OT: Jena, Louisiana

[Rick]

I can't believe this is still going on in America.

[RedWingFan]

I can't believe this is still going on in America.

What the hell are you talking about? Had a few too many drinks there Rick???

[Rick]

I can't believe this is still going on in America.

What the hell are you talking about? Had a few too many drinks there Rick???

Probably have, but if you haven't heard of this, then read about it here. It's quite disturbing.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200709 ... I0480.html

[Saint John]

Just Al and Jesse portraying thugs as victims and perpetuating the belief that all whites hate all blacks so they can continue to steal money and not have to get real jobs.

[Rockindeano]

Easy....This isn't about the crime is it? It's about a 20 year sentence...Please correct me if I'm wrong here. For the record, I hate Jesse and Al.

[SPFan4ever]

The kid that was beaten up had nothing to do with what those kids put in the tree. Al Sharpton is who basically keeps racism alive. If there is no trouble, he creates it for monetary gain. Martin Luther King would not approve on how Jesse and Al have turned out and are trying to ruin everything he accomplished.

Read all the controversies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#Controversies

[NealIsGod]

Yeah, Al and Jesse had to run down there to get their faces on the news, as usual.

A few redneck white kids did something tasteless, so some kids beat one of them up. It should just end there.

[Saint John]

The kid that was beaten up had nothing to do with what those kids put in the tree. Al Sharpton is who basically keeps racism alive. If there is no trouble, he creates it for monetary gain. Martin Luther King would not approve on how Jesse and Al have turned out and are trying to ruin everything he accomplished.

Read all the controversies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#Controversies

Al and Jesse fully understand that when these supposed racial divisions end that they'll be unemployed, so they do everything in their power to perpetuate the belief that all white people are out to stick it to black people. They're part of the problem and NOT the solution.

[ScarabGator]

SPFan4ever and Saint John, both great points and the truth.

[NealIsGod]

SPFan4ever and Saint John, both great points and the truth.

You forgot to say, "and NIG".

[RSParker]

the kids who hung the noose.....JAIL

the kids who Beat the kids up......JAIL


Im tired of hearing...."I get no justice cause I'm ......."


Al and Jesse....what Church are they Reverends at anyway?
Get a real freaking job like the rest of society!

[Rockindeano]

I want an WWOD bracelet.

What would Orenthal Do?

He would not take this lying down would he?

[Perrydise]

1. the media is to blame for all the publicity.
2. white people need some big mouthed idiots like Jesse and Al to start screaming and getting free tv time when the problem is in reverse.
3. Jesse is in no place to discuss what is right or wrong, he didnt even support his own "love child" until the mother called him on it.
4. Al and Jesse need to work harder on motivating these kids into thinking about getting jobs and become responsible (ok so that isnt gonna happen - as long as there is unrest Jesse and Al can still get free air time)

Jess and Al GET TO HELL OUT OF LA ALONG WITH ALL MEDIA OUTLETS AND LET THE TOWN HANDLE THIS ON THEIR OWN!

[ScarabGator]

SPFan4ever and Saint John, both great points and the truth.

You forgot to say, "and NIG".

sorry, missed ya there!!! You are certainly included in my opinion!!!

[NealIsGod]

the kids who hung the noose.....JAIL

the kids who Beat the kids up......JAIL

Nobody should be in jail. The kids who hung the noose deserve to get their asses beat. It just so happens that hanging nooses is not a crime, but assault is. Don't blame the police for enforcing the law.

[CatEyes]

Hey everyone ....... I may have missed it, but has anyone heard Al and Jesse say anything on the OJ situation?

I cannot believe they have nothing to say.



Cat

[NealIsGod]

Hey everyone ....... I may have missed it, but has anyone heard Al and Jesse say anything on the OJ situation?

I cannot believe they have nothing to say.



Cat

No, but the ironic thing is that they are more embarrassing to their race than OJ is.

[CatEyes]

Hey everyone ....... I may have missed it, but has anyone heard Al and Jesse say anything on the OJ situation?

I cannot believe they have nothing to say.



Cat

No, but the ironic thing is that they are more embarrassing to their race than OJ is.

[tkelly1986]

Someone mentioned above that white people needs to get a comparable voice to Jesse and Al. Newsflash, as soon as a white person stands up and says someone about racial injustice, they are labelled a “racist” and part of the KKK. There is a double standard in this country where black people can cry the “race card” for anything that does not go in their favour, but as soon as a white person points out a racially motivated crime.....well, you know the rest of the story.

It has got to the point where blacks are so disillusioned by clowns like Jesse and Al that anything involving the law and a black man is a racial issue and they are being prosecuted because the white devil is out to get them. It’s like the boy who cried wolf, if you keep crying “race” for everything, regardless if it is the case or not, people will start to tune you out.

[SPFan4ever]

Was it really an all-white jury that convicted Bell?
Yes. There were 150 people summoned for jury duty, although only about 50 appeared. That ratio is normal for LaSalle Parish, court officials said. Of those 50 who appeared, none were black. There was no effort to find the nearly 100 who didn't appear, both black and white. That too is common in LaSalle Parish. Punishment for dodging jury duty is at the discretion of the judge.
Community members have squabbled about how many minorities appeared on the list of 150 potential jurors, with numbers ranging from four to more than 20. There is no entry in the juror database for race to ensure that bias isn't used in jury selection, a court official said.


Why were some of the boys charged as juveniles and others as adults?
According to Louisiana's Children's Code, if someone is 15 or older - Bell was 16 at the time of the incident and Beard was 14 - and they are charged with one of a list of specific charges - including attempted murder - they must be tried in the adult justice system. If a defendant is under the age of 15, he can't be charged as an adult. This decision isn't one resting in the hands of the judge or district attorney but is clearly spelled out in law.

The point of contention in this case was when the charges were reduced from a crime that a child can be charged as an adult - such as attempted murder - to a crime that a child can't be charged as an adult - aggravated battery.
Bell's attorneys argued that the adult court no longer had jurisdiction, while Walters contended that according to law, he did.

On Sept. 4, 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. agreed with Bell's attorneys when they said Mauffray never had jurisdiction on the conspiracy charge and threw out that conviction. But he contended that he retained jurisdiction of the battery charge. The appeals court didn't agree.

The Third Circuit ruled Sept. 14 that the "trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion" to vacate the adult battery conviction. The three-judge panel ruled that "jurisdiction remains exclusively in juvenile court" for that charge.

In a statement made Sept. 14 following the appeals court's decision, LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said that after reviewing the ruling, "I will ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review the decision of the court of appeals."


Were there really nooses found in connection with this case?
Two nooses were found hanging from a tree at Jena High after a black student asked in a "jocular fashion," according to U.S. Attorney Donald Washington, if the black students could sit under the tree where white students sat. Three students were accused of placing the nooses, and the school principal recommended expulsion for the students. A committee of the LaSalle Parish School Board overruled the decision, and the students were suspended. Details of the suspension aren't a public record. Washington said none of the statements of the accused or the witnesses from the Dec. 4 incident included anything about the nooses. The "Jena Six" supporters and family contend that the noose incident is what precipitated the Dec. 4 incident.

Who was the victim? What happened to him?
Justin Barker was a student at Jena High. He was knocked unconscious and suffered several injuries to his face during the attack. Barker was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he was treated for three hours. That evening he attended a ring ceremony at the high school.
Just a few days before the end of the school year, months after the Dec. 4 incident, Barker was expelled after a hunting gun was found in his car on the school grounds. He was charged as an adult with possession of a firearm in a firearm-free zone. His expulsion carried through to this school year.


Was he involved in any of the previous incidents?
Barker wasn't one of the three students disciplined for the noose incident, and he hasn't been named in any of the fights in Jena leading up to the Dec. 4 incident.

Was the arson at Jena High School connected to the nooses or other incidents?
Police have no leads in the investigation into the November arson that destroyed the main building of the school.

Do any of the 'Jena Six' defendants have a criminal past?
Bell has been adjudicated of four previous crimes of violence - two for battery and two for criminal damage to property. He was placed on probation until his 18th birthday Jan. 18, 2008. Juvenile records are normally sealed, but Bell's juvenile record was discussed during a hearing to set bond after his June adult felony conviction. If any of the other students have previous convictions, it hasn't yet been made public.



http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs. ... /709200342

[SPFan4ever]

I find it VERY interesting that UL students went to the protest. I wonder if they were excused from class for it and I wonder who paid for their bus ride to the protest?

Something else in the article got my attention. The mother of Mychel Bell bought a Jaguar with the monies that were donated for her sons defense.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/9883227.html


IMO, Jesse and Al need to continue on to their destruction.

[Eric]

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QT ... 2000_SF1_U

Only 12% of the population is black in Jena. If there were anymore than 2 black jurors it would be disproportionate. Even 2 is 17%.

In other words, sometimes its just about the numbers. Its not racism.

[Perry86fan]

The kid that was beaten up had nothing to do with what those kids put in the tree. Al Sharpton is who basically keeps racism alive. If there is no trouble, he creates it for monetary gain. Martin Luther King would not approve on how Jesse and Al have turned out and are trying to ruin everything he accomplished.

Read all the controversies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#Controversies

Amen! Karma will take care of them give it time.

[nikki]

The kid that was beaten up had nothing to do with what those kids put in the tree. Al Sharpton is who basically keeps racism alive. If there is no trouble, he creates it for monetary gain. Martin Luther King would not approve on how Jesse and Al have turned out and are trying to ruin everything he accomplished.

Read all the controversies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#Controversies

I think you just found Sharpton's new moniker...'Keep racism alive!!'. Everything you said in this post is dead on.

[chf34jmac]

Let me see if I got this right.

Kids hanging noose in tree. When exactly did that become illegal?
Kids beating another person almost to death. That has always been illegal!

Kids hanging noose - asshole rednecks yes/ criminal no
Kids beating person almost to death. asshole rednecks yes/ criminal yes

Those of you that think hanging a noose is illegal please show me a law or a statute to confirm this. I have never seen one.
Those of you that think beating someone almost to death isn't a crime worthy of 20 years in jail - you need to move out of this country.

[yak]

Al and Jesse....what Church are they Reverends at anyway?

The Church of Opportunism