Incident in Jena,La.
 

I did a search and couldn't find anything on this on 2p2, but it's all over the place on college campuses,facebook, etc. This link does a fair job of explaining at least what happened, but may be a little biased.

For cliff notes ill try to cover the most important bases: Jena, La. is a predominantly white town. At the local high school there's a tree that students sit under that is referred to as the "white tree" as it's understood to be a place where whites sit only.
-A black student asked if he could sit underneath the treet
-The next day three nooses were hung from the tree
-Black students held a nonviolent protest
-The DA came down and told them to cut it out and allegedly said "I can end your lives with a stroke of a pen"
-Fast forward to an incident where a white student was beaten up and put into the hospital by 6 of the local high school's black students.
-Said students were charged with a number of crimes the highest being second-degree attempted murder (later thrown out)
-Outrage re: the sentences

My interest is not bemoaning the ugliness of racism. This is a racially driven incident (though I find it interesting that these 6 are being turned into the victims after ganging up on one person) obviously, but I'm more interested in how the law views this incident. What would be an appropriate charge for the men who were 18 at the time of the incident? The minors? This has become particularly annoying to me after seeing the nonstop cheers of "Free the Jena 6!" I ask why they should be "freed"? They assaulted another student, and all the talk about the nooses,etc is just smoke and mirrors, and an effort to take the focus away from the crime committed. Yes, all the racism is sad and so forth but should that be an allowable excuse for 6 people ganging up on one person? And if the positions were flipped and if it was 6 white students on one black student how would the criminal justice system respond?

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

It's completely impossible to judge the merits of this case. If the evidence really is "more or less non-existent," then it's obviously a horrible injustice. If that's just rhetoric, then maybe it's fine (except for the gross racism preceding the assault).

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

I'm shocked that racism still exists in a small town in the south.

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

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I'm shocked that racism still exists in a small town in the south.

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If you're white you might try to get yourself a leadership position at the NAACP. Let us know how that goes.

Racism is institutionalized in America. It's also asymmetric. There is no Congressional White caucus, it's unthinkable.

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

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I did a search and couldn't find anything on this on 2p2, but it's all over the place on college campuses,facebook, etc. This link does a fair job of explaining at least what happened, but may be a little biased.


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I think that "a little biased" is quite an understatement. Wikipedia seems to be a better source. link

Attempted second-degree murder seems like a perfectly reasonable charge for knocking someone unconscious and then repeatedly kicking them in the head (assuming the offenders did that in this particular case).

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I did a search and couldn't find anything on this on 2p2, but it's all over the place on college campuses,facebook, etc. This link does a fair job of explaining at least what happened, but may be a little biased.


[/ QUOTE ]

I think that "a little biased" is quite an understatement. Wikipedia seems to be a better source. link

Attempted second-degree murder seems like a perfectly reasonable charge for knocking someone unconscious and then repeatedly kicking them in the head (assuming the offenders did that in this particular case).

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I attempted to be unbiased in my OP, but I was trying to make sure that I wasn't leaning too far. IMO 5 of 6 should at least be charged with 3rd degree aggravated assault. But in all honesty I have no idea how I'm supposed to even attempt to forgive 6 men/boys who consciously stomped one person out

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

[ QUOTE ]
At the local high school there's a tree that students sit under that is referred to as the "white tree" as it's understood to be a place where whites sit only.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's understood by who? You mean to say that the school implicitly condone such aberrations? No wonder there is racial problem down there!

Did this happened 60-70 years ago or is the "white only" tree, a contemporary event?

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At the local high school there's a tree that students sit under that is referred to as the "white tree" as it's understood to be a place where whites sit only.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's understood by who? You mean to say that the school implicitly condone such aberrations? No wonder there is racial problem down there!

Did this happened 60-70 years ago or is the "white only" tree, a contemporary event?

[/ QUOTE ]


-according to everything you read about the situation it's "understood" by noone in particular...just everyone I suppose. My guess is that the assumption is that white students believe the black students understand it as such. Nothing about the school implicitly condoning anything, and it happened last year

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At the local high school there's a tree that students sit under that is referred to as the "white tree" as it's understood to be a place where whites sit only.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's understood by who? You mean to say that the school implicitly condone such aberrations? No wonder there is racial problem down there!

Did this happened 60-70 years ago or is the "white only" tree, a contemporary event?

[/ QUOTE ]


-according to everything you read about the situation it's "understood" by noone in particular...just everyone I suppose. My guess is that the assumption is that white students believe the black students understand it as such. Nothing about the school implicitly condoning anything, and it happened last year

[/ QUOTE ]

If it is understood by noone in particular but condoned in any way, my suggestion is that the school board and teachers should have their employment terminated for fostering or allowing non-american prejudices to continue existing despite those being, I am sure, against the law!

I would also fire the police chief from reading the links.

I do sincerely hope that this is simply a redneck or hicks ville phenomena brought about by a few white in-breeding than really an american tolerated behavior.

I think african americans taking the law in their own hands, in this extreme, and intolerable case of the "white only treee shade", completely justified! Go bros!

Re: Incident in Jena,La.
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At the local high school there's a tree that students sit under that is referred to as the "white tree" as it's understood to be a place where whites sit only.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's understood by who? You mean to say that the school implicitly condone such aberrations? No wonder there is racial problem down there!

Did this happened 60-70 years ago or is the "white only" tree, a contemporary event?

[/ QUOTE ]


-according to everything you read about the situation it's "understood" by noone in particular...just everyone I suppose. My guess is that the assumption is that white students believe the black students understand it as such. Nothing about the school implicitly condoning anything, and it happened last year

[/ QUOTE ]

If it is understood by noone in particular but condoned in any way, my suggestion is that the school board and teachers should have their employment terminated for fostering or allowing non-american prejudices to continue existing despite those being, I am sure, against the law!

I would also fire the police chief from reading the links.

I do sincerely hope that this is simply a redneck or hicks ville phenomena brought about by a few white in-breeding than really an american tolerated behavior.

I think african americans taking the law in their own hands, in this extreme, and intolerable case of the "white only treee shade", completely justified! Go bros!

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you not understand how the media portrays a "white only tree" may be different then how it exists. If the tree just happened to be sat under by white students while blacks sat somewhere else, would you be calling for everyone in the school and on the board to resign?

You think that 6 students beating the [censored] out of one was justified? You are just as bigoted as those you speak against.