I just finished reading about the rally in Jena, Louisiana. For those of you reading and do not yet know the story, here's a link to get started.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/ap_on_re_us/school_fight
This is ridiculous, and shows the progress, or lack thereof, that this country has made in terms of race relations. Before I begin, however, let me first get one thing straight: I do NOT believe that the "Jena Six" (what is it with America and titling everything like it's a boxing match?) are completely justified in beating up the white kid. However, I do believe they have the right to due process, just like the rest of us, and should NOT be tried as adults.Here is what bothers me the most about this story. The whole thing started because of de facto segregation (that may be the wrong term, I do realize that) surrounding...a tree. It’s so reminiscent of the 60's, with the tree being claimed by whites, and blacks not being able to use it. There's just one problem: the 60's were 40 years ago. I’d like to think we had moved on past this kind of nonsense! I'm mixed, my mom's white (well, Jewish, depending on how you look at it) and my dad's black. So, I naturally see things from both sides. First of all, the white kids were DEAD wrong for hanging those nooses. I read that a pastor or reverend, white, downplayed the nooses as "child's play". No, no, no, those nooses represent a terrible past, symbolizing the hatred and disdain that existed between blacks and whites. That, however, was supposed to be a now archaic concept, just another scar in this country’s history, a wound that has now healed over time. Apparently, it’s more like a volcano, whose activity died down for some odd years, and has now become an active force of nature once more, its fiery rage burning through this country once again. So, no, the hanging of nooses on the trees as a message to the black kids not to sit under the white kids’ tree was not mere child’s play, it was a serious act of hatred.
On the other hand, the black kids who have been charged with ganging up and beating up a white kid, who I’m assuming they felt had some involvement in the hanging of the nooses, should have known better than to handle things that way. I’m not in support of full-blown tattling, but like I said before, the nooses were used as racist symbols, therefore making it a race issue. And, as we’ve seen before, violence begets violence and assaulting the white kid wasn’t going to solve anything, merely make it worse, as they have now come to realize. I feel they should have resorted to a better way of handling it, by going to their parents, who would hopefully act as adults and consult local school authorities and (again, hopefully) handle things in a peaceful, MLK-type manner. But, again, on the other hand, maybe they, as well as their parents, felt that the racial tension in their town was too strong for anybody to care. Or maybe they tried this method and it didn’t work. My point is that violence should not have broken out; they should have rallied BEFORE the fight, not after. We have a right to gather peacefully (I forget the exact wording), it’s on the Bill of Rights, so they should have exercised all of their legal rights first. If nothing was to come of that, then maybe resorting to illegal action would have been the only choice. Even then, however, if you’ve exhausted all of your resources and still no change has occurred, no justice has been served in this case, then it’s time to pack up and move on, there’s nothing you can do, you’ve done everything in your power and can go no further.
So, the blame rests on both parties. But, look at the way the situation is being treated by local officials. With the exception of one, I’m to understand that the charges have been dropped against the teenagers, or at least dropped from “Attempted Murder” (which I do not believe they had the intent to kill that boy) to “Battery” (which I can believe, they battered the hell out of him). However, if somebody can clarify that, I’d be much appreciative. My focus is on the kid who is being tried as an adult. Why? If it was murder, since he’s 16 and pretty much knows right from wrong, I could understand that. If the kid was beaten so badly that he was hospitalized, I could perhaps understand trying him as an adult. But, here’s the thing: the white kid who got beaten up was able to attend a social function later that night! So, the beating wasn’t that bad; or the kid is a true-born soldier. Either way, I won’t say this is a sure thing, but it does bring up speculation that race is the cause for his harsh treatment.Another question is the punishment, or lack thereof, for the students who hung the nooses. I believe that’s where the tension grew, and for good reason. I’m not asking for even a slap on the wrist, as I truly don’t believe there’s a law against what they did (though, if I’m wrong about this, please correct me). However, there were other ways to punish them. They should’ve been made to understand the downright viciousness of their act, and over what? A DAMN TREE!? It’s really not that serious.
This just goes to show you how race relations in this country have not gotten better, have not healed at all. For us to take this major step back in progress is disgraceful and pathetic.
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