What the hell is this all about ..?

some dude sat under a tree and hell broke loose (serious)

Jena Six refers to a group of six African American teenagers who have been arrested and charged with crimes related to their alleged involvement in the assault of a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana, on December 4, 2006. The incident is one of many racially charged events that have occurred in the town since what has been called a prank involving the "white tree" on the Jena High School campus. Critics of how the case was handled, including civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, have claimed that the arrests and subsequent charges were racially motivated. Many residents of the town, both Caucasian and African American, have expressed the view that the current problem is more the fault of outsiders using racial politics to influence the justice system. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Donald Washington, who is black, has expressed the opinion that although discipline was mishandled by the school, he found no reason to believe that there was any unfair judicial action.


Background Info

Did these kids actually beat the white kid ?

If so whats the problem ?

Yeah, that section is a little vague. How about "six teens arrested for assaulting one teenager."

Question: How many of these "protesters" actually missed work today? Also, why do so many blacks who have no jobs and go on TV like to call themselves "Community Activists?" Does anyone know any white community activists? Just wondering.

This is from Wikipedia, but pretty much distills what I was going to search for in news articles I'd read previously:

Racial tensions resurfaced in Jena on September 1, 2006, when hangman's nooses were discovered in an oak tree on the campus of Jena High School after a black student had asked the vice principal if he and some friends could sit under the tree, where white students had typically congregated. The school administration recommended that the noose-hangers be expelled. The elected La Salle Parish School Board overruled the school, him and the three white student perpetrators received in-school suspension.[4] On November 30, 2006, an arson fire destroyed the main academic building at the school. On December 4, a fight broke out on campus, after which six African-American students, later dubbed the Jena 6,[5] were arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder. Law enforcement officers told the Alexandria Daily Town Talk in Alexandria that they have found no links between the noose incident, the arson fire, and subsequent fights[citation needed].

The six accused of attempted second-degree murder are black and were fighting a white student after what they claimed to have been a week of intimidation by white students, including the one who was assaulted.[6] Intimidation cited includes an incident in which a white student brandished a gun at a convenience store after a verbal exchange. Black students allegedly wrestled away the gun and were then held in custody and charged with theft while no charges were made against the white student.[7]

On June 26, 2007, the first day of trial for Mychal Bell, one of the defendants, the prosecutor agreed to reduce the charges for Bell to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated second-degree battery.[8] Bell was found guilty by an all-white jury, and will face the possibility of up to twenty-two years in prison when he is sentenced.[7] The sentencing was originally scheduled for July 30, but has been delayed.[9] However, the case is currently in dispute, as the court-appointed public defender did not call a single witness in his attempt to defend Bell.[10] The other five students will be tried at a later date.

If this is what they are being charged with, I'd say that fits the crime fine if the jury found them to be guilty. Second degree assault for six kids stomping one?

So a 16 year old kid should face 22 years in prison for a school fight? And I could be wrong, but I don't believe it was 6 on one. I thought it was a brawl.

You are wrong, this was 6 on 1. 20 years is steep, but the courts are tough down there, the kid should do at least 5 years.

There were multiple incidents, involving different kids.

1) There was a brawl outside a mostly-white party, that some black kids tried to crash. They got jumped by a bunch of white kids, and one of the black kids got a bottle smashed over his head.
2) The black kid who got his head busted, was at a convenience store the next day, with some of his buddies. They got into some words with a white kid at the store, who went out to his truck and pulled a shotgun on them.
3) 2 days after the convenience store incident, some white kid was supposedly bragging about how the kid who got the bottle to the head got "beat down by a white man." So he and his friends beat the white kid unconcious.

So it really sounds like nobody has clean hands in this matter, on either side of the fence.

Tell me how this specific case is racist if the PRECEDENT says they can face up to that much time in jail. If you want to argue that 20 years is too high a maximum to have set for the crime, fine. But they didn't just set the maximum for this case. It's across the board. They didn't say "Quick! It's black kids! Let's raise how long we can legally throw them in jail."

Right. Because it's perfectly legal for 6 thugs to beat an asshole to near death?

Absolutely not. They ought to go to jail. I'm just saying there are a lot of other kids in that town, both white and black, who should also be going to jail, for a bunch of related shit.

they are reporting the tree has been cut down. the tree has been cut down.

There was an aura of a pilgrimage near the former oak tree, with many people touching the stump and some retrieving a lump of dirt, said CNN's Eric Marrapodi

Near death? He was released from the hospital after 2 hours of observation. Hyperbole anyone?

I think the residents are right, "Many residents of the town, both Caucasian and African American, have expressed the view that the current problem is more the fault of outsiders using racial politics to influence the justice system. "

It sounds like typical back and forth between two groups of kids, until it escalated to where the police were brougt in. And it sounds like racism played a part in escalating the tensions. And it sounds like the black kid got more than a white kid would have got if the parties were reversed.

You're pretty much spot on with this.

I think a big part of the outrage revolved around the fact that the DA had bumped the charges up to attempted murder, for most of them. Now it seems to have been reduced to 2nd degree assault & battery for most of them, which seems much more fitting.

Also outrageous was this component Hook Operator already posted:

an incident in which a white student brandished a gun at a convenience store after a verbal exchange. Black students allegedly wrestled away the gun and were then held in custody and charged with theft of a firearm while no charges were made against the white student.

This does seem to be the case ..from what I have now seen on the news ..

It really (to me) seems to be how bad the kid was hurt and from what I understand it was not bad ..nor did the pics of him look really bad ..

That said I think some type of punishment should be handed down ..but at this point it seems a bit out-of-bounds ..

hOMEBOY STOLE THE GUN, ERGO, THE CHARGES. tHE WHITE KID PULLED IT OUT IN SELF DEFENSE, ERGO, NO CHARGES. sOUNDS FAIR TO ME.

Wow. Just when I think it can't be done, you out-douche yourself again.

You have no fucking clue what you're talking about. And in answer to your last question: Yes, I do. Moron.

This isn't an overly cunty post or anything.

My bet on the over/under is that 5-10 people missed work, the rest simply chilled, waiting for their state/federal checks to be direct deposited.

This is a serious question, how many lawyers, doctors, union people were there today? Or was it all welfare moms, fools on disability, and dinosaur '60's re-treads looking to cash in one more time?

No it's not a serious question. You made up your mind ages ago. You are a racist fool.

Aren't you at all curious about this? If not, you're a clown. Watch the news tonight. How many fat welfare mamas will be on TV? How many broke ass guys who owe child support who got a free ride down and a meal? How many white, hippie fools? .. Get your head out of your ass, fool.

Topper-- Just fucking give it up. No one is a "clown" if they are not interested in pursuing your oh-so-clear racist agenda. I hope to all the Gods in all the Heavens that you really are not a lawyer, because you are too big a fool to even be responsible for a small-town waste management project. Ooh, "welfare mamas"!! How edgy you are. I hope you find yourself stranded someday in sea of black faces. You're the best candidate for a white-boy lynching I have ever encountered.

Now, go ahead, defend yourself. Pretend your previous posts don't exist. Tell us all why you deserve to exist. And no fair calling your parents to ask for help with the answer.

The simple question is this: How many normal human beings, that means respectable citizens with jobs, would take a day off from work to go to some half-ass town in the middle of no where to stand up for 6 black kids that beat the fuck out of a white kid ? I still say 5-10. Did you go, fool?

Free the Jena 6! Pass the forty, nigga.

How many fake racist misogynistic lawyers?

Can we have "hates black people" put back under his name?

Probably 3 or 4 fools. Did you go? Do you wanna free the Jena 6, fool?

Not without my express, written permission, fool.

Go to bed and let the adults talk, you cognitive toddler.

What are you talking about? Do you wanna free the Jena 6? You are an obnoxious little prick. Happy New Year!

Way to avoid the question. I dare you-- tell the board that you are not a racist within the next hour, and back that up with solid evidence, or shut the fuck up. The clock starts now. Note: petty attempts to re-direct the question without first answering it will cost you more points.

You are just too fucking easy. You have many adversaries on this board that can formulate a more cogent argument than you can.

Oooh, perhaps we have a little anti-Semitism to throw on the fire here, seeing as how those of the Judaic faith just celebrated their New Year. You become more loathsome with every post, but at least you give me a reason to keep coming back. Shooting fish in a barrel is fun.

Name one, fool. I've battled them all, they eventually all go away, tail between their legs. For the record, I'm not a racist, my posts are designed to provoke discussion here. My posts are often supported by factual data, such as the data on the % of blacks in prison as opposed to whites, also, the % of blacks who own homes etc., check the record, bitch, it's all there. This petty, PC crowd merely irritates me like ants at a picnic, how can anyone take such fools seriously. To get back on topic, we have a crowd of people defending a mob of 6 black fools who beat the fuck out of 1 white kid, and you wonder why black folks can't get out from under, when this is the best they can expect from their so called "leaders?" Get real, fool.

Gefilte fish?

Topper, it's time for me to go to bed-- I actually have a job to wake up for, I mean, who else is going to teach those Nigrah chillun' how to read.

"For the record, I am not a racist."

Please, fucker. If you expect anyone to believe that all of your racist posts are meant to do nothing but spark intellectual discourse, you are a bigger fool than I thought. And no, I am not unaware of the "facts" you mention, nor am I opposed to your freedom to actually believe that they are facts. My greatest wish for you is to spend one week in the shoes of those you so easily dismiss with a simple phrase or sentence. Never forget that the fact that you were born white, American, and reasonably well-off financially (yes, that is an assumption on my part) make you among the most fortunate citizens of the world. And, perhaps, among the most closed-minded, as well.

You ARE a racist. To prove me wrong, come up with ONE viable solution to the race issues you are so fond of bringing up. I'll look forward to reading it in the morning.

How about you proving him wrong that most of the people who show up at protests have a job.... The next time there is a protest in boston I suggest you ask your employer for the day off. See what happens. I know my boss would tell me to go shit in a hat.

I support the JENA 6.

I heard about it from Cornell West's appearence on the DAILY SHOW

Imagine having a "white only" tree, in 1977, let alone 2007?? backwards fucking place down there.

Pray for America.

You are a nigger inside.

Sorry to hear your boss is such an ass. I guess i'm fortunate enough to know that if I felt strongly about something - the people I work for and with would support me 100% - as they have and hopefully continue to do so. EVEN if it means taking a day off for it - no joke. I guess that just means they believe in ME. Maybe i'm lucky in this case - but its been that way in every job i've been in. Hmmmm, maybe its me, and the way I treat others and put forth effort to help, love and listen - i'm not perfect, very much far from it - I learn each day - but sometimes when you give a little - you get a little back - not always but sometimes and there is this great thing I carry called HOPE - and sometimes when you open the eyes of others (sometimes you can't do this - people just want to remain closed minded ::cough:: topper ::cough:: its a hopeless case) but sometimes others appreciate it and want to live vicariously through you if they don't have the abilities to do it themselves.

Then again its dependent on what i'm going to protest against...... within reason - Support not Hate.

Tenebr8 is right - As white americans who have grown up in homes where we haven't really had it all that bad - I find most of them don't realize just HOW lucky they do have it, and are so disgustingly closed minded to difference in others - its 2007 - 1950's mentality ended with June Cleaver - sure she's still on TVLand but shes still in black and white - they won't be making an HDTV Version of this show folks. I work with a lot of them - and even they are willing to tred the fear of the unknown - which is really what racism is. The fear of difference and unknowing, but it stills boils down to one thing hate = fear.

The one and probably only truly wonderful thing my mom has ever said to me was "the one thing I admire about you is you don't judge people based on their sexual preference or their skin color - you judge them on how they treat you" No shit - isn't that what is really important? Maybe a few of you need to step back and evaluate this....

what happened to these kids was a pretty brutal thing...... And from my understanding the white kids got the slap on the wrists while the black kids who were beaten up were put in jail - maybe I got the story wrong but thats how it was understood to me...... If i'm wrong I apologize but its still going on somewhere if not in this case - and daily.

And at some point - wouldn't you be tired of being treated like shit and finally fight back? If you had to face the harsh realities and judgements of those who judge you based on their own fears and hatred not for you as a person - as a human being, wouldn't you eventually get sick and tired and fight back - and then to be punished for standing up for yourselves when the other was wrong. Imagine just for a moment, a brief moment, how that would make you feel? How does it make you feel when someone invalidates your feelings or rights? As the saying goes, I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes, then I met a man with no feet. If we could only remove the feet of those who judge so blindly for just one day....... The world just might be a happier place

You can knock the fat welfare mommas down for going - but at least they got off their fat asses and cared enough to show up instead of pissing and moaning about it anonymously on a chat board.


Just my two meaningless cents

It wasn't a "school fight".

You are wrong. It was 6 kids kicking the living shit out of one kid.


That's not a fucking "school fight".