9 thoughts on “Jena Goes High Culture”

1. The Steve Coll article is excellent. Now we know what Jena is all about. It’s not about who shot John- I can almost hear what DA Walters and Justin Barker have to say, in the coming day with this Jena PR campaign. I know to whom they will appeal their side of the story. I know who is gullible enough to believe it. But when the case it put into the New Yorker, it’s accepted as history.

2. From the article by Steve Coll
   “Jena’s recent noosemakers, identified as a trio of white students, ”
   “other black students kicked the victim”
   ”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’
   Notice the disparity here? On the one hand he says that Black students “”allegedly”” but on the other hand he says “”identified”” as white students. This is not unbiased journalism. Therefore, his whole article is suspect of the truth.
   ______________________________________________________________
   Steve says,
   The number of blacks in prison has quadrupled since 1980.
   ____________________________________________________________
   But what he fails to say here is that since the onslaught of welfare and the late President Johnson’s “Great Society” programs, the Black man has systemetically been removed from the home, while child bearing women were encouraged to produce babies in order to receive more welfare money. It is these children who have come of age, without a man in the home, and are raising boys just like their momma did, without a caring, strong man. So now, we see the results.
   ============================================================
   Then he says,
   “Discrimination in the American justice system is not only a Deep South thing;”
   ==============================================================
   As I have already pointed out, discrimination based on race, while not a bad thing unto itself, is just a prevalent, if not more so, in the north, yankeeland. Because, as he said so himself, “In July, the Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy group, released a state-by-state study of prison populations that identified where blacks endured the highest rates of incarceration. The top four states were South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Vermont; the top ten included Utah, Montana, and Colorado” and later he said, “Ex-slave states that are relatively poor and have large African-American populations, such as Louisiana, display less racial disparity.” which means greater racial parity.
   So, not only is he biased, he contradicts himself. This he went to college for?

3. This Jena 6 story’s getting worse and worse! Now a bunch of white kids at LSU made a video in blackface of the incident and posted it on Facebook! WTF is wrong with the south. The Civil War is over people, it’s time to move on.

4. Jimmy:
   The reason for the “identified” vs. “allegedly” references is that the noose hangers never denied their culpability whereas the Jena 6 have entered not guilty pleas and are awaiting trial–hence the refusal to pre-judge. Similarly, Robert Bailey’s assailant entered a guilty plea, thus admitting that he assaulted Robert; the same is not true of the Jena 6. Steve Call doesn’t contradict himself; he just doesn’t agree with your “welfare-is-the-only-problem” posture; nor do I. The welfare system certainly hasn’t helped, but it doesn’t explain why the prison system in Texas and Louisiana exploded in the 1990s. The cancerous growth in the prison system was driven by politicians trying to outdo one another in being tough on crime. The crime rate was actually falling during the prison building boom.

5. This article is stepping in the right direction!
   So much of what is going on is being ignored today. I’ve seen every one from celebrities to rich people get off on ridiculous charges yet when it comes to minorities and particularly African American males every one turn their heads as if there isn’t big ol’ ugly injustice screaming in their face. I remember visiting my brother upstate at a correctional facility (don’t get me started on the crap they charged him with…he was with a guy who had a gun so he got 3 1/2 years) Anyhow, when I went to see him upstate all I saw in the facility were strong and beautiful african american and latino men. It made no sense to me and it made me think of the bus ride upthere, there was nothing but woman and children on the bus with me visiting their husbands, fathers, brothers and friends. It really saddened me. The guards up there give red neck a whole new meaning. There was one guard with a tattoo of black baby hanging from a noose on his neck. It really had my skin boiling and on top of all that the correctional facility is on the middle of no where so anything can happen to any one. It’s all so ugly and real that Jena 6 is only a piece of the bigger struggle that we all have an obligation to fight. Some people choose to ignore it and some people stare it in the face while others don’t do anything until it hits home.

   Thanks for the updates and information.
   I am one of those people who stare it in the face and say WHEN THERE IS NO JUSTICE THERE IS NO PEACE!

6. alanbean said, October 3, 2007 at 1:15 pm
   Jimmy:
   The reason for the “identified” vs. “allegedly” references is that the noose hangers never denied their culpability whereas the Jena 6 have entered not guilty pleas and are awaiting trial–hence the refusal to pre-judge. {{ So, the use of “allegedly” is simply a legal matter, and does not reflect the truth, correct? Because, according to you, once there is a conviction, or said perps confess, the word alleged is tossed out, right?}}“

   he just doesn’t agree with your welfare-is-the-only-problem” posture; nor do I. The welfare system certainly hasn’t helped, {{I never said “welfare is THE only problem. Reread my post. But, males who were 15 to 25 years old in 1990 were born from 1965-75, during the heyday of the “welfare queen”. To say “the welfare system certainly hasn’t helped” is soft-peddling the issue. Studies have proven that it actually was very harmful to society at large, producing a generation of Black amoral men and women. [we ARE talking about Blacks here] It is the single biggest difference in how Black people turned out as adults when compared to the American Blacks after the slave days, when they were dependent only on themselves for their room and board. Back in the days when it was a mark of personal pride and honour top declare that “I do not want or need charity”.}}

7. Jimmy:
   You people really amaze me. More so you.
   You think you have all the answer, but you don’t. Unless you are Black, and had no Father going up, or given 20 years in prison for something, that if a white person did, would only get probation. You can not spoke for Black people.
   I’m not going to use all these big words to try to explain things to you, that is in my world. I didn’t go to college, but I did finish High School. Also, I’m a Black woman, from the 1950’s. I’m also a Mother.

   Growing up has a child, I had both Parent. My Father and Mother both worked. We were never on WELFARE. However, I had a Auntie, she had 2 kids, and a Husband.
   But the American justice system, took her Husband away. He was given 10 years, for something, he would had gotten maybe 90 days for, today. With her Husband in prison, and with 2 children, she had no other choice, but to go on welfare. She had 2 boys. And Jimmy, her boys, 1 is a high school Principal, and 1 is retired with high rank from the Navy. I think she did a great job in rasing her boys into men.

   Back in the 40’s 50’s 60’s,and even in the 70’s, Black women wasn’t encouraged to produce babies in order to receive more welfare. Durning the 40’s 50’s and 60’s, Black men were being murder by white men by the hundred, everyday. Leaving, theirs wives and children alone. Then, when white man could no longer murder Black man, and get away with it, in the 70’s. The white man had to figure out another way, to get rid of the Black man, and it had to look like it were legal. That’s where the unjust in our legal justice system came from. If you can’t kill them any more, then just cage them up for along time, and take away all theirs rights. In the meanwhile, all these Black Wives and Mother is left to take care of a Family, all alone. In a society, that think that Black Women are only good for cleaning the white people houses,or cooking in white people restaurant, and making low wages. It’s 2007, and white people still think that way. It is still DISCRIMINATION in our Schools, Justice System, in our place of jobs, even in places where we all should be able to Worship.

   No, Jimmy I disagree with you, about the welfare, and the statement you made about,
   ” Black women were encouraged to produce babies in order to receive more welfare money. It is these children who have come of age, without a man in the home, and are raising boys just like their momma did without a caring, strong man. So now, we see the results.”
   Jimmy, are there not any white women, on welfare, and are there not any single white women raising sons? Jimmy, welfare have nothing to do with how a child turn out. And although, it is meant for a Father and Mother to raise their children. But, I strongly believe, that if you put GOD first in every thing you do, God will work it out.
   Jimmy, take it from a Black woman, who has live in a Black world all her life. It is not the welfare system, that enable the Black woman, nor is it the fact that there are not caring,strong men in the home. It is people like you, and a society, that still see slavery. A society, that do not treat everyone egually.
   One more thing, since you have such a strong in put on Black people. What is your in put on all the white people, that are killig theirs babies?

8. Alan,
   I just got my issue of The New Yorker yesterday so I skipped over the Steve Coll essay because I’d read it here. And while I know your focus is on Jena and the inequities of the criminal justice system, I’d like to broaden your horizons a bit as it relates to race in America by reading an extremely on-point article in the same issue of The New Yorker, “The Shadow Act – Kara Walker’s Vision” by Hilton Als. I would link you to it, but alas, capitalism again rears its ugly, greedy head in the face of enlightenment. Would that my paid subscription allowed me to share this wonderful article! It hits the nail on the head, from a Black point of view, how the issue of race weaves its pervasive evil in our lives. As in my response to Jason Whitlock’s column, I don’t think you get the “big” picture about race in America but at least you get some of it – that’s what matters! If you do read it, be warned – the language and imagery may offend. If you can see past it and get to the heart of the matter, you will have made great strides in understanding this whole race thing, if that’s, in fact, where you are trying to go.

   As for the New Jim Crow,” new or old,” Jim is definitely toxic. I’m blessed or cursed, depending on how one views it, to have been born and raised in the Old Jim Crow South of “Colored and White fountains, bathrooms, bus stations, sitting in the balcony to watch “The Sound of Music” (hell, we didn’t even know there was something wrong with us being up there – the view was way better anyhow, nobody was walking in front of the screen blocking our view of the movie!).

   No comments for Jimmy Shirley here. I’ve read The Sentencing Project’s report, made reference to it in my 9/27/07 blog entry. Jimmy’s one with whom I need a face-to-face for sure. But to “Mattieb,” trust me, I know you – I AM you and your Auntie. Make no apologies for only graduating high school – there but for the Grace (and my Mamma’s determination) go I. You get it. In your own high-school educated way, you GET IT! You’re on the internet for God’s sake! Give yourself credit for that! You are still learning and that’s all that matters. Don’t do a tit-for-tat with the Jimmy Shirleys of this world. Not worth it. Look to what’s made you grow, made you better. There will be hundreds of Jimmy Shirleys in the world always coming up with how we are bad and they are good. Channel your energies elsewhere – you’ll be glad you did.

9. Alan,
   What is up with your clock??? I posted the last entry at 7:17 pm EST. In a way different time zone are you?

Comments are closed.