Racial Discrimination Prevelant in "Case of the Jena 6"

Last month Reverend Jesse Jackson visited the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago and informed us of a case of racial discrimination taking place in Jena, Louisiana. Some may not pay much attention to racial discrimination or they may claim that it doesn't really exist. Many times African Americans are accused of playing the race card which may be few in some cases, but not this one.

The case involving six African American young men who range in age from 15-17 years old is not only a clear example of racism being alive today, it also goes to show that some people are continuing to try to tear down our young men and see to it that they are nothing more than another number in the system.

The Jena 6 is a group of six young men from Jena, Louisiana who have been trumped up on illegitimate charges and are now each facing upwards of 100 years in prison. Currently their bails have been set between $70,000 and $138,000. With numbers like these you would think these young men murdered someone right? Wrong. This whole thing started back in September 2006 when one of the young men asked an administrator at his school for permission to sit under a tree on school grounds that had been "reserved" for white students. The administrator told his to feel free to sit wherever he wanted which he did. Upon returning to school the next day, three nooses painted in school colors were hanging from the tree. Obviously such a hate crime created a disturbance and those responsible for the so called prank were suspended for three days.

The black students at this school felt more should be done about this incident so they decided to have a sit-in underneath the tree. This didn't fare well with school officials who called the police and District Attorney who then held an assembly at the school in which directed a statement at the black student body that "he could end their lives with the stroke of a pen."

A few months later, a group of black males were beaten up by a group of white males at a party in which no charges were filed. Shortly thereafter, a white male student pulled a gun on three black make students who were able to get the gun away from him and take it to the police. Instead of the boy who pulled the gun being charged, the ones who brought it to the police were charged with theft of an armed weapon. Upon returning back to school a few days later, the white male proceeded to taunt the black males who had been beaten up recently at the party. His taunting resulted in him being beat up by some black students. He was not seriously injured, required no hospitalization or medical attention. However, these six black males have been arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder and conspiracy and are all currently facing up to 100 years in prison without parole.

There are rapist and murderers walking the streets today that didn't get a fraction of that sentence. There are pedophiles, arsonist, drug dealers, career criminals who are never faced with that kind of crime. In July of this year an all white jury took less than two days to convict one of the young men, 17 year old Michal Bell of aggravated battery and conspiracy charges. He is now awaiting sentencing and faces 22 years in prison. For the rest of them, they sit in jail awaiting their trials.

I'm not condoning the fact that jumping this student who was harassing them was necessarily the right action to take. Violence never solves anything even when you are provoked. But the fact that these young men have been charged with such a bogus and heinous crime is beyond ridiculous. Many people are fighting for their justice. People are designing t-shirts with the logo "Free The Jena 6" on the front, a petition is circulating, and a peaceful rally is scheduled for September 9, 2007 in Chicago, IL to try to draw more media attention to this case. Supporters are calling on their aldermen, government, congressmen, media, and everyone else who wants to fight for the justice of these young men. The petition currently being circulated can be assessed and signed at http://www.petitiononline.com/aZ51CqmR/petition.html.

In this year 2007 we should really be looking to put an end to all types of unfair and discriminatory behavior. When we see something unfair happening to someone in our immediate or extended communities around the world, it is up to us to take a stand. Complaining won't solve anything, but fighting for a right cause will hopefully get right results.

Sources:

Midwest Committee for the Jena 6

NAACP.com

DemocracyNow.com