I just heard about JENA 6 . Racial Discrimination seems to have found a new dimension in the Jim Crow South. First we had Brown v. board of education being overruled and now we have this incident in the USA. The Country seems to have lost its touch on notions of equality.
Ash reports as to what is Jena 6;
At Jena High School in Louisiana, white students usually sat under a tree in the school courtyard, referred to as the “white tree”. During assembly on August 31 2006, a black student asked the vice-principal if they could sit under the tree, and the vice-principal answered “”You can sit anywhere you like“. A few black students ventured to sit under the “white tree” later that day. The next day, three nooses were found hanging from the tree. The school superintendent termed it a “prank” and the three white students responsible were punished with an in-school suspension. In fact, this incident should have been treated as a hate crime and reported to the authorities. The incident conjured up the ugly history of lynch mobs and the Jim Crow South and unleashed a cycle of interracial strife.
Black student protesters were threatened by the District Attorney, who said “See this pen? I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen.” Racial tensions persisted and frequent fights broke out between white and black students. In December, when some black students attempted to attend a “white” party, a fight broke out and a black student was injured. One of the white men involved was charged with simple battery and put on probation. The next day, some black students were confronted at a convenience store by a white student armed with a handgun. A fight broke out and a black student took possession of the gun. The police intervened and charged the black student with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace, while the white student who produced the handgun was not charged.
A few days later, six black students assaulted a white student who suffered a concussion during the fight. These black students, dubbed the “Jena six” were arrested and are undergoing trial for attempted second-degree murder. Defendant Mychal Bell was tried and found guilty by an all-white jury and a white judge; his court-appointed public defense lawyer did not call a single witness to his defense. He is currently awaiting sentencing and faces the possibility of up to 22 years in prison.
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I would be following up on the case and posting relevant details.
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September 16, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Yvette
The enduring injustice that some groups face may never stop unless America acknowledges that our predecessors deomonstrated heinous crimes AND some continue to do so today – as in the Jena 6 incident. That was definitely a hate crime and those in charge – the DA and police department – should be liable for their discrimination and put on trial. The entire school and surrrounding area should also be informed that these are crimes and will NOT be tolerated. This is highly upsetting – and the media should directly address this so that the mass population understands that cannot continue to walk with blinders on when people are not treated fairly – we should stand by our democracy and realize that we are all human and may be connected in many ways.
September 17, 2007 at 8:44 am
aditya
Surely Yvette,
You make a very good point..
October 1, 2007 at 4:26 am
SgtMaj Pat McCollough, USMC, Retired
I am Pat McCollough, also known around campus as, “Coach Pat.” Returned to the education industry at Hawthorne Middle/High School and became the victim of a hate crime.
on 1 Jun 2007, the last day of school, I feel prey to racial discrimination and a victim of hate. This happened on campus during the school day. My classroom was the only one spray painted with hate graffiti.
One student was identified as a suspect. Why was this student out of class and allowed to just roam around without a pass or without any supervision anyways. This was exam day.
The administration was passive about the entire situation. They gave me the impression that they mainly looked the incident as a “criminal act” or maybe “just a prank” and had not taken into consideration how the event traumatized me as a human being. They stated that they must have misread me because I was a pillar of strength and so well composed though out the entire situation. Well, Isn’t that how professionals are suppose to respond.
If this type of racial behavior continues and is condoned with little or no consequences to the real criminals, someone could get seriously hurt…remember Jena 6? I wonder if those three nooses hanging on the tree traumatized any of the students or were they provided with any type of professional psychological counseling after having been subjected to such hate. I requested professional psychological counseling and was denied at two different levels. I had to eventually seek professional counseling through other resources outside of the school district.
It is a known fact there is a current issue with safety and security within the Alachua County School District, Gainesville, Florida.
I did not return to teaching.
October 8, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Aditya
Sorry to hear about that Pat. But you highlighted a very important point. Seems like Jim Crow is reviving in the US and something needs to be urgently done.
One can’t hope to remain passive about such incidents and treat them as if they never happened.