Jena Six Case Shows Black Teens Get Short End of Stick

Shreveport News Source

Click link fof Full article.

Washington, who is black, said that after the noose-hanging incident at the start of the school year in August, school routines went forward as usual; there was no apparent lingering anger.

"There were three months of high school football in which they all played football together and got along fine, in which there was a homecoming court, in which there was the drill team, in which there were parades," Washington told CNN.

I do agree the white kids should have been punished for the noose thing. Not sure if it warrants jail time, but a 6 on 1 beating is just plain criminal. Part of the sentence should be to have to walk around sucking their thumbs since they can't fight on their own and have to have 'backup'. I can't stand when fights get to be so outnumbered like that. What happened go good ole manly fights? Now kids have to be puddin's and call in their friends as backup. Buncha woosies lots of kids are these days IMO

Originally posted by budski
reply to post by mrmonsoon

 

To me, it's not about setting them free - just about them being charged with a realistic crime.

All offenders should be punished equally and that's just not happening.

in your opinion, what would be a realistic crime to charge them with?
i agree with your second part.....fact is though, a bunch of dudes jumped on him....
since you can toss out all the what if's....hows this?

if it were 6 whites on one black, we would be hearing hate crime this, hate crime that and sharpton and jackson and the ike would be demanding heavy sentences....you damn well know that....

where you live, your skin color, your economic status among other things all play a factor...it SHOULD NOT be that way, but it is and will always be....we are people

reply to post by budski


Yeah, but this case isn't about the same crimes. I do agree there are racist morons everywhere, but that doesn't mean that EVERY black person incarcerated has been done so unfairly.

Anyway, THIS case's 2 incidents took place far enough apart to warrent planning if they are truely related, which would definately be different that if they kid was beaten up the same day as the noose incident took place.

Originally posted by Hendu
but a 6 on 1 beating is just plain criminal.

absolutely correct...

what is the punishment for hanging noose' from a tree on school property?

just curious

I have no idea if they have a punishment listed. I'd bet a lawyer could get them off on the technicality that it's just a rope. If you saw a noose, it's just like looking at a cloud. Wrong but I'd bet it would work these days.

Anyway. Definate suspension and possible jail stay for a hate crime. Although it shouldn't be as bad as beating someone because of their race.

Like the dumb hicks that drug that poor black kid behind the pickup truck to his death. That should have been murder one easily. I don't remember what they got, but that's what I think they should have gotten.

ANYONE who automatically hates or does wrong to someone because of their race or religion without getting to know said person just isn't worth the value of spit in my opinion.

I can't stand many of the 'bubba's down here that are racist pigs. My nephew for example has a friend that's one. What's funny is they speak like rappers. Go figure.

Man 1 kills a family of four. He is free and employed.

Man 2 kills a family of four. He is in jail for life.

Man 1 was a pilot, Man 2 was a postman.

Man 1 dropped a bomb, Man 2 shot them.

The same crime has been commited in both these instances, yet only one person is charged. Wrong? Some would argue no. And why? Because they believe the situations are different.

That is how Western Justice sees the world. So obviously, upon seeing this case, the same has applied. White kids were just goofing off, black kids were a gang and therefore are FAR MORE DANGEROUS. Did I mention they are ethnic? Yeah. Think they even listen to rap music.

The kid was fine. If the people in charge hadn't messed up this entire case from the beginning, then the black kids would have got charged with a minor juvenile sentence, at the most. Which is what they deserve. That is why people are marching. People are marching because differences were seen, and those differences were nothing but racial.

Nobody is defending the violence. They are attacking the judgement.

reply to post by Boondock78


This is not an isolated example of the disparity in sentencing and charging:

A report commissioned by the Washington DC-based Youth Law Center and a coalition of civil rights and youth advocacy groups has concluded that minority youth are treated much more harshly than white youth at each stage in the US criminal justice system.

The study, conducted by the National Council on Crime and Juvenile Delinquency, used federal and state arrest and court data. It found that black and Hispanic youth are much more likely than white youth who commit comparable crimes to be referred to juvenile court, be detained, face trial as adults and go to jail.

The costs of the study were underwritten by the US Department of Justice and leading charitable organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundations and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

When minority and white youth were charged with the same offenses, black youth who had no prior arrest record were six times more likely to be incarcerated than white youth with similar backgrounds. Hispanic youth were three times more likely to be incarcerated. Black youth were 48 times more likely than white youth to be sent to juvenile prison for drug-related offenses.

The data does not support the claim that the disparities are simply the result of the higher arrest rate for minority youth. The study found that while 71 percent of youth arrested are white, 60 percent of youth sent to prison are black. In 1997, of 7,400 young people sent to prison, three-quarters were minorities.

source

and:

Anthony Jackson is one of two black teachers at Jena High School. He laughs ruefully, as he recalls watching the nooses swaying in the tree.

"I jokingly said to another teacher, 'One's for you, one's for me. Who's the other one for?'"

Many in Jena's black community wanted the three white students expelled. But when the white superintendent and other school administrators investigated, they decided the nooses were a prank. Instead of expulsion or arrest, the three received in-school suspension.

Blacks called the punishment a double standard.

"White students can do things and receive a slap on the hand," Jackson says. But authorities "want to throw the book at blacks," he adds.

A few of the black athletes, the stars of the football team, took the lead in resisting. The day after the nooses were hung, they reportedly organized a silent protest under the tree.

The school called an assembly and summoned the police and the district attorney. Black students sat on one side, whites on the other. District Attorney Reed Walters warned the students he could be their friend or their worst enemy. He lifted his fountain pen and said, "With one stroke of my pen, I can make your life disappear."

That evening, black students told their parents that the DA was looking right at them.

source

Some hate crime stats

And more

Victims

Of the 9,528 victims of hate crimes in 2004, 9,514 were associated with an incident involving a single bias. More than half of that number (53.8 percent) were victims of racial prejudice. Of those, 67.9 percent were victimized because of anti-black attitudes, and 20.1 percent were targets of anti-white sentiments.

Victims of religious intolerance made up 16.7 percent of the victims of incidents involving a single bias. Of those, 67.8 percent were victims of anti-Jewish bias, and 12.7 percent were targets of anti-Islamic bias.

Of the total number of victims of single-bias incidents, 15.6 percent were attacked because of a sexual-orientation bias. The majority of those victims, 60.9 percent, were the objects of anti-male homosexual attitudes on the part of the offenders.

Approximately 13 percent (13.2) of the victims in single-bias incidents were targeted because of the offenders’ ethnicity/national orientation bias. Of those, 51.5 percent were marked because of the perpetrators’ anti-Hispanic views. (Based on Table 2.32.)

Less than 1 percent of the total victims of crimes motivated by a single bias were targets of an anti-disability bias. Of the 73 victims of this type of bias, 49 were the subjects of a bias against a mental disability.

Fourteen of the total 9,528 victims of hate crimes were the objects of multiple biases on the part of the offenders. (See Table 2.32.)
Offenders

The hate crime incident reports for 2004 contained a total of 7,145 known offenders. The term known offender does not imply that the identity of the perpetrator was known but only that a distinguishing attribute of the individual, race, was noted on the incident report.

Of those persons who committed a crime based upon their perceived biases, 60.6 percent were white, and 19.7 percent were black. Nearly 13 percent (12.9) were classified as unknown race. Groups containing persons of various races accounted for 5.1 percent of the perpetrators, and the remainder were American Indian/Alaskan Natives or Asian/Pacific Islanders. (Based on Table 2.34.)

Table 2.35: Agency Hate Crime Reporting by State, 2004

source

also see breakdown by state


This gives a good indication of the problems faced.

BTW, they've now cut the tree down - WOW, what a move!! that'll solve everything!

[edit on 20/9/2007 by budski]

All I hear is the white kid was beaten to the brink of death. If that's the case then it's bad. If he just got knocked out and bruised up a tad, oh well, minor crime there.

Still it was a gang fighting one person and I think that's harsher than if it were one on one.

Dunno.

Lunch time.

reply to post by budski


Yes, we have problems with race and status when sentences are issued (Paris Hilton for ex)

But, this case has 2 completely different incidents.

Originally posted by Subcomandante
White kids were just goofing off, black kids were a gang and therefore are FAR MORE DANGEROUS. Did I mention they are ethnic? Yeah. Think they even listen to rap music.

.

did the white kids physically beat the black kids here?

nice little comments by the way at the end

Originally posted by Hendu
All I hear is the white kid was beaten to the brink of death. If that's the case then it's bad. If he just got knocked out and bruised up a tad, oh well, minor crime there.

He was looked at by a doctor and treated for minor injuries - contusions and the like - he went out the same night to a party. The prosecutor was VERY over zealous in charging them with attempted murder - it's pretty much his fault this has gone so far - a little common sense should have prevailed.
Yes the black kids were wrong and should be punished - but the DA or whoever went way over the top - and it looks like his reaction was racially motivated, pure and simple.

reply to post by Hendu


i actually saw a photo of the person who got beat up and it wasn't on the brink of death at all, he just looked like he got punched in the eye a few times and it swelled shut

hardly being beat to the brink of death

my take on this whole story is that it is sad and proves that there is still racism on both sides of the spectrum. BOTH blacks and whites.

The white kids should have been suspended or expelled for the noose incident and any further fights or anything else should be automatic grounds for suspension, expulsion or report to the police for community service and counseling.

Originally posted by Boondock78

Originally posted by Subcomandante
White kids were just goofing off, black kids were a gang and therefore are FAR MORE DANGEROUS. Did I mention they are ethnic? Yeah. Think they even listen to rap music.

.

did the white kids physically beat the black kids here?

nice little comments by the way at the end

Yes, the precursor to the incident with the shotgun was a fight at a houseparty, in which one of the black kids was beaten. When they went to retaliate, a gun was produced.

So yes, yes they did.

reply to post by kyyuulle


Hve you got a link to the photo, or can you post it please?

Thanks



Found it - link

Not even much of a shiner really - doesn't look like much, and even looks like he's keeping his eye shut on purpose, rather than it being closed.

[edit on 20/9/2007 by budski]

reply to post by Boondock78


I would charge them for hate crimes and assault, nothing more and nothing less, and I believe a good sentence is around 6 months to a year in jail.

Though, the black civil leaders want the charges dropped.

Know what creates racism in this country? People like Jackson parading like this. Creates a racial divide, as I stated earlier this is not a new case, but was unburied by Jackson for political exploitation. As for Budskies point being blacks are more likely to go to jail for the same crime, I do not believe.. every night on the local news the white guy goes to jail just as often as the black guy. As for stiffer sentences I have never seen enough evidence of all the factors involved to come to that conclusion.

The only thing I can say to them is: If you can't do the time, don't commit the crime!

I don't know why it is hard to act civil.

Originally posted by Rockpuck

As for Budskies point being blacks are more likely to go to jail for the same crime, I do not believe..

So you don't believe official statistics?
They've been posted, if you care to look rather than just make a comment based on nothing but opinion.

There's a lot more to racism than activists "stirring" things up.
I'm sorry to say it, but your latest post just reinforces my opinion that you have deep rooted racial issues, which is a shame.

[edit on 20/9/2007 by budski]

reply to post by budski


As I said mate, I could honestly couldn't care less if you think I am racist, call me what you will. I however will not feel sorry, or feel some kind of pity for any race because of the "oppression" they CLAIM to have. WE all have our problems.

As for believing your "statistics" .. I actually do not believe ANY statistics, as it is quite often biased and far from actually being scientific. You can never seem to find two or more statistics on the same subject say the same thing. I think maybe you may have some kind of racial issue your self, to be honest.

reply to post by Rockpuck


Nope, simply a desire to see fairness in the world - and this case falls very far from any definition of fair.

But rockpuck - you believe stats when they support your case, I've seen you post them.
Is it only when you disagree that you don't believe them.
Does the DOC lie?
or are you just unwilling to entertain the idea that you might be wrong, and that your views more properly belong on the 1950's?



[edit on 20/9/2007 by budski]

Racial tensions will never cease to exist Im afraid. Just when you think the "white" guys are comming around to thinking everyone is equal, you get a "black" guy that thinks the world owes him something because of the past, and people like Sharpton to tell him thats the way it should be. Then you get a white guy to make some racial slur and bump a black guy at the local Walmart as he walks by.People like Sharpton and Jackson would be out of jobs if racial hatred went away, they dont want it to go. So you get a cycle that just keeps the ball rolling.

Now I think everyone here agrees that if you do crime A you get punishment A. This is how it should be. I know its not always this way, but this we agree on is how it should happen.

Now if A punishment isnt given to one guy, that does NOT mean the next time it rolls around to the next person you now MUST give him a lessor punishment. Plain and simple. You just make sure after the first time its not justice served, that never happens again.

The thinking that only because your a minority and bad things happend WAY before anyone thats alive today was old enough to know about it. The world doesnt owe you a thing other than to make sure those things dont happen again. Now this is a far stretch from hanging folks from trees and not always getting the same punishment. Minorities have to one day realize that they are not owed anything "extra" they should not get any "help" just because they are a minority. They should do away with Affirmative Action and all that stuff. THAT is what keeps racial tensions high. Also the whole thinking you can say certain words or act certain ways is only OK for "blacks" needs to cease as well. Again this just perpetuates the whole racial mess.

Its no coincidence that the successful people that happen to be minorities are the ones that dont take any handouts and just work hard to make a better life and forget they are a minority. You will never make it in life if you have a chip on your shoulder and want handouts for everything. This includes anyone that takes advantage of the system no matter your skin color.

Now dont think Im going to let the "white" MAN off as they dont do anything wrong. Thats not the case and there are still people that live in the days of old and need to catch up to modern ways of life. These people need to realize people are people no matter what shade they are on the outside, we all love our moms, kids, etc.

Sorry to get off track but that had to be said I think....Im not a racist in any way, but I also will not be afraid to call it like it is even if it means saying that something a minority does is not right and needs to change. I call it like it is and some like to lable you a racist for that fact, again this is an excuse and the excused need to stop. We need resolutions.

Now back to this thread. They committed crime A and deserve Punishment A plain and simple, no special treatment because of a report showing that sometimes whites get off easier. Nothing in the links or stories in this thread changes this fact. They beat a person, they just so happend to have not hurt him worse. Just because a guy shoots another guy and was a bad shot and just hit his arm, doesnt mean he wasnt tryin to kill him or hurt him ALOT....The intent was there and he was attacked, they do the time.

THE END

[edit on 20-9-2007 by Wiz4769]

reply to post by Wiz4769


All very well, but that's NOT what this is about - this about raising the punishment BECAUSE someone is black.
They beat him, they should be tried for assault, NOT attempted murder - this is a racially motivated case, to punish people who dared to assault a member of the majority beyond the maximum that the law says they should be punished. And the law doesn't take intent into account, it takes into account only what actually happened - in other words, intent does not enter into it.

I don't think they should get off, but I do think that they should receive the same punishment as everyone else for what was a relatively minor crime.



[edit on 20/9/2007 by budski]