of asking everyone here to spoonfeed you, you READ THE LINKS. EDUCATE YOURSELF. STOP ASKING PEOPLE TO DO IT FOR YOU. If you feel the links aren’t enough, do a Google search. Check out CNN or whatever flavor channel/webcast you like. MSNBC was giving live video feed awhile ago.
You’ve been asking others to explain themselves for hours. Knock it off and do your own homework.
randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
Louise-
I asked once for more background, received it, was thankful for it, and have moved on.
Simply asking others to provide support for the POV is not the same as asking them to do my “homework” for me.
I’m sorry if my style of discussion is an irritant to you. It was certainly not my intent. Just trying to join the discussion and share my POV.
Mnemosyne-
Thanks for your reply. I think we share the same goal- justice- but differ on tactics.
randomliberal:
News reports indicate:
“On December 4, about three months after the nooses were discovered, six teens, dubbed the Jena 6, were accused of beating classmate Justin Barker. The six — Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard — were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters.
“Bell, the only one of the six who remains in jail, was to be sentenced Thursday after convictions for aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to do the same, but both charges have been vacated, awaiting further action by the district attorney.
“Charges for Bailey, Jones and Shaw also were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned, while Purvis still awaits arraignment. The charges for Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he’s a juvenile.”
(from CNN. I’d post the link but I think it is causing my comments to be gobbled up by the Internetz.)
randomliberal: this article discusses the reduced charges: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/20/jena.six/index.html
On topic, or bunnies. I realize that racists can barely contain themselves from dwelling over the thinnest evidence to support their paranoid and erroneous contention that the white man can’t cut a break, but you take the hate elsewhere. It’s not welcome here.
Sorry for the repeated comment folks.
And please, for the love of god, don’t copy and paste the same comment over 20 times because you were put into moderation. I PROMISE I will get to it. If you keep doing that, the spamulator will probably start zapping you permanently.
Well that’s embarassing…Pam or Pandagon webmaster/mistress, please feel free to delete my redundant, repeated posting of the same comment.
Again, my sincere apologies.
Heh heh. I love Rayman.
Mea culpa on the charges of the other kids being reduced. Should have looked harder.
But my larger point stands. A sneaker is not a deadly weapon, aggravated battery is still way too strong. A simple battery charge (in juvenile court) would have been plenty. After the kids who hung the noose, the kids who participated in the beat down at the party, and the guy who pulled a shotgun had been charged with something or expelled.
Does anyone here really think the Jena 6 should be “freed?”
I do, and here’s why. Had the school board stood behind the principal and expelled the students who hung the nooses, this situation might not have come t this point. If the local DA hadn’t gone to the school and told black students “I can wipe out your lives with the stroke of a pen,” then maybe this wouldn’t have escalated. If the white students who started all this shit had been dealt with appropriately, then probably none of this would have escalated. How much shit do you expect members of a community to eat before they’re allowed to strike back? Their actions have been, if anything, moderate. Freed? They should be given fucking medals for not burning the town down around the racist inhabitants’ ears.
And the shittiest part of it all to my mind, is that none of this is likely to change anything once this story fades away.
Nikkos, Mychal Bell has been in jail for 9 months now and is still there today. That’s longer than he probably would have served if he had been properly charged as a juvenile.
But what you’re worried about is that he hasn’t been punished enough yet, and that we need to round up more kids for more punishment?
Sadly, it never had to get this far — teenagers are going to be impulsive and stupid. It’s to be expected. The real problem here is that the white adults in the town supported the white kids’ actions instead of suspending them as the principal recommended and nipping the problem in the bud.
In some ways, I don’t blame the kids on either side. Teenagers are stupid and hotheaded and make mistakes. What we really need is for some justice to come down on the supposed “adults” who picked sides and made sure their own “side” didn’t face any consequences for their actions.
So I guess that’s the real difference here between you and me. I think the people who perpetuated the problem — the district attorney and the other town elders — are the ones who needs to face some consequences, not for any more of the kids to be punished, white or black. Without the inaction and neglect and favoritism by the adults, we never would have gotten to this point and that white kid probably wouldn’t have been beaten up in the first place.
Being moderated makes me sad.
I agree, Incertus- released and all charges dropped. Or in the case of Michael, “time served”. Then a complete investigation of the processes that the school board and DA were following by the state prosecutor to look for wrong-doing. (with the understanding that I am NOT an attorney or fluent in the language/laws involved)
I nearly cried when I saw his mother walking arm-in-arm with Rev. Sharpton and she told a reported she had been talking with her son, still in jail, a few minutes before. As a mom, I can’t imagine how she has slept since this nightmare began.
I would initially make an observation that I get most of my news from the progressive blogosphere and I’ve been aware of this case for months, so its not like its been ignored. That said, I am surprised it hasn’t gotten more play at some of the big blogs because it really is a shocking case and I thought an easy one to understand. Yes, the “heroes” assaulted someone, but the double standard and overt racism are so distinct. I was really shocked. The story sounds like something out of the pre-desegregation time. It reminds me of the story about the Turner County High School’s first integrated prom this spring. There is clearly a level of complacency that has allowed a lot of us to just assume this kind of direct, community racism just doesn’t happen anymore. We know racism exist, but we have fooled ourselves into thinking its been driven into the shadows. Still, the flip side of this problem is that stories like this are shocking and should generate attention.
I don’t know why it hasn’t. While each time I saw a story about it, I asked myself, “why isn’t this getting more attention?” I also didn’t think enough about it myself between those times. Given that the sites mentioned largely focus on political issues, I can see why this story feel through the cracks. I might suggest that the best remedy is raising the profile of bloggers who do tackle these issues. Easier said than done, but the “blogosphere” is a community and it excels when no one blogger is expected to serve everything but when the community address the issue. If the community of elite bloggers isn’t serving a need, expand the community of elite bloggers. If Josh Marshall feels ill equipped to address an issue, link to a good blogger who is. Bring in someone to address these issues at a community site and expose the blog’s audience to these concerns and hope that this will increase awareness in general and that these issues will have more relevance in the minds of readers and writers alike.
was spreading this story around to everyone I know weeks ago and complaining about how the mainstream news wasn’t covering it.. and now.. I’ve spent the whole day being infuriated by MSM coverage, where they leave out crucial details in the interest of pretending there are two equally justified sides to the story. I’m sorry, there’s not. The media presents the story now as if it started at the tree and went straight to the beating, and this paints a woefully inaccurate picture of the situation.
You have de-facto segregation in place that students at this school tried to challenge. They were met with an explicit threat - nooses in the context of segregation are not a “prank”, they are a threat and a reminder of how white america used to deal with black people who didn’t know their place. When the students didn’t immediately quiet down and go back to the way things were, staging a protest, the DA came in and threatened them personally - not the white students who were making threats, but the black students, for not shutting up about the whole thing.
“I can end your lives with a pen.” Another threat, from the district attourney to a bunch of underaged students. Then followed weeks of conflicts. There was not just one fight, but many fights, and white students attacked and beat black students without facing any consequences. A *graduate* of the school came back specifically to threaten black students with a shotgun. The police arrested the black students for wrestling the shotgun away from the white guy without charging the white guy with anything. The message continues to be: shut up and go away, or YOU will face consequences, not us. THEN the fight occurred for which arrests actually took place. The arrests are probably not even of the right students, but as far as the town is concerned, the problem was solved when you put some of the black students in jail. Because to them, the problem is the black students challenging the status quo. The physical fights are incidental; the student they’re pressing charges over wasn’t seriously injured. Listen to the comments by people in town and it’s plain as day. It doesn’t matter if they got the students actually involved with the fight, they got the students who were kicking up a fuss, and “they got what they deserved.” Uh huh. This is all sending a message, and it’s all pretty goddamned familiar.
I think this would be a lot more credible if it wasn’t under a banner reading “free the Jena 6.” Sorry, I don’t think people who assault others should be freed.
Is there racial bias going on in how different offenders are treated? You bet.
My personal reason for not writing about this, aside from not having had much to add that others haven’t already said, is that I think the events today are pretty manipulative. Everyone will swoop down on Jena, make speeches, and then go home, and people in this small town will be left trying to figure out how to live together in light of all that’s happened. Given that the town clearly had a challenging situation to start with, I think that’s pretty tragic. Their fate now is to be a demonstration prop.
I can’t go with charges dropped, sorry. I completely agree that if the school board and the DA had handled this properly from the beginning, things probably never would have gotten to this point. But they did, and when they did, those six young men had every opportunity to walk away, and they made the choice to attack him. No matter how provoked they were to attack, and under what circumstances, beating that student down was the wrong thing to do, and it was a crime and should be treated as such.
Justice is only served when all of the crimes are addressed, though, and fairly. In my opinion, it’s justice when the Jena 6 are brought up on simple battery and given probation, like the white guy who attacked Robert Bailey, when the three kids who hung the nooses are charged with a hate crime, when the charges against Bailey for stealing a weapon are dropped (unless they’ve been addressed already) and his record cleared for that, the school board has been reprimanded for not standing behind the principal, and the DA has been fired and disbarred. That sounds just.
Oh, right, and the guy who pulled the gun on Robert Bailey in the first place charged with assault. Thanks, lizvelrene, I almost forgot that one.
ACG, your comment makes a lot of sense.
I’m sorry ACG, but we’re beyond that now. You can’t unshit the bed in this case–all you can do is move forward, and moving forward means the Jena 6 walk, no charges, no nothing. We can talk till we’re blue int he face about what should happen to everyone involved, but lets face reality, shall we? Nothing is going to happen to those white kids, if indeed anything could be done at this point. So the only other option is for the Jena 6 to walk–otherwise, great injustice is done here.
Attempted murder with a fucking sneaker? When the victim was so badly hurt he was able to atten