The Jena 6 Documents
Economics & Law — By Joe Carter on September 27, 2007 at 12:00 amFor the past several weeks the blogosphere has been discussing the incidents involving the “Jena 6.” The reporting on the events in Jena by the mainstream media has been disappointing, with the focus being placed on the emotional reactions and protests rather than on the relevant facts.
In order to facilitate a substantive discussion of the case, Laura Curtis and I have decided to make public several documents, including: the official statements from the students and coaches that witnessed the assault on Justin Barker; the statements of Mychal Bell and Jesse Beard; the police reports related to the Gotta Go and Fair Barn incidents; the motion for post verdict acquittal; and a portion of the hearing to deny bail to Mychal Bell.
Every effort has been made to scrub the documents of any details that might violate the privacy of the witnesses.
Misc. Documents
- Convenience Store Incident — Police statements on the incident involving Robert Bailey, Jr. and Theo Shaw at the Gotta Go convenience store.
Court Documents
- Motion for post verdict acquittal [Note: Because Bell's case has been transferred to the juvenile court system, I've decided to pull this document.]
- Walters’ Argument to Revoke Bell’s Bail — Provides the justification for the District Attorney’s case for denying bail to Mychal Bell [Note: Because Bell's case has been transferred to the juvenile court system, I've decided to pull this document.]
- State of La v Munoz — Explains the criteria for determining whether an instrument (i.e., a tennis shoe) can be deemed a “deadly weapon.”
Statements of the Accused
Witness Statements
- Witness Statement Names Index
- Witness Transcript List — a PDF containing transcripts of all of the following witness statements.
- Justin Barker [victim] (Sheriff’s Department Statement)
- Witness E.S. (Sheriff’s Department Statement)
- Coach J.M. (Written Statement)
- Coach B.L. #1
- Coach B.L. #2
- Anonymous student (Written Statement)
- Witness K.S. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness J.H. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness J.L. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness J.L. (Sheriff’s Department Statement)
- Unnamed Witness (Written Statement)
- Witness J.H. (Sheriff’s Department Statement) (Part B)
- Witness J.H. (Sheriff’s Department Statement)
- Witness D.R. (Sheriff’s Department Statement)
- Witness L.E. (Sheriff’s Department Statement)
- Witness L.J. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness D.P. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Unidentified Witness (Part B, Part C, Part D) (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness K.R. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness C.N.H. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness M.H. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness A.J. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness C.P. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness M.W. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness M.M. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness J.O. (Student Statement Sheet)
- Witness J.C. (Student Statement Sheet)
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85 Comments
Ellen:
“You know what bothers me? Is that we have little sympathy for these guys because WE KNOW that most of them are troublemakers. Yet Jena 6 supporters assume we are racist because of our lack of sympathy.”
We think (know) you’re racist because you don’t believe in equal protection under the law, proportional enforcement of the law, and the fact that you all had a white’s only tree at your high school and call hanging nooses in response to blacks daring to sass you and sit under that tree, a nere “prank”.
Black kid get’s jumped and beat by whites, probation is offered to one, the rest go free. White kid gets jumped and beat by blacks, charged with 80 frigging years in prison, and you chear.
Your racism is undeniably evident!
If they’re trouble makers then they should get trouble maker punishment. Suspension, maybe expulsion, maybe even misdeamenour assault – but murder charges? There’s no justification. Life in prison, nothing you can beging to say that will ever take the stain of racism off of supporting that.
Yobachi:
Dry that sarcasm off, buddy.
Here’s my response:
“We think (know) you’re racist because you don’t believe in equal protection under the law, proportional enforcement of the law, and the fact that you all had a white’s only tree at your high school and call hanging nooses in response to blacks daring to sass you and sit under that tree, a nere “prank”.”
I believe in equal protection under the law, so does most people in Jena. You have no basis for comparison regarding the DA’s actions until an investigation can positively conclude that his PAST cases reflect harsher treatment on black defendants. If this proves true, we can go ahead and say that the DA is a racist, but STILL not the entire town. So don’t jump the gun. All you have is gut feelings and the race card.
The whites only tree idea is about to be blown out of the water. Anyone who went to Jena High School knows this is not true. Me and several people are thumbing through old yearbook pictures looking for pictures of black students under and around that tree. We’ve already found one. We’re sure to find more. When we find these, we will submit them to several news publications and make sure the word gets out that this is NOT the “white tree”.
Regarding the nooses, I’ve thoroughly explained my stance on them in Post #39 above. There is ample reason to believe these guys were not trying to threaten the black students with a racial gesture; and to be fair, there are some reason to believe they may HAVE been meant as such. But as I say above, I’m not convinced.
“Black kid get’s jumped and beat by whites, probation is offered to one, the rest go free. White kid gets jumped and beat by blacks, charged with 80 frigging years in prison, and you chear.”
Wow! Where do I start? The Fair Barn incident is VERY different from the Justin Barker beating. Let’s compare. I will use Robert Bailey’s statement above for comparison, and assume he is being 100% truthful.
Fair Barn Incident: Two fought one, while several fought two.
Justin Barker beating: Six to nine fought one!
Fair Barn Incident: All involved parties in the fight were conscious while the altercation took place.
Justin Barker beating: the one being ganged up on was not conscious
Fair Barn Incident: No one made a trip to the hospital that night.
Justin Barker beating: the one being ganged up on was rushed to the ER
Fair Barn Incident: Though Justin Sloan’s punch to Bailey was clearly wrong and illegal, it was not a “sucker” punch. Robert Bailey saw it coming.
Justin Barker beating: the initial punch was a sucker punch from behind
I could go on and on. So if YOU expect equal punishment, maybe you should compare equal cases? As I said before, comparing these two incidents that are DIFFERENT in nature does not constitute selective prosecution, or unequal justice. The only way this can be proved is if an investigation occurs into Reed Walters’ past prosecutions.
“Your racism is undeniably evident!”
I’ve never denied racism is an issue here. I just deny that it exists to the degree that the media has made it out to be. Racial activists are trying so hard to make this case as purely racist as they can so they can push their agenda. Though I don’t necessarily disagree with their agenda (to ensure the judicial system is color-blind when prosecuting), I disagree with the inaccuracies they are using to distort the public’s view of the events in Jena.
“If they’re trouble makers then they should get trouble maker punishment. Suspension, maybe expulsion, maybe even misdeamenour assault – but murder charges? There’s no justification. Life in prison, nothing you can beging to say that will ever take the stain of racism off of supporting that.”
This statement alone speaks volumes about your knowledge of the events that took place in Jena. NONE of these 6 were EVER facing murder charges; all faced attempted second degree murder but have since been downgraded to aggravated battery; one is having his case tried in juvenile court and is playing on the football team as we speak. Life in prison? Where in the WORLD do you get this from? Collateral News? Democracy Now? GET YOUR INFORMATION STRAIGHT!! I would be VERY surprised if any of them serve more than a few years in prison, assuming they are found guilty.
If you want to, I can point you to some articles that can better inform you of what has happened. You seem to have read snippets of information off of inaccurate articles online and feel like you know alot. It’s very easy to get angry about this case, but you should remove your anger and look at it objectively.
C’mon, Yobachi. Robert Bailey indicates so himself: he gets ganged up on inside the party but is perfectly fine to “wrestle on the ground” with Sloan a little later. It’s clear that we are talking about a fight here.
With regards to the Gotta Go incident it’s not that the white people and black students testimony contradicts, it’s that the testimony of the two black students involved contradict each other. Theo Shaw states they’re just sitting around and Matt Windham instigates, while Bailey clearly says “we were getting ready to fight”. So both can’t happen at once, the eye witness report becomes crucial. She supports the self-defense story (the gun doesn’t even get taken out of the car) and Bailey gets a slap on his wrist…then 2 days later he’s involved in a group fight.
They charge the kids with battery, then find out Bell is involved and is the instigator and up the charge to attempted murder to show that they’re serious. By the time the trial starts, Bell is charged with the crime he committed: aggravated second-degree battery.
I think we all know, in our gut, that if the Jena Six had been all white and Barker a black boy we would’ve heard of this on December 5th, 2006.
The truth is that America is pretty good with racial violence. In 2004, there were only 5 bias-related murders in the entire country: one anti-black, 2 anti-white, one anti-gay and one anti-atheist/agnostic.
African-American males don’t get charged more harshly for similar crimes, there’s only one set of laws where it occurs and that’s those that make up the War on Drugs (the cops and courts try to use it to stop the violence within the African-American community). With regards to violent crime the punishments are relatively equal. With regards to black on white and vice-versa, the American Justice system is actually in favor of the African-American community.
And the authorities do have a problem: it’s not white youths causing the large number of deaths among the young African-American male population, it’s the result of black on black violence. It’s been decreasing over the years, but it’s still a problem. It has nothing to do with race, but everything with socio-economic status and culture.
And with the harsh response to a pretty open and shut case, I think the real problem in America becomes apparant:
no one seems to want to admit how far along America actually is. There’s still an extreme distrust within the African-American community towards the white majority and the institutions and (I would say) that’s the main factor why black America is still subjected to conditions below the national average of the white majority. Of course there’s still racism and everyone discriminates (even you, Yobachi), but by large, things are heading the right way.
If you read FromJena’s comments, and those from the others from Jena you can clearly see that no one wants to string up these “poor” black boys. The Jena community just wants to deal with their problems in the way they feel is right.
And unless we have strong indications that they can’t do so fairly, we should back off and focus on our own.
You all may find this very interesting. The Jena Times just wrote an article involving school board members, the DA, and police department. They give specific explanations about each incident that occurred. They say it’s the first time alot of this information has been publicly released.
Go here to read it:
http://www.thejenatimes.net/home_page_graphics/home.html
Wow FromJena, I didn’t even have to get finger cramps to type a response for Yoboghi’s ignorance. Thanks! People that post the garbage like that have nothing better to do, and they sure don’t know the facts. They don’t live here and they have no idea. I’m sure they have a racial issue in their home town they could address before they try to sweep off the door steps of our town. If they think TJ6 is so innocent, I wish that they would come and get them and let them live in and terroize their neighborhood and the innocent children at JHS.
YO! YOBOCHI, I’M NOT A RACIST. HOW BOUT YOU? I’VE GOT LOTS OF BLACK FRIENDS, BUT THEY AREN’T THUGS. AND “THUGS” HAS NO COLOR.
I know that some of these facts have been distorted by the media, but come on people. Yeah, much of what the media has reported turned up to be exaggerations or complete BS altogether, but that’s always the case.
First, let’s not forget that even the DA himself does not deny making the pen statement. I don’t care if he was looking at the black students or not when he said it. He basically said he can lock anyone he wants away just because he feels like it. And you know what? That makes him a tyrant. It’s no surprise that a simple assault case is leading to people being sentenced to over 20 years, racially motivated or not.
And on that note, no, I don’t consider a tennis shoe a deadly weapon. We walk everywhere with shoes on nowadays, I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that most times people get kicked, it’s with a tennis shoe. And guess what? This is the first I’ve ever heard of such a charge, at least pertaining to shoes anyway. Not saying it hasn’t happened, but I’m fairly certain it’s rare.
As far as racially motivated, well it has been reported that a few white kids assaulted a black kid and weren’t charged. The nature of the attack may have been different, but it’s still an assault case in which white people attacked a black person and weren’t charged at all for it. Justin barker did get hurt pretty badly, but he was also asking for it. He basically got a black eye and a few head bumps, that’s not worth 20 years. There’s been arguments about how long they continued attacking him after he was knocked out and what “could” have happened to him, but the law isn’t about what could have happened, it’s about what did happen. And frankly, what did happen doesn’t warrant a 2 decade sentence, especially when you consider he was asking for it.
He made a racial comment of some kind about Robert Bailey being attacked by a white kid. That’s clearly racist. It’s not hard to imagine 6 people from a crowd getting mad about a racial remark and beating on the person who made it in an outrage. Now I agree that they shouldn’t have reacted the way that they did and the law does have to be objective, but they deserve to be charged with assault, not the charge they are getting. But the same also goes for the white kids who had assaulted a black kid. Even if you wanted to upgrade the charge to battery that wouldn’t be so bad since Barker did receive quite a beating, although I would argue it was more an unintentional case of what happens when you have 6 on 1.
Now the white kids not being charged might be an oversight, but that still makes Walters a tyrant, he’s trying to send people to jail for over 20 years for simple assault. He also is recorded saying, and doesn’t deny that he said, that he can lock people up at will, just because he feels like it. It also irks me that he dared declare Jesus on his side.
I know that some of these facts have been distorted by the media, but come on people. Yeah, much of what the media has reported turned up to be exaggerations or complete BS altogether, but that’s always the case.
First, let’s not forget that even the DA himself does not deny making the pen statement. I don’t care if he was looking at the black students or not when he said it. He basically said he can lock anyone he wants away just because he feels like it. And you know what? That makes him a tyrant. It’s no surprise that a simple assault case is leading to people being sentenced to over 20 years, racially motivated or not.
And on that note, no, I don’t consider a tennis shoe a deadly weapon. We walk everywhere with shoes on nowadays, I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that most times people get kicked, it’s with a tennis shoe. And guess what? This is the first I’ve ever heard of such a charge, at least pertaining to shoes anyway. Not saying it hasn’t happened, but I’m fairly certain it’s rare.
As far as racially motivated, well it has been reported that a few white kids assaulted a black kid and weren’t charged. The nature of the attack may have been different, but it’s still an assault case in which white people attacked a black person and weren’t charged at all for it. Justin barker did get hurt pretty badly, but he was also asking for it. He basically got a black eye and a few head bumps, that’s not worth 20 years. There’s been arguments about how long they continued attacking him after he was knocked out and what “could” have happened to him, but the law isn’t about what could have happened, it’s about what did happen. And frankly, what did happen doesn’t warrant a 2 decade sentence, especially when you consider he was asking for it.
He made a racial comment of some kind about Robert Bailey being attacked by a white kid. That’s clearly racist. It’s not hard to imagine 6 people from a crowd getting mad about a racial remark and beating on the person who made it in an outrage. Now I agree that they shouldn’t have reacted the way that they did and the law does have to be objective, but they deserve to be charged with assault, not the charge they are getting. But the same also goes for the white kids who had assaulted a black kid. Even if you wanted to upgrade the charge to battery that wouldn’t be so bad since Barker did receive quite a beating, although I would argue it was more an unintentional case of what happens when you have 6 on 1.
Now the white kids not being charged might be an oversight, but that still makes Walters a tyrant, he’s trying to send people to jail for over 20 years for simple assault. He also is recorded saying, and doesn’t deny that he said, that he can lock people up at will, just because he feels like it. It also irks me that he dared declare Jesus on his side.
A_B
Can you not read? The boy who jumped on bailey was arrested for simple battery as he should have been. If Bell had jumped on Barker one on one it would have been the same thing. But that didnt happen. Bell should have been arrested and expelled when he toook a swing at the sherrif detective the same day Walters gave the famous speech. Again he got another chance and no chargers were pressed. Did you know he was the reason Walters and law inforcement officers were called to the school that day. How many chances does one person get? I can show you a white man that has been in jail since his teens for the same type behavior. He is a habitual offender. I believe after 3 strikes you are out. His mother is a criminal so is his father so what do you expect. You keep saying everything you know has been reported. Thats is the problem you wont look at the facts and make a honest judgement. You rely on the reporting of the media who cares nothing about the 6 or the truth. They just want to profit from it. I also believe that the Barkers should file a civil suit against the 6 so they wont be able to profit from future revenue from their so called story. Just like OJ any moneys made from this should be awarded to the Barkers. I am sure their are plenty of lawers who would love to do it. What do the rest of you think. Lets hock the “cadis” and give the victim the money.
A_B:
—-”First, let’s not forget that even the DA himself does not deny making the pen statement. I don’t care if he was looking at the black students or not when he said it. He basically said he can lock anyone he wants away just because he feels like it. And you know what? That makes him a tyrant. It’s no surprise that a simple assault case is leading to people being sentenced to over 20 years, racially motivated or not.”
Yes, the way he said it was arrogant, but if you’ll read the article above, it shows his words were taken out of context. His entire sentence said “With the stroke of a pen I can make your life miserable so I want you to call me before you do something stupid.” So it sounds very different when you put the entire sentence together. On its face, the sentence he said that is being reported sounds very distasteful.
You may view it as a simple assault case; a prosecutor in New York City may consider it a simple assault case. But I don’t take it that lightly, the DA doesn’t, and most people in the town of Jena don’t. And many I have heard arguing the case from the law community agree with Walters. So that is purely opinion. And who is saying the simple assault case is leading anyone to get 20 years? NOBODY has been sentenced, and ONLY ONE went to trial. And his MAX was 15, which he probably would have received far less of. You shouldn’t take advantage of the shock factor by throwing out his numbers for prison sentences; your claims are grounded by VERY little fact.
—–”And on that note, no, I don’t consider a tennis shoe a deadly weapon. We walk everywhere with shoes on nowadays, I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that most times people get kicked, it’s with a tennis shoe. And guess what? This is the first I’ve ever heard of such a charge, at least pertaining to shoes anyway. Not saying it hasn’t happened, but I’m fairly certain it’s rare.”
Did you read the case above? State of LA vs. Munoz? A case where tennis shoes was successfully considered a lethal weapon to uppen charges to aggravated battery. The appellate courts backed the prosecutor. If you’ll read further into that document it says “any gas, liquid, or other substance or instrumentality which, in the manner used, is calculated or is likely to produce death or great bodily harm.” So under the LAW codes, tennis shoes fall directly under the classification of a lethal weapon. Keep in mind that a tennis shoe can end someone’s life if they are unconscious, and it can cause serious brain damage. THAT’S why I feel it is not “simple assault”, but aggravated battery. The DA has a very legitimate case, backed by similar past cases and reasonable evidence. He may not have done everything perfect and reasonable, but he deserves more credit than he has been given.
—-”As far as racially motivated, well it has been reported that a few white kids assaulted a black kid and weren’t charged.”
Wrong. The instigator of the fight, Justin Sloan, was arrested and plead guilty to misdemeanor assault.
—-”Justin barker did get hurt pretty badly, but he was also asking for it.”
Asking for it doesn’t cut it. That’s like saying someone was “asking for it” because they flipped someone the bird in traffic and got shot in the head for it. It’s basically saying the victim is at fault, which is obviously far from the truth.
—-”There’s been arguments about how long they continued attacking him after he was knocked out and what “could” have happened to him, but the law isn’t about what could have happened, it’s about what did happen. And frankly, what did happen doesn’t warrant a 2 decade sentence, especially when you consider he was asking for it.”
Again, the “2 decade sentence” is used for shock factor, and is grounded in ZERO fact. Your logic may say that people should be punished based on what did happen, as opposed to what could have happened, but our judicial system seems to think different than that. Say you open up your door to go to work tomorrow, then a man whips out a gun, aims and fires it at you. It grazes your ear and he takes off. If he gets arrested, do you want him arrested on “simple battery” charges, or are you gonna be thinking “NO HE TRIED TO MURDER ME!”? So our judicial system is alot more complex than your “gut feeling” and anyone’s moral code. It’s meant to break down specific facts and put a description to everything so that information is laid out in a manner that allows objectivity to take over, not “gut feeling”.
—-”He made a racial comment of some kind about Robert Bailey being attacked by a white kid.”
Read above. Mychal Bell’s statement is the only one that says Barker said the “n” word, but keep in mind his eye witness statement is also contradicted in several respects by 8-10 eye witnesses who say HE was involved with the attack. So I feel his statement has less validity than others because of this. Also, read the statements under “Unidentified Witness” above. A female black student explains in detail the argument that took place before the beating. She mentions nothing about Barker saying a racial slur, only that he flipped Bell off and got in his face.
—-”although I would argue it was more an unintentional case of what happens when you have 6 on 1″
I believe what they did was very intentional, and the eye witnesses make it pretty obvious. They threatened 3 or 4 other male white students that day. One was pushed repeatedly (D.M.), one was almost slapped in the back of the head, one was gathered around while some of them were saying “Robert, hit him!”. Barker definitely escalated the issue when he did what he did, but it is VERY clear to me what their intentions were that day.
You seem like a fair person and your logic makes sense in alot of respects, but keep in mind there is a wealth of information on this case online now. You can form a more accurate judgment of the events.
Hmm, well I don’t live in Jena and you do, so I will just have to take your word for it. I will say this however, my pointing out about him asking for it was not meant to dismiss the fact that the reaction as wrong, only to point out that it’s at least understandable. Also, on the “what could have happened” thing, yes, attempted murder is a crime, but that has to do more with intent than what could have happened.
It’s pretty bad if the media is so filled with rhetoric that even those of us who don’t live all that far from Jena don’t necessarily know what’s going on.
A_B:
You seem like a very reasonable person, and I understand where you are coming from. It is VERY sad how the media has handled all of this. It disgusts me, and that’s why me and others are getting the truth out. It angers me when people think on here “oh, there’s a Jena person” and suddenly every opinion I have can simply be written off as racist. It’s like a big joke, almost. Again, I’ve said all along, there are valid racism issues across the south that need to be addressed, including in Jena, but it’s difficult to will yourself to step up and fight racism when everybody in the country has deemed you a racist simply because of where you live.
I understand how Barker calling Bell the “n” word would make Barker less of an innocent victim and more of an adversary. I’m not convinced that he said that, though (read my theory above). But that doesn’t mean he didn’t say it.
If you want to keep up with this case as best as possible, read the Town Talk online and the Jena Times. Though the Jena Times DOES appear to lean towards a more reactive role to all of the negative publicity elsewhere, they do have information that no one else is reporting that will put a good perspective on it.
If I’ve learned one thing about this case, it’s that you can’t trust what the media has to say. You really can’t even rely on what they say are “facts”.
The older I get, the more I realize that you HAVE to have a tough skin living in this country in this day and age. People are used to looking at shocking content and the media is always looking for more ways to upstage itself and other media outlets by reporting more shocking content. It isn’t just a media problem, it seems to be a societal problem. Look how advertising is now. People’s mindsets are changing and the country has less and less time to “validate” truth and accuracy, so it is being thrown to the wayside. Something to think about.
I get the feeling that many of the “Jena 6″ supporters have never been in a fight before, much less a 6 vs. 1 beating.
If you’ve ever been in a position where multiple assailants are kicking you in the head, I think that you’ll find that tennis sneakers can be deadly weapons.
Being punched in the head a few times is one thing. Being stomped on the ground is quite another. If someone forced you to bite the curb, and then stomped on your head, is it really that implausible that your assailant is using his shoe as a deadly weapon?
Yeah, y’all make some pretty good points. In actuality, I lived in the north once, and there is way more racism there than here in the south. Even if it were the other way around, it is definitely a logical fallacy to assume everyone from the south would be racist because of it. To be honest, I didn’t believe everything the media said, I knew they were exaggerating some of it because that’s how they are, but I had no idea just how bad it was.
I tend to avoid reading legal documents because they are so worded around making 100% they are not taken out of context, that the language they use can be next to impossible for a left brain analyzer like myself to understand. And I understand the point about the tennis shoes too, although when you put it that way, it is worth noting that you can beat someone to death with your fist too.
Then again, that just means our justice system needs to penalize actual damage done, instead of what was used to cause that damage.
A_B:
Quite true–you make several good points. However, the fact that you can beat a person to death with your fist does not prevent other (more efficient) ways of killing that person from being classified as the use of a dangerous weapon.
We have to determine a weapon’s ‘dangerousness’ in the context of the situation at hand. A pencil in the hands of a professor is probably not a deadly weapon; a pencil in the hands of Jason Bourne is extremely dangerous! Which is not to say that the ‘Jena 6′ were a group of deadly assassins — but when you have a situation where six people are kicking an unconcious person in the head, I think that this is more analogous to a situation where those shoes could plausibly be deadly. I am sure that if I were lying unconscious on the ground, I would greatly prefer being kicked without a shoe (toes don’t hurt very much) to being bludgeoned with the blunt end of a sneaker.
Arguably, the punishment should reflect the harm done, and not the actual instrument. That does make intuitive sense. But then you might run into problems in situations where there is no harm done, but there is the intent to inflict bodily harm upon someone (e.g. inchoate crimes).
Perhaps using a shoe as a deadly weapon is not what the legislature envisioned when they enacted the statue (they probalby aimed the statute at people running around with guns and knives), but I think that it’s a colorable claim given the “on-the-ground” nature of the attack.
What you stated shows ignorance. “White people deserve justice.” When do you not get it. Try living as a black person for one day.
White people have had justice for years, and yet you want to seem as the victims.
I’m not condoning what the young men did to Barker, but I would like to know why the man who attacked the black student at a party isn’t in jail? Double standards I would say. Of course you disagree because “white people deserve justice too.
I willl answer the question for you. He’s not in jail because he is WHITE.
THAT’S JUSTICE FOR YOU!!!
WHY IS HE NOT BEHIND BARS SINCE WHITE PEOPLE DON’T GET JUSTICE. YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!!!
Justin Sloan, the white person, is not in prison because it was his first (violent?) offence: he was charged with simple battery and put on probation.
Robert Bailey and Theo Shaw committed a similar crime (they punched Matt Windham at least once) the next day and were also not put in prison: they weren’t even charged with assault or battery, only theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace.
Carwin Jones was arrested in October for battery and was not put in prison.
Mychal Bell committed the same crime twice, once while on probation, and did not go to prison.
So we have 6 cases of battery, all with the same legal outcome, regardless of race.
Luuk:
And keep in mind that the day of the assembly, Mychal Bell took a swing at a police officer and missed, but THEY NEVER ARRESTED him. He was up for expulsion NINETEEN TIMES yet they still let him stay. It really ticks me off when people like Ellen make it out like whites get off with everything. Many BLACKS get off with things because the disciplinarians are afraid they will cry racism if punishment is appropriately given! It’s not fair. Everything should be perfectly balanced, not leaning towards either race.
I have a cousin who got in all kinds of trouble in high school. He broke in a car and stole a radio, did several other things. Reed Walters wanted to put him away for TWO YEARS, but he went to an alternate program and got his life straightened up. Reed Walters is an asshole to many people, it’s not a racism thing.
Here is something to chew on. If someone has a gun pointed at you, would you walk up to them and yell “You loser, kiss my ass!” NO, because you know the threat exists. The same theory can be applied in a practical sense to what the Jena 6 did to Reed Walters. He TOLD the entire school that violence would be punished to the fullest extent of the law, he was angry, he has an enormous amount of power. What did they do? They thumbed their nose to him and violently gangbanged someone less than a week later. No, Reed Walters has NO RIGHT to abuse his powers, but you don’t thumb your nose to someone like that. You don’t ignore stern warnings like that. Reed Walters did exactly what he SAID he was gonna do. So you gotta give him some credit for backing what he said.
Nonetheless, I still feel an investigation into Reed Walters’ past prosecutions needs to be conducted by an independent party. This will either exonerate him or show bias in his judgment. Let’s all push for this, because this is what will become the defining factor in this entire case. If there is two systems of justice in Jena, that needs to change. I’ve lived there almost my entire life and I’ve never sensed it, but it needs to be factually proven true or untrue.
I got off-topic there, I know.
To From Jena,
I have never said whites get away with everything. Are you thinking of someone else? I said that the black students got away with things repeatedly! So, race could not be a factor. What’s up with that statement?
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Wow, now let me start this long rant here by pointing out that this whole case, from start to finish, has been bizarre and depressing. I’m sure (or perhaps not so sure after reading some of your posts) that as christians we want fairness, a positive resolution, and redemption and growth among all those involved directly with the case.
That said, how are there possibly so many apologists here for the actions of white racists in the Jena incident? Certainly in this case there were instances where the black students were out of line, but are a lot of you looking at the facts in this case? I’m a white person, and as a white person I know I cant completely understand the struggle blacks in this country have faced, but I try my best to relate, understand, and empathize with said struggle-especially in situations where overt racism and unfairness is involved.
Now what we clearly had in Jena was a domino effect of actions that lead to the jena 6 assaulting the white student. Looking at the facts objectively, it is clear to me that at the Jena highschool, and indeed, the greater Jena area, there was (and still is) a double standard for black citizens in at least a few aspects of day-to-day life. Okay, so black people don’t have to drink from a different waterfountain anymore, and race relations are slowly improving, but lets stop patting ourselves on the back for ending segregation and realize that grave racial injustice still exists on a broad scale. Stop demanding “justice” for white people and open your eyes to the injustice most blacks are still forced to endure to this day.
In realizing that, which Im sure most apologists here don’t, try to look at this case through that prism. Jena was essentially a kettle that had been heated up and heated up, and eventually that heat is gonna make that water boil. These black students, and certainly not just the Jena 6, were subject to unfair treatment from the school administration. After what was a horrible hate crime in the noose incident the administration failed to act accordingly and fairly. To classify the incident as a sophomoric prank that wasn’t a big deal fails to acknowledge the gravity that racial threats harkening back to the Jim Crowe era carries. It isn’t a prank, it isn’t throwing someone’s old sneakers up a telephone pole, it isn’t even keying a car, it is a straight up racist attack on black people, and personally I would very much see it as a threat.
Most of you whites here who are tripping all over yourself to cry foul and demand justice for the whites involved fail to realize the gravity of such racism; whether its overt as seen with the nooses, or whether its less apparent, like black students asking for fair handling of the noose incindent, or even more disturbing, like the black student being charged with attempted murder when his victim was able to attend ring ceremony hours later. Certainly, the act of attacking anyone cannot be tolerated… but the issue here is about the fair way to punish someone when they break the law. It’s also about the way in which local, state, and fed. officials have, more or less, mishandled the whole situation. It’s ALSO about the kind of environment racism creates; racism which was in no short supply in Jena.
What sort of environment does it create? Well, the kind of environment where confused young black men see the injustice, big and small, all around them, and sometimes turn that frustration into outward and inward destruction. And, of course, if that frustration manifests itself as aggression and they do something illegal… they’re quite likely to be held to a different standard than a white person committing the same crime.
There’s no question that the Jena 6 were out of line in their actions, and even though their actions can’t be blamed solely on racial inequailty and the powder keg atmosphere of Jena at the time of the incidents… we no less need to look at those things. We need to address the obvious injustices and racial backlash present in this case, look for ways to improve things, and essentially say “As a people, not as white people or black people, but as a people we could and we should do better.” We need to take real notice of the continuing inequality of the legal system, we need to recognize that racism still does exist (burning as passionately in the hearts of some as it did during Jim Crowe) and that it should continue to be addressed, but most of all, we need to listen to one another more-we’ve got to use times like this to grow.
I pray that out of this bizarre, depressing, and eye opening incident… that society, well, keeps its eyes open and uses this otherwise misfortunate event to learn from its mistakes. That’s why, sitting here and reading some of your replies, I’m appauled at what is overlooked or misunderstood. Instead of praying for progress on the path of justice for all, some of you are actually missing the whole lesson to be learned here and ignorantly demanding “justice for whites”. Instead of focusing on the heated racial atmosphere of Jena, and the fact that numerous people were threatened and delt injustice simply because of the color of their skin… some of you would rather point out how one of the Jena 6 has had a few run ins with the law post-incident when, infact, it has nothing to do with anything.
I’m not here to judge, that is no man’s duty, but I just must reiterate… open your eyes. Some serious problems have been brought to the light in the town of Jena; all one needs to do to see is… open their eyes.
“Most of you whites here who are tripping all over yourself to cry foul and demand justice for the whites involved fail to realize the gravity of such racism; whether its overt as seen with the nooses, or whether its less apparent, like black students asking for fair handling of the noose incindent, or even more disturbing, like the black student being charged with attempted murder when his victim was able to attend ring ceremony hours later.”
I am not white, nor am I black. But Asian. And I have seen racism from both (more so from whites than blacks, though the racism comes from small percentage of both groups, and not indicative of how they are as a whole).
But I would like to say that those who support the Jena 6 on this have no credibility with me on this. None. Actually, if there is less than zero, I would say that.
Do you realize how those who defend the Jena 6 look when they make remarks like since the victim was able to attend a ring ceremony later on that night after what he suffered?
Cruel, insensitive, heartless are words that do even begin how those words come across. And for them to demand hate crimes be prosecuted, yet give those guys a pass on this speak also to their own racism that they won’t acknowledge and are not looking at themselves in the mirror.
Look, the reason why the student was not worse than he was is because people put a stop to the beatdown before it got much worse. But he was still in alot of pain while he was picking up his ring, which he was not going to let anything stop him from doing so. Had the roles been reverse, people would not make such an asinine, borderline remarks that he attended a ceremony, so it must not be that bad. They would be applauding a black victim for being able to overcome the pain and injury he suffered to get what he dreamed of getting. Next time, people make these remarks need to put themselves in the shoes of the person who was assaulted. And also asked how much pain he was in. He was in alot by all accounts of the extent of his injuries, and would feel that way for weeks.
And the arguments that sneakers don’t constitute a deadly weapon don’t wash. Not by a legal long shot.
Try having someone stomp your head with sneakers on next time you claim it could not possibly be attempted murder. Or better try, having six people stomping and kicking at your head and body at the same time while you are still and defenseless. People have died as result of that kind of beatdown.
The same Al Sharpton who make that claim you did on Jena 6 said sneakers are deadly weapons when the roles are reverse!
Yes, racism exists in blacks, as well as whites. And for that matter in Asians.
But to play the race card amounts to demanding a free pass for those who are guilty of a horrific crime. And it is inexcusable and reflects very poorly on those who make that demand. Should whites get to march for five teenagers in SC tried as adults and could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for beating a black teen (though they ended up getting less than the max time)?
There is no comparison between hanging nooses as racially insensitive as those are to knocking someone out from behind and then beating on him when he is unconscious. And nor is the argument no punishment was handed down defensible. It might not be enough for some, but the fact the students got suspended, had to deal with detentions on top of that, quarantined from other students, and go through mental evaluations showed the school took what they did very seriously and sent out a message to them that what they did was intolerable and they needed to be taught that.
One of the Jena 6 is a serial offender who has been given multiple passes for his violent crimes.
If Jena is so racist, how come Mychal Bell has been allowed to walk? How come he is never suspended or expelled from his school despite a bad rap sheet?
If the noose hangers deserve to be expelled for what many argue to be inciting violent against others, what then about Bell who committed multiple crimes that actually involve assaults, battery, and destruction of property?
If people are screaming racism because one white got let off easy for simple battery at private party incident (which both whites and blacks in the melee should arguably be arrested), then just remember Bell got let off so many times.
Equal justice in this case would mean the white teenager offenders have to commit as many violent crimes as Bell before they can be tried as adults.
What is fair is fair, right?
Now, I don’t know if Jena is not racist or if it is racist.
All I know is that those who marched for the Jena 6 have sacrificed all logic, rationale, and yes, fairness, in their demands.
“Most of you whites here who are tripping all over yourself to cry foul and demand justice for the whites involved fail to realize the gravity of such racism; whether its overt as seen with the nooses, or whether its less apparent, like black students asking for fair handling of the noose incindent, or even more disturbing, like the black student being charged with attempted murder when his victim was able to attend ring ceremony hours later.”
I am not white, nor am I black. But Asian. And I have seen racism from both (more so from whites than blacks, though the racism comes from small percentage of both groups, and not indicative of how they are as a whole).
But I would like to say that those who support the Jena 6 on this have no credibility with me on this. None. Actually, if there is less than zero, I would say that.
Do you realize how those who defend the Jena 6 look when they make remarks like since the victim was able to attend a ring ceremony later on that night after what he suffered?
Cruel, insensitive, heartless are words that do even begin how those words come across. And for them to demand hate crimes be prosecuted, yet give those guys a pass on this speak also to their own racism that they won’t acknowledge and are not looking at themselves in the mirror.
Look, the reason why the student was not worse than he was is because people put a stop to the beatdown before it got much worse. But he was still in alot of pain while he was picking up his ring, which he was not going to let anything stop him from doing so. Had the roles been reverse, people would not make such an asinine, borderline remarks that he attended a ceremony, so it must not be that bad. They would be applauding a black victim for being able to overcome the pain and injury he suffered to get what he dreamed of getting. Next time, people make these remarks need to put themselves in the shoes of the person who was assaulted. And also asked how much pain he was in. He was in alot by all accounts of the extent of his injuries, and would feel that way for weeks.
And the arguments that sneakers don’t constitute a deadly weapon don’t wash. Not by a legal long shot.
Try having someone stomp your head with sneakers on next time you claim it could not possibly be attempted murder. Or better try, having six people stomping and kicking at your head and body at the same time while you are still and defenseless. People have died as result of that kind of beatdown.
The same Al Sharpton who make that claim you did on Jena 6 said sneakers are deadly weapons when the roles are reverse!
Yes, racism exists in blacks, as well as whites. And for that matter in Asians.
But to play the race card amounts to demanding a free pass for those who are guilty of a horrific crime. And it is inexcusable and reflects very poorly on those who make that demand. Should whites get to march for five teenagers in SC tried as adults and could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for beating a black teen (though they ended up getting less than the max time)?
There is no comparison between hanging nooses as racially insensitive as those are to knocking someone out from behind and then beating on him when he is unconscious. And nor is the argument no punishment was handed down defensible. It might not be enough for some, but the fact the students got suspended, had to deal with detentions on top of that, quarantined from other students, and go through mental evaluations showed the school took what they did very seriously and sent out a message to them that what they did was intolerable and they needed to be taught that.
One of the Jena 6 is a serial offender who has been given multiple passes for his violent crimes.
If Jena is so racist, how come Mychal Bell has been allowed to walk? How come he is never suspended or expelled from his school despite a bad rap sheet?
If the noose hangers deserve to be expelled for what many argue to be inciting violent against others, what then about Bell who committed multiple crimes that actually involve assaults, battery, and destruction of property?
If people are screaming racism because one white got let off easy for simple battery at private party incident (which both whites and blacks in the melee should arguably be arrested), then just remember Bell got let off so many times.
Equal justice in this case would mean the white teenager offenders have to commit as many violent crimes as Bell before they can be tried as adults.
What is fair is fair, right?
Now, I don’t know if Jena is not racist or if it is racist.
All I know is that those who marched for the Jena 6 have sacrificed all logic, rationale, and yes, fairness, in their demands.
I really dont understand why everyone is crying about the six kids that BEAT A KID, being innocent! of course they need to be punished for this, they are the ones who were wrong, not the kid that was laying on the ground getting kicked and punched…
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I see all your documents and I know how the criminal justice system works. I myself have been subjected to this fundamentally flawed system. I have demonstrated incontrovertably to the judges, both at the trial level and appellate level how they violated their own rules & in breech of oath and fiduciary, but they ignore these allegations & go right on railroading w/ their own agenda.
I viewed Walter’s remarks in his dismal attempt to set the record and it has nothing to do with the administration of justice that he claims. On the contrary, it has everything to do with his unlawful agenda.
The statements are unvarified & lack a notary. This stuff is mainly inadmissible.
I AM SO TIRED AND CONFUSED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING BECAUSE SINCE WHEN DID SCHOOL FIGHTS BECOME 22 YEARS WORTH OF CRIME LOOK AT THIS SITUATION HOW U MAY THESE BOYS ARE CHILDREN AND SHOULD BE TREATED AND SENTENCED AS SUCH WE MUST AL LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT AND WHEN THIS ALL STARTED IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN AS FAR AS IT DID PARENTS AND OTHER ADULTS SHOULD BE FAULTED BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE U STEP IN THE THINGS THAT THESE STATEMENTS ARE SAYING COME ON.. I MEAN REALLY THINK PEOPLE THIS SCHOOL IS 10% BLACK AND 80% CAUCASIAN JUST LIKE WE ARE SUPPORTING OUR PEOPLE THEY WILL STAND BEHIND THEIRS, THESE GUYS ARE NOT BEING JUDGE BY A JURY OF THEIR PEERS AND TO TOP ALL THIS OFF IT TAKES TWO TO FIGHT(WOW) AND FOR THE EX PREACHER UP TOP MAYBE YOUR ASLEEP BUT IM GONNA PRAY YOU WAKE UP BECAUSE THESE BOYS ARE HUMAN AND ONE MISTAKE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE THEIR FUTURE AS YOUNG AS THEY ARE AND LIKE I SAID JUST LIKE WERE PROTECTING OURS THEIR PROTECTING THEIRS
I’M A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I’M AFRAID OF THE WORLD I LIVE IN ALREADY I HOPE TO ONE DAY BE A LAWYER AND MAYBE A POLITICIAN…… PEOPLE YOU SHOULD LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY AND LOVE PEOPLE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU BUT IN THE MEAN TIME PRAY FOR YOURSELF,ME AND EACH OTHER
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ProGasCasMash
[IMG]http://www.hoppenrath.com/isp/avatar_e.jpg[/IMG]
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