Jena 6 case today.

[BMOTOXSTAR]

What do you all think abouth the Jena 6 case.
What year Charger would the people involved in the case drive. I think a 1st gen.
I say throw them in the slammer & give the max !

[BrianShaughnessy]

I'd say you posted this in the wrong section... try OT.

[Old Moparz]

I thought this was general, why could it not be in General & or OT?

It's General, but there is a sentence that you missed. You should have asked "What year Charger would the Jena 6 drive if they drove a Charger?" 

[Steve P.]

I think they should be given a firm slap on the hand and some PROZAC.

[BMOTOXSTAR]

I thought this was general, why could it not be in General & or OT?

It's General, but there is a sentence that you missed. You should have asked "What year Charger would the Jena 6 drive if they drove a Charger?" 

Kick me in the nuts & bitch slap me. 
Sorry

[41husk]

I thought this was general, why could it not be in General & or OT?

It's General, but there is a sentence that you missed. You should have asked "What year Charger would the Jena 6 drive if they drove a Charger?" 

Kick me in the nuts & bitch slap me. 
Sorry

now that sounds just a bit drastic

[TeeWJay426]

A wee bit uninformed and outta the loop here..... WTF is the Jena 6 case??

[aone415]

What do you all think abouth the Jena 6 case.
What year Charger would the people involved in the case drive. I think a 1st gen.
I say throw them in the slammer & give the max !

Why the max??? A black eye is worth 20 years to life? really? Wow... I hope your kids never kicks someone's ass.

[ChargerSG]

A wee bit uninformed and outta the loop here..... WTF is the Jena 6 case??

I wonder that to

[aone415]

In short the Jena case is about race.

From Wiki....

Racial tensions in Jena were at high levels prior to the Jena Six incident due to a number of racially charged events in the small town.[3]


The "white tree" incident
At Jena High School, students of different races seldom sat together. Black students traditionally sat on bleachers near the auditorium, while white students sat under a large shade tree, referred to as the "white tree", in the center of the school courtyard.[3]

During a school assembly on August 31, 2006, a black male freshman student asked permission from the principal to sit in the shade of the "white tree."[4] According to the recounting of events given by U.S. Attorney Donald Washington, the question was posed in a "jocular fashion."[5] The principal told the students they could "sit wherever they wanted."[4] The freshman and his friends then sat under the tree.[6]

The following morning, three nooses were discovered hanging from the tree. Jena's principal learned that three white students were responsible and recommended expulsion. The board of education overruled his recommendation, to which Superintendent Roy Breithaupt agreed. The punishment was reduced to three days of in-school suspension.[3][7] The school superintendent was quoted as saying, "Adolescents play pranks. I don't think it was a threat against anybody."[8] Black residents of Jena claim that this decision stoked racial tensions that led to subsequent events.[7]

The school district and parents who were aware of the incident did not report it to the police or any legal authority, though such incidents may be prosecuted as federal hate crimes by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In late July, U.S. Attorney Donald Washington noted the lack of connection between the noose incident and the beating at Jena High school, noting that the more than 40 statements all failed to mention the noose incident.[5]

Since the incident, school officials have had the tree cut down for firewood. [2][9] U.S. Attorney Washington, speaking in July 2007, stated he could find no confirmation of this protest occurring. He could confirm that police were called to the school several times in the days after the noose incident in response to a rash of interracial fights between students.[5]

The principal called an impromptu assembly on September 6, in which students segregated themselves into white and black sections. The Jena Police Department asked LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters to attend and speak at the assembly. Walters was unhappy with the request because he was busy preparing for a case and, upon arrival, felt that the students were not paying proper attention to him.[5] Walters is alleged to have threatened the protesters if they didn't stop fussing over an "innocent prank"[10] and to have stated, "See this pen? I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen." Black students state that Walters looked specifically at members of the black audience as he said this. Walters and school board member Billy Fowler, also present, deny that the comments were specifically directed at black students.[3] Nevertheless, police began patrolling the halls of Jena High on September 7, and the school was declared to be in total lockdown the day after.[11]


Student attempt to address school board
On September 10, several dozen black students attempted to address the school board concerning the recent events but were refused because the board was of the opinion that "the noose issue" had been adequately resolved.[12] Racial tensions and fights continued through the fall but were held in check by the ongoing football season. The high school team was doing unusually well, in large part due to efforts of several star black players, and students were unwilling to do anything to upset the season.[3]


Jena High School arson
On November 30, 2006, the main building of the high school was set on fire. The building was gutted and had to be later demolished. Blacks and whites accused each other of the arson.[3][13]


Fair barn party incident
On Friday, December 1, there was a private party, attended mostly by whites, at the Fair Barn. Five black youths, including 16-year-old Robert Bailey, attempted to enter the party at about 11 p.m. According to U.S. Attorney Washington, they were told by a woman that they were not allowed inside without an invitation. The five youths persisted, stating that some friends were already in attendance at the party. A white man, who was not a student,[5] then jumped in front of the woman and a fight ensued. After the fight was broken up, the woman told both the white man and five black youths to leave the party. Once outside, the black students were involved in another fight with a group of white men, who also were not students.[5] Police were then called to investigate. Several months later, Justin Sloan, a white male, was charged with battery for his role in the fight and was put on probation. Bailey later stated that one of the white men had broken a beer bottle over his head,[7] though there are no official records of medical treatment being given.[5]


Convenience store incident
The following day, an incident apparently stemming from the Fair Barn fight occurred at a local convenience store. A student who had attended the party encountered Bailey and several friends. An argument ensued, after which the white student ran to his pickup truck and produced a pistol-grip shotgun. Bailey ran after the white student and wrestled him for control of the gun. Bailey's friends intervened in the scuffle and took the gun away. Bailey refused to return it and ultimately took it home with him. Local police reported that the accounts of the white student and black students contradicted each other and formed a report based on testimony taken from eyewitnesses. This resulted in Bailey being charged with three counts: theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery, and disturbing the peace. The white student who produced the weapon was not charged.[3][5]


The assault
On December 4, 2006, Jena High School student Justin Barker, age 17, was assaulted by other Jena High students. According to reports, earlier that day Barker, a white student, bragged about how one of his alleged attackers, Robert Bailey, Jr., had been beaten up by a white man the Friday before.[3] Barker was then knocked to the ground after being hit in the back of his head, and a group of students followed suit by repeatedly kicking him.[14] Barker, who was left unconscious after the attack, was examined by a doctor at the local hospital. After two hours of treatment and observation for a concussion and an eye that had swollen shut, he was released in time to attend the school's Ring ceremony that evening,[7] though he later testified that he left early due to pain.[15] In the meantime, the six students accused of the attack, eventually dubbed the "Jena Six",[16] were arrested.


Trial, prosecution, and legal proceedings
Five of the students — Robert Bailey, Jr., Mychal Bell, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, and Theo Shaw — were initially charged with assault,[17] though the sixth — Jesse Ray Beard — was charged as a juvenile because he was 14 at the time.[18] However, District Attorney Walters increased the assault charges to attempted second-degree murder, provoking protests from black residents that the charges, which could result in the defendants being imprisoned past age 50, were disproportionate to the crime.[7]

[Orange_Crush]

IN BEFORE THE LOCK!!!!

[Troy]

What do you all think abouth the Jena 6 case.
What year Charger would the people involved in the case drive. I think a 1st gen.
I say throw them in the slammer & give the max !

Why the max??? A black eye is worth 20 years to life? really? Wow... I hope your kids never kicks someone's ass.

Six kids beat another unconscious in a school lunch room. You have no problem with that? Yeah, that's normal.

Now, the reason it's a big deal is that the six were black and the one was white. Five were originally charged (as adults) with attempted murder and the last was charged as a juvenile. Later the charges were lessened. The news stories (and Jesse Jackson) conveniently like to add that some white kids had hung nooses from a tree at school and weren't charged BUT they leave out the part that the kid that was beaten had no part in that incident AND it happened three months prior to the beating. There are a lot of details out there but most people are just too lazy to actually investigate.

The school and town seem to have much bigger problems to face and this whole mess will likely only get worse with all the attention.

Troy

[aone415]

Troy, I agree that fighting is never a good thing.  That said, the proposed charges are totally out of line with the fight.  The kid that was beaten unconsious admitted to jumping some other Black kids the day before.  Regardeless, he shouldnt have been touched.  But attemped murder? That's pretty severe.

[70charger_boy]

Thank god I don't live in Jena.  I would've been hanged a long long time ago

[Troy]

Troy, I agree that fighting is never a good thing.  That said, the proposed charges are totally out of line with the fight.  The kid that was beaten unconsious admitted to jumping some other Black kids the day before.  Regardeless, he shouldnt have been touched.  But attemped murder? That's pretty severe.

The charges are a mess - they were lesser, then bumped up, then lessened again. Perhaps the charges were a result of trying to get some control over the violence that was going on? You know how sometimes stiff sentences will be handed out as a warning to others. Who knows...

Clarification: according to the above information, he (Justin Barker) didn't jump anyone - someone else attacked Robert Bailey, Jr. and he (Justin Barker) was bragging about it (which got him hit). That still doesn't make it ok. I suppose the kid (Robert Bailey, Jr.) should have attacked the guy who beat him up instead of ganging up on an unrelated person with all his buddies - although that isn't the correct solution either. Now, my question is, why was he (Robert Bailey, Jr.) attacked in the first place? Because he did something to someone else or was he running his mouth as well?

I should also add that I keep reading in the news about a "brawl" or a "fight". Here's an excerpt from one of the original stories in The Jena Times: "Trial testimony later identified Mychal Bell as the first of the group to strike Justin Barker, hitting him so hard from behind that it knocked him immediately unconscious. Other participants in the attack then joined Bell in kicking and stomping Barker as he lay defenseless and unconscious on the ground." Most reports stop here but the rest of the sentence says "while others stopped teachers and others from coming to stop the attack". It also mentions seven black students involved although only six were charged.
http://www.thejenatimes.net/home_page_graphics/home.html

As I said, it's a mess. The situation should not have been allowed to go on as long as it did. What really ticks me off is that they cut a tree down "for firewood" in response to the August confrontation instead of tackling the real issue (racism). The tree never did anything wrong! Where's the protest from the Sierra Club? When are all these people going to stop grandstanding for the media and making the situation worse instead of confronting the problem(s) head on?

Troy

[TUFCAT]

You should have asked "What year Charger would the Jena 6 drive if they drove a Charger?" 

A black ESCALADE??!

[aone415]

Troy, I agree that fighting is never a good thing.  That said, the proposed charges are totally out of line with the fight.  The kid that was beaten unconsious admitted to jumping some other Black kids the day before.  Regardeless, he shouldnt have been touched.  But attemped murder? That's pretty severe.

The charges are a mess - they were lesser, then bumped up, then lessened again. Perhaps the charges were a result of trying to get some control over the violence that was going on? You know how sometimes stiff sentences will be handed out as a warning to others. Who knows...

Clarification: according to the above information, he (Justin Barker) didn't jump anyone - someone else attacked Robert Bailey, Jr. and he (Justin Barker) was bragging about it (which got him hit). That still doesn't make it ok. I suppose the kid (Robert Bailey, Jr.) should have attacked the guy who beat him up instead of ganging up on an unrelated person with all his buddies - although that isn't the correct solution either. Now, my question is, why was he (Robert Bailey, Jr.) attacked in the first place? Because he did something to someone else or was he running his mouth as well?

I should also add that I keep reading in the news about a "brawl" or a "fight". Here's an excerpt from one of the original stories in The Jena Times: "Trial testimony later identified Mychal Bell as the first of the group to strike Justin Barker, hitting him so hard from behind that it knocked him immediately unconscious. Other participants in the attack then joined Bell in kicking and stomping Barker as he lay defenseless and unconscious on the ground." Most reports stop here but the rest of the sentence says "while others stopped teachers and others from coming to stop the attack". It also mentions seven black students involved although only six were charged.
http://www.thejenatimes.net/home_page_graphics/home.html

As I said, it's a mess. The situation should not have been allowed to go on as long as it did. What really ticks me off is that they cut a tree down "for firewood" in response to the August confrontation instead of tackling the real issue (racism). The tree never did anything wrong! Where's the protest from the Sierra Club? When are all these people going to stop grandstanding for the media and making the situation worse instead of confronting the problem(s) head on?

Troy

Absolutely correct Troy and thanks for the clarification on my previous post.  I look at it like this.  Kids Black, White, Latino, Asian, etc fight over any and everything.  It is the job of adults to mediate and protect all of these kids.  In this particular case, the adults (parents, school, police) did nothing except to fan the flames.  This could have all been avoided.

[Mike DC]

I dunno what to think of any of it.

I don't like the idea of "hate-crimes" on principle because it's essentially punishing someone for their beliefs. 
(Compared to lesser charges for a non-hate version of the same crime.)


At first glance it sounds like the school/police were idiotic not to stomp on this issue much earlier though.  You just don't let kids jump each other & hang nooses from trees.  The escalation in violence is predicable from there. 

The authorities will probably claim that they didn't have time to sort out what was going on before more happened, but IMHO that sounds like a cop-out.  Even if they didn't have a handle on what went on yet, they should have immediately detained at least a couple of the suspected kids from each side and then made an announcement to the rest of the student body that they were getting to the bottom of it.  It sounds like they didn't even do that much. 

 

[red72chrgr]

The whole thing is pathetic  Common sense would've prevailed if used, but then again common sense is not allowed anymore.

[AKcharger]

My Cat says; "Can't we all just get along"

[Mean 318]

I just dont understand people who use race, religion, sex, sexual preference as a reason to hate people! uggg it is so stupid!

[TeeWJay426]

Now that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have immersed themselves into the middle of it, the whole mess will degrade into a gigantic cluster___k.. those two jackazzes leave a huge pile of you know what whenever they get involved, since any semblance of truth and reason will completely disappear.

[hemihead]

They should have been charged under the Federal hate crime laws. White people always are. Why is this any different? Oh I know why it is different...

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

This can & will get ugly....ending it now.