...you really need to. After years of old-school racism seething barely under the surface at Jena High School in Louisiana, one black student faces a 22-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder merely for punching out a white student while all of the white students involved in a prior series of attacks on black students got off scot-free. Read the details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six Check out a quick video here: http://feministing.com/archives/007677.html And sign the petetion here: http://www.petitiononline.com/aZ51CqmR/petition.html
Jeeze is this what our country is coming to? What's happened to civility and a social consciousness? Why are we sliding backwards?
Forgive me if I am incorrect here.....but there is a difference between WORDS and PHYSICAL ACTION. No one is right here....whites, blacks, greens or oranges....the "Jena Six" would not be in this position had they not all attacked someone. I sure both parties are at equal fault here....a "jocular comment" from a black student kicked off noose hangings by the whites....and so on and so forth. What ever happened to conflict resolution skills people?
I think the biggest bone of contention is the difference in how sentences and justice were meted out. I fault the school most for allowing this situation to occur in the first place. We wonder why there is violence in our schools...it's because they allow for an environment where some can be bullied with immunity for their attackers. The fact that the issues were tabled by the School Board until after football season. Since when is football more important than the safety of your students?
I'm sure everyone can figure out why it waited until after football season.... You are correct, the school should have moved BEFORE the kids were segregating themselves....but who knows....it may have been like this since the first day a black student stepped into the school....thats a whole lotta years of issues. My second high school was 99% white and these types problems even occurred between the different groups of white kids....from simple vocal confrontation to down right violence. What I am saying here, is that it happens all over....no matter what color someone's skin is.
^^^^^^ Missing the point here, this is about racism. Not conflict resolution. When nooses are hung from the "whites only" tree in response to a black kid sitting under it, that is racism. When a white kid pulls a gun on some black kids, gets the gun wrestled away from him, and the black kids are charged with theft of the gun, that is racism. When the DA comes to the school, calls an assembly, and tell the black students he can "ruin their lives with a stroke of his pen", that is racism. When a black kid is beaten at a party by a group of white students, and only one white student is charged, and gets probation. Then a white student is beaten at a school by black students, and all six black students are charged with attempted murder...that is racism. The racial tensions in this town are aggravated by the racial attitude of the DA and the complete ignorance of many of the towns white population who claim "we ain't got no race problem here" Lets make this a wider known issue. e-mail everyone you know and let them know what is going on in Jena.
That's racism! Screw football season if our schools are harboring racism. Throw in Basketball and Baseball, if they make a difference. Treating people as equals and human beings is what counts. Shut down sports, all sports if that's what it takes! I'd rather face what our administration calls terrorists, than the young men our sports and educational facililities are breeding.
