Jena Six Part Three

Hey folks,

We have a new guest here, Heidi. She said this.

“Thank you for keeping it so simple. Boys beating up a boy! Same crime, no matter what race.

I grew up in Southern California, where I saw no color of skin.

I now live in the south where the hatred is still deep and still everyday and it still freaks me out! And not just because I'm often made out to be the "wrong" race.

When will everyone graduate from Jr. High school?”

Welcome Heidi, I went to respond to her, and started thinking. This REALLY needs to be put out there for all to read and decide for themselves. I’m in the middle of a debate with someone over at Ethepeople. Rsuri posted a chronicle of events in Jena according to Wikipedia. Basically, what Rsuri was implying was that this proves that the powers to be in Jena have a history of treating white differently than Blacks.

On the surface, it sounded right. A White kid hits a Black kid in the head with a bottle and gets probation, and a White kid pulls a GUN on a Black kid and the Black kid got arrested. So, I went to Wikipedia to see what they were saying. I got NOTHING like what the implications were. Here is my response to Rsuri over at Ethepeople.

“Five black youths, including 16-year-old Robert Bailey, attempted to enter the party at about 11 p.m. According to U.S. Attorney Washington, they were told by a woman that they were not allowed inside without an invitation.” Private party?

“ The five youths persisted, stating that some friends were already in attendance at the party.” Could they have been trying to FORCE their way in?

“A white man, who was not a student then jumped in front of the woman and a fight ensued. After the fight was broken up, the woman told both the white man and five black youths to leave the party.” ALL involved in this were asked to leave. The White man not a student.

“Once outside, the black students were involved in another fight with a group of white men, who also were not students. Police were then called to investigate. Several months later, Justin Sloan, a white male, was charged with battery for his role in the fight and placed on Probation.” We have no idea his past. If never in trouble before, Probation sounds about right. As for the Beer Bottle?

“ Bailey later stated that one of the white men had broken a beer bottle over his head though there are no official records of medical treatment being given.” NO PROOF this took place! Thank you again for posting this. People automatically assumed it did. We do not even know IF it did.

Now the Gun.

“Local police reported that the accounts of the white student and black students contradicted each other and formed a report based on testimony taken from eyewitnesses. The white student testified that Bailey and his friends shouted and ran after him, that he ran to get his gun, and that the students wrestled it away from him.” His version. Sounds logical. A bunch of people mad at the night before and coming at you yelling a screaming, scared, he got the gun?

“According to the black students, as they left the convenience store, they were confronted by the white student with a shotgun. They then claimed to have wrestled the gun away from him and fled the scene.” Their version. Uh, why? What did he say to them? The most obvious question, they are brave enough to wrestle the gun away, yet FLEE AFTER the jump an armed guy, that wants to shoot them? Doesn’t really fit logically.

We weren’t there, so all we have to go on is the facts that were investigated.

“Local police reported that the accounts of the white student and black students contradicted each other and formed a report based on testimony taken from eyewitnesses.”

Sorry Rsuri, but based on what you posted, and the fact that the Six Blacks then later jumped and beat ONE White kid, they sound even more like out of control thugs to me. Sounds more like this one White student, just didn’t have a way to defend himself.

I do still have a problem with the noose thing. I think that could have been handled differently. But that does not justify a gang beating up on ONE individual, that may or may not have been involved in hanging it there?

It does not justify the Revs turning this small town into a circus to defend the CRIMINALS in this case. They are simple fostering more divide and hate, for their own personal gain.

I’m serious about this folks. The more I learn about this, the more I just see these 6 Black kids as nothing but thugs. To answer your response Heidi, I thought we all DID graduate from Jr. High. I guess we were wrong. I guess we haven’t even got out of grade school yet.

This IS simple. If this had been 6 White kids that beat 1 Black kid, they would have already been tried and convicted in the media. The VICTIM would probably been awarded a monetary settlement by Jena itself. He would have become the new poster boy for the “movement.”

You know this, I know this, we ALL know this. But because these CRIMINALS were Black, there are some that want to give them a free ride. Screw the VICTIM. This is getting insane there. This is not about racism. This is about 6 thugs that attacked one victim.

You know, I guess I have to spell it out again. If we are truly striving for equality in this country, then we must treat everyone EQUALLY. The good, bad, and the ugly. When we show favoritism for any reason, to any group, we do nothing but foster more hate and divide.
Peter