The Jena Six and racial narratives; Update: No bail for beating suspect
Update: The latest news development… No bail for ‘Jena Six’ teen…via AP:
A relative of one of the Jena Six says a judge has denied bail for Mychal Bell, the only one of the teens who is jailed in the beating of a white classmate. Attorneys would not comment because juvenile court proceedings are secret. But the father of one of Bell’s co-defendants said Bell’s bail request was rejected. Bell’s mother left the courthouse in tears and refused to comment.
***
I’ve had a few irate liberal readers asking why I haven’t written about the Jena Six. For one thing, the MSM is covering it wall to wall. I like to cover stories that aren’t getting coverage. The Jena Six case is everywhere. CNN has special reports up the wazoo. MTV is all over it. Just Google it.
Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit adds that another “big problem is that the facts have trickled out, and it was hard to get a clear narrative that made sense of what was going on. The signal-to-noise ratio wasn’t that good.”
Finally, I’m not going to join the knee-jerk race-hustlers in celebrating the “civil right” to beat white people unconscious to rectify institutional racism. Is this the legacy Martin Luther King, Jr., would have sanctioned?
Jason Whitlock at the Kansas City Star sheds some light on facts about the case you may not have heard that undermine the presumed racial narrative:
There are undeniable racial and economic inequities in our criminal justice system, and from afar the “Jena Six” rallies certainly looked and felt like the righteous protests of the 1960s. But the reality is Thursday’s protests are just another sign that we remain deeply locked in denial about the path we need to travel today for true American liberation, equality and power in the new millennium.
The fact that we waited to love Mychal Bell until after he’d thrown away a Division I football scholarship and nine months of his life is just as heinous as the grossly excessive attempted-murder charges that originally landed him in jail. Reed Walters, the Jena district attorney, is being accused of racism because he didn’t show Bell compassion when the teenager was brought before the court for the third time on assault charges in a two-year span.
Where was our compassion long before Bell got into this kind of trouble?
That’s the question that needed to be asked in Jena and across the country on Thursday. But it wasn’t asked because everyone has been lied to about what really transpired in the small southern town.
There was no “schoolyard fight” as a result of nooses being hung on a whites-only tree. Justin Barker, the white victim, was cold-cocked from behind, knocked unconscious and stomped by six black athletes. Barker, luckily, sustained no life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital three hours after the attack. A black U.S. attorney, Don Washington, investigated the “Jena Six” case and concluded that the attack on Barker had absolutely nothing to do with the noose-hanging incident three months before. The nooses and two off-campus incidents were tied to Barker’s assault by people wanting to gain sympathy for the “Jena Six” in reaction to Walters’ extreme charges of attempted murder.
Much has been written about Bell’s trial, the six-person all-white jury that convicted him of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and the clueless public defender who called no witnesses and offered no defense. It is rarely mentioned that no black people responded to the jury summonses and that Bell’s public defender was black.
It’s almost never mentioned that Bell’s absentee father returned from Dallas and re-entered his son’s life only after Bell faced attempted-murder charges. At a bond hearing in August, Bell’s father and a parade of local ministers promised a judge that they would supervise Bell if he was released from prison. Where were the promises and supervision before any of this?
It’s rarely mentioned that Bell was already on probation for assault when he was accused of participating in Barker’s attack. And it’s never mentioned that white people in the “racist” town of Jena provided Bell support and protected his football career long before Jesse, Al, Bell’s father and all the others took a sincere interest in Mychal Bell.
Michael Van Der Galien makes the simple moral point that you are not hearing from the race card-playing reverends: Racism does not excuse violence.
Racism should, at all times, be condemned. However, the black students are (no longer) the victims in this case. They turned themselves from victims into aggressors and they should be punished for it. Was it an attempt to murder the victim? I don’t know, it’s not likely. Second degree battery? Quite more likely.
The Jena six are no martyrs for the cause of Civil Rights. They are no heroes. They’re a bunch of cowards who don’t dare take on someone that can actually fight back. Instead of fighting against six others, they singled out one white and beat him. Would Martin Luther King Jr. have supported their crime? I don’t think so. He advocated non-violence, not beating up a single individual with a group of six.
Racism should be fought against, and Jena obviously has some major problems. Excusing the outrageous behavior of criminals, however, isn’t the way to do so.
Will the Democrat presidential candidates pander and indulge the Jena Six exploiters? Will any one of them stand up to Al Sharpton? Bill Clinton had his Sister Souljah moment. If there were ever an opportunity for leading Dems to show that they have not been thoroughly corrupted by identity politics and racial demagoguery, this would be it.
Not. Holding. Breath.
***
Bryan Preston looks at the Duke/Jena comparisons.
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Categories: Race Hustlers
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Blacks and liberals denouncing Jason Whitlock as a house-n****r, and a traitor in 3…2…1
The bottom line is that you have one group who did something ignorant and another group who did something illegal. There is no gray area here.
Wait… You mean the kids who attacked the white dude we’re lil angels?
I’m shocked.
Ms. Malkin, I don’t think that this should be classified as a “race hustler” story. Although many will argue that this is a race issue, there are facts about the case that need to be heard.
I read an excellent commentary on CNN about the march:
Ms. Malkin, are you not outraged that the hanging of nooses is not classified as a hate crime?
From the New York Times:
(quoting marcher Latese Brown)
I, for one, do not subscribe to the slogan “Free the Jena 6″ because I think that they should be punished for beating another student up. They aren’t angels. Your point is valid.
But I think that there are people who think that justice is not always allocated fairly. Surely you can see that because you attack sanctuary cities and illegal aliens all the time.
This country has some serious conversations that it has to be having right now. “Race Hustlers”, “Race Card”, “racial demagoguery” and other buzzword catchphrases distract from the fact that for once, people are willing to get out and march and protest for what they feel is an injustice. Just like you encourage people march for the GOE and other causes, people are calling attention to what they perceive to be a serious, serious problem.
If justice is applied fairly to all parties involved regardless of race, as a result of this march… I say more power to them.
CNN Commentary from http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/20/roland.martin.jena6/index.html
Reverse the roles in this and what happens?
Answer:
take a guess.
Seeing the nonstop coverage and the media proclaiming this “harkens back” to the 50′s and 60′s is just ridiculous.
Then again, we can’t expect the MSM to factually present what really happened.
Too bad they dont feel beating a human being unconscious is an “injustice”.
Just another example of Al Sharpton spreading racism again and creating victims…….
As long as he continues to do this racism wil continue to be a problem.
If anything deserves a protest, it should be that the assault of a black by a group of whites should be equally prosecuted (assuming the report about this incident is accurate) not that the ‘Jena Six’ get off scot-free.
Agreed AJ. Six white guys beating the life out of one black guy – I get it. Six blacks beating the life out of a white guy who had nothing to do with the “noose” thing and they march. Will as many show up in Philly to take back the streets like the police commissioner asked them to do? No freaking way! You sure as heaven will not see J. Jerkson or the Rev Al sharpless in Philly (unless there are 100 camera crews and some rope).
Were they charged with a hate crime? I’m sure they would have been if the roles were reversed.
#1 – Why weren’t these six black teens charged with a hate crime? I guarantee you that if the races were reversed – there WOULD be a hate-crime amplifier in the indictment.
#2 – Why “Free the Jena Six”? That implies no prosecution. While attempted murder charges may be excessive, they did assault another human being. They should be tried, accordingly.
#3 – This is a race-hustler issue because the Rev. Sharpton and his ilk have come to town and played this up to their advantage, getting national media attention and bolstering their image to the black community.
I wonder if anyone in the black community will ask the ‘Rev. Al’ why he didn’t go to New Jersey and form protests when the illegal alien criminals shot and killed 3 black students and injured a 4th?
Where was his protests against the illegals?
I’m sure if it were ok to just go around and beat the crud out of someone no matter what color you were soap, bear, desertlover, swj, jrl and myself would have ourselves a big old time at the UN next week. lol, the malkin six.
Question: Has anyone else heard of a prank that involved hanging nooses from a tree? Just curious.
Even if you don’t know what it is (which might be possible), this obviously indicates there must be more education about what nooses mean and their history in the South, right?
I already responded to this. I don’t buy that statement.
This isn’t a race hustler case because this story (although it was over a year ago) recently started to pick up steam across black colleges, onsite sites such as Facebook, talk radio… even before Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse led any type of march. It just so happens that the media goes to these gentlemen for comment. But this story had already caught fire by people who are not “race baiters/hustlers/etc.” but felt there was a massive injustice here.
#11 Hate crimes was dropped as a charge…
That was a good article. No where else have I read anything but impassioned rhetoric about this incident. I am glad to have some facts to work with.
DarkKnight: I seriously doubt that any regular ‘Malkinite’ poster here approves of any nooses being hung from trees. That was a disgusting display and should be handled appropriately.
However – this victim ( remember him? ) had nothing to do with that incident.
This is a case of 6 black teens who attacked one white teen from behind, and beat and kicked him til he was unconscious.
There was nothing to indicate, that I’ve seen, that he provoked such a violent incident.
As I said, if 6 white teens walked up and beat the hell out of a black teen, the protests would still be going on, but instead of “Free the Jena 6″, they’d be chanting for life sentences.
And to AJ:
“The Malkin Six” – I like that – Count me in!
The Malkin Six – Founders of ‘Code Blue’, a conservative answer to ‘Code Pink’ & MoveOn…
Since the best reporting on this case I have seen or read has come from a sportswriter (Jason Whitlock), this case also shows the lack of quality in MSM coverage of news in general.
Once again Sharpton and Jackson, racist haters that they are, appear in order to prevent the facts from being considered and a fair outcome. Hysteria reigns. To hell with reality.
The label of hate crime isn’t applied evenly nor is the term racist applied towards black crime on whites. The truth needs to be found, justice applied appropraitely and all this done without the screaming from the race baiters Sharpton and Jackson.
The six blacks who beat up the lone white guy shouldn’t get a pass.
Simple, the shooters were white. Sharpton only goes after whites. Charming guy. I find it impossible to believe he spends much time studying the New Testament.
Also – D.K.
I’m not implying that those concerned black citizens classify this as ‘race-baiting’.
It is the presence of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson that makes it race-baiting. They talk about the injustice of prosecution but NEVER mention the injustice of an innocent man being beaten unconscious by these black teens.
And you’re right – the media DOES go to them for comments – and that is the mistake: giving these hustlers another opportunity to spew their self-aggrandizing venom and selective facts.
I’m uncomfortable with the “Free the Jena Six” rhetoric. They did assault someone and, frankly, it looks like a hate crime.
However, it’s impossible to look at Jena, LA and not think about the racial inequalities. There was an assault involving a black victim and white perpetrators and nothing happened. Vice versa gets an attempted murder charge?
I’ve defended hate crime legislation here in the past, and I think this drives it home. Hanging a noose from a tree (a day after black students were hanging out there) isn’t a prank, it is terrorism. It is meant to terrorize black students. The end result is the madness you see today.
I am loathe to defend the Revs. Jackson and Sharpton, but as the self-appointed leaders of the contemporary civil rights movement, they have to march in Jena. There is no doubt that Justice was not blind in this town. In a movement like this, you have to fight racism no matter what. Did the Jena Six commit a crime? Yup. But the double standard and the lack of a fair trial…you have to protest that no matter what. It’s unacceptable in America.
And, mojoe, Whitlock is always being called one thing or another. He wrote a piece for ESPN accusing Notre Dame of institutional racism in the hiring of its football coach and people went nuts about how he was resorted to playing the race card. Later, he took black youth to task for not caring enough about their futures and he got called an Uncle Tom. Whitlock has played the race issue exceptionally and it’s one of the reasons he is one of my favorite sports writers.
…the shooters weren’t white. sorry.
Thanks Michelle, you are one of the few voices of reason.
Hanging nooses is wrong.
Six against one ambush is wrong.
Three assault charges in two years is very bad behavior, especially for a teenager.
On September 21st, 2007 at 9:09 am, DarkKnight said:
“I read an excellent commentary on CNN about the march:”Let’s try this exercise for a moment. We can remove all racial tags and ask ourselves some critical questions…
…Prior to Justin Barker being beaten, another teen (who was black) was beaten, and no charges were filed against the (white) students…
Lets remove all racial tags? And then use race to make the point??
Bottom line: It’s time to put marty king to rest once and for all. It’s 2007, and blacks continue to want one thing-NO consequences for racist, thug, illegal behavior. In the black world view, two wrongs always make a right. They are a permanent, perpetual victim class. Always taunting, and daring you to knock the chip off the shoulder. This is just the latest example, and it will NEVER end. Every time sharpton or jackson make an appearance, they cry “he doesn’t speak for us!” Well guess what, they DO speak for them. A pathetic group that continues to vote 90%+ liberal and sadly, has come as far as they can. When great men like Thomas Sowell are ridiculed for “acting White”, I’d say that’s end game…
Handled appropiately. Fair enough.
What exactly is “handled appropiately” in your opinion?
In the opinion of the principal, it merited expulsion.
(paraphrasing)
‘Uh uh uh’ said the school board. They stepped in and said ‘suspension is just fine, thank you.’
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=772f2925-7cbe-42e3-984a-6890b521aa98&k=3639
So, what is handled appropiately? And by whom? Was the school board right? Or the principal?
Wow – maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night or I need another cup of coffee – but I think that Rusty and I agree on a majority of what he just posted!?!?!
I guess it’s sometimes true….
We can all just get-along.
This may be the start of a new piece on MM.Com.. ‘Friendly Fridays’
I thought that Sharpton and Jackson would have learned their lesson about jumping in with both feet into one of these cases without fact checking after the Duke lacrosse case. But I guess when all you’ve ever done is inflame emotions, the lesson would escape you.
OK, good deal. Many of those people aren’t “race baiting.” Are they “race hustlers” as Ms. Malkin catagorizes them?
Actually a better question would be: Does their presence take away from the debate because conservative attacks are directed towards them? Should the Reverends be banned in order to make the protest legit?
The race card is fradulently played so much it is getting worn out. When real instances of racism are present, it’s missed because lots of people tend to glaze over when we once again hear “racism”.
I find it impossible to ever give Jackson and Sharpton the benefit of the doubt.
Hopefully, justice will rule here in the end. Maybe all the attention on this will ensure that outcome despite the hyped rhetoric. And maybe fair is not the way Sharpton and Jackson want it to be.
I got dibs on the bumper sticker!!!
Dark Knight – ( and again, I’m probably going to surprise myself by most likely being in agreement with you on this )…
The noose-hangers SHOULD have been expelled.
The school-board’s decision that it wasn’t racially motivated was a shame and disgrace. OF COURSE it was racial.
There is no place in a public school ( or anywhere ) for that type of racial intolerance.
I’m guessing that you feel the same way – but it may surprise you that I do as well.
I would never participate is comething so crude…
Besides, the cameras will be everywhere. No way we’d be able to hide our identity during the curb-stomping…
Also, remember. He’s a Foreign Head of State (as distasteful and dispotic he may be), thus he is entitled to a Secret Service escort.
I don’t wanna tussle with them folk, do you?
Think man!
Wait for him to use the bathroom. We’ll jump him there…
Well I did say if it was ok.
No, actually, it doesn’t surprise me as you’re a fair-minded individual and I respect that. Equality and harmony IS possible, it is just difficult… especially when I read opinions like these:
Any other “Malkinites” care to agree with these statements?
M6-3 to M6-1, he’s in the john – I repeat – the turd is in the toilet.
I will.
So long as blacks, as a group, refuse to let go of the past, and continue to play the role of perpetual victim (never responsible, always someone else’s fault), then yes.
They have come as far as they can.
Those who are able to see past what has come and look forward to what may come have become some amazing, wonderful people.
Doctors, lawyers, officers, politicians. If they get over it, they get past it.
M6-1 TO M6-3 He’s not tapping his foot is he? over.
What is the statute of limitations on crimes from the past? How long does a community pay for what was done over 35 years ago? Especially, if there has been change. Do the past crimes hang over their heads forever? Legacy…does that mean there can never be a going forward in race relations due to the past? Is improvement never acknowledged? Are today’s citizens automatically considered guilty because of what some people did decades ago?
In our area, a black individual was lynched over 100 years ago. A truly horrible story. Last year, our paper ran a story decrying what they called our legacy of hate and how are we to atone. Considering race relations in our area are good and major efforts have been made over the years for our community to be open to everyone, I found the article offensive. I can only come to the conclusion that some refuse to move on, see genuine efforts to improve but prefer to wallow in the hate of the past. Hate will always be with us, but it doesn’t have to dominate. Big difference in how some see the world.
M6-1 to team, Operation “Flush the Crap” is go. I say again, Operations “Flush the Crap” is a go!!
Bill Cosby agrees with that and is trying to move things past that type of thinking. Have you read and listened to his speeches concerning blacks being victims? He’s right in what he says and I admire him and his attempts to make change for the future.
Count me in as a yes, but I’m not sure about the voter percentages.
JWS, six blacks assaulting someone is “thug” behavior? Ok.
What do you have to say about the white student who threatened black students with a shotgun? Or the white students who assaulted a black student at a party? Or the aforementioned noose incidents?
(No charges filed, of course)
Perhaps whites have come as far as they can?
M6-3 salutes DK.
Ms. Malkin, I see your coverage of watching the Democratic leaders respond to minority interests… but what about the GOP???
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091801781_pf.html
Debate No-Shows Worry GOP Leaders:
Candidates Are Urged to Attend Forums Sponsored by Minorities
Key Republican leaders are encouraging the party’s presidential candidates to rethink their decision to skip presidential debates focusing on issues important to minorities, fearing a backlash that could further erode the party’s standing with black and Latino voters.
The leading contenders for the Republican nomination have indicated they will not attend the “All American Presidential Forum” organized by black talk show host Tavis Smiley, scheduled for Sept. 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore and airing on PBS. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former senator Fred D. Thompson (Tenn.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) all cited scheduling conflicts in forgoing the debate. The top Democratic contenders attended a similar event in June at Howard University.
“We sound like we don’t want immigration; we sound like we don’t want black people to vote for us,” said former congressman Jack Kemp (N.Y.), who was the GOP vice presidential nominee in 1996. “What are we going to do — meet in a country club in the suburbs one day? If we’re going to be competitive with people of color, we’ve got to ask them for their vote.”
“For Republicans to consistently refuse to engage in front of an African American or Latino audience is an enormous error,” said former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.)…
You’re confused, Rusty. If the kids had beat a person unconscious instead of making some nooses, then you’d have a point of comparison. Otherwise, nah.
katieanne, the statistic citation was not to beat the area over the head, but rather to show the historical context associated with nooses. Surely, the young men should have known the prior to hanging them, right? If they did and it was a prank, why nooses? What was their rationale?
Kinda hard to file charges based on fantasies, Rusty.
First question is why didn’t the school administration address the issue of the “whites only” shade tree long ago, before it was allowed to get to this point?
Second question is what justification did the school board give for overruling the expulsion of the students who placed the noose and why didn’t they protest that decision peacefully. Maybe the school board needs some remedial training.
It seems to me that irresponsible adults allowed this situation to progress to a point that encouraged, or at least allowed for a violent component to emerge. That, to me, is wrong.
If this situation had been addressed earlier, we may never have arrived at tis point.
IMHO there are some troubling aspects of this situation but two wrongs do not make a right. I also believe there can be a reasonable solution to tis problem if cooler heads prevail.
On September 21st, 2007 at 10:02 am, katieanne said:
Right. Cosby, Sowell, etc, are remarkable men. They are, however part of a tiny minority who trying to pull an overwhelming majority along with them. It will not happen.
No – because that’s a THOUGHT CRIME.
Racism is wrong, but making it illegal to think something or do something stupid opens the door WIDE for ANYONE to be prosecuted for going against politically-correct group think.
If you’re black and you get beaten up, we have laws to deal with that already.
If you’re gay and you get beaten up, we have laws to deal with that already.
If you’re white, female, Jewish, atheist, etc. and get beat up – we have laws to deal with that already.
Hate crime laws NEVER apply to certain groups and ALWAYS apply to others.
Look up the name “Mary Stachowicz” and tell me THAT’S not a “hate crime”, even though it isn’t being charged as one.
The morons that hung the nooses should have been expelled – that’s fair justice.
And as the DA said, there was NO law on the books that made hanging nooses from a tree a crime.
Beating someone up is a crime, and needs to be punished according to the law.
Regardless of race. Regardless of creed. Regardless of anything.
Or have liberals become so morally relative that now LAWS are relative?
Good post trinity.
What would be some good ideas of a reasonable solution?
PurplePeep, have you been paying attention? A black student tried attending a party and was assaulted for his troubles. At a convenience store, a white threatened blacks with a shotgun. When the black students wrestled the gun away from him, they were charged for stealing the gun!
The victim of the assault in question has been accused of yelling “nigger” at the Jena Six. If true, it doesn’t make excuse the violence, but it makes it more understandable.
(I promise you if I yell “nigger” around a bunch of black people, I will have, at the very least, some cuts and bruises to show for it.)
PurplePeep, you don’t seem to understand the context of the assault. The situation in Jena was born out of hatred and racism and people are marching to fight these injustices.
Englishqueen, we’ve been down this road before. There are laws in place for assaults, yes. But hanging nooses and/or attacking random people based on their religion, race, sexual orientation, etc. is terrorism and must be dealt with extremely harshly.
Hanging nooses is not a thought crime. It is an attempt to make all black people in or around Jena fear for their lives.
Well, first, I would think the students who hung the nooses should have thier expulsion reinstated. Once that has been done, I would take a little time to see what the reaction is.
There probably shouuld be a review by an appellate court of the trial and sentences handed out. But, whatever is done must be done through the legal system.
How to make whites and blacks become friends is beyond my expertise so I will defer that to the people of Jena. Heck, I can’t even make MY friends like me.
Englishqueen, did you read Rusty’s post #23? Do you think that the noose hanging could’ve/would’ve/should’ve qualified as terrorism?
On September 21st, 2007 at 10:03 am, Rusty said:
I hate doing hypotheticals. I will say this, and I believe rather strongly that most White folk would agree with me. 6 Whites beat an innocent black half to death? I say fry ‘em. My gut reaction is sub-humans who would do something like that reflect poorly on the rest of us. Further, I would find NO excuse to try to justify such thuggish behavior. The black response? Well, sure it’s not a good thing, but you need to understand the context and how the past blablablablabla. Save it for another one of your “rallies”…
Touche.
On September 21st, 2007 at 10:19 am, Rusty said:
…The victim of the assault in question has been accused of yelling “nigger” at the Jena Six. If true, it doesn’t make excuse the violence, but it makes it more understandable…
Thank you so much for making my point! You have found a way to “understand” the beating. Congratulations. Two wrongs DO make a right. At best, this is primative, childlike thinking. See, for me, if a black yelled “White devil!” or “cracker!” or whatever at 6 Whites, and they proceeded to beat him senseless, I’d want to see the 6 fry. I have NO use for them. If you can justify savage behavior, you are no better…
So, JWS, execute those guilty of assault? Um. Right.
That is some crazy right there.
From what I understand of the story (and it’s coming through multiple filters, so I didn’t blog about it in case I was wrong), the two standards for justice in the county were seriously out of balance, and that one group was held to different standards of law than another. Instapundit had a good take on it.
But Sharpton’s presence simply magnifies the underlying problems of a race-focus. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al do nothing but inflame the debate and make absurd demands, turning the focus of the outrage from the people actually wronged to Rev. Al and his whims.
It’s like the Imus dust-up. I think that most people don’t recall who Imus had offended, and I’d venture that most would think it was Rev. Al, not the Rutgers Womens Basketball Team.
Justice is taking a back seat to the Sharpton Publicity Train.
If you are equating “cracker” or “white devil” with “nig**r” then there is no hope that you will ever understand the situation. There are very few words where a violent reaction is all but assured, and the “N-Bomb” is number one on that list.
For future reference, please “x” out a couple of letters in that word. As you say, a “violent reaction is all but assured” – even if you use it in what most would consider an appropriate context.
It’s not PC – just common sense.
RM
Crime is crime, there shouldn’t be “hate-crime”. What next? “Thought-crime”?
The noose incident was stupid and crass, and while the beating victim was not involved in it, those who were should hang their heads for thoughtlessly increasing racial tensions.
But to take that increased tension as an excuse for criminal violence is to adopt the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Which is not to excuse an assault, of course. But attempted murder? Really? If someone calls my roommate a “nigger,” I promise you I am punching them in the jaw. If I happen to knock that guy out, do I deserve 20 years? Probation, probably. If I’m already on probation, probably jail time. But 20 years!
Interesting… no response to the story of how GOP leaders are ignoring the minority communities when they shouldn’t be.
But let’s make fun of the Dems are their Howard Debate. Sure! “Race Hustlers”…. riiiiight.
A Noose, by its very nature, is a weapon.
Those students should have been expelled for that…
As to the other White on Black allegations, do we have any specifics? Circumstances surrounding them?
Or are they just a couple of incidents that had nothing to do with Race, or these 6, that are being lumped in to MAKE an issue.
I got in a fight 4 years ago, at a Raiders Broncos game in Denver… only time my son has ever seen me fight. I had one freind with me, also white, and after words were spoken, one attempted to cold cock my freind… and it was fight on…and… oh my gosh… they were BLACK…
Was it a Racial incident? Heck no it was rowdy football fans being stupid…
But you could easily change the narrative to make it so…
PS: There were no charges filed… and I appologise to those young men if they ever read this… even with 4 on 2, its not wise to mess with a Ret USN guy who played in… strange arenas… and a Ret Green Beret…
I have no doubt in your fantasy that’s how it is – but the facts and reality are, of course, obviously completely different. Where you’re getting confused is in not knowing the difference between emotionally derived conclusions and material fact.
You’re correct – beating and kicking the victim until he was unconscious likely did involve hatred and racsism the part of his attackers.
LOL, yes, I’m sure. That’s what anyone would do just to be the target of a 6 on 1 ruthless beating. (But at least ya got another fantasy to add to yer list!)
Getting back to the real world, Rusty, with the lead thug having a history of violent crimes it’s to be expected he’d lead another violent attack sooner or later. Had he been put away for a very long time he would not have been around to commit this racist attack.
This tells it all. Here is a time line of what really happened
Not even a good shot at a diversion, lad. People just aren’t easily baited into giving a hoot about WaPo hit jobs on Republicans.
Better luck next time, though.
lol, Quick, name 5 people who havn’t been in a fight at a Raider game.
Hmmm… then why are BLACK RAPPERS not constantly getting beat up?
What I have a problem with is the blatant double standard that the victim mentality allows.
The very same discrimination that would get a White person fired and sued is enshrined into “affimative action”.
I want to judge you by the content of your character, but its hard to do when YOU seperate youself out as different based on the color of your skin. I find groups like the NAACP and LaRaza to be deeply offensive, and part of the problem, not part of the solution.
I hear much more racist rhetoric coming from those groups, than I do coming out of white folks in America.
Yeah… Like blacks in LA give a damn what republicans say/think…
Dude, these are the same soort of people who re-elected Ray “Chocolate City” Nagen.
I’d ignore them too if I were a GOP Leader. Any group of people that blames Bush over their local officials for gross mis-handling of affairs aren’t people I’d likely be willing to pander to.
Watch it… I was the Raider Fan in that instance…
See… that last put upon minority in America… the hated Raider Fan… LOL
Just havin a lil fun with that one Romeo. “Dont Taze Me Bro!” lol.
But unlike other forms of bigoted hate like homophobia or racsim, hating Raider fans is 100% logical and understandable.
Besaides, it’s not like you’re really people…
Don’t feel bad though. I don’t follow Pro football…
I’m a Bears fan.
Where were Jackson and Sharpton in crying out against the Christian/Newsome murders?
Oh, I forgot – the perpetrators who tortured, raped, maimed and slowly killed them were black, and both Christian and Newsome were white.
Hanging a noose from a tree is as offensive as it gets, but a US Attorney, who happens to be black, ruled that incident (which occurred 3 months before the assault) had noting to do with the beating. This was a pure and simple case of aggravated assault. Kicking a person when they are down is aggravated assault, and when several people jump in on the action it is pretty clear the intention is to seriously injure the victim. A logical consequence of such a stomping is that the victim just might die.
While I believe the attempted murder charge was going a little far, given the fact that the victim was out of the hospital in a few hours, the other charges were sound. Equal protection under the law means just that – it would have been a greater crime given the circumstances to let these young men skate on these charges, white or black.
“Terrorism”? No. We attach words like that and it diminishes true terrorist acts.
If we did that – wouldn’t the burning of someone in effigy ( as some did to US Soldier effigies in the great Northwest ) could be considered an act of terrorism.
As for the comment about blacks being a “permanent, perpetual victim class” – I someone disagree, based on context.
I believe that many of the so-called ‘race-baiters’ such as Sharpton, Jackson, and other self-appointed black leaders perpetuate and encourage the ‘victim-class’ label.
If they lose that, they no longer have jobs or money or national attention.
While some ordinary citizens of the black community echo those sentiments, there are a great number of black Americans who don’t subscribe to it and take full responsibility for their own lives and not point the finger of blame for any personal failures in their lives.
PurplePeep, you’re not going to let facts get in the way of your viewpoints, are you?
When someone threateningly brandishes a shotgun and the people who wrestle it away from him are the ones who are charged…then you have a problem.
One’s a protest. The noose thing is an act of terror. It’s a threat to kill any black people who hang out at the White Tree. No one thinks Northwesterners are going to kill soldiers.
So – Rusty:
Just hypothesizing here…. if a group of ‘protesters’ were to burn an effigy of a black person ( say, Condoleeza Rice ) – would the black ‘leaders’ complain?
Or – during a protest of, say, President Bush – some protesters carried a noose….
Would that be considered protest? Or terror?
DK and Rusty have convinced me. I demand a life sentence for the beating “victim” for hurting the fists and scuffing the shoes of the brave, black freedom fighters who punched and kicked him into unconsiousness from behind!
(Wow, it really is easy to be a liberal – just turn off your brain and any sense of decency or proportion!)
I’d probably have the same reaction as yourself in that situation. But, remember, in this case it was 6 on 1. In my mind, when you use that much force on one kid, you’re not just trying to make a statement. You intend to do some serious harm, if not murder.
I demand that any white child who gets out pencil and paper to play a game of “hangman” with a friend be likewise kicked unconsious by a gang of black atheletes and then imprisoned for life!
There are always three sides to a story — parenthetically, yours, mine and the truth. With all the MSM, blogs, and shrill tv anchors, sometimes, its hard to sort out.
Hopefully, the facts will come out with crystal clarity before the race baiters like Jackson and Sharpton propagandize this beyond any chance of anyone knowing or hearing the true facts.
I liken Jackson and Sharpton to the intersection where each corner has a “homeless, disabled, veteran” willing to work for money. At one time, there really was one sitting there worthy of donating some money or food to until the panhandlers found a way to capitalize on the sympathy and ruined it for the one legitimate homeless vet.
Similarly, Jackson and Sharpton run to every incident where race can be exploited. At first, they fooled us a few times. But now warning signs spring up when you hear their names mentioned in conjunction with any incident mentioned in the news.
For it to be just like this case, they would have to beat up some other kid that wasn’t even playing “hangman” and was completely innocent.
No, liberals don’t believe in fighting. They just hope the terrorists kill our soldiers for them.
“I demand that any white child who gets out pencil and paper to play a game of “hangman” with a friend be likewise kicked unconsious by a gang of black atheletes and then imprisoned for life!”
Definitely, Gregory. But I’m thinking we can’t be too cautious. Perhaps white kids who tie their shoelaces in a certain way should also be beaten half to death, just in case.
Especially the white kid with a dunce hat.
So:
A group of white student lacrosse players are accused of a gang-rape of a black woman, and before any facts of the case have been mentioned, there are groups of black race-baiter protesters demanding they be placed in jail and the keys thrown away.
When the charges turn out to be false, none of those same race-baiters can even apologize for making a mistake – only point to ‘the injustice around the country’, essentially changing the subject.
A group of hispanics, many illegal, brutally attack and execute 3 promising black students and leave a 4th for dead. No black protesters – no outcry from black leaders – no words of outrage directed at the illegal alien community.
A group of black teenagers brutally attack and beat a white teen in a town where racial tensions are high. The protesters arrive and call for the release of the teens, neglecting the pain and suffering of the victim.
( Granted – there are many wrong turns in this entire scenario from start to now, but… )
Why is it the black community can only protest whites? They claim injustice – where is the justice / fairness of 3 black kids killed by the illegal alien? Where is their outrage at a system that let these illegal roam free?
Why do they not join the crowd against illegal immigration?
Answer: They don’t want to alienate another minority they can use later to help one of their causes.
The problem is that by and large, white people in this country (the vast majority) got over the whole race thing a LONG time ago, while by and large, black people (I refuse to say “African American” unless you personally immigrated from Africa) in this country (the vast majority) REFUSE to get over the whole race thing.
You are always going to have idiot white people – there is no way you can avoid it. You can’t legislate them out of existance, you can’t appeal to a higher moral standard, that minority of fools will always be out there.
So why is it that the black community – by and large – continues to see this and use this as “proof” that they are discriminated against? Umm, no, it just means that you have butted heads with a fool. Kind of like the way I feel when a black person that I’ve never met, never had dealings with, never done one thing to, either good or bad, calls me some of the vilest names you’ve ever heard. I’ve never had sex with my mother, and as far as I’m concerned that particular perjorative is just as hurtful as a word slave masters called their slaves (and which, btw, a tremendous number of black people call each other).
The difference is this: for the black person, you have just butted heads with someone who represents a tiny minority of white people. The white person in this example has just had an encounter with someone who seems to represent the vast majority of black people in this country.
Who are the real racists in 21st century America?
I don’t watch television so I’ve seen nothing about this story.
What I do know is from the comment section here, where it appears that the question is whether you can beat someone to a pulp as long as you’re really, really mad.
Sorry, but this has the tenor of a group discussion in a poorly taught high-school ethics class.
Authorities in Alexandria, Louisiana, arrested two people after nooses were seen hanging from the back of a red pickup Thursday night, the city’s mayor told CNN.
Sigh…
Interesting… no response to the story of how GOP leaders are ignoring the minority communities when they shouldn’t be.
Jackson and Sharpton have to know that their appearence is only going to make things worse. Seriously, can anyone name an incident in which Jackson or Sharton showed up with their megaphone and things got better?
Rather than use this culmination of a serious if unfortunate events as a way of addressing the ongoing racial tensions, they inflame them.
Sharpton and Jackon don’t care about their race, they care about themselves about how much time they can get in front of the camera.
People are acting like I somehow condone the 6-on-1 assault of someone. I don’t. But these six were charged with attempted murder! What about the white kid who was brandishing the shotgun? Or the white kids who beat up a black kid at a party? No charges for them.
There are clearly two different systems of justice. One for whites, one for blacks. That is what people are protesting.
And, governmentdrone, yeah, some white people have put race behind them. It’s easier for white people since they have never been discriminated against. They’ve never been disenfranchised based on the color of their skin. White people put race behind them because many feel guilty as Hell.
But race isn’t behind us, not by a long shot. Jena is proof of that.
When I discuss DC’s lack of voting rights, I always play the race card. White people hate it because they don’t like things becoming “racial.” Well, sometimes it is racial. It’s racial that a majority black city has no representation. And it’s racial when you have a town where whites aren’t being tried for crimes while blacks face 20 years in the clink. The race card needs to be played more often. That’s why I’m glad people are marching for equal justice.
I have read the comments if this section and am totally amazed at the ignorance and stupidity of a large number of individuals. Many of you are outraged and don’t have any facts whatever. Some nuts actually quoted CNN!! I live in Louisiana so maybe I can shed some light.
Race in the South:
I asked several friends of mine in the Blacks community if they knew of any race issues in our town and area. If they were about 50 years old they could recall a few times, if they were 30 they could not recall anytime that race had entered into there life. They could see no difference between white, blacks, yellow, green or any other color you can think of.
The nooses:
I asked about this from several people in the area and have been told that the nooses were hung for a sports event. The theme was “hang em high”. They were painted in school colors. Now lynching was prevelent in the South in the 30′s, it was in response to rising violent crime commented by blacks and going unchecked by politicians playing the race card even then. That does not excuse it but at some point blacks have to stop viewing everything as a symbol. I sat down and wrote out a list of things that offends them and the list is very long. I asked several teenagers about the symbol of a noose and no one black or white associated it with the 30′s lynchings that they knew nothing of. Some symbols are completely misinterpreted by blacks such as the Confederate flag, this is a symbol of freedom that is still being denighed the people of the South.
The beatings:
A black man was beaten by several whites, at the home of one of the whites into which he was present without invitation and from which he had been asked to leave and responded by using force first. Nothing in this world can excuse six men in hitting a kid from behind and then continuing to beat him senseless. Considering the criminal records of the blacks involved there is no question that they need a long period of jail time.
The facts of this situation need to be brought to light by a ligitament news agency (not CNN). This needs to be viewed in the light of rising violent crime in black neighborhoods with spill over into areas that do not tolerate it as much as blacks seem to. The Dem candidates need to stop trying to aggrevate the situation for their gain.
Nope. I’ve worked and live in inner city New Orleans, Baltimore, and Philadelphia and it happens to me all the time. Couple of weeks ago I came across a guy trying to teach his dog to go after white people.