My father recently told me about the Jena 6, six black teenagers being charged with attempted murder after a series of racially-charged confrontations with white students that started last fall. Similar to the Genarlow Wilson case, there is an uproar over the apparent bias against the defendants and their skin color.
From Wikipedia:
And, once again, this only gets attention when fucking Al Sharpton gets involved. The man may be a media whoremonger, but he is damn good at it.
One of the six, Mychal Bell, was the first to be tried and convicted, but his sentencing was pushed back due to pressure from citizens.
While I don't condone the fighting, I can understand why they felt threatened, and I certainly find issue with them being charged with attempted murder.
But of course, this isn't nearly as important to the network news shows as some airhead getting knocked up. Isn't that right, Diane Sawyer?
Update: This is a link to someone who seems to point out the problems with this story much better than I can.
From Wikipedia:
Racial tensions surfaced in at a high school in Jena, Louisiana on September 1, 2006, when hangman's nooses were discovered in a tree in Jena High School's campus. The school head recommended that the noose-hangers should be expelled. The board of education overruled him and the three white student perpetrators were suspended from school for three days. On November 30, 2006, an arson fire destroyed the main academic building at the school. On December 4, 2006 a fight broke out on campus, after which six African-American students were arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder. Law enforcement officers told the Alexandria Daily Town Talk they have found no links between the noose incident, the arson fire, and subsequent fights.
The six accused of attempted second-degree murder are black and were fighting a white student after a week of intimidation by white students, including the one who was assaulted. Intimidation cited includes an incident where a white man brandished a gun on school property. Students allegedly wrestled away the gun and were then held in custody. The white man was later fined and the students charged. There are also claims of intimidation from the DA during the alleged week of intimidation.
And, once again, this only gets attention when fucking Al Sharpton gets involved. The man may be a media whoremonger, but he is damn good at it.
One of the six, Mychal Bell, was the first to be tried and convicted, but his sentencing was pushed back due to pressure from citizens.
While I don't condone the fighting, I can understand why they felt threatened, and I certainly find issue with them being charged with attempted murder.
But of course, this isn't nearly as important to the network news shows as some airhead getting knocked up. Isn't that right, Diane Sawyer?
Update: This is a link to someone who seems to point out the problems with this story much better than I can.
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