Tenn. School Fight Over ‘Jena 6′ T-Shirt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A student is suing her suburban Nashville school district for the right to wear a T-shirt with the words “Free the Jena Six,” a reference to the black students in a Louisiana town accused of beating a white classmate.
According to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Nashville last week, Danielle Super came in to school late on Sept. 20 after having attended a march.
As she was waiting for her mother to sign her in, Smyrna High School assistant principal Jolene Watson told her she could not come into the school wearing the Jena Six T-shirt because it could “cause a problem.”
After protesting the order, Super changed shirts and returned to school, the complaint states.
Super is seeking an injunction against the school that would allow her to wear the T-shirt. The complaint also asks for damages, although it does not specify an amount.
Rutherford County Schools spokesman James Evans said the only comment he was authorized to make on the pending litigation was that “we don’t believe the school is in the wrong, and we are confident this will play out in our favor.”
The T-shirt refers to six black students in Jena, La., accused of beating a white student unconscious in December.
The attack followed months of racial tensions after three white students were suspended, but not prosecuted, for hanging nooses from a tree on school grounds.
The case has garnered national attention and drawn protests from thousands, including civil rights activists such as Jesse Jackson. David Bowie donated to the teens’ defense fund, and rocker John Mellencamp has written a song about it.
© 2007 The Associated Press
I can understand the schools rights to control the clothing children wear to school. No one wants problems caused by ‘Gang’ colors or styles, but they’ve taken this to extremes. Why not set a national school uniform, No Exceptions… that would solve all the problems.
all due respect, this is a very bad idea. why not set a mandatory uniform for everybody? i hear prison orange works well. after all, “no one” wants freedom. right?
furthermore, uniforms are applied all over the US, and look at the state of the schools, of critical thought, of literacy. applying regimen, making schools into boot camps…i mean, come on. first the schools get set up to be training grounds for the prison of the factory, now you want to go all the way. :shakes head: listen carefully: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE HUMAN BEINGS, NOT A PLAYGROUND FOR SOCIAL DARWINISM.
by the way? gang-baiting = red herring. it’s a convenient excuse to militarize police on a local level.
http://zena.secureforum.com/znet/ZMag/articles/june94parenti.htm
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/urbanwarrior/
http://www.weedandseed.info/docs/strategy.htm
http://www.geocities.com/urbanwarrior_northwest/film.html
The problem that wearing this t-shirt could cause is that the over the top inbred bigots like school assistant principal Jolene Watson won’t be able to contain themselves by being in the mere vicinity of someone who isn’t an over the top inbred bigot.
you can email the asst principal Jolene Watson with your thoughts on her action at:
watsonjo@rcs.k12.tn.us
if you’d like to cc your thoughts to the principal and the other three assistant principals at this school, their emails are as follows:
raikesr@rcs.k12.tn.us
harrisb@rcs.k12.tn.us
powellr@rcs.k12.tn.us
sains@rcs.k12.tn.us
gang-baiting = red herring. it’s a convenient excuse to militarize police on a local level.
http://zena.secureforum.com/znet/ZMag/articles/june94parenti.htm
You have to dismantle racism.
You have to realize that this is wrong and the gal who wore the t-shirt is standing up for what is right. These children need hope.
It is as those you people have never lived through the 60’s and 70’s. There should have never have been a tree. And for you to allow that to have happened you should look at the schools faculty and ask yourself how could you let this happen.
Those boys should not be in jail, they should be in school learning. Do the right thing.
Free the Jena 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Defend those children, remember what MLK Jr taught!
Think about what America is thinking about your school and town. Dismantle the racism, make your school safe WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And if you have to resign and let someone else do the right thing then so be it. How did you ever let it get this far. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Color never matters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t hold these children back by teaching what is wrong!
How do I get a Jena 6 shirt?
While the “jena 6″ kids should not have been arrested, and or even tried as adults for attempted murder, at least a few are guilty of assault. It is not just a ’school yard fight’ when one student is ambushed by six others, it is pre-meditated assault.
The punishment doesn’t fit the crime, but the criminals shouldn’t be treated as totally innocent either!
>The punishment doesn’t fit the crime, but the criminals shouldn’t be treated as totally innocent either!
I absolutely agree - the D.A. that said “I could end your life with a stroke of a pen” should have to face those he accused, who can then decide his fate.
Oh wait, you mean the kids who lost their cool after being attacked, threatened with nooses, and as mentioned above, told that their life is in the hands of the system. I get it now.
Well…
My point is: nobody is saying that their response is totally blame-free. But please read up about the context before you pull out your accusations of criminality. At the most, we’re talking community service or mild probation here - when you read the *whole* story, not just the distilled version in the MSM of (to use their phrasing) “the so-called ‘Jena 6′.
Why did it take six guys to beat up one? In some cultures that’s a sign of cowardice. One-on-one is a fight; six on one is an ambush.
I saw the one student that got beaten by the six, and he didn’t look like a bad kid.
Jolene Watson is just doing right by her job. That is, if you consider her job turning thinking students into mindless sheep. Isn’t that what America wants? Mindless consumeristic sheep who just go along and get along?
::I saw the one student that got beaten by the six, and he didn’t look like a bad kid.::
“The following Monday, Dec.4, a white student named Justin Barker was loudly bragging to friends in the school hallway that Robert Bailey had been whipped by a white man on Friday night. When Barker walked into the courtyard, he was attacked by a group of black students. The first punch knocked Barker out and he was kicked several times in the head. But the injuries turned out to be superficial. Barker was examined by doctors and released; he went out to a social function later that evening.
Six black students were arrested and charged with aggravated assault. But District Attorney Reed Walters increased the charges to attempted second-degree murder. That provoked a storm of black outrage.
‘Jena has always been a racist town,” says Bailey’s mother, Caseptla Bailey. “We’ve understood that….It has been that way since I’ve lived here.’”
source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12353776
The goal of the school system is to squash the notion of people making any sort of political statement. This is training they want to impose. They want to train drones who will go through life having learned the message that doing something like wearing this t-shirt is unthinkable.
I feel like I’ve spent years trying to get rid of this same sort of training that was drilled into me.
Whether it’s a neo-dadaist slogan like “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” (Amen!) or straightforward political commentary like “Free the Jena Six”, the school authorities always justify censorship and repression by disclaiming it, and proffering the stock defense that the repressive act(s) were dictated by a common-sense responsibility to promote “order”, a prerequisite for “learning”.
So, even if it comes off to the irresponsible Peanut Gallery as unconscionable suppression of free speech (and free spirit), this criticism arises from ignorance or misunderstanding of the crucial role of petty school officials confronted with students saturated in quasi-anarchic and nihilistic popular culture. In their view, righteous repression is salvific.
I’m no fan of the ever-swelling malignant tumor of our depraved popular culture, commodified and manufactured by our soulless corporate media; I’m not even much of a fan of tattoos or decorative body-mutilation. So I recognize that there are legitimate problems and issues surrounding kids’ appearance, tastes, etc. Still, as a natural-born rogue and despiser of dress codes in general, I was saddened and embittered when the “solution” of public school uniforms became vogue about the time “Baby on Board” signs and smiley-faces
became popular. Not to put too fine a point on it, I thought the phenomenon sucked.
It was all the more painful to find that most people, including co-workers with kids in the public schools, were all for it. Understandably, the entire spectacle of kids going wild over pricey status clothes and accessories meant nothing but a paycheck-sucking hassle for beleaguered parents. Uniforms cut out all that nonsense in one fell swoop. This philosophy is still echoed by public figures like Cranky Old Booker T. Washington-Redux Bill Cosby, who shrilly importunes Wayward Youth to pull those baggies up over their ass, conk those cornrows, and strip off the bling-bling– because you’ll never get a seat in the boardroom looking like that.
I could see that my detached repugnance for the toxic qualities of regimentation, coerced conformity, and denial of self-expression were off the radar as far as these grateful and unreflective parents were concerned. Let them be “individuals” when they grow up and get the hell out of the house! Conversely, uniforms were lauded as a form of “discipline”, insofar as they ostensibly emphasize that school is for learning (working), not self-indulgent showing off and peer-group competition. It imposes solidarity and “team consciousness”, they claim.
The Clintons were hot on this issue– in fact, didn’t Dick Morris recommend that Clinton support mandatory public school uniforms as a family-friendly issue?
COMarc, as usual, is quite right to point out that the actual purpose of school, as educator James Herndon drily noted, is to separate the sheep from the goats. And to produce a generation of tame, docile drones who know better than to rock the boat or make waves.
The best solution to freeing yourself is to get out of the school system as soon as you can. As COMarc and Little Brother noted, the purpose of the school system is not to learn, it’s to make people obey. The quicker you get out, the less time it will take to overcome The Sickness.
The best way to free yourself is to get out of the school system as soon as you can. As COMarc and Little Brother noted, the dominant purpose of the school system is not to educate, it’s to make people obey. The quicker you get out, the less time it will take to overcome The Sickness.
So why didn’t Bailey’s mother move somewhere else? She said Jena has always been a racist town. I’m not saying it never happened, but in my lifetime I’ve never seen whites beating up on blacks. I have seen, however, blacks beating up on whites for no reason other than they were white. If the white kid that got beaten up went to a party the same night, good for him. At least he wasn’t staying at home playing the victim, trying to make it seem as though he was seriously hurt.
Racists come in different colors, not just white.
>in my lifetime I’ve never seen whites beating up on blacks.
Wow. You clearly live in a different world than mine - one where the cops always stand up for the little guy, politicians aren’t corrupt, wait - is that the strains of the Mayberry RFD theme? Look, it’s Andy Griffith!
I’m gonna stop before this gets even more wierd.
lillulu
This why don’t people move stuff is crazy. Unless you have lots of disposable income, moving is almost impossible. Besides, where do you go? Jena truly is anywhere, USA. It’ll be the same song wherever you go…
One thing I’ve been tripping on is the idea that it is assumed that poor folks and people of color should just follow capital and opportunity where ever it goes. It’s never really assumed that we have the right to opportunity and just compensation for our work where we are. Ultimately, we all should have the right to decide where we live and expect a return on our contributions to society.
Let me tell you something about racism. The term is really an ideology, not a description of prejudice. So, like, most folks on a personal level have some baggage in terms of prejudices. That is to say that most folks carry some prejudices with them, often based on experience or even world view or “story” that defines their life experience.
So, yes, people of all color have prejudices - everyone does. I think that’s what you’re talking about, but I could be wrong.
Racism should be talked about as a western ideology - think manifest destiny.
It should also be spoken about in terms of power - an often cited equation is prejudice + power = racism. This is simplistic, but essentially it’s about how people can act on their prejudices based on power. In the US this can most obviously be seen in the unequal administration of justice in this country. I think most of us know that our prisons are being filled with young men of color - black and brown. What most of us don’t connect is that it’s a manifestation of racism in this country.
“Racists come in different colors, not just white.”
Do you have any freakin’ idea how many nooses have been turning up all over the country, from the Coast Guard academy on down — several in my area alone have been reported — mimicking the Jena incident??
Yes, racists come in different colors. The ones in Jena are white (as am I) however.
Instead of making this a teaching moment for all students, the totalitarian fascist control-freak so prevalent in administrators comes to the fore. What a terrible example to set for students.
Humans who happen to be attending schools have the right to wear whatever they want to, and should only be subject by the same legal guidelines that an adult citizen might be able to wear to a public park; except that schools should be democratically run by and for the students. I hope this school loses. I fought a similar battle myself with a set of right wing school administrators who could barely control their splitting rage and were clearly yearning for the days when they could legally beat the students. Except I didn’t take off what I was wearing and go into the school; I refused and was thrown out. It was a coat, and I wore it to be comfortable, just like I might have worn a coat to a book store or a park, or a friends house without there being any problem; but no, once you enter that school, apparently your entire body is subject to the petty, stupid projections of a set of bitter people.
http://www.dreamingearth.net
Just to round out from Little Brother and COMarc—School is the first line of defense for Master’s Plantation Society. Overseers on the Plantation have one of two jobs. Job #1: Steam shovel the wealth of America from our hands into the hands of the top 1/4 of 1% by any means necessary. Job #2: Keep the races, the genders, and the classes in their place.
With all due respect to Jonathan Kozol, school is where the Overseers strap a saddle on your back (in your mind and heart) so Masters and Overseers may ride you for the rest of your life. For those destined for lives as Overseers or Masters, school is where they receive their first riding lessons. Teachers and figures of Authority know their jobs. White & rich wear spurs, everybody else gets fitted with a saddle. Sorry Jonathan, your wonderful teachers, like ‘good’ Xrstians, never ran the show. Your ‘good teachers’ have never been anything but a losing minority constantly punished and defeated by a Bureaucratic System that sees them as the Enemy,
And in case anybody forgot, school is where you learn to stand in line, keep your mouth shut, and obey arbitrary stupid rules set by people who like having power over children. This is life’s first training for how to live on Master’s Plantation, without hope.
We witness the results of Master’s idea of ‘education’ every day. Seig Heil mon freres. Spurs or Saddles - or maybe my daddy’s Remington. Another world is possible but probably not until after the collapse and break-up of this Last Aryan Empire. Coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
Been about 30 years since the last time the Cities of America burned. Next time should be a real doozy. I wonder if anyone out there is organized enough to take out a paramilitary PD using multiple feints, layered assaults, and coordinated strategy. After all, they suffer the same failures as any paramilitary unit, e.g. incompetence, refusal to communicate with each other, arrogance, and lack of discipline. These are serious weaknesses that render a lot of their fire power and mobility, useless. Once their radios are jammed and the choppers grounded, that leaves grunts, fido, and guns. Good intel is the key. With a bit of imagination someone could probably get those guys to shoot each other. Happens with Sherrifs all the time. Especially when there’s “Special Agents” around. The suits are generally more worried about being shot by the badges than by the bad guys.
Just a few idle speculations on the state and causes of our moribund republic. No need to disappear me for that, though I have often wondered what the countryside and the women of Albania look like. It seems our spooks like to give people private international airplane rides (for free!!) to distant lands and then after a few very unpleasant months, drop their victims almost anywhere. My first choice would be Macedonia as a drop off point. I want to see where Phillip came from. He was Celt Aryan too. After he conquered the Greeks and Alexander defeated Darius the Persian, they created the Second Aryan Empire (Cyrus the Persian built the First Aryan Empire, in the West). Now the Last Aryan Empire (us) is about to nuke the First, Iran. We are nothing if not irony deficient. Slavery based societies have very high levels of arrested development. Gross, psychotic violence does that to people. Like hanging nooses from a tree to teach a particular group their “place” in AmeriKa.
Piece.
luckylefty, i feel sad reading the way you describe the education you received, and the anger and hostility you still exhibit. i hope you can somehow manage to find peace in your life, peace for your heart.
Rant On
Wow, some, ok most, of the comments in this thread are completely asinine. I hardly know where to start! I never thought I would say this but george w. bush is one of the few making sense here.
Ok this comment by solrak is a good example of asinine? “Racism should be talked about as a western ideology”. What the hell are you blathering about? Have you studied history at all? Racism is no more a western ideology than breathing or giving birth. All peoples are guilty of it at some point in their history. Identifying one own group as “The People” and everyone else as “Other” is older than civilization it’s self.
Rant Off
Alright now on to the story at hand. The reality is that our public education system was originally based on a Prussian model, it’s original purpose was to create good factory workers. People who would stand in line, take direction, and not question authority. Somewhere along the line they tripped up and began actually educating people. But the real GW is taking care of that with No Child Left properly Educated act.
From the story above there is no evidence that Jolene was doing anything more than her job, you know teaching that poor unfortunate, thoughtful, opinionated, student to keep her opinions to herself and follow orders. The courts will no doubt uphold the schools position. Unless thy get one of those pesky liberal activist judges who actually believe that schools should be teaching worthless crap like freedom of speech.
BTW - We are home schooling our kid, I don’t want her beautiful little mind destroyed before it has a chance to develop. We don’t watch TV either.
A noose to a black person is a stark symbol of the terror and terrorism s/he faces every day in this society. Even Cosby would recognize it. The DA in this case also invoked terrorism–the terror of prison–and needs to suffer accordingly as he’s no different from the famous “American Taliban.”
Should have wore a beer advertisement shirt. No problem or maybe a viagra shirt. Not a condom one though.
Or you could wear an NRA shirt, then the school would tread lightly.
I went to school in Costa Rica, where almost every schoolchild wears the same uniform, and it does give children and parents one care less: you don’t have to buy expensive clothing that will be out of fashion in no time, there is less competition as to who has the most money or wears what labels, you don’t have to think about what to wear in the mornings, and your favourite jeans will last forever. Of course, these details are not going to be of much use if classes are too big, instalations and books too old, and teachers underpaid and overworked.
I hope the student wins her lawsuit and the principal is FIRED. The entire Jena problem would have never gone out of control if that idiot principal in Jena, properly punished the racist white student who hung a noose on a tree as a lynching symbol. Then the principal at Jena High School made matters worse by refusing to expel the racist student who hung the noose and called it “a stunt”. Then things escalated out of control.
Now yet another boneheaded insenstive WHITE RACIST principal violates a students First Ammendment Right to Freedom of Speech.
The student had the right to wear the tshirt and MORE problems will be stirred up by forcing the student to take off the shirt.
Where will it all end?
In 2000 in Florida and 2004 in Ohio black people lost the right to vote when hundreds of thousands of valid, legally registered black voters were forced off the voters registration polls. Bush was not legally elected, Kerry and Gore were the popular vote winners and the Supreme Court decided who would be president. The Voting Rights Act of 1964 does not exist in reality - only on paper.
By the way - I am WHITE and I am mad as hell about what happened in Jena. As a white person, I acknowledge we are back to the Jim Crow days.
School uniforms nationwide. No dress code problems, monetary savings, sounds good. I remember the school uniforms that the Catholic girls wore next door, not very enticing at all. Maybe teenage pregnancies would go down.
There’s free speech in schools? Get used to it kids, we can’t stand up for what’s right without the enemies of peace, freedom and justice pushing back.
http://www.cafepress.com/jenasix
grailmaiden - I am likewise disgusted by what is happening in Jena, and you are spot on about the actions and inactions of the principle and white racist mind set in Jena being the root of the problem there. Amy Goodman has reported extensively on this on Democracy Now and the double standard applied to these kids is despicable. The whole white racist mind set in Jena a places like it is despicable.
But, I gotta ask, do you have additional information regarding the story above that backs up your claim that the vice principle there acted in a racist manner? Or are you just jumping to irrational conclusions ’cause your mad? I see nothing in this story that leads me to believe that the mis-guided Jolene acted out of anything more than her duty as vice principle to squash anything that looks remotely like conscientious thoughtful observance of current events. Unfounded charges of racism only make matters worse, and is in fact a form of racism.
BTW - Since when do public school student have a right to freedom of speech on school property or at school events. Didn’t the supreme court pretty much shoot that down with the Bong Hits for Jesus case?
Pretty typical response by the ass principal (pun intended). The administrators are trained to “follow the rules” and not to think. I know. I’ve been through masters program in education administration and I’m certified to be an administrator. But I refuse to be one because of the current status of public school administration and the laws (NCLB and the rules/mandates of the individual states department of education) that bind the schools.
I’ve been told by one administrator that I have a “backdoor” way of thinking–because she couldn’t think and understand looking at policies and procedures from as many points of view (outside of her own) as possible.
The assistant principal in the case mentioned is just covering her own ass–hiding behind “it’ll disrupt the educational process” nonsense to justify stifling social commentary.
In my school in rural Missouri we have many students who like displaying the “stars and bars” on clothing, their vehicles, notebooks, etc. . . . They aren’t barred from displaying them which I think is correct. Anytime I see a student displaying the “losers’” flag, I tell the student that I will fight for his/her right to wear/display it. But then I start a discussion with the student of what that symbol means to some of our students and that it is a symbol of slavery.
Most students who display have a pat answer that it doesn’t represent slavery to them, just their “southern” heritage. I tell them that I appreciate that but the fact is that all communication, by definition, involves a speaker and receiver and therefore they should take into account how their “message” is being received. Usually they respond that its their right to display it and they will continue to do so. “Fine” I say, and then let them know that everytime they display it I will discuss the “communication” aspect of sender and receiver of message and what effect their message has on some of our other students. Usually they tire of me bringing the issue up with them and quit displaying it, at least in my class-which means they quit wearing it at school.
Yes, I know, in essence, I am doing the same thing to them-harassing them-as they are doing to some of our other students. And I let them know that is what I am doing. My thought is that they see that it is unpleasant to experience some of life’s little hassles that are out of one’s control so that they understand that is what they are doing to other students.
OYE
Is America now a country where people live in fear of words on a t-shirt? Is America this ludicrous? Talk about a “lock-down” mentality. God forbid, anyone should “color outside the lines.” Fear of a t-shirt? This mentality is weak and frightened.
Chunga’s Revenge: “BTW - We are home schooling our kid, I don’t want her beautiful little mind destroyed before it has a chance to develop…” God bless parents who home school their kids and protecting their kids from the vile US prison-school zero tolerance industrial complex!
It makes my heart sing!
luckylefty, you said it all about the atmosphere in most public schools. Here in Wood County, West Virginia, all the admistrators seem to have some kind of fetish about kids wearing head gear. In the high school next to where I work, there are several buildings. If a child with his arms full of books (kids are also not permitted to bring bookbags to class and have to leave them in lockers) and a hat on his head (usually a boy - they seem to leave girls alone more about this nonsense, although it’s getting worse for them too) walks through the cafeteria to get to another building, a teacher or principal will stand up and shout across the room “HEY KID! GET THAT HAT OFF!”
They say it’s about manners - that boys are supposed to take their hats off in buildings. But, of course, it’s about control and mindless ideology. If it were really about traditional manners, girls would be required to wear headgear. I’ve often wanted to go to our adminstration building and take pictures of all the administrators who enter the building with hats on and send the pictures to the newspapers with a commentary about the school rules for kids that don’t apply to adults. I’ve never done it yet, but I still think about it.
This is a small issue, but is indicative of the restrictions on students.
School uniforms to make everyone alike! What a repulsive idea. And the same people who advocate it are those who supposedly believe in individual freedom, support capitalism, and shun socialism or any attempt to even out the disparity between the wealthy and everyone else. Such hypocrisy. It’s as if children are not human beings. So in “real” life, it’s survival of the fittest, free market values, and no holds barred. But for kids it’s “we can’t allow some to display their wealth” and “make everyone the same.” All in the name of “education,” of course.
More restrictions, more stupid rules, more discipline. That’s the American way these days.
::But, I gotta ask, do you have additional information regarding the story above that backs up your claim that the vice principle there acted in a racist manner? Or are you just jumping to irrational conclusions ’cause your mad? I see nothing in this story that leads me to believe that the mis-guided Jolene acted out of anything more than her duty as vice principle to squash anything that looks remotely like conscientious thoughtful observance of current events.::
Why does this argument sound vaguely like “community standards make abhorrent behavior permissible?” I know that’s not precisely what you’re saying, but it sounds like you’re standing on ground somewhere between fact and truthiness. Institutional racism is still racism. She may not be responsible for creating the precedent personally, but she is culpable.
lillulu wrote:
“I saw the one student that got beaten by the six, and he didn’t look like a bad kid.”
Do you mean he looked white?
resistive - I am not excusing Jolene or the system for it’s actions, the fascist indoctrination centers disguised as public schools are a major problem for our entire society. I believe freedom of speech should be a right provided to children in our schools, but it is not currently. What I am saying is that I see no evidence from the article at hand that Jolene’s actions constitute racism. I am saying that calling every problem that involves people of different races racism is in it’s self a form of racism. I am asking someone to give me some evidence that Jolene’s actions were racially motivated before they go calling her a racist.
::What I am saying is that I see no evidence from the article at hand that Jolene’s actions constitute racism.::
OK then, she’s a petty authoritarian functionary, perhaps well-intended, perhaps not.
::I am saying that calling every problem that involves people of different races racism is in it’s self a form of racism.::
These are two separate issues. While I can see your point about Jolene personally, I also think that this is anything but an example of “calling every problem that involves people of different races racism is in it’s self a form of racism.” It’s like saying that the nooses were just ropes - I mean, not everything that involves black people, white people, and rope symbolizes lynching, right?
I suspect what we can agree on here though is that the nature of the school system, regardless of race, is to engage in fascist indoctrination. Solve that problem, and while the racism won’t magically disappear overnight, a major component of the system that perpetuates it, as well as a host of other ills, will be dismantled.
Marsh, I don’t know what your point is about him looking white. I meant he just didn’t look like a badass. He looked like a decent kid from the news clip on TV, and so did his parents.
I’m wondering why rich “blacks” like Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Oprah Winfrey, etc. haven’t contributed to the Jena Six legal fund. I’ve heard of white people like David Bowie contributing $10,000 for their legal defense. I undestand they’ve received almost $200,000 for attorneys’ fees.
I’m not white, by the way (nor black). American blacks’ blood is mixed with a lot of white blood. One more thing about this subject; if a “black” person lives in a racist town, they can always move. Whenever I express any displeasure about what the U.S. government does, I’m told to get my ass out of the country, so I guess it’s okay for me to suggest that the “blacks” move to another town to avoid racism. Los Angeles might be place they’d consider since there’s a large “black” population there.
Addendum: I read that a black kid crashed a party in Jena before this entire thing started; a party that he wasn’t invited to and got into a fight because of it. Why would he want to go to a party that he wasn’t invited to?
When I lived in Los Angeles, I read about things like that going on all the time. Fights and even killings went on all the time in East Los Angeles because someone crashed a party where he wasn’t invited. That’s what adolescents do; they get into fights over things like that after they’ve been partying and drinking.
It seems anyone who would do that is just asking for trouble and inviting a fight.
::Whenever I express any displeasure about what the U.S. government does, I’m told to get my ass out of the country, so I guess it’s okay for me to suggest that the “blacks” move to another town to avoid racism.::
Freedom to move - not just the right to, but having the ability in hand to do so - is something that is denied oppressed people in the US of all stripes, not just blackfolks. Two wrongs don’t make a right - nobody should be telling you to “love it or leave it,” and you shouldn’t be telling blacks to pack their bags.
What I find interesting about this is though that both “love it or leave it” and “get outa town, blackfolks” have the same origins (KKK, etc.) Fascists have historically had violent contempt for both leftie refuseniks as well as people of color. As such, we’re natural allies - the powers-that-be’s attempts to divide us have their origins in wealthy elites who want to control all, not just a few.
Turning people against each other on the basis of race, gender, religion, creed, politics, the illusion of opposing class interests (pretty much everybody is either working class, working poor or underclass - and we all face the same system) is the oldest trick in the book. By falling for it, you not only disrespect others - you disrespect yourself.
As far as asking for a fight: let me ask you a question. Do you think that the attempted murder charge against all six of them was just? What about the nooses, or the DA’s accusation “I could end your life with a stroke of a pen”? Further, if there wasn’t an outcry, would any of the charges have been dropped? It’s not just about the individuals, it’s about how the system works.
No, I don’t think the draconian measures against the six “black” kids were okay, and I don’t think it was okay for six of them to jump on the one white kid either. Did the “black” kids threaten to kill the white kid while they were beating him? I’m puzzled about the attempted murder charge. That should be clarified.
As far as the nooses go, the school should have disciplined whoever hung them there; also there shouldn’t have been a “white only” tree. I don’t understand why the sheriff got involved.
When someone resorts to violence, they’re wrong. Aren’t they free and out of jail now? If so, why the big uproar about the T-shirts; why is anyone wearing them if they’re out of jail?
It’s not just about the individuals, it’s about how the system works.